I had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with Robert DeLong during FPSF. We had a few minutes on the phone due to a mixup of location (not many people are as pleasant as Robert was during the confusion), he was super patient and friendly as we both tried to identify items near by that would help us locate each other. (Oh, the joys of interviewing at a festival!) We figured it out pretty quickly, thankfully. We talked about the heat (and how it doesn’t really even compare to LA heat), music (of course) and a lot about knobs and sliders. All the things that make a creative, energetic, multi-instrumentalist and overall talented dude like Robert DeLong tick.

Robert DeLongLauren Ignited: So were your musical influences growing up?
Robert DeLong: Well, I grew up in Seattle so I listened to a lot of stuff like Modest Mouse, Death Cab for Cutie in high school. Before that, I was a big Jazz head; especially contemporary jazz. After that I got into electronic music, obviously Radiohead and now I listen to everything

L: So, if you could, how would you describe your sound?
R: I don’t know, I think the easiest thing for me to say is like indie songwriter meets electronic dance music and whatever else in there, some folk in there a little bit.

L: How do you prepare for a set at a festival vs a venue?
R: It’s all totally different. The sets have a similarity in that I play the same songs, but the way you play the set changes and the way you feed off the energy of the crowd…obviously I can’t get right in people’s faces when I play a festival. This stage doesn’t have a video wall, but usually we have video content and go pros all around my rig so you can see exactly what I’m doing…twisting knobs and sliders.

Robert DeLongL: What piece of gear are you most excited about lately?
R: You know, I just had this midi controller made for me its got a bunch of knobs and sliders. It’s got one big giant knob that I turn sometimes. It’s really cool. (Laughs)

L: Who are you most excited to see at the festival?
R: I got to see Zedd last night and that was really cool, and then I think I’ll go check out Jack White tonight.

I was really happy that Robert and I were able to meet up. If you ever get a chance to see him live, I highly recommend it. The crowd during his set at FPSF was a mix of millennial and slightly older, they were pushed all the way to the stage, covering the ground under neath the overpass and nearly to the other side of the street. And they all had one thing in common: they were ready to dance!

Connect with Robert DeLong on facebook, twitter, youtube and instagram.

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