Since growing up together in Orlando, FL, Eric Ray and Andrew Principe have found their sound together in their EDM duo known as EAZYBAKED. Their debut album, , Alone With Yourself, was released in 2018 and marked the beginning of their journey into blending emotive melodies with high-energy beats. Over the years, their music has evolved, earning them a dedicated fanbase and critical acclaim in the electronic dance music scene.
After performing a sunrise set on the Bonnaroo “Where Stage,” the duo sat down with Melodic Magazine for an interview.
I just wanted to jump right in. EDM is obviously growing immensely right now and as it becomes more mainstream, are there any genres that you’d like to incorporate that you haven’t really explored yet into your music?
Eric: Interesting question. Yeah, I’d say we’re always exploring and we’re always looking for new ways to make what we’re doing interesting. rejuvenate. rejuvenate. put more life into. I wouldn’t say there’s like some specific genre, I think. I think it’s like, or one of our goals is just kind of be able to play whatever we want whenever we want. and kind of continuing to tone in on that.
Andrew: Yeah, it’s like if there’s a genre that inspires us, you know, we’ll probably find a way to incorporate it somehow.
What makes a crowd great at a show you’re playing? What makes it so you think, “this was a great show?”
E: When energy is received, reciprocated. Yeah. Yeah, when you can tell all their attention. It’s like this mutual exchange and all the, there’s like a very focused group of individuals just rocking out. Absolutely.
Over the years, obviously your production style has kind of evolved and shifted as you grow as a group. So how do you decide when a track is truly finished and or if it needs a little bit more here and there?
E: I think that’s something that’s like, um, I don’t know, it’s like, it’s kind of a tough end thing to answer because it’s like, you don’t really know, but it’s like, there’s this feeling, it’s like, all right, I’m done working on this. Yeah, it’s like, when you’ve listened to it, when you can listen to it all the way through and nothing jumps out of you, like, I need to fix that or I should put this here or whatever. Yeah, and it’s like, okay, it’s kind of like, you gotta kind of trust yourself and then just send it off the world. It might never be done, actually.
A: It’s like a painting, you know? You could always add some more details or whatever. It’s like when it feels good, you trust that feeling and you ride it.
So when you’re playing and you have a song that you really enjoy and then something jumps out to you while you’re playing, would you ever like to make an adjustment like they’re on the stage?
E: I mean, you can’t really make adjustments to the audio. I mean, for a good example, was last night and this morning we were playing a sunrise set and we were, like, watching a sunrise and Andrew was like, we should switch up the vibe. So we completely switched up the vibe and basically played a bunch of music from our side project and music along those lines. And I think that kind of coincides with what you just said. It’s like, that’s something that you make a decision on the fly, you run with it, you go, and you play into the sunrise.
And so with the EDM community being so tight-knit, how important is that like connection and community to you guys, especially with what you’re trying to do on stage?
E: I think it’s like, fucking everything, really. It’s huge. We don’t take for granted the like-minded people we have on board with us supporting our mission and our journey. And we have a Discord channel where we chat with these people often, these homies — I don’t like the word fans because I just feel like we just have a bunch of like friends that are supporting what we do. And I think community is everything. They give us the energy to, like, want to keep going and make no shit for them. We wouldn’t be doing this without the people that support us.
To shift gears just a little bit, how did you guys meet? I understand you produced together before making music as a duo, but how has that relationship sort of changed into what there is today?
E: We met in 3rd grade, and we’ve just communicated very well. I feel like we’ve been best friends and it’s kind of been this, I don’t know, it’s like a very natural thing. We’ve grown together. I mean, we grew up together. We’ve learned together. We’ve grown through hardship. Like we have become who we are alongside each other. I mean, you know, I don’t take it for granted.
For my final question, is there any question that you haven’t been asked that you would love to answer?
E: Holy shit. That question right there that you just asked, you asking us if it was a question we never asked is a question I want to be asked. No, I mean, it’s like maybe ask me why I love this and the reason is because I’m a massive fan and we got to experience beautiful music when we were young, and go to these festivals, and experience what this was like and to be a part of something bigger than yourself, and be feeling included into something that’s like far greater than you could have imagined. That’s just me kind of shooting my shot into the wind.
Keep up with EAZYBAKED: Instagram | Facebook | YouTube | Website
