Three years ago, Tony Quattro did an interview with Thump, in which they dubbed him “the Joe Pesci of NYC house” and made much ado about his connections to New York and the Tri-State area where he’s from. It was a natural choice for someone with such deep roots in the community. So what’s he done since then?
He moved to L.A…
That’s right, goodbye New York, hello California. Who is “the Joe Pesci of NYC house” after he’s removed himself from New York? Is he a California kid now, or do his roots still run deep back home? How often does he come back just to see his dogs? Or to stay grounded in the beat of New York for his Broad City tunes?
We caught up with him and made him answer for his betrayal.
When did you first decide to produce music?
I started producing around 2011. I was playing drums for a long time and had been DJing, but it felt weird playing other people’s music. So, I started making my own.
Producing and drumming… what led you to pursue music?
I looked for other jobs when I graduated college, but I just didn’t like anything as much as I liked music. It was the only thing to do.
What are some genres you’ve discovered and learned to love over the course of your career?
Everything from jazz to classical. In more relation to Tony Quattro stuff, I’ve been really influenced by global club sounds and the sounds of Latin American music, specifically bachata, dembow, reggaeton.
Best party you’ve played at?
I played a party recently was right by the Endeavor Space Shuttle in Los Angeles. It was pretty surreal.
Speaking of Los Angeles, You moved from New York to L.A. What was the transition like?
It was nice. There’s a whole lot less garbage in L.A. and a lot more sunshine which I dig, a lot. It’s been pretty easy, there’s tons of great musicians out in L.A. and a lot going on. It’s easy to stay busy.
You’ve had some of your original tracks featured on the hit TV show Broad City. How did that come together and what did you learn from the opportunity?
I have to give a shoutout to my buddy Matt FX for that one. We met, became great friends, and he started featuring a lot of my music on the show. That quickly turned into composing for the show too.
Composing for the show has forced me to push out of my comfort zone. I had to learn more piano, play more instruments, and just strengthen my producing skills overall.
What’s your favorite thing to do when you’re not making music?
Hanging out with dogs, eating food, skateboarding, exercising, maybe the occasional meme.
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