Mister Luke here, wishing you a warm welcome to the first edition of #TWRKSDAYZ on Arntre!
Since we’ve moved the feature over from Moomba+, we figure it’s go big or go home.
I can say without a doubt, that’s exactly what we’ve done, as evidenced below.
So without further ado, here it is! A huge interview with Ma-less, one of the first Ladies of Moombahton, 1/3 of the Moombah Mafia, writer for Do Androids Dance, DJ, Vocalist, Producer, and a whole lot more.
While you’re reading, check out her soundcloud!
Arntre: Who are you, and where are you from?
My name is Alessandra, Aless (“Alice”) for short, but I go by Ma-less and I’m a DJ, producer, and vocalist residing in Orlando, FL and I tend to mostly DJ & produce all different kinds of tropical bass.
Arntre: How did you first become involved in the Electronic music community, and where has that involvement taken you?
I’ve been a fan of electronic music for awhile, acts like Justice and MSTRKRFT really got me into electronic music. My boyfriend is a DJ and producer as well, and taught me so I can get a better understanding of what he does, but I treated it as a hobby & never took a serious interest in playing shows or making music until I heard Moombahton. When I first heard Dave Nada’s Moombahton EP I couldn’t stop dancing and was instantly hooked, I started DJing and making music from that point on, and it just took off, it’s been a crazy and amazing ride ever since.
Arntre: Can you name a few influences that shaped your style along the way?
I’m influenced by so many people, I’m truly blessed to live in Orlando and be surrounded by such talented driven musicians, and also blessed by this amazing thing called the internet which has connected me with people all around the world. Some people who have influenced me to name a few: Dave Nada, Munchi, & DJ Blass are 3 artists I look up to immensely and have guided me in their own unique way, Big Makk, JSTJR, & Meaux Green are some of the most brutally honest people who have given me amazing feedback that has helped me grow immensely, and I gotta give props to Ivarr, his style of music is completely different from mine, but I wouldn’t be doing this interview if it weren’t for him. There’s so many more people who I just vibe & fuck with Minimaxx & DJEJ, OMF, Happy Colors, Choppa Dunks, Saint, I mean I could go on, I like to surround myself with like-minded driven people and I feel we all influence each other in some way shape or form.
Arntre: Who are you watching right now for up and coming DJs and Producers?
Damn, where do I begin? Up and coming, I don’t know, I feel like all of my homies are poised to blow the fuck up at this point and it’s awesome so it’s more so just waiting for all of that to go down, Big Makk, Meaux Green, JSTJR, Saint, Ivarr, Kid Cedek, G-buck, I’ve seen them all put in work, definitely excited to see how the masses respond.
Arntre: We’ve watched not only your career but your productions blow up, linking you up withsome of the underground’s hottest names, including most recently even Munchi. The whole moombahfam wants to know: How was working with Munchi on Sucia Anthem?
Man, what’s crazy is that it happened really early in my career, and it’s all thanks to DJ Blass. I met him at a Moombahton Massive in Miami a few years ago, and we were just chatting and he randomly goes “I want you to do vocals.” I was taken aback, because I’ve been told growing up that I’m immensely tone deaf when it comes to singing (ahaha), So I did. I recorded myself saying a bunch of random shit and sent it over to him.
Munchi was in Miami with DJ Blass, and I guess he showed him the vocals and I got a tweet at 3am from Blass & Munchi telling me to come down to Miami to do vocals. I had to work the next day, but I begged and pleaded to get cut from work (I was a server at the time), I told them that I had this amazing opportunity in Miami, so they cut me and I hauled ass [to Miami].
We started recording vocals, but I was so nervous. I mean, I’m in a room with two legends, and I was super tense, and didn’t know what to say, so we proceeded to get fucked up, and from there I repeated everything that was said to me. We got I think over 200 samples of me saying the most vulgar shit (ahaha) including the samples Munchi used in Sucia Anthem.
He hit me up a few months ago to get on Skype & he showed me Sucia Anthem, and I was like “HOLY SHIT.” It was so hard and so raw, it blew me away, but I mean Munchi is notorious for just taking shit to the next level so I’m not surprised (ahaha). He told me he was working on a Reggaeton EP and I was so stoked, but I had no idea I’d be on the EP with so many legends: DJ Blass, Sir Speedy, Daddy Yankee, Wisin y Yandel, it’s totally surreal. I also had no idea so many people would fuck with it so much, the response has been insane.
Arntre: Did your mom kill you when she heard it?
I honestly don’t know if she’s heard it yet, I’m taking a “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy with that to be honest ahahaha.
Arntre: Who are the Moombahton Mafia, and what do they/you do?
The Moombah Mafia consists of Big Makk, Dr. Khan, and myself. We were the first 3 DJs to really fuck with moombahton in Orlando, FL. At the time dubstep was huge, and everyone thought we were crazy and stupid for trying to push the moombah sound here in Central FL, but we all loved it so much, and there’s such a huge Hispanic population here so we knew it was only a matter of time before people caught on. We had “Moombah Mondays” at this little dive bar, and like 5 people tops would show up so that came and went, but it helped us practice & develop our sound. We also had a night a douchey bottle service club in one of their smaller rooms, & that’s where people started to catch on; each week got crazier and crazier.
We got fired for not playing enough hip hop (which is hilarious because we actually play a lot of hip hop)…I personally was happy, as I hated being there. The vibe was so pretentious and superficial (I actually haven’t stepped foot in there since), but what was crazy was that people were really pissed off that we got fired. We knew we were onto something at that point, and it seems like the stars aligned, we were approached by Triska around the same time, he saw our vision and was willing to invest, from there Shake ‘n Bass was born, and people really began fucking with us and our sound.
It’s crazy through all these experiences we’ve definitely become like family, and together we’ve gotten to play all throughout FL and had the privilege of playing Moombahton Massive at WMC this year, it’s really crazy how far we’ve come.
Arntre:
Shake n’ Bass has blown up just as quickly as your career, and taken the club scene by storm. What made it so successful as an event?
Its success is based on the fact that it’s so different from other nights. It’s at Backbooth which has this underground vibe that I love, there’s no VIP, there’s no bottle service, there’s no go-go dancers, (hella twerkers though ahaha), and it’s the only place in the world you can hear Moombahton and Tropical Bass on a weekly basis. It’s fun, and the people that walk through the door are some of the realest cats I’ve had the pleasure of meeting. They’re so supportive and all about everything that goes against the grain. The atmosphere we created is something that has grabbed the attention of so many amazing artists worldwide, and it’s crazy to see how people want to come through and play so bad, it’s amazing and beyond any of my wildest expectations.
Arntre: A lot of angry people in the world out there right now are saying that Twerking is “stripper dancing”, and demeaning to women. What’s Twerk music, and what is Twerking?
Twerking…God Bless Twerking. I don’t know who the fuck calls it “stripper dancing,” that’s a new one and it’s hilarious. I appreciate it because I can’t fucking do it, I’ve tried, I look like Miley Cyrus ahaha It’s basically an art, yes an art, in where people, I say people because I’ve seen some fellas twerk and I mean TWERK, they gyrate their hips and make their ass clap in such a beautiful, hypnotic way. I love that these amazing beautiful people come on a weekly basis and twerk at Shake ‘n Bass, it’s definitely a characteristic that makes our night stand out.
Arntre: Is it demeaning to women, in your opinion?
God I’ve gone on so many rants about this on Facebook. No, I don’t think it’s demeaning, after all it’s just dancing. These ladies are just having fun. They literally don’t give a fuck what anyone thinks, which I think is so bad ass. Anyone who thinks it’s degrading or people who bash women for twerking probably still have patriarchal ideologies and are probably the same assholes who would tell me I have no business making music or DJing. Truth be told, I can’t be bothered by people who think this way, life is too short to pass judgment on others or to live your life based on other people’s expectations or ideologies so I don’t know, fuck all the haters I say.
Arntre:
What are you working on lately?
I’m a pretty busy gyal, I write for Do Androids Dance, I DJ as often as I can, and I still work a day job, but I’m always working on music. Whether they’re originals, remixes, or bootlegs, I always try to work on something every day even it’s only for an hour, and literally feel like shit when I don’t. I’ve been trying to push myself with vocals and recently gave rapping a shot (ahaha)! I’m not sure when that will be released, it’s a collab [I’m working on] with Saint. I have a few other collabs in the works with some homies, and a bunch of originals that are more chill. I’m not sure when I’ll release them but I’m sure at some point I will.
Other than that I don’t know, I just keep on keeping on. I love making music, and love hearing the progress I’ve made as a producer. I’ve only been doing it for a little under 3 years, am immensely grateful for all the amazing success and opportunities that have come my way, but also very patient in knowing that as a musician I still have much growing to do, so honestly I’m just enjoying the process and the journey along the way.
Arntre:
Any big plans for the future?
My biggest plan/goal is to get to a point where I no longer have to work a day job and I can focus solely on music. I want to move to L.A. at some point but the timing has to be right for that. If it happens sooner than later I won’t complain, but I’m not in a rush. Other than that, I’m working on being able to tour the US before the end of the year, that’s where I’m at at this point.
Arntre: Any advice you would give to people involved in the entertainment industry?
Fuck Bitches, Get Money ahaha
OK OK on a serious note:
Stay humble.
Be Kind but don’t let others walk all over you after all it’s a Dog Eat Dog World out there.
Work Hard, Play Harder.
Be respectful to everyone because that person who you told to fuck off might be that person you need to take shit to the next level.
Don’t compare yourself to other people & their success, it’s not a competition and everyone’s journey is different.
Surround yourself with positive, driven, like-minded people, the inspiration you’ll get in return is ten fold.
Do what you you love, always.
ARTIST & TRENDS 