Hello readers, this is 3MiloE! This interview took place at Escape: Psycho Circuis 2017, with producer/DJ Pulsatorz!!! The interview took place within Pulsatorz’ trailor. Those involved were; Pulsatorz, 3MiloE, CiM (Pulsatorz close friend, and hype man), and Mike the camera man.
3MiloE: So where are you from and what’s the music scene like here?
Pulsatorz: I’m from New York City. The music scene is not what it used to be, but it still happens ever here and there.
3MiloE: That’s cool. How did you come up with your DJ name?
Pulsatorz: Long story short, Pulsators was a four man group when it first started and we were trying to come up with a name and we were just googling stuff and trying to figure something out and one of my friend’s girlfriends said something with pulse because, you know, your heart, it drives you. It’s how you live. So let’s do something with pulse and then we were working pulse, pulse, pulse, and then Pulsators ended up coming out.
3MiloE: That’s cool.
Pulsatorz: Yeah, and then … came up with a good concept. You know, a good concept with a logo, marketing. It all came together and we stuck with it.
3MiloE: That’s beautiful.
Pulsatorz: Yeah. And then, unfortunately we had to bring it down to one person because no one wants to book a four man group. But we still all work together very closely and do our thing, you know?
3MiloE: That’s great. That’s great.
Okay, so what animal best personifies your music and why?
Pulsatorz: Monkey. It’s just everywhere. Like, swinging from trees, throwing shit. You know? I don’t really have a direction anymore, I just kind of do whatever happens. You know, you’re sitting there and then you’re just working on stuff in the studio and you gotta break out of your comfort zone so you just kinda go all over the place, you know. That’s what I’m trying to … I’m trying to keep that like kind of a controlled chaos in a sense, you know?
3MiloE: Awesome.
What are you trying to convey with your music?
Pulsatorz: I just want to have good music. Just stuff that, when you play it, people dance. When you hear it, it makes sense. It stays in your head, you’re humming it. You know, people are humming it when they’re driving down the freeway and shit. Like that’s my goal, just make people happy, make them want to dance, make them want to party, make them want to have fun, you know? At the end of the day, it’s entertainment, I just want to entertain.
3MiloE: Awesome. Can you describe the feeling you get when you’re on stage?
Pulsatorz: It’s intense. It’s like you’re controlling everybody through sound. I mean, that’s what you’re doing. So you could make people go nuts, you could mellow them out. So it’s like a … what’s the word … like a conductor almost, you know? I guess that’s why, you know … music conductor. There you go. Yeah, it’s just a good feeling. You’re making people have a good time. They pay all this money for the experience and you’re part of the experience, you know? That’s definitely … at the end of the day that’s what I like.
3MiloE: That’s great. What moment do you cherish the most in your career as a DJ so far?
Pulsatorz: the first time I got on a large stage out west and when I looked up there was maybe 400 or 500 people there and then every time I put my head down in the mix and put it up, another 100 or 200 people came in until the whole tent was packed. I was at Nocturnal Wonderland 2016? Yeah, 2016. And that was definitely … that’s one thing that always stands out. I had the extended set, every time I looked up people were just pouring in, pouring in and everyone was jumping and going nuts. I’ll never forget that, that was a good set. Then the only other thing I can think of is when my track chords dropped and it was on top 40 for three months in a row consecutively. Yeah, so I definitely didn’t expect that. So that’s another one. But it’s definitely the two.
3MiloE: What are your major influences?
Pulsatorz: In music? It’s just whatever sounds cool, you know. Sometimes I’ll watch like a Netflix show or just a sample from a commercial and I’m like, “Oh that’s cool, let me work with it.” And then I’ll work with it. Sometimes it goes somewhere, sometimes it doesn’t. Or like I’ll hear something, not a car, but you know how when trucks pass by because the wheels are so big they have like this crazy hum? In the city there’s so many potholes but when the trucks hit all you hear is dub sounds so it kinda … I got really fucking stoned one day and I thought it was someone bumping dubstep. But no, it was just a truck passing by. So now, I think of that every time we’re driving and I see a truck and I hear it. But it’s just random things, like whatever’s on the radio, whatever’s, you know, in anything. If something sounds cool, I want to play with it.
3MiloE: That’s cool. I really dig that whole getting influences from, you know, non-musical inspirations.
Pulsatorz: Organic sounds. Always better. Because they’re organic so it gives you a different texture in your music, you know. Definitely always liked that. Like, if I can’t get a live instrument, I like getting sample instruments because they’re organic and then just messing with them and playing with them. You know? So those are always cool. But, you know, just any time of sound that just is cool. Like a little fill or something.
3MiloE: Cool. Where do you see yourself a year from now?
Pulsatorz: See myself a year from now, that’s a good question. Hopefully doing a lot more shows out west. Getting more music out. Just in general, just more grind. I just wanna grind it out, keep grinding and just keep moving and getting it going, you know? I don’t really care if it takes me anywhere, I’m just having fun doing it.
3MiloE: That’s great.
Mike: Okay, where do you think the American hardstyle is going?
Pulsatorz: It’s going where it’s going. There’s really no … there’s no direction. We’re not the same as a European crowd. We’re not European, we’re American. We like different music, we have a different culture so just naturally, because of that, we’re gonna have a different style. It’s not the typical European style, it’s not the typical whatever style. Like Italians have their own sound, Dutch have their own sound. Whoever is making this stuff has their own sound. But being an American producer, you have to have your own sound. You have to stand out. Because, what good is it for an American producer to sound like a European producer? We’re not in Europe. So, that’s my thing.
CiM: You market to America. You’re shows are here. So make your music for the people that are here. You gotta go where your money’s gonna come from, you know?
3MiloE: You having an overall blast though, today?
Pulsatorz: Yeah, definitely, I mean there’s a lot more of the night to go but it’s gonna get fun, it’s gonna get crazy, that’s for sure.
Mike: What does the next year look like for Pulsatorz? Any new music coming out?
Pulsatorz: I have a couple I’m working on. Just finishing up the labels, waiting for them to seem right because I’m not trying to always put out on the same label, you know? I want to reach a different demographic, you know? I wanna stick to something in the hardstyle realm. I don’t wanna specifically just do hardstyle because it’s been proven time and time again, if you just do hardstyle and hardstyle only, an American crowd … I’m talking about majority, I’m not talking about the … the core fans, they get tired of it. So you gotta throw shit at ’em to mix it up. You gotta do a little bit of this, a little bit of that, whatever’s popular. You just put a little bit in there, spin it into your own, spin it into a hardstyle-type thing. So that’s my whole thought on the whole American thing. That’s when I don’t like when people are like, “Oh, this doesn’t sound like this specific artist.” We’re not those artists, we’re in a completely different element, we’re completely different. Whole other side of the world.
Bart: I love the page, by the way. I love the page, I’m always on it. (reffering to TheHardData)
3MiloE: Really? You read? Have you read my 3MiloE articles?
CiM: I haven’t … pretty far back. We’ve been busy preparing for the shows. Anything hardstyle-related, we always are … trying to keep on top of things, you know? Especially on Facebook or Twitter and stuff like that. So, a lot of his viewpoints are the same viewpoints I have. Same things. You know, a the New York City hardstyle guy too. We’ve been working together since 2008.
3MiloE: That’s amazing, that’s awesome.
CiM: Yeah, so when he (referring to Pulsatorz) comes down … so, I always tell him, you’re playing out there, I said I’m coming.
3MiloE: That’s great man.
CiM: It’s a support system. If there’s no support system … which he didn’t mention … if there’s no support system, there is no system. Everyone else has a support system. When you’re here you can’t have your back turned to someone else. If someone asks you for help, you help them out, lend a hand. It may make you go further or it may not go nowhere but you’re still helping out. A little philosophy.
3MiloE: Yeah, that’s great.
CiM: Well, like I said, he is the face of Pulsatorz. I mean, like I said, I’m part of the team, because we are a team.
Pulsatorz: Yeah, all of us are in the same studio.
CiM: We’re a team. Like I said, since day one, me and him have been working together.
3MiloE: That’s great.
Mike: How does New York hardstyle differ from LA hardstyle?
CiM: We’re lucky to get a show like this with just 200 people, in a basement. You got this over here, that Basscon stage is probably gonna hold at least 3000 people easy, easy. And with these shows out here it’s almost like when people refer to Defqon and say, “Oh the Europeans are so jealous.” Guys we got non-stop shows in Cali. It’s closer to Cali. Europe is … and not to say … it’s about seven or eight hours depending on where you’re going. But go to Cali, support the American guys, they had Wasteland a couple months ago. It was a great turn out. But that’s a step in the right direction. A lot of local people, a lot of people from different parts of the country all come together and all work together. That’s where it goes.
Pulsatorz: Nothing really. Like as far as American artists mingling, nothing really–really significant happened from that. Some kid just sent me a track, I played it today. “Hybrid Theory” or something like that. We’re working on it right now.
CiM: I’m telling you, a lot of people don’t do things like he does. Like he said, monkey throwing shit, you know? And that’s why things work. Everybody literally has their own way of working. And the way he works, he enjoys. He ain’t going to do something if he doesn’t like doing it.
Pulsatorz: Yeah that’s true.
CiM: Because people might get mad at you.
3MiloE: So I guess, you’re doing what you love, man?
Pulsatorz: I’m having fun. I definitely, definitely enjoy it. It’s more than a hobby but it’s not a job, you know what I’m saying?
3MiloE: Yeah.
Pulsatorz: So I enjoy … I really do enjoy doing it but I’m not sitting here banking on this thing to be my fucking breadwinner. But I’m having fun doing it. I’m gonna keep doing what I do. If something happens, something happens. If not, well, whatever, you know? I just want to have fun, dude. That’s what it is at the end of the day.