Saturday Night Session 018: Young Bombs

Few moments are more sacred than the reprieve Saturday night provides from the daily grind of school and work. Its importance is meant to be emphasized, and thus, a feature dedicated to “doing the night right” was born. Saturday Night Sessions are set around energizing mixes meant to get the party started. New or old, each episode has one cornerstone thing in similarity: they serve as the perfect backdrop for the weekend pregame.

Canadian friends and self-proclaimed ‘bros,’ Martin Kottmeier and Tristan Norton have a lengthy history when it comes to creating music together. While many DJs set out from the start to be the next Calvin Harris, Kottmeier and Norton started their journey in an indie rock band. After discovering hybrid acts like Cut Copy, they started layering in synths and drum machines into their music, infusing an electric flair into their indie-sound. It wasn’t until a few years later that Kottmeier visited Sweden, where he notes that he “discovered a bubbling artist named Avicii’s demo “Spår”, which actually ended up being “Bromance.” That’s when we caught the EDM bug. From that moment on, we both knew this is what we wanted to do.”

Now known as Young Bombs, Kottmeier and Norton have been picked up by the same management team as The Chainsmokers, and in the last year alone, they have played the mainstage at Ultra as well as released no less than 85 remixes in addition to their own original track, “Starry Eyes.” Because their musical style has evolved over the years, doing remixes has often kept the duo engaged, allowing them to experiment with a variety of musical genres, tempos and moods.

If one were to expect a meaningful explanation behind their chosen moniker of Young Bombs, Kottmeier and Norton would be the first to admit the origin of the name is far from significant.

They explain, “Once upon a time, we temporarily formed a band with a friend. We say temporarily because it only lasted a day but that friend of ours came up with the name. After we parted ways we asked if we could keep it because we thought it was cool. He was fine with it. It’s a very inaccurate name. “Middle-Aged Bombs” would’ve been more appropriate.”

Kottmeier and Norton’s production process is nearly as unique as how they selected their moniker. The duo happens to have an assortment of talented videographer friends, and they draw sonic inspiration from the visual. They explain, “we often mute their videos on YouTube while creating music and draw inspiration from the visuals. Nature videos inspire us.”

Young Bombs aim to release new music every four to six weeks in the new year, which is aggressive, but if they can release 85 remixes in one year, its most certainly doable. The duo crafted an hour long Saturday Night Session, and they explain what the listener can expect to come, mentioning, “There’s three moods with this mix: the first is a bit more vibey and ambient; the second is energetic and slightly ironic; and the final third is sad and reflective. We wanted to capture the highs and lows of everyday life. Sometimes you’re on top of the world sharing a laugh with your friends, other times you’re lost in your own thoughts, contemplating everything. Hopefully this mix captures a bit of that.” If one thing is for certain, there is certainly a lot to expect from the up and coming group, and 2019 might just be the year they bring it.

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I know you both started your foray into music by playing in bands. Can you tell us about how you eventually ended up in music production and what that journey from band to Young Bombs looked like?

That’s a great question. Yes, we played in an indie rock band that initially was a guitar/bass/vocals classic type set up but as our musical taste evolved and we began to discover hybrid/electronic bands like Cut Copy and the Presets, we started  incorporating synths and drum machine elements into our sound. But it wasn’t until a few years later when I (Martin) went on a trip to Sweden and discovered a bubbling artist named “Avicii”’s demo “Spår”, which actually ended up being “Bromance”, that we caught the EDM bug. From that moment on, we both knew this is what we wanted to do. Tristan already had Logic on his laptop at this point so it was just a matter of figuring out how to make it haha. I think we’ve watched every YouTube tutorial ever made

Young Bombs- whose chose the name and what is the story behind it?

Once upon a time, we temporarily formed a band with a friend. We say temporarily because it only lasted a day but that friend of ours came up with the name. After we parted ways we asked if we could keep it because we thought it was cool. He was fine with it. It’s a very inaccurate name. “Middle-Aged Bombs” would’ve been more appropriate.

What is your dynamic? Both extroverts? One the loud one and one the quiet one?

I’m (Tristan) definitely more introverted and need my alone time to recharge. We both alternate back and forth a bit but Martin definitely energizes off of people. He’s like the Energizer bunny if the Energizer bunny looked like Jon Snow.

Who do you draw inspiration from when producing?  

We have a lot of talented videographer friends so we often mute their videos on YouTube while creating music and draw inspiration from the visuals. Nature videos inspire us. If we ever get stuck on a track we put on “Sailing” by Christopher Cross and let the smoothness carry our worries away. After one solid listen we’re usually good to go again.

You guys have done a TON of remixes. Are there certain genres that are harder to remix than others?

In a strange way the more that we bounce around genres/styles the more we keep the creative juices flowing and avoid our sound becoming repetitive. It’s always a fun challenge. Coming from a band background it only feels natural to cover different tempos and moods.

What can we expect from you guys this year? Do you have specific goals for yourselves and your career?

In terms of goals, we definitely just want to keep these originals flowing now. We’d ideally like to have a brand new release every 4-6 weeks and  make the best music possible. If we could sell out Wembley Stadium 5 nights in a row that would be great too.

What kind of a Saturday night is your Saturday Night Session going to get us ready for?

There’s three moods with this mix: the first is a bit more vibey and ambient; the second is energetic and slightly ironic; and the final third is sad and reflective. We wanted to capture the highs and lows of everyday life. Sometimes you’re on top of the world sharing a laugh with your friends, other times you’re lost in your own thoughts, contemplating everything. Hopefully this mix captures a bit of that.