Two DJ/producers from Texas setting the world ablaze, Granite & Phunk have been embraced by many of the biggest DJs out there (Judge Jules, Pete Tong, Fedde Le Grand). The team of Larry Granite and John Phunk first appeared on people's radars with their track "Knock U Over" which was released on Mark Knight's Toolroom Records label. With several big remixes and original productions in the pipeline and an artist album scheduled for 2008, look for Granite & Phunk to be popping up on everybody's setlists.
DJ Ron Slomowicz: So how did you two meet up?
Larry Granite: We met about four or five years ago. We were both in
the electronic dance scene in Dallas, Texas, and we had different duo
names at that time. We were working with different people, and then we
decided to team up, and we've been going every since.
RS: Are you both producers, both DJs?
John Phunk: Yes, we're both producers, we're both DJs, the real deal.
RS: You guys had your big break with the record on Tool Room. How
did you get discovered by Mark Knight?
Larry Granite: Well, the first couple of tunes we did, we sent to
Tool Room, a long time ago, and they scooped them up. We've been part
of the Took Room family ever since. It's been special for us because
there's not too many American artists who were with Tool Room, so it's
a big deal for us. We've just been doing some remixes for them.
RS: Yes, because most American artists don't get picked up by
European labels. Usually it's the opposite.
Larry Granite: Correct. And with the influx of all the music
nowadays, it makes it even more special, because it came at a time
when a lot of this wasn't going online. Beatport and all the stuff, it
was very new. We're still with Tool Room.
RS: How would you describe your sound?
John Phunk: I think we have a unique sound. We use a lot of just the
raw elements, and we rock those parts. A very good friend of ours
actually told us that, and that's what we've been doing ever since –
just basic elements and rock those parts, and lots of melodies. We
love working with vocals, of course. That's what we like to do most,
vocals, with lots of rock and roll involved as well.
RS: You did a big remix of Blur. How did you get involved in that project?
John Phunk: Actually that was a bootleg we did two years ago for a
New Year's Eve gig, and then I guess someone leaked it. Not us.
RS: But it was your Armand Pena remix that got a lot of buzz.
John Phunk: Yes, Armand Pena got a lot of buzz because Fredde le
Grand charted it as number one on his chart for Miami, and that sure
helps.
RS: What are you working on right now, in the studio?
Larry Granite: We have some single originals we're working on for
Conference. We're just finalizing those and getting the right sound.
John Phunk: We're trying to take a little bit of a break because
we've been going strong for four years. In the last two years we've
done tons of releases, and are always working on stuff. We hit a point
where we just had some big things come out with Southern Fried and
Tool Room, so we can kind of chill out for a couple of months..
RS: You have a new single that just came out on Southern Fried?
John Phunk: Yes, "One and Only" was released in October. It's a few
years old but it still has a lot of life in it. There's a lot of cool
remixes, and we're just happy that Fatboy Slim said it was cool, and
put it out.
RS: Is it a vocal track, or is it a track-track?
John Phunk: It's kind of electro-ish. It has a cool, catchy vocal,
kind of hip-hop.
Larry Granite: Very clear, a crossover type song. The ladies really
like it because it just has those hip-hop elements. The remixes are
all great, they all have that club sound that you know in the
underground, but ours has a radio sound.
RS: Who's the singer on it?
John Phunk: It's a friend of ours from Dallas. His name is Astro, and
he's an MC. Just a couple of spoken words. They're very silly lines,
but they always work in the club.
Larry Granite: Very simple. Keep it simple and let everybody know what
you're saying.
RS: How did you hook up with Progressive Management –
Stonebridge's former management. How did he find you Texans?
Larry Granite: Well, we had MySpace. He had mentioned that he'd been
following us for a while, and then decided to see what we were about.
We liked what he was about, so we got together right after Conference
and they've been doing great things.
John Phunk: Thank God for MySpace.
RS: How many friends do you have on MySpace?
Larry Granite: About ten thousand I think.
John Phunk: Yes, but it's so silly, we could have fifty thousand by
now. We've tried to keep it very, very cool. I see other sites where
people have hundreds of thousands of fans and it's just so silly. We
just try to keep the main crew of people, producers, those close to
us. Of course, all females get added immediately.
RS: Of course.
John Phunk: And that's eighteen of them.
