FIGO has been bangin’ out unique combinations of electro and rock for some time now up in the Big Apple. URB got a chance to catch up with them before their big week with the CMJ festival.
URB: Not many groups can say they are electro-rock. Where did the inspiration come to make electronic music fused with analog-inspiration like Iggy and the Stooges, Misfits, etc.?
FIGO: The electro-rock sound for us just grew naturally. When we started, FIGO was a three piece – Bob on guitar, Paul on bass, Parag on drums and vocals. We always knew we wanted to get the sound more electronic, we didn’t know exactly how to do it, but we still wanted to keep the harder, live band sound as well. When Ryan joined the band he would produce tracks on Pro Tools, then we’d play along to it at rehearsal. When playing live, Stu listens to the programmed track by wearing headphones (and sometimes an Elvis costume), and keeps us from completely falling apart. It’s sort of how we approach writing now. Coming up with parts as a band or on the computer, and then piecing it together.
URB: You are a DJ collective as well. How does that compare to the music you make? Different crowds? Different live shows? Different experiences?
FIGO: We love to DJ. It keeps us busy, and there is no other feeling quite like playing a packed club of kids dancing their asses off . We’ll play our club and dance tracks like ‘We Will Kill You’ when we DJ, our remixes as well. The crowds at our live shows are different from the club heads, but not that much. You’ll see rockers at our live show. You’ll see ravers and hipsters at our club dates. It’s pretty fucking cool.
URB: How was it to have DJ Tommie Sunshine remixing your song Plaza? Were you honored?
FIGO: We are so amazed and grateful that Tommie wanted to remix Plaza, it’s done wonders for us for sure. We got to know him after playing together in NYC and at Winter Music Conference a few times.
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