A mainstay in their home country of Russia, Moscow's Tesla Boy have been quickly gaining ground over the past year here in America, and for good reason. With a sound deeply seeped in the nostalgia inducing 80s, making it easy to draw comparisons to the likes of Cut Copy, Chromeo, or Holy Ghost, and a fashion-forward style that brings the whole package full circle — the four-person band led by Anton Sevidov has a appeal nearly impossible to ignore, and will undoubtedly be taking over your airwaves soon.
We had the opportunity to catch up with the guys for a quick chat, surrounding their appearance at Escape Music Festival in NYC a couple of weeks back, and dove a little deeper into the unsurprisingly awesome world that is Tesla Boy. Hear details about their recently released 'The Universe Made of Darkness (Night Version)' remix album, singing in Russian vs. English, and of course Anton's favorite leather jacket. They've also put together an exclusive mix for us which, we'll just say, will have you out of your seat and dancing in no time. Jump in below.
Caveman Sound: The 80's seem to have a major influence on your overall sound and style. What is it that draws you to the decade so much?
Tesla Boy: Every generation has it's own favorite period of time. And our favorite one is the 80s. I suppose, it's because of music which is connected with our childhood. And I think, that the 80s was the best period for modern pop-music. At the same time, the 80s absorbed disco, punk of the 70s, funk of the 60s and house music and all this stuff was invented before.
CS: We've noticed that a majority of your lyrics are in English, has this always been the case or do you ever sing in Russian?
TB: I had a band where I sang in Russian. But when you sing in Russian, you can tour only in Russia and sing for our immigrants on Brighton Beach. And it's easy to sing in English because it's more melodious. And you realize it's almost everywhere in New York and Mexico City.
CS: You guys recently put out your 'The Universe Made of Darkness (Night Version)' remix album, featuring versions of your tracks from Xinobi, Cosmonaut Grechko and more. How did you go about choosing which artists to work with?
TB: Completely differently. Xinobi is our comrade. Grechko is our friend. Someone wrote by himself and offered to do remixes. At some times, it became a lot of them and we decided to make the whole album.
CS: We've read that your family has roots in soccer (football), Anton. Has music always been your primary passion, or did you ever consider pursuing sports?
TB: From 5 to 8 years I have been playing tennis and staring on the TV game of Andre Agassi. But my parents were fans of soul and jazz. And I could not do otherwise, just had to play music. This was my passion since my childhood.
CS: Are there any other current electronic Russian bands or producers that you really admire and would recommend for our audience to check out? Especially those that might not be well known outside of Russia yet?
TB: Of course! Mana Island, Mujuice, Proxy.
CS: We know you guys are beginning your 'Night Tour' of Russia in November, any plans for US dates aside from the show you just played in NYC at Escape Music Festival?
TB: Now it's only the one show in NYC, but we are planning to come back with a big tour next year!
CS: And most importantly, approximately how many leather jackets do you own, and do you have a favorite?
TB: Haha! I had a lot of them! I think I had nearly 20-30 pieces. Now I have only three of them left. My fav one is BLK DNM, which I bought in NYC a year ago.
As always, a big thanks goes to Anton and all of Tesla Boy for taking the time. If you've yet to immerse yourself in their radical world, be sure to do so via the links below!