Interview with Atlanta DJ Duo: Floze

Floze is an Atlanta based DJ duo comprised of Flowhicanz (Jordan Pierce) and Zero Heroes (Roberto Verdaguer). Established in 2015, these two have shared lineups with artists such as Spag Heddy, Megaladon, Boogie T, Dodge & Fuski, Candyland, Mt. Eden, Levitation Jones and many more. In 2017 they achieved a personal goal and played alongside some of the biggest names in EDM at Imagine Music Festival in Atlanta, GA. As they continue to perfect their sound and live performance, Floze continues to grow their army of “Floze Freaks” every day.

How'd y'all meet in the first place? 
We met outside Iris Nightclub in Atlanta when we were waiting to see a show. Rob was standing in line in front of me and the line was going horribly slow. Rob accidentally blew some smoke behind him into my face and he turned around to apologize. We just started talking music and instantly connected. We hung out a few times after that and one day sat down in front of a laptop and Floze was born.

What is the dynamic like between you two?
We've been working together now for almost 3 years. It's become this weird brotherhood that neither of us really expected to happen. As far as work division I'd say it's pretty much even. There's not one person supplying creativity it comes from both of us. I'll send Rob a track and he'll hear something that would make it sound better that I necessarily wouldn't have picked up on and vice versa. As far as hanging out goes, inappropriate jokes and tequila? We turn into kids when we hang out.

What are some of the most memorable events you've done together?
Honestly Imagine Music Festival was a huge deal for us. It's really hard to describe the feeling we get still when looking at our name on that poster but if I had to put it into words: it was incredibly humbling. The energy coming from a crowd of 3,200 ravers was such an emotional high. That whole weekend was beyond amazing and we cannot wait for IMF 2018.

What do you think helped land you that massive gig?
Friendships. It's all about the friendships. Without forming friendships with the people we had we would have never had the chance to play such an incredible gig. We still thank the guy that helped us almost every single time we see him. His name is Chris Lyda and he’s seriously an amazing friend to us.

What sort of process did you go through to find your style and sound?
We had a lot of throw away projects. I mean a LOT. We would have three or four tracks lined up ready to go and they'd end up getting tossed because we just didn't feel like it expressed who we are artistically. After sitting down and really discussing what direction we wanted to take, fresh ideas really began popping up, but it was really after playing Imagine Music Festival last year that ignited so much passion inside us to find our sound. It took a lot of failed ideas to finally find a heavy sound that made us sit back and go 'well shit, that is different'. That's really who Rob and I are, two different people who seem to meld their musical tastes into this weird Frankstein's monster of sound.

​Why do you gravitate towards your particular style of EDM music?
We are definitely in love with the heavier bass side of the EDM spectrum. We both grew up listening to punk, metal and rock so that for sure has an influence on the music we make and play. Essentially heavy bass music is just today's metal depending on who you listen to. We love all the genres under the EDM rainbow but we play and produce the heavier stuff because it's what we know and what we love.

Let's talk about social media, what has been the most successful strategy for working to expanding the army of Floze Freaks?
As far as social media goes, Facebook ads are great, but what we have found to be most effective is to go out into the audience and just talk to the people after our shows. Forming a face to face bond with a fan or soon-to-be-fan is so much stronger than messaging someone on Facebook. To DJs or producers who don't play shows or can't, blogs writing up your music is a good idea; but if you can play shows. TALK TO YOUR FANS.

Any strong opinions on distributing your music?
Right now for us it's just about getting our music out there, so we give it away for free. Currently it's all exclusive to SoundCloud but with these next few releases we plan to move into the Spotify and Apple Music territory.

What milestones are you looking forward to reaching next? 
In no particular order: build our ever growing Floze Freak army, play more festivals and get a label release. Above all else we just have fun while making face-melting bass music

What are you the most proud of in your journey thus far?
Growing musically as a duo. In the beginning, 3 years ago, things were jumbled and ideas weren't really flowing. We finally found a common ground and both love where it is taking us. We are so excited for what the future holds and what else we get to accomplish on this crazy journey.

A big thanks to Floze for the interview! Be sure to follow their socials for all of their latest tracks and shows!
Soundcloud
Facebook
Twitter
Official Website

Chris W. Lao

DJ, writer, and student.