Interview with Easter Egg
So who exactly is Easter Egg? Care to disclose any info?
My name is Nathan Pham, I’m 23, and I’m from Portland. The name “Easter Egg” came from what was a short lived nick name, but it obviously came back to life after a few people in town knew me as “Easter Egg” and not Nathan. I believe it was originally sparked by a pastel shirt I was wearing, maybe lavender or something in that range. I did a song or two, posted them on Myspace music, back when that was relevant, and when it asked for an artist name, I put the first thing that came to mind, not knowing the name would follow me for years.
What are you doing in your free time?
I don’t have a ton of free time, but when I do, honestly, I’m at the computer. I’m not too into TV, movies or books, so I plop down, try to make music, organize music, gather new music, etc. Some would say it’s redundant, but that’s how I feel about constantly watching movies for fun. I go out at night too, twice a week, usually hit the bars and catch a good DJ or two. I’ve been skateboarding since I was 12 so I like to find time for that, also. My life is great, it’s a good yin and yang balance between responsibility and play.
How did you get into mashups and how long have you been making them?
I first remember hearing a mashup that a friend of a friend made, I’d say this was about 4 or 5 years ago. I’ve always been interested in music and trying to create my own, but I’ve always been pretty horrible at it. Mashups opened up a new world for me, showing that I could build, rather than creating from scratch. It seemed like a fun idea, so I toyed with a few, and they honestly sounded horrible for the first year or two. I believe I’ve been making them since late ’06. Maybe even after that.
What have you been doing since you released Jackin’ For Beats?
I’ve been DJing a lot throughout town and a few gigs out of state. I met the right people and luckily got my foot through the door and have gotten to play a lot of great parties with a lot of other great DJs. I’ve also slowly been working on the new album, but I believe that I must have scrapped the entire project at least 4 times, and those were 20-30 minute albums at the time that I’d scrap them.
Software? Hardware?
I used only Ableton to create Jackin’ For Beats, but now I’m using 5 different programs to create this thing, and I’ll probably throw in a 6th to master the project to get it sounding a little more crisp. Ableton is the tool I’d use to put everything together for an album or a blend, and I don’t use any hardware with that, with the exception of headphones. When I play live, I use two turntables and a mixer, preferably Technics 1200s and a Rane 56.
What inspires your sample choice?
It depends on whether it’s going on the album or it’s going to be an A+B blend that I’ll make solely for the purpose of DJing. If it’s an A+B blend, I’ll try to take a party favorite that needs some help and bring it new life. I don’t want to lose too much feeling from the original track, but maybe give it a face lift to make it more club appropriate. I listen to music for 12 hours a day, and sometimes I listen for samples, but I’d never force anything. Some things sound good sampled, some don’t.
Favorite sample you’ve used?
I sampled The O’Jays’ “Love Train” recently and I think it sounded great, it’s a really feel good song and I feel it’s one of those tracks that most anyone could enjoy. I’m pretty sure that sample will make it onto the next album.
What is your favorite combination you’ve made?
There are some combos on the new project that I’m pleased with, but I don’t want to give anything away. As for music that’s already been released, I am really happy with my blend of Aaliyah’s “Are You That Somebody” with Major Lazer’s “Keep It Goin’ Louder.”
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Do you listen to other mashup artists?
Not really, sorry guys! If someone wants to send me their jams, then I’ll probably give it a listen, but I don’t look for mashups, ever. I’ve never even listened to Super Mash Bros or Milkman, and I’m under the impression that they’re the biggest in the game, next to Girl Talk. This may sound ironic, but I’m not in love with listening to them, I just like making them. Sometimes I feel like they’re only fun for the novelty value, but they don’t have much replay value. I do respect the people that make good blends though, it definitely takes a trained ear.
In general, what have you been listening to lately?
Lots of Motown and older R&B. I’ve been stocking up on reggae and dancehall, too, I developed a love for that stuff a while ago.
What is playing live like? Do you prefer it?
I absolutely love it. I haven’t done a mashup set in over two years, but doing traditional DJing is great, I absolutely love it. I get to control the vibe of the night, and you know how when you get too many people together near a laptop and everyone is changing the song every 30 seconds? Well, I find that annoying, so I’m glad that I get to pick what people are listening to for the night. For the last two years, I’ve mostly been spinnin’ with my buddy Jeff, AKA DJ Izm. I feel like DJing with other people is like two people trying to draw a picture on the same sheet of paper, you might want to go one direction while the other person wants to go another, but with DJ Izm, since we’ve spun together so many times that our sets come together nicely. Playing out live is why I haven’t released a new album yet, because when I’m home, I prefer to play with my turntables.
Plans for the future? What can we look forward to?
New album is 40 minutes deep, so it should be finished in a few months, hopefully. After that, I’m gonna take a break from making a new one, but I’ll make plenty of simple blends and edits to make DJing a bit more fun. Hopefully I can do an out of state mashup set sometime soon. People hit me up and give me offers, but no one ever seems too serious about it.
Favorite pizza topping, candy, and color?
My favorite pizza topping is artichoke hearts, and I don’t really get down with candy. If I had to choose, I’d go with some hard candy. My favorite color is purple, but I don’t own too many purple things.
Any other comments?
I just want to say thanks to a lot of people. No one gets where they are on their own, it always takes help from the right people. Thanks to everyone who has listened or taken the time to share my music, thanks to everyone who motivates me, thanks to Whatthemashup.com for the interview, thanks to everyone who has given me past interviews/reviews, thanks to everyone who has booked me, and a special thanks goes to DJ Izm and Tyler Tastemaker. DJ Izm has hooked me up with hardware to get me started, always promoted me and has hooked me up with great parties, booking us as a team rather than him as a solo artist. Tyler Tastemaker has consistently booked us on a monthly basis at my favorite party spot in Portland, where Jeff and I get to bring in special guests from around the country, and has recently hooked us up with another monthly party at a new spot in town.
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