UGAstyle: You went to the University of Florida, how did you end up in Athens?
Alfredo Lapuz: My whole band moved here: Velveteen Pink. We met some friends from Athens and we all decided to come because the music scene was tight. And it’s not Florida…at all. Economically it’s pretty comparable to Gainesville, of course. And just to be somewhere new.
UGAstyle: What’s the spirit of the VP album?
AL: Synthy, pop, funk stuff. Very much like any 80s electro, Prince, any Janet Jackson, stuff like that.
UGAstyle: In regards to Very Disco, why’d you choose Daft Punk?
AL: Oh, ’cause… because I’m a total fan. Absolutely knew that no one was doing that, that was a big thing. So, knowing so much about them and their music, it was kinda a no-brainer. If we were going to start any kind of tribute project, it was going to be something that absolutely no one else was doing.
UGAstyle: How long did it take you guys to master the Daft Punk sound?
AL: Like a month, if that. The first performance, January last year, that was the first time we ever ran the set full through. It was at the [Georgia] Theatre. That was the first show and the first time we ran it fully through. Even during practice, we never did the whole thing.
UGAstyle: Oh, wow. So were you nervous?
AL: I mean yeah, a little bit. And you know those wrist bands I wear? They were really, really restricting, so my hands were definitely numbing up, so that was kinda scary.
UGAstyle: So what do you do for Kuroma?
AL: I play left hand keyboard bass and keyboards.
DUSTY: So are you like best friends with Hank Sullivant?
AL: I mean, I know Hank. We’re not “BFFS” (laughs). We G-chat every now and again. He’s in Brooklyn.
UGAstyle: So when you play live [as Immuzikation], it’s all on a whim?
AL: Yeah. Well, usually someone will come and request something and I’ll go okay, this is going to go awesome over this other song. When I did the Daft Punk / MGMT one, that definitely [came from] constant requests of those songs individually. [So] then I [recorded] the track. Now I can play that track live.
UGAstyle: You made a video to go with that…
AL: Yeah, it was awful (laughs). I just took both of their videos, one was in 4×4 one was in widescreen, and it’s just like awful. But it was more to get the point of the music, of what I was doing. And that has gotten over 600,000 hits – which is totally amazing… especially because it’s so awful (laughs). It’s really bad.
UGAstyle: You are constantly playing shows in Athens as Immuzikation. Where’s your favorite place to play?
AL: Uh, shit. I mean it kinda depends. 283, raging past 2am is pretty awesome. But so is Go Bar. It’s between the two, absolutely, easily. Even compared to a big venue like the 40 Watt. I really like the intimacy, people just being there, in it.
UGAstyle: So this is where your story comes in. How did you get started, when did you first start making music?…
AL: Oh God, this is a long one.
UGAstyle: What kind of diapers your mom used?…
AL: (laughs) I don’t even remember. I was born in Detroit. I started singing and playing piano at 5. Sang for the Pope in Michigan when I was 5 – maybe 7.
UGAstyle: Oh my gosh.. get it. That’s legit.
AL: Yeah it was pretty sick (laughs). I stopped singing because I didn’t like it very much.
UGAstyle: You didn’t see the boys choir in your future?
AL: Nah, I wasn’t feeling any of that. But I played the piano, everyone in my family had to play the piano. It was a must, of course – we’re Asian. But growing up through my family’s church, I played in the orchestra, I played in high school and in middle school.
UGAstyle: Were you in the legit band?
AL: Yeah, for sure. But I didn’t march, cause I wasn’t into that (laughs). Our school was modeled after FAMU’s marching band so it was really intense. Like inappropriate intense. It was too much for me. I didn’t take it that seriously so I stuck to symphonic band.
UGAstyle: So what did you listen to growing up?
AL: Definitely a lot of pop music.
UGAstyle: Like Top 40 stuff?
AL: Yeah, I mean…
UGAstyle: Do you own any NOW That’s What I Call Music CDs?
AL: I don’t own any NOW CDs (laughs). In high school I got really into traditional ska, a lot of soul, funk and jazz. I was pretty super-closed minded then. To where I was like, if it’s not really good pop music or any of those, I wasn’t gonna like it. It wasn’t until college that I was real open minded about everything.
UGAstyle: Yeah, you played Bonnaroo last year.
AL: Yeah, with Kuroma. We were in some wack tent, it sucked (laughs). Well, it only sucked because Nine Inch Nails was playing during us and it was so loud. But it was tight, I mean, I’d play it again.
UGAstyle: Are you playing any more festivals in the future?
AL: [Kuroma’s] playing one with MGMT in New Jersey. It’s called Bamboozle [in May]. MGMT’s curating a stage so it’s gonna be The Acrylics and what’s the name of that damn band? They’re from Brooklyn – like every band (laughs). Fuck, I can’t remember. But they’re doing a stage so we’re gonna play. I think that’s confirmed.
Mar 19 2010
