A couple words come to mind when I think of Eric Lam, an up and coming DJ who just recently moved to LA. Dedicated. Determined. Motivated. This is why he has earned the honor of Assassin of the Week. Recently, Eric Lam has released his biggest EP to date titled “Black.” Hearing this EP for the first time made me realize Eric Lam was more then special but a DJ who is dedicated to make unique and incredible music. The EP is filled with originals, and amazing originals at that. Each track is a breath of fresh air as each has it’s own unique sound not yet heard in the over saturated scene. “GTA” Starts the EP off with a fast and hard electro house sound. This sound slows down and down until you reach the last track “Scream” which is a gorgeous house track. Make sure to listen below while you’re reading more about the up and coming star, Eric Lam.
Earlier this week, I was able to sit down with Eric and ask him some questions. We were able to find out how he got started, how he produces, and what we can look forward to in the future. Let’s see what Eric had to say
Jimmy: Why don’t you introduce and tell us a little bit more about yourself?
Eric: Well, I guess we can start with my name haha. My name is Eric Lam and I am a producer from Philly. I just graduated from Indiana University and am now living in Los Angeles. I am really into music and have been for as long as I can remember. So I guess it’s only natural that I play instruments and produce music.
Jimmy: When did you really begin producing electronic music?
Eric: I began producing music my Junior year of high school. I wasn’t serious about it though until my Freshman year of college. In high school my guitar teacher convinced me to buy Logic Pro to practice learning how to record, my goal at the time was to be a professional guitar player. I jokingly started producing hip-hop beats during my free time since I could literally be lying in bed and just making music on my computer. It was just easy and convenient. Around the end of my freshman year of college I realized how into it I was getting and made it my goal from that point on to learn as much about music production as possible.
Jimmy: While interning under Vince Lawrence, what are some of the abilities and skills you acquired that help you to produce now?
Eric: This list could be like three pages long haha. But in short, the most important thing I learned was to be humble. I was never into bragging or anything to begin with, but I saw a lot of people come into the studio who acted like they were better then everyone else and just acted like being in their presence was a gift. Honestly, noone wants to work with people like that. So I’d say that was a major thing that I learned and try not to be.
Jimmy: Out of all the opportunities that became available to you (For example building a studio, interning under Vince Lawrence, and building your own studio) what has been the most helpful for you in getting you to where you’re at now?
Eric: I mean as far as getting paid gigs, the Dr. Oz show was probably the most helpful. I was a sophomore in college when I wrote the music for that show. All the people I was up against were all like 40+ years old. Since that’s a major television show, most people in the industry are most impressed by that.
Jimmy: What made you want to shift from guitar to electronic music? Has this shift been a difficult one for you or did the musical abilities you gained from playing guitar help you in terms of producing?
Eric: The transition has been really natural actually. I still play the guitar, just not to the extent that I used to. I never would have started making electronic music if I didn’t like it, so it was really just a shift in interest. And as far as the guitar helping me with musical abilities, it has definitely helped my composing abilities. Between playing the guitar for years and also having a Minor in music through the Jacob’s School of Music, I don’t really second guess what I play. Some producers with no musical background will ask me if melodies that they play are “right”. I used to have that problem but now I just go with whatever I think sounds good. I don’t really pay attention to what I “should be playing.” Now it’s really just about what feels good.
Jimmy: What would you say are some of your musical influences when you produce?
Eric: I honestly take influence from everything around me. Every song that I have listened to in the past has some influence on what I’m playing. Whether it’s a woodblock sound that I heard being played a certain way on one song or the way a snare was layered over a kick drum in another song. The only thing I really make sure to do when writing is never rip anyone off. Keeping my music honest is a huge thing for me and if a song sounds even remotely close to something else that I’m listening to at the time, I will almost always delete the whole song.
Jimmy: When producing new music, do you go anywhere or do anything to get inspired?
Eric: Not really. It just kind of comes to me. I can be walking around, eating dinner, whatever haha. But one thing that does help is practicing. I find the more I practice writing melodies, the better melodies I come up with. It’s that way for pretty much every aspect of music in my opinion.
Jimmy: What are your plans for the near future in terms of production? Quite simply what’s next for you Eric?
Eric: Everything. Haha. I honestly just want to be as involved in music as possible. I love it. It’s extremely rewarding so whether it’s writing new music for television shows, releasing new dance music through my soundcloud, or just making music for fun. I’m going to do it. I have a few studios I’m working with now since I just moved out to LA, and also got contacted by a couple EDM management companies, but I’m just going to take everything as it comes. I haven’t committed to any contracts or anything so hopefully the future can be whatever I want it to be.
Thank you Eric for taking the time to answer these questions and I look forward to hearing much more from you in the future! If you want more music from Eric, make sure to follow him on SOUNDCLOUD. Also don’t forget to follow him on TWITTER and FACEBOOK for the exclusive information on new releases. Cheers!
[…] so much better than the original, but who am I to judge. Eric does it right every single time. We interviewed this up-and coming producer and he is definitely impressing us with this remix. CHECK IT OUT. Download it; its […]