Interview: NOLA Hip-Hop Duo The Quadroholics Discuss Their New Single/Video "Save Yourself"

“The album is coming out on July 31st. It is entirely self produced and recorded, with no guest production or features aside from my brother playing guitar on a few songs. We wanted to create a project that was entirely unique and could only be created by us. ”

How did you two initially meet and decide to form the duo The Quadroholics? Also what does the name represent?

Hayden and I have known each other since birth, and we formed the group 11 years ago. We were in gym class one day and had the thought that The Quadroholics sounded like a good name for a rap group, so we decided to form a rap group.

So, the name means literally nothing. We were totally trash for a good 5 to 6 years until we actually started taking it seriously and performing live. Luckily we have found our footing and we now make music we actually enjoy.

Congratulations on the release of your new single/video "Save Yourself". Tell us about your creative process when developing the track itself.

This song actually started with a sample of “Funky Town” by Lipps Inc. As I was working on the beat, I found a different melody that I thought flowed with the drums better and abandoned the “Funky Town” sample. Once I found the new melody, the rest of the song came together in one sitting which is unusual for us.

I took a lot of inspiration from 80’s synth pop, and I tried to use that influence on the vocals as well, which was a pretty big departure from the rap music we usually make. Honing the synth pop sound is what led us to find our sound for “AURORA”.

Who directed the music video and how did you come up with its visual treatment?

We directed and edited the video, along with our manager Colton Schexneider. We wanted to have a crazy light set up to reflect the colors and waves of an aurora. Once we started filming we had the idea of having the camera stay still throughout the shoot, and cutting it to the beat so that we would teleport around the screen while the dimensions of the shot stayed the same.

What software/hardware do you use when developing the instrumentals for your songs? Also, when do you know when a song you are working on is finishing?

We do everything through FL Studio. I’ve heard great things about other programs but I can’t bring myself to learn a whole other system.

When we’re working on a song, I usually make a basic version of it, with the main melody, drums, and reference vocals. From there I will add more instruments and effects to try to make the song feel bigger. With this album especially, I have gone back and continued to tweak beats dozens of times until I feel they’re exactly how I want them.

Once the instrumental is where we want it, we’ll record the official vocals and then finish wrapping up the song up around the finished vocals.

What can you tell us about the "AURORA" album that is dropping very soon? Is there an overarching theme on the project?

The album is coming out on July 31st. It is entirely self produced and recorded, with no guest production or features aside from my brother playing guitar on a few songs. We wanted to create a project that was entirely unique and could only be created by us.

We started working on the project in late 2018, and a lot of the music we made then laid the groundwork for the sound of the album. We had recorded around 40 songs for it and narrowed it down to just 13. Some of the other tracks have been released on some of the EP’s we’ve dropped in the past year, but most of them are just in the vault for now.

The concept of the album hinges on what we’re describing an Aurora as. To me, an Aaurora is a bright light in a dark place, something that brings you happiness when you’re unhappy. The album explores different things that we would describe as an Aurora, and the effects that the Auroras have on us.

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