We’re super excited to have PRXZM joining our TAP On The Rise class of 2020!! Check out our interview with the duo below!
Starting off can you share how you began your musical journey? and becoming a duo!
We met our freshman year of college, but we had both been involved in music for almost our whole lives up until then! I had been taking piano lessons for about 12 years and producing music for the last couple of years of high school and Emma had been involved in choir and dance. When we first met up, our workflows and personalities really clicked. We made a couple tracks and at the start of the second semester, decided to officially create PRXZM.
We love your most recent EP “Let me fall” can you tell us what your process looked like for that body of work?
Thank you! Each of the three songs came on their own. For Skyline, I wrote the chorus a couple of years ago and revisited it late 2019 with newfound inspiration after seeing the word “Skyline” like 5 times in a week. Carsick came along after a story my friend Lily told me about her and her partner having the same dream. I loved that concept and the song came to life that day. Nick sent me the Let Me Fall instrumental idea one unusually hot afternoon in the fall. I sat in my car the first time I listened to it and wrote half the song. It also came together very quickly, in creative bursts. Which seems to be the way my brain works!
As musicians who love synths and 80s sounds, what is your favorite piece of gear and do you enjoy production?
Nick: My favorite analog synths are the Juno 60 and the Prophet 5. I love the warm pads and bright, sparkly synths you can make with just a few faders and oscillators. We use a Juno 60 emulator in pretty much every one of our tracks!
Emma: I use a TC Helicon VoiceLive Touch 2 for a lot of my writing process. I’ll enter the key of the song, and play around with harmonies and autotune as I figure out melodies. It’s a pretty fun piece of gear to work with, and I often use it on stage too!
What inspired your sound and band name? When did you realize that this would be a great pairing?
Our name honestly just came from the fact that we both like shapes and finding dope, naturally occurring patterns in everyday life. But instead of spelling it like “prism” we thought it would look cooler and be easier to find if we spelled it like “PRXZM.” We like creating a cohesive audio/visual experience, and we are very intentional about making sure our aesthetic/outfits/live show visuals complement our sound.
Who are your biggest musical influences? what would your dream collab be?
Nick: I’ve said it a million times and I’ll say it a million more, Porter Robinson is the reason I got into electronic music and remains one of my biggest influences to date. Outside of electronic music, I draw a lot of inspiration from 80s artists like Madonna, Tiffany, and Depeche Mode. A dream collab would be with CHVRCHES!
Emma: I feel inspired by artists across the genre board. Phoebe Bridgers, Lauren Mayberry, Janelle Monet, Bjork, and Taylor Swift, to name a few who are on constant rotation for me. A dream collab would be with any of them!
What have you guys been up too in quarantine ?? Do you feel less or more creative at home?
Nick: Working on a lot of new music, both for PRXZM and just for fun. I’ve actually been pretty busy these past couple of months. I ghost produce and offer mixing/mastering services and have been keeping busy with that. But aside from all the work, I’ve felt random bursts of creative energy and it’s been nice to always be within a few feet of my computer whenever those pop up.
Emma: Definitely writing a lot. I am also a voice actor, and have stayed pretty busy with that throughout the pandemic! I’ve done a few video games, commercials, I feel most creative when driving. Often when Nick sends over a new instrumental, I’ll go out for a drive to listen to it.
Do you have any advice for musicians looking to begin their own careers?
Don’t be afraid to take the first steps! I know a lot of people who let their perfectionism get in the way of them putting anything out at all. And it’s really easy to fall into a pattern like this. Trust us, we’ve been there! You make something and are really stoked about it for a week and then it just feels stale. But that’s because you’re often your own worst critic. It’s only stale to you because you’ve heard it so many times and spent hours tweaking every small detail. Believe in yourself and your craft and don’t be afraid to show the world what you are creating!
How have your hometowns played an influence on your music? Did you both grow up in musicals or artists places?
Nick: I didn’t grow up in a musical family, but my parents pushed me to take piano lessons from a young age. I don’t necessarily equate my hometown with my musical upbringing, but Emma and I do feel like we have some of our roots in Bloomington where we went to college. It was where we built the PRXZM brand for 4 years of our lives and we will always hold a special place in our hearts for that town.
Emma: I grew up in a pretty musical family. My dad and I sing together often, and my mom….listens! I was always around the arts as a kid. I was a ballroom dance instructor, performed in a hip hop company, and sang in a children’s chorus until I went to college. So yeah, no breaks for me! Or sports. Hehe.
What can we expect from you in the near future?
We spend a few hours together every day working on ideas, lyrics, video concepts. We have been taking this time building a strong arsenal of new music to release just in the off chance concerts/touring are allowed again someday. 😀
Connect with PRXZM: Instagram, Spotify & Website
