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Music

AC Slater - LMLY + Interview [THUMP Exclusive]

A free download of Slater's new Trouble & Bass banger, plus we talk to him about fro yo and shaking that donkey.

We couldn't think of a more fitting title for AC Slater's new EP than Return Of The Underground. With his latest track "LMLY" (that stands for "Let Me Love You" for those of you who are acronym-deficient), he packs an infectious old-school house groove that takes you back to the golden years of the underground faster then Doc Brown and his Delorean. Mr. Slater, we accept your proposition, and we're ready to take it back to the future.

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Return of the Underground is out on Tuesday, July 16, via AC's crew Trouble & Bass and you can buy it here, but in the meantime why not read this interview about rappers raving, shaking that donkey, and all the weird stuff that's happened to AC in Downtown L.A.

THUMP: Your new EP Is called Return of the Underground? What does that mean to you?
AC Slater: "Return of the Underground" is how I would describe my mindset towards my music right now. I want to return to the feeling I got when I was in a small, sweaty basement clubs packed with people just going off to really fun bass-driven music. I want the music to work in that type of setting, and even on the level of a festival crowd.

What kinds of things were you influenced by when you were making this EP?
I just kind of looked backwards to the elements of the music that really excited me when I started. The stuff producers like Switch, Crookers, etc were doing in, like, 2007 to house music. I always hated house music, I used to make UK hardcore for years before that, embarrassing as that is, because I had a short attention span towards music and it kept my attention. But what these guys were doing really grabbed my attention. I loved the bass they added to house music, the quick change-ups, the drops. It was my gateway into that world. For ROTUG, I wanted to bring that feeling back, but with modern influences of what I'm doing and what I'm feeling by other people.

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There's a track on your EP called "Donkey Shake." What is the Donkey Shake exactly?
My friend Dell sometimes says "donkey" in reference to butts. I always thought that was funny, so like, shake that donkey! The Donkey Shake is just shaking your ass to the music. The bassline is from this Massive VST patch that Udachi sent me. I started playing with the patch and the song just flowed out so quickly.

Do you think living in L.A. has influenced your sound?
I'm not really sure. I think it influenced my view on the industry and the direction of my career more than anything. It's kind of hard to explain. In NYC, people hustle and work so hard, but everyone is in their own little space when it comes to work. In LA, it seems like everyone is interested in what you are doing, and they want to show you what they are up to, and they want to collaborate. It feels like a by-product of the amount of living space there is. But it's hard to find a good bagel here, so maybe that influenced me the most.

What are your three favorite things to do in Los Angeles?
I love hiking, going to the Do-Over party, and exploring the region in my car because being from the East Coast it's all so new and amazing to me.

You live in Downtown L.A. and there are some insane people there. What is the craziest thing you've seen?
Where do I even begin? There are your regulars such as Ricky the Pirate, "the backwards bicycle riding dude", Jesus, and "slapping on a piece of cardboard while telling you how amazing you are dude." One time I saw a shirtless guy walking towards me with cuts all over his chest and stomach, blood everywhere, trying to bum 35 cents from me. That shit is weird, but after a while you get used to seeing that type of thing.

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I've only lived here for a year-and-a-half, but I could write a book about the things I've seen. It is one of the most insane places I've ever been, but also very inspiring and amazing at the same time. There are a lot of cool creative people that live on my block.

Who is your favorite character that lives Downtown?
12th Planet.

You love you some frozen yogurt. What is the best frozen yogurt place? If people want to be like AC Slater, what frozen yogurt configuration should they get?
Yogurtland is my spirit animal. I prefer the one in Little Tokyo. To be like me, you have to go all tart and fruit flavors, with strawberries, kiwi, mochi, and sprinkles. Don't even get all chocolatey on me! While I wait to pay, I like to steal brownie bites and cookie dough bites if no one is looking.

What do you think is the best depiction of a club or rave in movies and TV?
Vibrations.

Bonus explanation of techno…

Due to your name, I'm sure you get a lot of people talking to you about AC Slater from Saved By the Bell. What TV or movie character do you actually think you're most similar to?
Mr. Magoo because I just go with the flow and stay positive and things tend to work out for me.

You've been working in Atlanta with a lot of rappers. Who you have been working with?
Haven't been back in a minute, but I've done a lot of work with Dell Harris, Tuki Carter, Villa, and Brandon Rossi. All four are really talented people.

Are you turning them all into techno fans? What funny things do they say to you about rave music? I think I've seen Pill twirl a glowstick or two.
Dell is a raver. We took Pill to a few raves in Texas, he loved it. But in Atlanta it's all mixed up already long before I started going there a lot. The scenes overlap a little… it's not a big deal, it's just another party.

What are you working on right now? What can people expect from you in the next 6 months?
I've done remixes for Jack Beats, Kastle, Creep, Brown & Gammon that should be coming out before the end of summer hopefully. I've got a few collaborations going. I'm working on another EP and I have a bunch of unfinished songs not sure what I'm going to do with them all yet. I'm just going to keep eating Yogurtland and see where that takes me.