If you aren’t aware of who Bobby Green is, you’re missing out on some great music. The New York based musician is a multi talented persona who is no stranger to the top of the charts having landed 3 of his last releases at the #1 spot on Hype Machine. The man knows how to dabble with different sounds and nails them effortlessly with his slick production and song writing skills. An artist to watch out for, we caught up with Bobby to talk about his brand new single ‘Lights’, early influences, dream collaborations and much more. Read on!
TBB: Hey, first things first, for those who don’t know about Bobby Green, tells us a little about yourself.
Bobby: I’m a magic music man from Dallas, Texas, currently residing in New York City. I’m a producer, a DJ, and a dog whisperer. I see the dogs, and they see me. I understand the dogs, and even if they don’t want me to, I hug the dogs.
TBB: Your new track ‘Lights’ with Whitney Philips came out recently. Can you talk us through the production of the single?
Bobby: Like many of my productions, “Lights” came a long way from beginning to end, and took on many different forms as I shaped it into the song you hear today. It started with a guitar riff that I wrote on acoustic guitar, which is why you’ll hear acoustic guitar at the beginning of the song (depending on which version you’re listening to). That riff inspired me right off the bat, and almost immediately inspired the lyric “putting all your lights on.” Once I had that riff, the challenge was creating a production that matched the energy I felt playing that riff on guitar. And Whitney adds to that energy so well. Her voice just has that “run away with me” vibe that matches the song perfectly.
TBB: You’re no stranger to the top of the charts and there’s no denying that. Having already landed your last three tracks at the #1 spot on Hype Machine, what is the secret behind your continued success?
Coconut Oil. Take about a tablespoon of virgin coconut oil and put it in your smoothie. It tastes great, it’s a SUPER healthy source of calories, and it’ll coat your stomach during those long production sessions where you can’t be bothered with eating food.
If I had to attribute it to one more thing, though, I’d say that I try to be as critical as possible when it comes to my music. It’s important to me to be putting out music that is creative, and is different from anything else out there. As difficult as it is to be objective about your own music, I always try to step back and ask myself “does this song NEED to exist?” Namely, is it good enough and different enough that people need to hear it? That process can be a battle, but it also forces me to be improving and learning all the time.
TBB: How did your journey in the music industry begin? Did you always know you wanted to be a musician or were there any other plans as well?
Bobby: My career as a musician began in college when I picked up Naked Jay’s guitar to learn how to play “Banana Pancakes.” Naked Jay had a black Yamaha acoustic guitar that he liked to play for girls, naked. And when Naked Jay wasn’t playing guitar naked for girls, I would borrow his guitar and jam away. Learning Jack Johnson songs turned into learning Eric Clapton solos, which turned into playing lead guitar in a band, which eventually led to writing my own music. It wasn’t until my senior year of college that I realized making music was what I wanted to do with my life. Before that I had considered being a mechanical engineer and a stock broker.
TBB: You are an exceptional songwriter besides also being a producer and re-mixer. How did you get into electronic music?
Bobby: I started off as a singer/songwriter. When I first moved to New York, I worked at Jungle City Studios in Chelsea and was exposed to a lot of different styles of music. Being around so many new musical influences at the same time that I was getting really into electronic producers like Deadmau5 and Kaskade pointed me in a new direction, and I began to take my songwriting and channel it into electronic music.
TBB: Your production style is extremely versatile, to say the least. Your tracks range from nu-disco to tropical house. How do you view your production technique now, and what are some of the important things you’ve learned over the years in producing?
Bobby: I’m not sure what nu-disco is, but it sounds cool. My production style really just depends on how I’m feeling that day, and what I’m inspired by at any particular moment. I might be working on a progressive house track and all of a sudden get an idea for a down-tempo hip-hop style beat. I just try to go with it. The challenge when crossing genre lines is learning how to properly channel that genre, and produce in that style. Electro kick drums don’t sound like Trap kick drums, don’t sound like Deep House kick drums. So there’s a learning curve when trying new styles, just like if you were to go from writing country music to writing R&B; you’re a fish out of water for a while.
And, of course, MIXING! I’m big on mixing. I mix records in my dreams. Not a lot of artists out there mix their own records, but I always have. To me, it’s so important to be in control of your sound from start to finish. That’s one of the biggest things that I’ve learned, is how important mixing is. You can go nuts on sound design, and you should, but at the end of the day everything has to sound good. The songs we go back to over and over are the ones that don’t beat our eardrums to death.
TBB: Which artists do you think have had a big influence on your development as a musician?
Bobby: John Mayer taught me how to write. Deadmau5 and Dr. Luke taught me how to produce. And Steve Aoki taught me how to yell into a microphone. I’ll always be grateful to him for that.
I think the people who inspire you to pursue something are often the same people who teach you how to do that thing. They make you say “how the hell did he do that?” and “I want to be a part of that.” I bought my first pair of CDJs after listening to Deadmau5, and I started writing music after getting into John Mayer.
TBB: Are there any dream collaborations you would like to be a part of?
Bobby: There’s a lot of guys I’d love to work with. I think it would be really interesting to see how my style reacts with that of Oliver Heldens, EDX, No Mana or Kaskade. And I’d love to just write a song with Disclosure. So, if you don’t mind, just reach out to them and let me know what they say.
TBB: You’ve made some incredible remixes, most notably your remixes of Julian Lauren’s ‘Reckless’ and Tiger La’ ‘Now You Know’. Are there any more big remixes on the horizon for you?
Bobby: There may be a remix in the near future of one of those two artists, but I can’t say for sure. I’m always looking for tracks to remix, the tough part is finding a song that really gets in my bones and inspires me to tear it apart and create something new. As of today, the only song that’s ever inspired me is “Hip to Be Square.” So it’s tough.
TBB: With the latest single ‘Lights’ already doing incredibly well, what can we expect from Bobby Green for the rest of the year?
Bobby: I’ve got a lot of new music in the works right now, and I’m really excited about all of it. I’ve been producing nonstop for the last few months, so several records are finally coming together. New styles and new singers. Stay tuned!
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