We want to share musikk that elicits some sort of reaction that makes you personally connect to the song.

“The lyrics creatively compare the details of a relationship to the waves of the ocean, surfing, & summertime in a way that I’m completely captured by. And while the song takes you through love-sick ailments, you may experience your own “Symptoms” while listening to their serenely, crooning voices…”

The excerpt above was my first reaction, and personal interpretation to the musical quartet, Atlas Genius. After quickly catching the attention of the entire blogosphere through their indie-rock vocals, emotional lyrics, and Australian charm- the band was being hailed by every major record label worldwide.

In June they released their first official EP, Through The Glass, which was followed by creative and passionate music videos, with the latest one showcasing my personal favorite, “Symptoms.”

I had the chance to hop on the phone with Keith, lead vocalist of Atlas Genius, and pick his brain about the meaning behind their music, their upcoming album, and the power behind his Australian accent. With so much talent coming out of Australia right now, these guys seem to be leading the forefront as they make their first official tour through the US and Canada, which you surely won’t want to miss; Get up close and personal at these small venue shows while they last, because it’s only a matter of time until the headlining name in bold is Atlas Genius.

[FM: K.Roth of Fresh Musikk, AG: Keith of Atlas Genius]

FM: There comes a time in a band’s career when they have the opportunity to perform at an international level; Did you ever think after a solid 3 song EP you’d be swept up in an international tour through the US & Canada?

AG: Normally we would not have thought that…Normally you expect it to be a lot slower build. We kind of knew we lucked out…you would never expect to be touring in America for such a long time so early in a band’s career.

FM: “Trojans” is your lead single and is undoubtedly a fantastic song, but on a personal level “Symptoms” spoke to me the most. I think the ultimate value we as listeners can take away from music, is the ability to connect to the emotions behind the words. What can you tell us about the story behind this song?

Whether it’s the ‘next big artist’, an athlete’s stand out, stellar performance, or a a boy’s charming charisma, and dazzling smile.

Unfortunately, not many of those things come into fruition. The ‘next

big artist’ fizzles into a one-hit-wonder and subpar live performer, the athlete fails a drug test and falls into a slump, and the boy’s smile was shining for three other biddies on the side.

For those reasons alone, I use my words wisely on Fresh Musikk. Aside from exclusively only posting music that I enjoy, I only reserve big claims for artists I believe in; And as I’ve said before, Terence Ryan is one of them.

Lucky for him, the Boston (suburb) native can do it all: create, write, produce, sing, rap, etc… And as he continues to develop and grow his skills, some may shine more than the others, and allow him to achieve the recognition he deserves.

Fresh Musikk is excited to release it’s second interview with the newcomer as we discuss music blogs, his love for Emmy Rossum, and of course the effect that his music can have on it’s listeners…

Terence was composed, passionate, and spoke with a confident deliverance that seemed so far beyond his years; Dive on in, and get a taste of Terence in his hometown of Boston – with the city skyline, planes overhead, and all…

Terence Ryan on Facebook ~ Twitter /// Fresh Musikk’s Facebook ~ Twitter

Check out our first interview with Terence, here!

Thank you to Terence, Stoveman and David Airaudi for helping to set this up!

* This post is sticky, scroll down for new musikk.

I think it’s safe to say that Smarterchild and I are boys – In the most non-literal sense considering I’m a girl – but nonetheless, we share an affinity for sarcasm & humor, and while open to all genres, have a slight weakness for pop music.

I first stumbled upon Smarterchild, an up & coming producer out of New York, when I saw his “LA Lights” music video; The influx of sounds coupled with the stimulating & gritty NYC visuals caught my immediate attention as he seemed to incorporate a swirl of emotional responses through his remix.

Fresh Musikk caught up with Rick Markowitz, aka Smarterchild, and discussed his upcoming releases, his opinion of the electronic & dance music scene, Kate Upton, and why Timberlake is actually the better ‘Justin’ – so read on, and don’t miss the bonus question at the end!

1. I’m hoping for a good story behind the name “SmarterChild” – Why did you choose that name?

For starters, I’d like to establish the fact that I’ve had some of the worst artist/band names in the past. Between my high school bands and other producer “aliases” (I use that word lightly because my music was fucking terrible), I’ve had my fair share of goofy gimmicky names

I got the idea for SmarterChild from the AIM robot that everybody would talk to back in grade school. It was like the original Siri, but cooler because it was in the early 2000’s before iPhone or any of that. I thought it would be dope to take the nostalgia of the buddy icon/buddy list/livejournal days and revive it in an electronic music context. People my age are already familiar with the name, so I figured that even if they’ve never heard my tracks they’d be more likely to click a link based on curiosity.

2. I first was introduced to your production skills to your song, “LA Lights”, and since then you have put out additional remixes, as well as your first all original track, “Hollywood”; Is there a song that stands out the most for you?

Most of my songs stand out for different reasons really, but I must say in terms of remixes “LA Lights” is probably my favorite. The video Colin did really made it for me, documenting all of my best friends during the weekend of Fashion’s Night Out. I have such crazy feelings for this past year, and I’m sure that the “LA Lights” video is going to be something that I’m going to keep looking back on when I’m older.

This all being said, the “Ass Back Home “remix I did with Oxymorrons is my biggest track to date so I can’t forget it. The remix got so much love from Gym Class Heroes and their fans, I never expected it to do as well as it did. I would blast their CD, As Cruel as School Children, all the time when I was in high school. It’s so fucking cool to see the band posting my shit on their Facebook and Twitter. I even got to hang out with them on their most recent college tour.

3. Much of your music characteristically includes house & dubstep influences, a scene that has been massively present abroad for years, but has only recently become more mainstream in America. It has quickly captured today’s youth, but do you think our generation can appreciate the EDM scene for the music, or are Americans transforming it into strictly a drug and party scene?

I’m a pop kid first and foremost so it’s hard to really give this opinion without sounding bias, but I see a clear difference between “electronic music” and “EDM.” I see electronic music as dope songs using synths and sampling techniques, ranging from the Ed Banger guys to kids like College and Linus Loves. On the other hand, EDM music is the stalest of stale. Every song starts out with a minute long drum intro into some buildup into a loud part that everyone refers to as “the drop” (Oh my god this parts louder than the previous part, I think it’s the drop!). I hate it. Even the power players of EDM just bandwagon off of eachother, huge DJ’s that would try to recreate the heavy sounds of Justice and Skrillex last year, now rip off Avicii and his huge trance sounds. The “standard EDM fan” is even dumber, spending $400 to wear neon clothing in fields and listen to basically the same song on repeat for three days as these star DJ’s wave their hands in the air. That’s not to say that I hate on the production or anything, I just feel that EDM is a subset of electronic music that’s reserved for stale producers/DJ’s and fans that don’t know what else is out there. Brenton Duvall said it perfectly in an interview: This shit’s going to be like disco in twenty years. People are going to be embarrassed of it. Not of the music necessarily, but of the culture that grew as a result.

4. There are a lot of standout up and coming musicians coming out of Brooklyn like yourself, OnCue, Party Supplies, Action Bronson, and more; Out of all of you, who has the best chance of hooking up with resident ‘It Girl’, Kate Upton?

Felix Snow. If you haven’t heard of him you have to look him up. Girls sweat when they get near him. He’s produced tracks for Shaggy and Eve. He’s a rockstar. He’s fluent in every language. He makes an incredible grilled cheese sandwich. He’s white and celebrates Kwanzaa. He’s the most humble badass I know and I’d be genuinely surprised if I didn’t walk in on him and Kate Upton within the next year or so.

5. Aside from who’s got the best game with Kate – what other up and coming artists do you respect and hope to work with in the future?

I’d love to do a track with Chris Brown. I think his voice is nuts over something really pretty. I’m also loving Azealia Banks as of recent as well. And of course, my all time favorite producer is Diplo. The dude is so incredibly diverse, he can kill Major Lazer tracks like Original Don and then move right to awesome pop songs like Usher’s Climax.

6. We’re ready for you to drop some summer heat, when can we expect new music? And will there be a mixtape or full-length project in the future?

Summer heat’s definitely right around the bend. I have a bunch of collabo’s and remixes that are just about ready to come out. For one, I was asked to contribute to Hoodie Allen’s All American remix album, so definitely look for my remix of Small Town on there. I’ve also been working with Skizzy Mars on a song that will likely be on his upcoming mixtape, something super dancy and just all around feel-good. I’m finishing up a second original track under my own name as well, a groovy yet massive song featuring the vocals from my partner in crime, Gallant.

For the most part though I’ve really been focusing on producing more mainstream pop tracks. I’ve done sessions for most of the labels at this point and have some dope things pending (can’t really announce yet because nothing’s set in stone) but that’s definitely where most of my time has been spent. This summer’s gonna be huge for me!

In terms of big projects/mixtapes/albums, I’m really much more interested in producing for other people rather than coming out with stuff in my own name. I’m not really into DJing or the whole being an artist thing. However, I’ve always wanted to put together a remix EP just doing classic rock and roll songs and making them super in your face. Shit like Zeppelin, The Who, Black Sabbath, whatever. I’m also trying to convince Brenton to do a joke remix album with me. Our single is going to our reverse edit of Avicii’s “Levels in Reverse” remix. We’re calling it “Levels in Reverse, in Reverse.” Definitely be on the lookout for that.

7. If you could see one person in concert, dead or alive, who would it be?

Rage Against The Machine. It’s so cool what they can do with three instruments alone.  The shit they brought with just drums, bass, and guitar is heavier, groovier, and more rock and roll than anything EDM has done to date. I would remix every one of their songs if I could.

8. Best Justin: Bieber or Timberlake? 

Timberlake, although Bieber is dope too. Timberlake just has some of the smoothest shit in the world, and kills it in whatever he does from music to acting to whatever. Hell, I have an online membership to his home accessories company. Dedication, #baybeee!

9. Character defining question: What are your feelings on Shark Week?

Shark Week < USA’s marathon of Law And Order SVU. My friend Haley’s terribly afraid of sharks and brought her to a Shark Week party once. They turned the TV on, she got scared, and it was funny. Cool story bro. Would really love if there was a Giraffe Week. Giraffe’s are super underrated.

10. If you were stranded on a desert island and could have one song on your iPod, one celebrity sidekick, and one other object, what would you choose?  

I actually only have one song on my iPod, and that’s Stupid Hoe by Nicki Minaj. That would get mad old though if I was actually stranded on a desert island. Under those circumstances, I’d probably choose What Goes Around / Comes Around by JT. It’s got like two parts, so definitely a bang for my buck. In terms of celebrity sidekicks, I’d bring a Mean Girls era Lindsay Lohan. Object would be a light saber. Hands down.

BONUS Question: What does Fresh Musikk mean to you?

Hmm, to me Fresh Musikk is a song that comes as a breath of fresh air and reminds you why you love music in the first place. It’s a feel good track like Train’s “Hey Soul Sister” coming out when the radio is nothing but dance smash’s about bottles and clubs. It’s Andrew WK beating his face into a bloody mess and singing about “Partying Hard” to show that rock and roll does still exist in the 2000′s. Or maybe even Madeon’s new track Finale- proof that you don’t need to just glitch and wobble to make a great electronic song. I think fresh musikk is all about doing something new that survives amidst the clutter, taking influences of others yet reinventing it your own way. It’s the shit that will be remembered thirty years from now.

A big thank you to Rick for doing this interview with us! Next time we expect you to say that Shark Week is actually the best week of the year…But we’ll try not to hold it against you. Especially since the bonus question could not have been answered more perfectly.

Smarterchild ‘s Soundcloud ~ Twitter /// FM Twitter ~ Facebook

~ K.Roth