BY KAT H. WENTZELL
PHOTO COURTESY OF TRITONAL
Tritonal has become a legendary name in the world of electronic dance music. The band is comprised of two talented Texas natives - Chad Cisneros and Dave Reed - and they have reaped much success since the formation of Tritonal in 2008. The duo have over 4 million monthly listeners on Spotify, over 2 million views on the YouTube video for their hit single “Untouchable,” and as of February 2018, have over 800k followers across all social media. As if these achievements were not notable enough, Cisneros and Reed also own their own record label, Enhanced Music, with fellow DJ and friend Will Holland, and host their own popular weekly podcast titled Tritonia. Even though all of these jobs require Cisneros and Reed to be working at least six days out of the week, they would not change a thing; music is their passion and the fans mean everything to them.
Can you talk a little bit about one of your most recent singles, “Call Me?” (What is the Tritonal writing process like? Where do you get inspiration for your music? Is there an album coming soon?)
Cisneros: "Loaded question, love it! 'Call Me' was finished at the end of of last year, and represents to some degree our take on dance music at a much more dialed back tempo. It is fun and catchy, [it has] feel good vibes, and [it is] quite easy to listen to. Inspiration comes from being present in Life, [and] being in the Now. Inspiration comes as an upwelling of joy when you are fully present in whatever you are doing. Whether it’s taking a walk at sunset, running in the rain, or meditating quietly before bed - it comes by being the ever-present I AM in all of us. [And in regards to] an album, absolutely!"
You recently released a record consisting completely of remixes of your hit song “Good Thing.” What made you want to do so?
Cisneros: "Nothing 'made us' do anything, that's the great thing about owning our own label and being independent - we do what we want! Ha! That said, 'Good Thing' needed some variety on that vocal, because it’s so damn yummy! My favorite remix is the Justin Caruso one, it’s hyped!"
What is Enhanced Music and why did you create it? How do you juggle being owners of a label and performers at the same time?
Reed: "Enhanced Music is our own branded record label that we own alongside Will Holland, the initial owner of the label. For sure, juggling running a label, performing, and writing music would ALL be way too hard, so we each divide out what needs to be done. [Cisneros] and I enjoy taking more of the A&R approach, doing our best to coach and lead upcoming artists [that could] potentially to be signed on the label, while Will takes the lead on many of the administrative aspects, which can be quite time consuming for us as artists. It's all a really well oiled machine we have going and Enhanced is growing bigger and bigger by the day!"
What is the Tritonia podcast, when did you start it up, and why?
Reed: "The Tritonia podcast is a radio show we started very early on in our career as Tritonal. It actually used to be called “Air Up There” in the early days. We initially started it as a way to broadcast our material, support other musicians and artists, and filter through records we enjoyed playing live. As the years went by, we did a complete revamp of the show to tie closer to our brand as 'Tritonal.' Our shift was also happening in [our] music in the studio and what we enjoyed listening to. [Our] main goal is to show what we love and [to] support other musicians, no matter the “likes.” Today, the show is broadcasted in many countries on Sirius XM and online. It's amazing to see how much it's grown, and we're so thankful for the support we've had over the last decade getting it to where it is now!"
What is the most rewarding thing about being in a band?
Reed: "I think there are plenty of rewarding things to think about when it comes to being in a band, both in-studio and most especially with stage presence. The fact that there's two of us [means] we can play off each other's energy live and do things that one single person couldn't normally do. In the studio, we can work on two different pieces of the record at the same time, focus on things differently, and shift when we need to. It's great."
How has Tritonal changed over time?
Cisneros: "Well, our musical interests have grown and cross pollinated with other styles over the years. It’s quite natural for creative people to want to create new things, I’d say. Initially, we were hyper focused on records that were built for festivals and night clubs, and over the years we've slowly become more well-rounded producers. We've been fortunate to experience songwriting sessions with different writers and artists, and [we] have switched up styles and tempos in order to keep things fresh in the studio. One thing that feels consistent in every record we write is that emotional connectivity. We do strive, regardless of style, to bring the feels!"
What is the best memory you two have together as Tritonal?
Cisneros: "The best memory for me happened this past year actually! We sold out the Bill Graham Civic Center in San Francisco, and had 10,000+ fans singing 'Untouchable' at the top of their lungs simultaneously! [It] was incredible."
What are your plans for the new year? Where do you see yourselves in the future?
Reed: "Lots of new music is definitely a must! We've already written so many records, and [there are] some [soon-to-be-written songs] that we're excited to put out. We've also put some considerable time into building a brand new professional studio here in Austin. We're so thrilled to see where 2018 takes us in music, life, and growth."
Anything else?
Reed: "[Cisneros] and I are simply just so grateful and thankful to be where we are in life because of all the support we've received over the years. We can't say enough how much we love our fans, how much we love hearing about their lives change because of music, and simply seeing their smiling faces glow at our shows! We can't wait to SEE YOU this year!"