Aukoustics: Galantis, Dolly Parton, JVKE, Cheat Codes, lovelytheband, and Secs On The Beach

On this week's episode, I have my great buddy, Aukoustics, AKA, Secs On The Beach. This podcast covers how a ten-year-old self-taught pianist from Worcester, Massachusetts has become a multi-instrumentalist producer and songwriter working with artists like Galantis, Dolly Parton, Cheat Codes, JVKE, and so many more. Join us as we talk about his incredible journey of determination, hard work, and vital mentorship. This episode was super inspiring to film and look back on while I was working with my editor, Phil, so I know it will inspire you as well.

We begin talking about Acoustics' upbringing, the instrumental role his father played in his development, and how his half-brother who passed away when Eric was only 5 had a profound effect on pushing him towards music. We talk about Acoustics' approach to creating music, his determination to forge genuine connections with people, and his ability to balance dual roles as an artist and a producer. We also dive into his exciting account of producing 'Faith' by Galantis featuring Dolly Parton and Mr. Probz, a song that took his career to the next level having been his first big cut.

This episode is a goldmine for anyone seeking to learn from someone who has not only found success in the music industry, but someone who has also studied many of the greats in different disciplines, so he is really able to give a wide amount of wisdom. Lastly, I'd like to highlight that you will hear Acoustics highlight the pivotal role of his family and friends in his musical journey, and how he leveraged his talent, proximity to opportunities, and an insatiable desire to deliver under pressure into a thriving career.

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GROUNDS FOR SUCCESS LINKS
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AUSTIN SELTZER LINKS
All Links Here: https://linktr.ee/Austinseltzer

AUKOUSTICS/SECS ON THE BEACH LINKS
Aukoustics Links Here: https://shorturl.at/euF59
Secs On The Beach Links Here: https://linktr.ee/secsonthebeach

Transcript

Austin Seltzer: 0:01

Welcome to the Grounds for Success podcast. I'm your host, austin Siltzer. Together we'll unveil the keys to success in the music industry. Join me as I explore my guest's life stories and experiences to uncover practical insights to help you align with your goals more effectively. Welcome to the Grounds for Success podcast. My name is Austin Siltzer and I am a mixing and mastering engineer with over 10 years of experience in the music industry.

Austin Seltzer: 0:37

Today, my guest is Acoustics, or also known as Sex on the Beach. Acoustics is a multi-instrumentalist producer, songwriter, artist and also one of my really good buddies. He is produced and written Faith by Galantis featuring Dolly Parton and Mr Probs, dandy Lion by Jake and Galantis. Monsters by 24-Carat Golden Sail Away by Lovely the Band how Do you Love by Cheat Codes and Lee Bryce. Losing my Religion by Steve Aoki and so much more. As an artist, he's also produced remixes for Megan Trainor, oliver Tree, fits in the Tantrums, flow Rider, galantis and Dolly Parton Kind of ridiculous list there, huge flex. I'm stoked to have him on On today's episode.

Austin Seltzer: 1:32

We're going to talk about whenever, growing up, how Eric's dad was very hands-on and really kind of like trained him in life, kind of like Tiger Woods' dad did, just like as a mentor, but somebody who's always there kind of. Is this like guiding force to make his son into a diamond? Taking a piece of coal and pressuring it into a diamond? Eric also had a half-brother who was a great musician. Unfortunately, he passed away whenever Eric was five years old, but he imparted this thing in Eric. That was like music is really cool and it's something that he looked up to, and so he was a guiding light in Eric's life. Whenever he was younger, for sure, and by 10, eric had learned how to play the piano or was learning how to. He was teaching himself on YouTube and he quickly got into actually creating YouTube videos not on music but on his golf playing, but just content creation, and I think getting himself out there that way really helped him to just put himself out there.

Austin Seltzer: 2:43

At an early age, eric heard tons of music playing around the house and he was inspired by like Blink 1A2 and Eminem and stuff like that. But then he heard One Direction and Justin Bieber and kind of fell in love with Pop. He really wanted to understand how it was made and it just like clicked into his mind like I love that, I want to figure out how to make that. So that was the guiding force for him to go in the Pop direction.

Austin Seltzer: 3:14

We learned how Eric took up a job at American Eagle to be able to save up for a Mac Mini, and I think that is just so important because music is a struggle. We have to be out there and we have to take up jobs and we have to hustle continuously to be able to put food on the table and to be able to have the tools to be able to make music. And just knowing that he took up that job to be able to afford a Mac Mini, to even get started creating Pop music, is just an awesome story that you're going to hear about. And really we're going to hear one of the most motivational stories, I think, of how Eric was given a task by his buddy, saint, on creating flips for Galantis and how, in like the final hour, he put together what would become faith with Dolly Parton. And we get to hear that story of how all of that came about and really how all of the years leading up to that moment is how he learned to be able to create something that quickly under that much pressure and deliver, and it be some magic, and I think you guys are really going to love that story.

Austin Seltzer: 4:32

Alright, let's get caffeinated.

Aukoustics: 4:34

Alright, talk me through this coffee here. What do we got?

Austin Seltzer: 4:35

Yeah, so I'm going to have to shit on you for a second. Go for it. Eric doesn't like coffee. I hate coffee. He really hates coffee. I can't stop it. And I swear I did not like force him to do this, although I sent like a couple of hate messages, yeah, and I said I can't have you on because you don't drink coffee. I said if you come on the podcast and you don't drink coffee, I will just sit here and shit talk you the whole time. But I swear I didn't force you.

Aukoustics: 5:04

Oh man, I don't know, it's like a foreign substance or something, I don't know. This is my thought on coffee, right, not going to you know, can I swear on this? Yeah, not to shit on coffee drinkers everywhere. It's a legal drug, like unpopular opinion Coffee is illegal.

Austin Seltzer: 5:24

Do you not like caffeine?

Aukoustics: 5:25

No, it's just like for one. I don't love the taste of coffee, right, fair. But like, you know, like that whole mocha, I don't know, it's just, I've never been like, I never loved the taste of it. But there are some like coffees that I do enjoy, but I think it's like the thought that I need something like another substance to like, pick my mood up. You know what I mean. I think it's like that thought, that like. Maybe it's not like, like, I think it's just a mixture of like. I don't want to rely on something else. You know, like, like, like. I've seen some people who haven't had their coffee and it's like they're like a different human being and I think that scares me a little bit. I get that as I drink this.

Austin Seltzer: 6:09

Yeah, so I will talk you through your coffee. So it's phenomenal, though I have to say that, holy crap, I've never made this before. So it's, it's Onyx a company, but it's a Costa Rican bean, and okay. So I just took the first seven. I'm actually fucking baffled. That was delicious.

Aukoustics: 6:30

No, like I'm not even gonna lie, I'm not a coffee drinker. This is a very good coffee, so yours is made because it was made with love.

Austin Seltzer: 6:37

It was made with love. Thanks, man. I hang around those beans. I ran upstairs.

Aukoustics: 6:41

Hang around them beans.

Austin Seltzer: 6:43

And I got some oat creamer, which it's like it has a little bit of sweetness, but so I whipped it and put it all together.

Austin Seltzer: 6:54

But man, I'm I am actually baffled. That is delicious. Great job, Onyx. But there is a real use for caffeine. As long as it's not too much, it does help mental clarity. It helps, like, if you're trying to zoom in on something, like focus real hard on something. It does help focus, Like there is really oh man, there's so much data saying Interesting, like how it increases focus. It increases the ability to get to a thought more quickly. So there are some good uses, Of course, like I do see what you're saying, like if you have to rely on that. But what if you're already a super human and you're trying to become more of a super human?

Austin Seltzer: 7:41

Yeah just look for a little bit of an edge, because we were talking about earlier, we're playing at the very, very top level of music, the highest, and any little edge like that, like a very natural substance.

Aukoustics: 7:56

True, I mean like I definitely would prefer some like this over like Adderall. You know what I mean. Like because it is, it is, it does come from nature. I guess you could say so coffee, I guess. If there is any legal drug that I would take or do like, it's coffee Like, and there is a lot of positive health benefits to coffee. I know that for sure. But yeah, that's why I'm drinking it with you today.

Austin Seltzer: 8:21

Dude, it's so great to have you on here.

Aukoustics: 8:23

Thank you for having me. It's an honor to be here. Love this, like. What you've done is incredible. This is really cool. I'm really happy to be here, for sure. Thanks, man. It was all a dream. You know what I mean Exactly. It's true, man. No, it's really exceptional to see, like where, like how this has come to be Like. It's really like. Like you know, sometimes, like I think like, sometimes, like when you look at like a painting or something like that, it's like you're looking at that painting and then you get like encapsulated in that painting and like you put yourself almost like in the painting. I feel like this room has that like feeling to it. It's like you sit down and it's almost like an art piece. You know, like everything is so well thought out and it's amazing, man.

Austin Seltzer: 9:04

Let's go back to little Eric, little Eric, yeah, baby Eric. I want to understand kind of how everything started, who your, your parents are. Yeah.

Austin Seltzer: 9:15

Like the environment you grew up in. And what about your? Your younger years kind of shaped who you became today, who you're going to be, because some of that fabric of how you grow up is, of course, going to dictate who you are, so true. And, and maybe like in high school, like what got you what, what did you take from your childhood and what has like moved you, along with this DNA of who you are now?

Aukoustics: 9:46

Wow, it's a great question. What a way to kick it off, dude? Like like. I mean, I'm from Massachusetts, like a Worcester Massachusetts, which is like you know, like we were talking about. It's like you know, it's one of the bigger cities in Massachusetts, but it's by no means a major city or anything like that. But we invented the smiley face, the guy Harvey Ball.

Austin Seltzer: 10:06

How does?

Aukoustics: 10:07

that Harvey Ball he's the inventor of the smiley face was invented in Worcester.

Austin Seltzer: 10:12

Wait, you can invent that.

Aukoustics: 10:14

Well, he's the one who like properly patent it, and I think the smiley face was already a thing. But once he was like the first one to be like, this is my idea, probably wasn't an idea. Maybe it was?

Aukoustics: 10:28

I don't know, but Worcester, it's one of the claims of fame. Yeah, I love that we have the Woo Socks, but it's like yeah, it's like, you know, like a normal city. My mom was a preschool teacher, my dad was a limo driver. We were definitely like middle, like lower middle class, like I think, like I think that like, growing up, my parents we didn't have a lot of money, but my parents always made sure that I had everything I needed and they always like fueled my. They were always very supportive, always super supportive, no matter what it is I want, what I love doing. Like they were always there and I think like I was like a really, really big golfer when I was, when I was in high school, and like, growing up, I was like really big into golf and I was really, really good and I won like some New England PGA Junior tournaments. And like I was like getting scouted to play really high level in college and like I was, I was, I was, I was really good. And like my dad would take me to every single tournament, like drive me all over the place. Like they just always made sure that like I had everything that I needed, even if we didn't have it, even if we didn't have enough, like they would make sure that we got it, which is, I think, really really cool.

Aukoustics: 11:44

I have another brother. He's a year older than me. We're completely different people. Like we could not be more different. He's like you know what I mean, like he's like the work with his hands, like hardworking, like different, like mindset to me where, just like work with my brain, and like travel the world, and like he's like you know, like he's like a home body, or you know, like he just loves to stay. So like we are only a year apart and we grew up together. We had the same experiences. We even graduated together in the same grade. Like we pretty much live the same life but we have completely different lives and different mindsets, which I think is sometimes really interesting. Like how you can have a sibling that's so close to you but you're like completely different.

Austin Seltzer: 12:22

Yeah, I would actually love to explore that at some point. So, let's put a pin in that, because there has to be a reason. I don't think it's just the way that we are, you know, put into this world, like there are some things that determine. Oh, he was doing this and you know, he made me feel secluded, so I went and did my own thing, 100%. Well, we should explore that.

Aukoustics: 12:44

Absolutely for sure. And, yeah, like growing up like my dad like my dad well, he passed away like a year and a half ago and like my dad was like my best friend. Like growing up like he taught me so much about mental strength and mental toughness and like we looked up to. Like you know, I'm from Massachusetts, so we're like Tom Brady fans and, like you know, hardcore Patriots fans.

Austin Seltzer: 13:07

Oh gosh, I know that the best team on the planet.

Aukoustics: 13:09

You know what I mean. Like unlike the Dallas Cowboys who you know what I mean they're just really overrated. You know what I mean. Things like that, Like I don't know if you know anything about that.

Austin Seltzer: 13:16

I may know a thing or two about that.

Aukoustics: 13:18

Oh, okay, I just want to make sure you know, like you know, we've won quite a few.

Austin Seltzer: 13:22

The rest of this talk is just going to go downhill from here, You're going to start asking me really hard questions.

Aukoustics: 13:28

You're going to take it easy on me. Now you're like, oh, fuck this guy. Just painting the table. I can't fucking stand this guy.

Aukoustics: 13:35

I mean like, but we grew up, you know, like Tom Brady and like the like. I grew up on like Tiger Woods, what he did on the golf course and that would use it off the golf course. But my dad, I remember my dad had two really bad knees and like he like couldn't walk without a cane or a walker, like even when I was a kid, oh wow. And so he was always like in pain, always and like whenever we would walk places, like he would have to use me and my brother as like a crutch, but like he would fight through all that pain. Like I remember he like couldn't even stand. He had a walker and like my dad was older, like my dad was when I was 16. My dad was like 60. No, just like he was an older dad, definitely like the like the oldest dad in the friend group. And I remember, like my baseball team, when I played baseball, he was the first base coach and he couldn't even stand. Like he's sitting there with a cane, like standing, and every ending walking out to like go stand at first base and it's like there's like there's there's so many parents that could have been the first base coach, like, but he was like the one that was there. I remember we would go fishing. He would walk down these hills and like you could like hear his like knees cracking, like from the pain because it was like so painful and but he always made sure to like he didn't want to take away from the experience that like we could have in our childhood and like those moments are invaluable, like for the rest of my life.

Aukoustics: 15:07

Like I always say, like my dad like taught me how to think, like it's like he learned he really looked up to like we were talking about Tiger Woods, like he really looked up to you know, tiger's dad and Earl Woods and like he wrote a book and like all this stuff and he talks about mental toughness and and how like you can like raise your sons Like pretty much like how he raised Tiger and he like really was like big on that book and he kind of raised me in a similar sort of mindset. Can have this experience, you know, and it's like most dads you know what I mean Like most dads. Some dads don't even do that. You know some dads aren't even there. You know like so I'm just really lucky to have had to have had that and my mom is like the most kind and gracious person. I bet you a million dollars. My mom is going to comment on this podcast. She's like the most supportive like she's.

Aukoustics: 15:54

she's given me like the kindness and the nurturing and she's one of the most incredible people ever. She's hilarious, she's a character.

Austin Seltzer: 16:04

Sam, I'm so confused, then why you're just such an ass? Oh my God, I knew it was coming. Oh man, you know, man, it's just because I'm a Patriots fan. Dude, we've won so much fan.

Aukoustics: 16:16

It's just, it's in our heads now, you know but, yeah.

Austin Seltzer: 16:19

I want to explore that thought, though, 100% of how one sibling can be so different, because actually me and my sister. Her name is Mickey Dr Selzer, almost Dr Selzer. Actually by the time this comes out, she will be Dr Selzer, and I'm so pretty happy for her, that's amazing. Congrats, michaela, huge accomplishment Wow.

Austin Seltzer: 16:42

Yes, so I'm very much the creative mind Right, like I can see the future of what I want and like all the parts moving and how I'm going to get there and how they're all going to align. But I'm also systematic enough.

Aukoustics: 17:00

You can do it Come on coffee kick in.

Austin Seltzer: 17:03

Yeah right, systematic enough to go along a plan that I have set in my mind, but I can formulate the creative ideas and of course, I'm just a creative. But she's incredibly analytical, total opposite to you. Yeah, I mean, although I feel like I'm analytical, she's like just remove the creative part, which I'm sure she has some creativity in there but like added all into the analytical part, Right, and what drives her? I mean like dude, if I see somebody with like open wounds and blood, I think I'm gonna, I will faint.

Aukoustics: 17:41

Oh yeah, I mean shout out to doctors, I mean that's like you know doing God's work.

Austin Seltzer: 17:46

Yeah, Like you're keeping people alive. I'm just trying to keep myself alive.

Aukoustics: 17:49

I'm just going to people by beep on a daily basis. They're like cutting people open and like ripping hearts out and shit, like they're doing the real work now does.

Austin Seltzer: 17:57

But yeah, so like totally start opposite and I could explore why we're different. But really. I we're here to talk about you and I would love to to find out, because, let me frame it this way- have you read a book called the outliers.

Aukoustics: 18:11

No.

Austin Seltzer: 18:13

Or outliers. So I think that it is legitimately if you are into reading books or if you will make an exception for a book. This one is so incredible because what it does is it breaks down why people are tremendously good at what they're good at. And we're talking about people at the very, very, very top level Interesting. Why are they so much better at whatever this is than other people.

Austin Seltzer: 18:41

And generally it comes down to getting a lot of years early in life into whatever the craft is that you flourish into. So they have a chapter on, like Bill Gates and how he grew up in a town that had one of the only computers in his whatever year this was and it was at a library and he happened. I can't remember if it was like his parents happened. One of them worked at the library or one of them was a teacher.

Austin Seltzer: 19:13

He was around it, he was around it, and so he started to love the computer and he would spend all of his hours on this.

Austin Seltzer: 19:22

And then it happened that in, like the college that was linked to the town that he grew up in, you know, like, the one that you just go to because you're already there type thing, was one of the only in the country that had a computer like and so these things lined up, and he was so proficient already whenever he got into college at the computer that I mean he just like super accept.

Aukoustics: 19:44

And obviously he's a genius, right. I mean. So, yeah, paired with something Right, a super human or like a savant level gift mind with that, with his surroundings, is what created what then would create one of the biggest computer companies in the world, right, that's interesting.

Austin Seltzer: 20:02

So the book explores things like that and so many other examples. But I have a feeling that, like we can, we can figure out some of the stepping stones as to why you're producing and writing and working on some just like holy fucking smashes with people that are legends, just outright legends. And I'll say this also like, how old are you again? 28. Yeah, 28. So, like you know, young. There's no reason that 28 year old should be working with legends like that when there are so many talented people like what are the intricate movements that got you to this, this place.

Aukoustics: 20:40

Wow, yeah, that's a good like, because I think like it's kind of it's interesting, because it's almost like luck. You know what I mean. Like I've always felt in my life that I've been very lucky, kind of like fortunate, like things just somehow like fall my way. I don't know, I don't know what it is, I don't know if it's like my angels upstairs or what it's luck, but I think, like I also saw this too it's like like proximity, being being close to things, and like sometimes you don't need to be the most talented person. You know what I mean. Like there are definitely producers out there that are way more talented than I am, but sometimes it's like having the just being in the right place at the right time and delivering at the most important time, delivering under pressure, like we talked about before, something like that. I mean when I was, like when I was young you know what I mean Like I, my dad, also had a son from a from a prior marriage and he was really, really.

Aukoustics: 21:40

His name was Ryan and he was super, super into guitar. And when I was, when I was young, he actually passed away when I was like five years old. Wow, what was he? He was 20, I want to say 25, 25 years old. Yeah, he passed away and I remember like like nobody else in my family is musical at all, like nobody is even like my mom and my dad came and clap on beat.

Aukoustics: 22:12

Like it's like you know normal like, like, like white people, like I can't even like clap on beat and like the whole crowd is clapping in unison, but they're off.

Aukoustics: 22:25

It's like that. It's like and but Ryan was an amazing musician and like I always remember like being around them, being so fascinated by that and I was like wow, like this is like really, really cool. And then, like I also like then I started, then I started getting into music and I just like started becoming curious about music. But I think maybe it was because of, like Ryan, it was like that initial fascination, like as a kid that I think kind of maybe like maybe curious about music. And then I remember I remember one Christmas I wanted like a PlayStation or something like that, and my mom got me a piano and said, and like she didn't like I didn't ask for a piano, like it was like one of those like cheap, like $70 Casio pianos you can get a guitar center like one of the super cheap ones, and I don't know it was because they couldn't afford a PlayStation or whatever. But like I remember she got me a piano and it sat in my living room for like six months and I was like I never touched it. And then, like one day I was like bored and I was like like let me see what this thing is about and I was like I like this fascination with music and let me see what this thing is about, and then, like taught myself how to play piano, like from YouTube, like this was like early stages of YouTube.

Aukoustics: 23:35

I'm like maybe like 10 years old at this time, maybe 11 or 12 years old, and then I fell in love with the piano. Then I started playing the trumpet and, like in school and like I also went to a school called Abikelli Shout out, abikelli. They're an art school like we had, like we weren't like a huge sports school or like we're a charter school. We went an amazing arts program, like they really spent a lot of money in the music and the orchestra and like just the whole music program. So they give you an opportunity to play an instrument when you're in like fourth grade. And.

Aukoustics: 24:08

I was like, oh, trump, this sounds cool. And I think I read somewhere like as like an immature, like elementary school, middle school kid like that, trumpet players become the best kissers.

Aukoustics: 24:19

And I was like I want to be a good kisser.

Aukoustics: 24:21

So then I was like, oh, let me play the trumpet.

Aukoustics: 24:23

And like I thought, like that was a cool instrument, because most of the time it's like the lead instrument and like I was like I always wanted to be like the lead instrument, and so then that's kind of how I started my whole little musical journey.

Aukoustics: 24:37

But I think I think it's actually really interesting, similar to like schools, like what happened with, like Bill Gates, like my school had a great program and then I grew up with a fascination for something and then, like my school, fostered that fascination and then from there you know what I mean Then that's when I started meeting, like my, you know, like my friend Ernest, and you know St David, st Fleur was a really successful music executive and like that's kind of like where I learned how to make music was from that group of people at a high level.

Aukoustics: 25:09

You know what I mean. Working with people like it's insane like to think about, like the people that, like you know, it's like people that you grew up listening to and like your parents listen to and like now it's like weird, like talking about it almost, like it's almost, like you almost feel like a sense of like, I like, like you know, I know I worked hard to be there, but it's like, I'm like. Like, when you think about it that way, it's like I'm just like that five year old kid that had that fascination and now it's like blossomed into this whole thing.

Austin Seltzer: 25:39

Yeah, I want to dive like more deeply into parts of those because I could tell where you were going with that. Okay, so at an early age you had a relative that played guitar and was into music and certainly those years whenever you were that young and you look up to somebody who's close to you but older you like idolize them 100%. So I could totally see how that would spark your curiosity and then you get a piano and you're like, oh fuck, it's not a guitar.

Austin Seltzer: 26:12

Probably you didn't, I'm guessing. You looked at that thing and you were like that I don't know about that instrument. But then you got the curiosity and luckily you had YouTube to really foster that yeah 100%, so cool, I mean. And.

Aukoustics: 26:25

I learned by ear too, like I would like listen to songs and I'd be like, okay, cool, like this was like the early state. I'm talking like remember, like those old, like David.

Austin Seltzer: 26:32

Blaine videos. Oh man, I totally remember when YouTube.

Aukoustics: 26:36

OG YouTube like that type of stuff, and then I started making YouTube videos. Actually, like I was like making YouTube like in that era, like at like 13-14 years old, what were you making? Golf videos.

Austin Seltzer: 26:48

Wow, I was one of them. I think I could kick your ass at golf. I don't think I've ever like you know, really. Have you seen me play? No, I don't care.

Aukoustics: 26:57

You're in for a rude awakening.

Austin Seltzer: 26:58

Bro, I've played top golf.

Aukoustics: 27:00

You're good, you're good, you're good. No, I mean, I love golf. Golf is fun, but I've heard you're great.

Austin Seltzer: 27:06

Thanks man.

Aukoustics: 27:07

Only from you, though. Yeah, from me. I talk a lot of shit, but I'm actually just joking.

Austin Seltzer: 27:13

You are the number one shit talker.

Aukoustics: 27:14

I'm such a shit talker. I think it's my Massachusetts roots, like. But no, I'm just like getting around. You know what I mean. Like I don't play golf, like when we're playing volleyball. I'm like your team sucks.

Austin Seltzer: 27:26

Yeah, no, I love it.

Aukoustics: 27:26

You're like awesome, you suck, I suck like I always heckle, but it's all like as a joke, you know what I mean. Like I genuinely don't care about winning. You know what I mean. I think like I mean obviously like I want to win. You know 100%. But like, like when we're playing recreationally, like it's like just like for fun. You know, it's like fun to fuck with you. You know, because you're my dude.

Austin Seltzer: 27:45

I love it. So wait, you're okay. So you were, you were making YouTube videos about golf, which I'm just gonna go out and say is creativity 100% you're making videos.

Aukoustics: 27:55

Yeah.

Austin Seltzer: 27:56

I'm just gonna go out there, so you're already putting yourself on a pedestal where the world can see 100%. And that's so difficult because we were talking about it earlier if you never get stuff out in the world, you never move forward. Yes, 100% just actually getting things out there. Yeah, is already rolling the ball down the hill for sure. So then you pick up trumpet. I'm guessing this is sixth grade.

Aukoustics: 28:20

Yeah, like fifth, sixth grade yeah.

Austin Seltzer: 28:21

Okay, so you're in middle school band. Yeah, and did you play?

Aukoustics: 28:25

throughout high school. Yep, I played all the way through. I was the. I was the red bow tie in my orchestra, which is like the, the leader of the orchestra in like, yeah, played all the way through high school and all that stuff. I love it, always stuck with it. Yeah, believe it or not, trumpet was my worst instrument and that was the instrument I performed with the most, but I wasn't that good. I was like I was. I was good, but I wasn't like really good.

Austin Seltzer: 28:49

What were you best at?

Aukoustics: 28:51

Honestly, I think, like piano has been, has become my best instrument. But then what was it? Oh then, probably probably piano. I'd say I was better, but there was no. There's no piano. You know what I mean. Like in our orchestra there was no like piano player. Yeah, it was more like big band type of stuff, you know strings and clarinets and flutes and things like that. But yeah, probably piano was my best instrument at that time.

Austin Seltzer: 29:18

Okay, so I mean you played trumpet throughout high school. So at what point, I guess, for people listening at a DAW digital audio workstation, like the thing that we make record? Program music into yeah. What point did you pick up a DAW?

Aukoustics: 29:37

I was 16, 15 or 16 and that's when I that's that's like I remember is I remember the point where I was like I want to learn how to make music. I listened to one direction Right, it's like cheesy pop music, right and I was like, wow, how did they make this? There's a difference between like like I grew up listening to like Eminem and like all the pop, punk and like rap music at the time, and like 50 cent and like all that stuff. I grew up listening Green Day, like all different types of music, but when I heard One Direction and like Justin Bieber and like all that stuff, I was like how the fuck did they make this? This is like like it's like so well crafted, like what was the process? That's when I fell in love with pop music and songwriting and creating and I have garage band. I was like I had like a cheap little like Mac Mac mini. I remember like I didn't know they still have those, oh yeah they do.

Aukoustics: 30:32

Oh, they do, yeah, like a Mac mini. And it was like I remember, like I like saved up, I like worked at American Eagle and I like saved up, like I had like this like long like Bieber hair, like server hair.

Austin Seltzer: 30:45

I can. I can totally say it was horrible. I think a lot of us actually did this. I worked at Hollister.

Aukoustics: 30:49

Oh really, yeah, dude, shout out to those clothing stores, man, they've been no, they've been.

Austin Seltzer: 30:55

That was a terrible experience.

Aukoustics: 30:57

I was like we, one of the dudes that like like had like their shirts off, like like. I remember that was a thing back then. It was a thing they would have like that would never fly nowadays. No, that was not me, like they had like young, like 21 year old dudes with their shirts off, like I remember just being like that's like so.

Austin Seltzer: 31:10

I don't even know if they were 21, but the weirdest part is like people like I remember like moms and whatnot coming by and like you could like rub them and stuff like that, and it's like yo that would never fly.

Aukoustics: 31:22

No, it should have never that is crazy.

Austin Seltzer: 31:25

It should have never.

Aukoustics: 31:27

Oh yeah, of course that's weird. It's actually really weird when you think about it and like that was like, like that was a thing, like it's really weird when you think about it. But I worked at American Eagle and remember I saved a bunch of money bottom American Eagle. Okay, thanks, man, that's a diss. That could be a diss. Is that a diss? Oh yeah, it's true.

Austin Seltzer: 31:45

I'm glad you thought that it could have been taken another way. Yeah, I know it's true.

Aukoustics: 31:50

Whatever you like, the Dolls, cowboys, let's move on. But I remember, yeah, and I saved a bunch of money, bought a Mac Mini and GarageBand was free on there and I had my cheap piano that my mom bought me when I was a kid.

Aukoustics: 32:04

Same piano like it luckily had a mini input like MIDI, like, not even like USB, like it was like the old, like MIDI cables, and like you had to like plug that. It was like this, like two thing, and you had to like plug that in and like, and then I just started making songs, writing songs, and I was a songwriter, like I was just like writing songs, like on piano, like I would literally write the melody on piano and then sing the melody. I'm a horrible singer. I'm not a good singer at all. I don't sing. I mean, like on like five songs in my career I've sounded good on. It's like weird, like there's select songs that I sound good on, but 99% of them I can't do it.

Austin Seltzer: 32:39

Are there songs out with?

Aukoustics: 32:41

your voice on it. I can neither confirm nor deny that statement. Okay, so they can neither confirm nor deny that. That sucks, because I don't want people to go looking for it. But yeah, I'm definitely not. I was a rapper and that's when I got into like making beats and like I started becoming a rapper and just writing my own songs and then I put out like like mix tapes in high school.

Austin Seltzer: 33:09

I love this.

Aukoustics: 33:10

I put out like mix tapes in high school and I used to like I was so cringe thinking back on it, but like I used to, like I always loved performing. Like it was like weird, like I always loved like just the thought of like writing something and creating something and then showing it to people. You know what I mean. Like it's like almost like to just get their feedback because, like I feel like you know, when you create something, like I was creating it because I like enjoyed creating, but I also like wanted to see what people thought about it. Like is it good, is it bad? Like I thought it was bad. Like I still got that feedback. It's like, okay, cool, like I learned not to do that again. You know what I mean. Like that was bad, so don't do that.

Austin Seltzer: 33:47

Okay, so you were talking about whenever you picked up your doll.

Aukoustics: 33:50

Right, that's right, oh yeah, I was talking about rapping.

Austin Seltzer: 33:52

That's right, I remember now.

Aukoustics: 33:54

Yeah, I was rapping and I used to love just performing for people and just to get their feedback and I remember I used to like rap, to like girls and like trying to get their phone numbers and stuff. Let's go, it was so cringy but it worked a lot actually. Did it really? Yeah, actually it kind of did. And this was back. Do you remember the days of Omegle, omegle, whatever it was called? No, so, like you remember Chatroulette? Yeah, okay, so it was like Chatroulette and like me and my friend, cam Shadow Cam, like we were like a little duo and he was like my hype man and I would like go on these like and I would just like chat with these random people and like just rap to them and like just like spit a rap or something like that.

Aukoustics: 34:45

And like I would meet people from all over the world and I like become friends with them and like become friends on like Facebook at the time and just like keep in touch and like meet people. And so I was like always like performing you know what I mean Like, even if it was on like a small, like personal scale, I just loved like, oh, like let me, I made this, let's see what people think. You know, even if it was cheesy, it was horrible, it was like really corny, like really corny stuff.

Aukoustics: 35:09

Like really corny. Yeah, it's different times. I love that. We're far more from that now.

Austin Seltzer: 35:17

That's just another form of you putting yourself out there, and I think that this is going to be a huge theme that I hope people take away from this episode. Right? Is that legitimately just continuing to put yourself out there?

Aukoustics: 35:31

Yes.

Austin Seltzer: 35:31

Perform. Yes. Get ridiculed or get some love. Yeah, of course you know, get hated on, or it was mostly hate.

Aukoustics: 35:41

It was mostly hate, for sure. Getting that out of the way is just 100% like now, like you know, like when songs come out, whether I produce them, whether I'm an artist or I've like been a producer on them or whatever, or writer, or whatever, like most of the comments are positive now.

Aukoustics: 35:57

But like I remember, like it's like I got like over like the negative comment thing, like early on in my career, and like I think, like because of it's, because I just put out whatever it was bad, like it wasn't good, but it's like the bad comments is like you become numb to it and it's like I'm just creating I don't really care what people think like I'm creating for the people, right, but like I think it's good at that time. I think it's good, so put it out.

Austin Seltzer: 36:24

Yeah, I mean, that's what it is. I'm always going to look back and say I could have done better. I could have done this or whatever. But at that time if you felt good about it right and you just get it out there right, like literally just getting it out there is so freaking hard in the beginning. Yeah 100% you got to do it.

Aukoustics: 36:42

You have to do it. You can't be afraid. Because I think, like you have a like. It's like it's almost like your like duty as a creative. I think it's like you're creating this art, you have a gift right. Whether you, whether you're really good at it or you're not good at it, you have a gift you're creating. The point of it is to give it to the world. You know what I mean.

Aukoustics: 37:02

Like if you just create it and they keep it for yourself, it's kind of selfish in a sense. Like I'm just creating this just for me. Like why not put it out to other people so that they can enjoy it? Like they hate on it. They hate on it, it's not for them. Okay, they're going to listen to it, maybe write a mean comment. Like, if they're writing a mean comment, they don't have anything else better to do with our day. And like, okay, I've never left a negative comment on anything in my life. Like I don't think I've ever been like this sucks, I've never done that. Like, most of the time it's positive. If you don't have anything nice to say, don't say it at all you know, my mom taught me that at a very young age.

Aukoustics: 37:34

But put the shit out, man, don't be afraid. Like and it's like. But it's okay to be afraid. It's okay to be afraid, but don't be, because, like, you'll be shocked. It's like.

Aukoustics: 37:45

It's kind of like golf in a sense. Like if anyone's ever played like, if you're like, if you're a golfer, you don't understand this. It's like when you're learning how to play golf, you go out there and you know what I mean. Like you'll maybe hit 100 plus shots and most of them are horrible shots, like terrible. You're like top it. You'll be hitting the bunker, hitting the water. You'll lose a million balls. Like you're just, like you're not having fun.

Aukoustics: 38:06

But then there'll be one shot during the day. You'll just hit it exactly the way that it was supposed to be, exactly the way that you envisioned it, and it's like the perfect shot and it's like wow, like that was so great. And it's that one shot every single day that keeps you coming back. Right, it's like the same thing with music it's like you, you put something out and you get a lot. Maybe you'll probably get a lot of negative comments, maybe you won't depends on how good you are right but like it's those, but it's that one, maybe that one positive comment will be like wow, like you know what I mean, like wow, I'm onto something here, you know.

Austin Seltzer: 38:41

And then that's what fuels the next one, and then the next one, and the next one, and then until you build a catalog, until you build a career yeah, don't be afraid that that works perfectly for mixing as well, like in two-fold one, whenever I'm just in the studio alone, right, I mean generally always that way, actually always on v1s, like my first version is always just me nice and there will be a point in the track where I make a move and this could be like some crazy reverb throw or something where in the rough it was very, very dry right but I could tell like something is just missing.

Austin Seltzer: 39:17

So I do this move and it makes me feel something like holy shit that feels amazing yeah 100% like that is one side of where I'm just really excited to get to the next track and feel that again that dopamine rush 100%. But two is whenever I make a move.

Austin Seltzer: 39:36

Maybe that I didn't even think was anything special is just like supposed to be that way, and then the artist or producer hits me back and like dude, that thing you did right here, holy shit, right, I can't believe I didn't think of that. That really made this record. It's so dope. And so I think that it's important that we feel we feel great about things with no outside input 100%, but also whenever we get outside input, that it feels great as well yeah, absolutely.

Aukoustics: 40:05

You know what I mean. Like I'd be lying to you if I was in here being like you know I like it when people like my shit. You know what I mean. Like that's, that's like reaffirming you know what I mean. Or like maybe it's like you know an artist that you really look up to like, even like liked the song, or like shared the song or left a comment. Or maybe it's just like your friend, like that, said something like wow, I really like this one. Or like your friend texts you on the side and is like wow, this, like this song sounds really good. You know what I mean like. Or dude, you nailed this mix. Like it's like. That's like wow, thank you.

Aukoustics: 40:35

You know what I mean. Like that that feels good. Like, and it's like those little things I think they're like always keep it going. You know like, because you are like, in a sense, you're right, like you do things for you, sometimes right, and then when you get positive feedback, it's almost like oh, I was right. You know what I mean. Like, oh, okay, cool. Like, okay, good. Like I'm on the right track. You know what I mean. Like, okay. Like in you gain the builds confidence and you build confidence in yourself and then now, because you're confident, you're going to take more chances, because and that's how you level up as a creative for sure by just taking more chances and being confident in yourself and what you're creating you know absolutely and and especially, I guess, in any creative field, but especially as a mixer.

Austin Seltzer: 41:14

We're here to fulfill a need. We a producer, an artist, whoever wants to elevate it to a level that can be released 100, and I'm here to serve the creatives right right. So after a while you like, your ego builds up in a way where you're like I made this move and people liked it. I made two moves and they really liked it and it. It will always happen this way, that you are very stoked on what you do right and you'll take it a little too far because the person that you are serving in this in this sense, right, didn't want you to take it that far.

Austin Seltzer: 41:50

100 so then you have to back it down 100, but as long as you know like, hey, that's their taste. Yes, they just weren't.

Aukoustics: 41:56

They weren't down with this, but look at all these other people that were right, so don't stop right and that's and that's another thing that I've picked up on, like as I've like gotten further on in my career like we're like, we're like when you eventually get to like like we're all good at what we do. You know what I mean. It's just everybody has a different taste, right, like it's like maybe I decided to go with harder hitting drums, but somebody maybe the person listening is like, maybe they envisioned it as having softer drums, or maybe they envisioned it with a different snare or a different chord, or like. But it's like. That's how I saw it and you saw it differently. It doesn't mean that your way is wrong and my way is right or my way is wrong and your way is right. It just means it's, it's just different.

Aukoustics: 42:38

Like that's the beauty of music, especially anything creative. It's like the beauty of expression and it's like music is subjective. It really is like there's no right or wrong answer. It's not like a math problem. Like two plus two equals four, like it's not like that music. Like two plus two can equal seven to somebody, if it's, if that's what they want it to be. You know, like, um, but like, like you're saying, like in mixing, it's like you made a move that you thought was dope, but maybe they. That's not how they heard. It doesn't mean that you're wrong. It just means that they envisioned it in a different way.

Austin Seltzer: 43:08

Yeah, it's pretty cool. That's exactly right. It's fun, man, it is cool. So now let's move forward a little bit. I know that you said that you met Saint. You met your buddy, ernest I'd like to talk about now. You've already worked in the Dahl. Yeah, we're moving forward to where maybe there was a specific time where you met the right people. Yeah, and I want to hear about that but, the right time where you yourself are like oh shit. I think I can do this as a career.

Austin Seltzer: 43:47

And the goal of this podcast, I think, should be something like the people watching or listening to this can walk away understanding what moves need to happen in life and how to realize that they're happening, when to keep grinding and when to understand. Okay, there's something real here. Yeah, Exactly 100%, 100%.

Aukoustics: 44:17

Like I remember you know what I mean Like I met Ernest when I was really, really young. I was like 16 years old. And who is Ernest? So, ernest, I met him when I was 16 years old, slipped on his couch for like three years and we worked together for a really, really long time and he introduced me to Saint at a very, very young age. We're all from Worcester, massachusetts. Outlier.

Aukoustics: 44:40

Yeah, outlier Right there, exactly Right, it's true, we're all from Worcester.

Aukoustics: 44:46

And you know, ernest grew up with Saint.

Aukoustics: 44:48

Well, saint's older than us, but you know he's known Saint for some time. He introduced me to Saint and I think, like coming up in that group, like I just learned how to create music on a high level you know what I mean Like. And then when I started doing songs and like you know what I mean Like I was like just making songs like my mixtapes you know what I mean and like my friends were streaming it and like I had like a you know I mean like like a like a couple thousand like streams on my songs. But then when I started working with with with Saint like he was doing like he was working with BB Rex at the time and he like helped her get a record deal and he was like doing a lot of big stuff and this was like maybe like 2012, 2013, maybe, oh, wow, it's like 10 years ago, I mean, it's really whenever EDM got the acronym and blew up, yeah of course, this I think this is about 10 years ago is when I met Saint 2013,.

Aukoustics: 45:40

I think it was about the time I met Saint 2013, 2014. Yeah, the electronic world is booming.

Austin Seltzer: 45:45

Yeah, exactly.

Aukoustics: 45:46

So and he's, you know, he's, he's, he's doing his thing and he'd moved to LA and things like that. And there was a couple other people from from my like we have like a little click of people that kind of, like you know, started doing their thing. And then, like I remember, I started working with Saint and my other friend, john he's from Worcester as well and he like taught me like the basics of producing and things like that. And you know like what an EQ was and like hey, you have to cut the low end on vocals and you know what I mean, like things like that. And like I started to, he taught me the basics of producing.

Aukoustics: 46:21

And then we started working on stuff with Saint and, like you know, ernest was positioning me with with Saint and all this stuff. And then I started doing songs that Saint liked and I remember, like that was when I was like oh okay, so like Saint would have beats or John would have beats, and like I would just write to the beats and like top lining, yeah, top lining, wow. So I was a songwriter. And then Ernest, one day I was like hey man, like yo man, I think you like you're like more of a like producer.

Aukoustics: 46:50

Like I pick up things really fast. Like because I have like an obsession, I become obsessed with the thing, like whatever it is. Like I'd spend countless hours like so much time like staying up to like ungodly hours. Like I remember I used to have to wake up for school like high school or like college or something like that Like six am I'd be up to like four in the morning. I'd sleep like two hours a night when I was like in high school and college. I think my average like night sleep was like three or four hours Barely slept.

Aukoustics: 47:21

I remember one time like I slept in my car in college because the library was open like super late and I loved making beats in the library for some reason. But like our library was open to like three in the morning I don't even know why. That was a thing Like two or three in the morning, and so I would just stay in the library like and just make beats. I'd be like the only one like me and the person that's like at the like working at the library and I would just make beats upstairs and but my had my class at like 8 am and I used to have like a long drive to school. It was like 45 minutes or something like that and I was like you know what, screw it, I'll just like work on beats to like three. Then I'll just like crash for like four hours in my car. Then I have to like drive back and forth and then just go to my 8 am.

Aukoustics: 48:03

Like I used to do that all the time and it wasn't like because, like I just like, was like, oh, it's just convenient, like I just like was working on it so much. And then, like that's when I started doing songs like same, I was like yo man, this is, this is really dope. And then there's like you know what I mean, because it's like Saint was like doing stuff and I was like whoa, you know what I mean. Like you're saying it's like in LA and music industry and like you know, man, I know what that feels like.

Aukoustics: 48:25

Like he likes my song. This is crazy. And like I remember like being like wow, like okay, cool, but at that time it was still just like you know, like I'm in school, like I'm in a finance major and like all that stuff, and I was like working at like golf Smith, like selling golf clubs and that was going to be my life. And then I remember, right after I graduated college, Ernest was like yo, man, I'm moving to LA to go like just be close to Saint, and like we can just work on music. And he's like yo, if you want to sleep on my couch, like come on out. He's like you just do it.

Aukoustics: 49:01

And I was like shit, you know, I had like my girlfriend at the time and like we were dating for a long time and I was like you know what, like I want to get one shot at this, and like I was like you know what, okay, I'm just I have to do this. Like I felt like I just like I feel like I had to do it. It was like one of those weird things. It's like like I forget who this interview was, but it's like sometimes, like things are just like my dad always used to say is to like some things in life are just meant to be and it's just like they're just meant to happen.

Aukoustics: 49:27

And I think that like I was meant like I don't know what it was. It was like because I had like a really good job offer out of college, to add a professor that like really, really believe in me and was going to give me like a nice job and like a like in the finance industry and like all this stuff. And I was like I was like I just I don't feel like that's what's meant for me. And then I was like you know what, screw, I'm just going to move to LA. Move to LA.

Austin Seltzer: 49:51

And then I'm like what year is this and how old are you, by the way?

Aukoustics: 49:54

I'm 20, 22, 23. Okay, at the time I was like a year out of like I graduated from college and then worked for a year, saved up like 20 grand, just living at home after college, working at AT&T, slinging cell phones, and then and that's also another thing I learned sales. Like at a very like at that time, like I was like selling golf clubs and then like selling phones, like I learned sales and I think that sales is such a big part of music in the music industry. Especially.

Aukoustics: 50:29

I am so on the same page with you. It's sales, bro. It's literally like how you can pitch something making plays and all that.

Austin Seltzer: 50:37

The crazy part is and I'm sure that you learned this as well Sales is so much less about the pitch and more like instantaneously connecting with someone on whatever level. And then the trust is there and it's not even a weird facade or anything Like. I think, knowing you well enough, it's a genuine connection for connecting with people.

Aukoustics: 50:58

It's also a passion, right, it's like. This is one thing I learned in AT&T and like it's like crazy, Like. They taught me a lot of like sales techniques that I still use to this day. One of them is don't sell. People hate to be sold. Don't sell somebody. Nobody like. Nobody ever is like yo. That guy sold me that car he wants. Like they don't brag about that. You know what I mean Like. What they do brag about is this car has all these features. You educate. You don't sell and like.

Aukoustics: 51:31

When I do, it's like when I'm like pitching a song to somebody, I'm educating them on why this could work for them, or like. This is why you know what I mean Like because this song, this song, this song, this is where music is going. I'm educating. I'm not saying this is the best song ever. No, it's like people are going to be like. No, it's not Like. I have three other songs that are better than that. But if you say yo, this is popping because of this, this, this and this, look at this song. This song is number three. Look, this song jumped up Like this guy's a no name artist, but look, this style's killing it. Like what? If you did this, but you did it in your way, like. You know what I mean. Like that's personalization and it's also education, and that's what makes somebody want something. You know what I mean Like, and it's like that's a beautiful nugget.

Aukoustics: 52:14

It's really true, though, because I think like in, like music especially. It's like you can't sell music. It's not sold. Like. People buy music, but it's not sold to you Like. That's why like music is a feeling.

Aukoustics: 52:29

Music is an emotion. Like you listen to something and you're like wow, I feel that you know what I mean. Like this is something that St Told me. It's like you can't like it's. It's like you connect with that thing. Like, like one of my favorite songs ever is closer by the chain smuggers, and it's like that song sold so much because it connects with so many people.

Aukoustics: 52:49

Right, whether it's like they maybe relate to the lyrics, or the melody is really catchy or the chords are emotional, so I can like. It puts me in a place and time and a feeling. It gives me a feeling and that's what makes me buy it. It's you know what I mean. Like it's music is that. It's that selling of emotion, but it's like subconscious Like. You know what I mean. It's not like shumming it down somebody's throat.

Aukoustics: 53:10

Like you look at like all these like people now, especially in music, they're like man, listen to my song. This is you know what I mean Like. But you never go listen to that person's song because they're trying to sell you the thing. They're not. They're they're trying to sell you the lyrics or the melody. They're not trying to sell you the feeling. You know, like the feeling is what keeps you coming back.

Aukoustics: 53:28

Like when I want to feel like when I remember about me driving with my friends in the summer of 2016, I'm going to go back and listen to closer because I felt a feeling from that song and that song, when I listen to that song, it puts me in that moment. So when I want to feel like that, I go listen to that song and it's like that's what creates people coming back. That's what creates people's streaming shit. You know what I mean Like. I think that that's like kind of like the secret that, like you don't, especially when you're pitching music. You know what I mean. Like you can't look at it as like a marketing strategy yeah, it is all a marketing strategy, but like I feel like that's kind of getting lost now Like if I, if I spend a thousand dollars and I pitch it to these people and it's too methodical, you know what I mean. Like people need to connect. There needs to be an emotional connection to what you're creating. I think that's beautiful.

Austin Seltzer: 54:17

Thanks for sharing that. I think that was that people are going to take away a lot from me.

Aukoustics: 54:22

I hope so yeah.

Austin Seltzer: 54:24

So you move out here and you're sleeping on Ernest's couch or at his place, couch Okay.

Aukoustics: 54:30

So it's great couch. Though it's a nice couch, was that like a really wide base? It was nice? Yeah, it was a couch. Shout out to that couch. I love that. Yeah, it was a vibe, but I think like it was cool because, like I remember at that time, like you know, like then, like then when I moved out to LA, then you know I went into the building with Saint and you know Saint was working at Warner at the time and I got to be around a lot of like I got like I was very fortunate, very, very lucky to have someone like Saint to like just be like, just like come, hey man, come by the office, come hang out. You know what I mean. Like I'm very, very lucky to have had someone like that. Most people don't have that, so I'm really, really appreciative to have someone like Saint.

Austin Seltzer: 55:13

The thing is, this whole podcast is about letting people understand how these things happen. Right, I do not believe in luck. I really don't. There are things happen that we can't explain, but if you really sit down and think there is a way to explain, Like the, maybe the luck aspect is that they grew up in the same city. Yeah, yeah, right, but if they weren't there, there would have been somebody else in that city who would have been doing something.

Austin Seltzer: 55:43

It's zooming all the way back to your childhood self like that guitar right that piano right Going into the band, right YouTube, all of these things that connect. That gave you your DNA right, the makeup, not not your DNA, but like the creative DNA, of course. Of who you are, and you were ready to accept those two into your life, whenever you had enough things going on that you could absorb.

Austin Seltzer: 56:12

Okay, I can use this skill, this skill, this skill, this skill to start writing top lines, to start producing, to have Ernest tell you you should do this, that and the other, and you're like, oh, totally, I understand that. And all of these stepping stones that led you out here and, yes, it was incredible to have both of these people in your life and Saint offer you to come into the office but all of the things that led into that luck are so important because I think that anybody could look at this and understand okay, I get how that happened and it's not just by chance. You put in, at this point, 10 years of time into more than 10 years.

Austin Seltzer: 56:56

Yeah, of course, and then you put in a lot of time into the piano. Even it was about 10 years.

Aukoustics: 57:01

Yeah, long time.

Austin Seltzer: 57:02

There's so much time and effort and love and blood, sweat, tears, oh my God, so much Hate, love that goes into you being able to be called into the office and chill.

Aukoustics: 57:14

It's true. Yeah, I mean you have to earn your spot to be there. You know what I mean. Like, whether it was like oh, wow, saint's. Like, wow, this kid works really hard, this kid's a nice kid. He's a nice kid, you know what I mean. Like he really wants it, and all that goes into perception of who I am.

Aukoustics: 57:28

And like you know, I at the time was sleeping on a couch. Like that's a big thing, that's a big step, you know, leaving your friends, your family, your like, everything you know, behind. Like that's a big step, you know. And like a lot of people don't have the like, hey, like let's go for it. You know what I mean and I think that, like, I should be proud of myself for making that jump too. You know. Like I'm glad you said that Sometimes you get lost in that too. You know what I mean.

Aukoustics: 57:53

Like it's, of course, like wow, you know this is I'm lucky to be here, you know, like, but I also did earn it. You know I also worked really hard and I think that there's no shortcut. There's no shortcut. You have to earn it in your life. That's something my dad taught me at a very, very young age. He's like Eric, you have to be the hardest working guy, no matter what, no matter where you are, no matter like, no matter if you're the most successful or if you're the least successful. If you're the hardest working one, you always give yourself the best chance. So I think that that's, that's something that's always been carried with me for sure.

Austin Seltzer: 58:23

Yeah, that's luck.

Aukoustics: 58:25

Yeah, when talent meets opportunity right.

Austin Seltzer: 58:27

Yeah, I mean, if we go to your quote over here yes the key to greatness is consistency. It's one of my favorites and I feel like that's luck right there.

Aukoustics: 58:36

To a certain extent, yeah, absolutely, absolutely. And like I think Tiger Woods said it one time in an interview and it just like always stuck with me because, like, I've always been fascinated with like the greats, like why are they great? You know what I mean. And studying them, like, I always just have this joke that, like like I remember, like Ernest, like yeah, man, what are you up to? Like watching film, because like, like, watching film is like you're studying. You know what I mean. Like I'm studying, like I'll like watch interviews with, like Tom Brady or Tiger Woods or or Kobe or something like that, and it's like studying their mind, how they think, like like their mannerisms. You know what I mean, to a certain extent, to be like, why are they great? Like like, yes, they're super human talents. Right, tom Brady is obviously a great quarterback and but Tom Brady is not the best. He doesn't have the best arm. You know what I mean. I know you hate this conversation but no, I mean like Tom.

Aukoustics: 59:24

Brady doesn't have the best arm. He's not the. He's the slowest guy on the field.

Austin Seltzer: 59:27

I know all about his combine. I mean, he's horrible. Incredibly average.

Aukoustics: 59:32

Yeah, if anything below average, right, but why is he great? You know what I mean? And studying that and like, studying how he thinks and like what I, what I drew at that at that age was like, these guys are obsessive, they have the obsessive personality. He was like wow, I had that too. Okay, cool, we're similar in that sense. All right, their work ethic is crazy. They want it more than everybody else and they have the ability to perform under pressure. Okay, how can I work on being like when I get in those moments of pressure? Like, how do they think? Like, like, how are they thinking? You know what I mean?

Aukoustics: 1:00:07

And like, I read books, like, like the Tiger Woods book, how to play golf and like, but like, you can take those things like the mindset things. I remember there's this one chapter talks about like, forgetting things. You know what I mean. Like, like, literally, like Tiger used to say, like he's like a Buddhist, like he's like, you know, like the power of the mind, like his mom was like tie or something like that. And like he like got top Buddhism at a very young age and like how, like he like pretty much essentially like when he has a bad hole, he'll like, like, like, just like, close his eyes and like literally like delete it from his brain and then like having the ability to bounce back. And it's like sometimes in moments where I'm like, oh my God, I'm going to a big session or something like that, or like I remember when I first moved to LA, it was like I had a lot of those Like, oh my God, this is like a big chance, it's a big session, like, well, this person like you know what I mean. Like in the music industry, especially when you're coming up, it's like you'll get one big opportunity. You'll work six months for one big opportunity and then, if you blow that big opportunity, you got to work another six months to get another big opportunity. But if you work the six months and you deliver on that one, then you'll get another, then you'll get another, and then like, and then it compounds up and then the big opportunities become small opportunities compared to what, and you just like work your way up.

Aukoustics: 1:01:16

But I remember like also like be like things. Like like Tom Brady will be like okay, like before a big game. If he feels like he's like too low energy, he'll like scream to pump himself up, but if he feels like he's too high energy, he'll like do things like meditate to lower his energy. Interesting, so like.

Aukoustics: 1:01:35

And then, like like before big sessions, I would literally like sit there and be like okay, cool, am I like nervous right now? Or am I calm, like, if I'm too calm, I'm literally going to sit in my car. Swear to God, you know, sit in my car. Like in my car was like a shipbox car, right, I'd like park it. Like right outside the studio. I'd scream, I'd be like let's go, or whatever, like, whatever I was feeling at the time, like, like, and I think that like that always helped me.

Aukoustics: 1:01:57

It was like those little nuggets. You know what I mean. Like it's like little things like that that help neutralize your mind. Or, like I remember, like sometimes I would watch like Tom Brady videos or like watch like Tiger Woods, like chipping in and like 2005 masters, like before I'd go into a big session just like get pumped up and be like wow, I'm going to channel this. You know what I mean Like, because there's like an energy to it, almost you know what I mean. Like there's a magic and if you can channel that magic and channel that focus, like, that's like when you can deliver, you know, and I think that that always helped me in my career, as I was like navigating.

Austin Seltzer: 1:02:31

I love that. Yeah, so just knowing where your equilibrium is for where you deliver best and figuring out how to get there. If it's too high coming back down, it's too low getting there 100%, and it's also knowing, like, what the situation calls for too.

Aukoustics: 1:02:47

You know what I mean. Sometimes I need to be the quiet guy, you know. Sometimes I just need to be the guy that just does this thing. You know what I mean. Like, okay, cool. So I'll know. Like, okay, cool, I'm a little too hype right now. I got to, I got to, I got to chill it. Okay, cool, let me just like take a couple of deep breaths, do like a five minute meditation, then go into the session, because I know I got to be the quiet guy, the guy that's going to work hard in the corner Cool, I'll be calm, I'll be composed.

Aukoustics: 1:03:08

There'll be other moments where it's like, okay, cool, I kind of have to lead this one. I'm going to be in the equilibrium, right, okay, I got to pump myself up. I'm too quiet right now. I'll scream in my car, say whatever I need to do, listen to some like heavier music or songs. That'll, like, get me pumped up. You know, like and like, like, like there's a great way to explain it Like finding that equilibrium, like where you need to be, and knowing your place you know is is always going to be helpful, for sure.

Austin Seltzer: 1:03:35

Beautiful. I think that's great. So let let's go back. Let's um, we'll move along a little bit quicker here maybe, but I think this is actually. This is actually maybe the meat and potatoes. So, first off, who is Saint working with at the time that you came into the office? And why is that memory relevant to you Like?

Aukoustics: 1:03:59

what happened when I first, when I first started coming to the office, yeah, yeah, I mean, like Saint at the time, he had just gotten the job as an A&R um working under Mike Aaron and Etan and like super successful executives, um, and he was working with um. This group called Galantis and uh, galantis was I always looked up to Galantis. Galantis was always like, oh my God, runaway and like no money. Like and like you know, at the time I didn't know this, but he like produced toxic by Britney Spears. Christian produced talks of by Britney Spears was like growing up like one of my favorite songs. Like it's a standout.

Aukoustics: 1:04:33

One of the most like perfect pop, in my opinion, like perfect pop songs ever. You know what I mean. Like it's just so creative and it's just so well done. It's literally one of the greatest songs like all time. So not pop, but now it is.

Aukoustics: 1:04:45

But so not pop, like in, and I think that, um, like for the time it wasn't 100%, you know, it was so left like but it's, but now it's like it's so that's why it's what stood the test of time is because it's so unique. Um, and that's like another thing about being unique that I've learned as my career. We could talk to that later. But, um, and I remember like coming into the office, like whoa, I love Galantis. He's like yo, I'm sorry we're Galantis. I was like, oh shit, I fucking love Galantis. Like that's so cool, you know.

Aukoustics: 1:05:15

And I remember he was like going on a trip and he's like yo, I'm gonna be gone for two weeks. Like. I remember I went into the office one day with him on a Sunday and, like you know, nobody's in the office on Sundays. Yeah, putting in the work Right, exactly you know what I mean. Like that's like always been one of the mantras of our squad. It's like we have to be the hardest working. We have to. If we're not, then like it goes back to the thing about my dad used to say, like if you're not the hard, like if you're the hardest working one, you're always gonna give yourself the best chance.

Aukoustics: 1:05:48

So we just went over like every single idea he had ideas I had, and like we just like we're just like yo, you know what. Like let's just like write down a bunch of ideas. So I had seven ideas. We had seven ideas. Like yo, I'm going on this trip. It was like over Thanksgiving or something that's gonna be gone for two weeks and I was like he's like, when I get back, like I want to hear all seven of these ideas just like fleshed out. Wow. So it was like you know what I mean. Like I remember, like this is the first test. This was like because I had already done this other song that's actually gonna be coming out now, hopefully, wow so many years.

Aukoustics: 1:06:24

Yeah, it's like the song's like five years old and but like I did that song, a song called Monsters. Actually the song already came out, but it's a song called Monsters and it was like I think that was like it was like oh shit, like wow, like Eric can do this shit. Okay, let's see, let's see what. Like hey, cool, let's try, let's see how we can do on this one. So then the seven ideas, they're all different ideas Like songs that he had, or just flip, ideas like songs that we could, you know, flip And-.

Austin Seltzer: 1:06:55

Will you explain a flip for people who don't know?

Aukoustics: 1:06:57

So a flip is when you take an old song and you reimagine it, interpolate it, you flip it around, you speed it up or you slow it down or you completely like reimagine the song, a song that already exists. That's kind of like what a flip is. And so we had those seven ideas and I remember like it was like around Thanksgiving time and like I was like like working on it on Thanksgiving day, like I was just like so obsessed at this time I was like, yeah, okay, cool, I really gotta deliver on one of these, cause I'm like such a big fan of Galantas. Like just even the thought of like working with Galantas was so cool. And I remember it's like the day before he's gonna come back and I'm like I just flown in from. I think I was in. I don't ever get where I was, but I remember I had just flown in and it was like really late. It was like maybe I got back to the house at like 1am and like Saint was landing the next morning at like 8am and I'm like, okay, cool, like I'm like going through the ideas. It's like okay, cool, like going through the folder, cause I created a folder for it.

Aukoustics: 1:08:03

I did six of the ideas and I was like, oh shit, I forgot to do this one. Oh fuck. And I'm like one in the morning, just got off a flight, I'm exhausted. I'm like God damn it, like fuck, I gotta do this right now. Like Saint's gonna be mad. Like you know what I mean. Like like I promised him that I would do like all seven and I'm like, oh, I can't just be like, oh, I left this one out. Like this one's dope, I should definitely do this.

Aukoustics: 1:08:24

And it was a flip of this song called have a Little Faith in Me by John Hyatt, and it was an old song that he had heard in this movie called Benny and June. It was like the credit song or something like that. He's like, yeah, we should flip this into a Galanta song. So I was like, all right, cool. And it's like one in the morning and I make this like sketch for the song called Faith.

Aukoustics: 1:08:49

And I remember like banging on the piano and I remember it was like super late and like I was like banging on the piano, I was like you just cry, as, like you know, ernest is like, cause Ernest is in the other room like sleeping. You know what I mean. And I'm like, oh my God, I'm probably gonna wake this dude up, but I was like so into it I was like, holy shit, like I changed the chords, I sped it up like 40 BPM, like like to chipmunk the voice, like created this whole thing, like and created for what ended up being the bones for the song Faith with Galantas. Hell, yeah, featuring Dolly Barton yeah ridiculous which is unreal.

Aukoustics: 1:09:28

But I remember texting and, mr Props, but I remember texting Ernest at like five in the morning. I was like bro, are you awake? I think I just made something crazy. And like normally when you get that like, I don't get that feeling often but I was like I had a feeling Goes back to the thing like I had a feeling that I had created something that could be really special. And I was like whoa. And I remember I woke up the next morning and like, sure enough, like I woke up at like 8 am to a text from St and he's like yo, have you worked on the ideas? And then I like sent him the original, like rough idea for Faith, and I just like did it?

Aukoustics: 1:10:10

You didn't mean like I never. You didn't mean like I just created it.

Aukoustics: 1:10:13

I literally just created it, like two hours before. I was like yo man, like yo, I think this could be something. And I sent it to him. He's like whoa. He's like oh shit. And then from there we just started working on it and that's what created Faith. And then, like you know, our friend Jazz came in and then, like our friends, you know, sam James was the one who was singing the chipmunk part, and then it just went on, this whole thing and like that was the first song that he ever sent to Christian. Ever, oh really, he had never sent him a song. Cause, like, if I'm going to send Christian a song, I want it to be like this is great. I'd rather send him something that I think is amazing than send him something that's just like okay, Like you know, another Galantas song or whatever, and Christian loved it. He's like oh my God, this is huge. Like I remember saying. It's like I was like yo man, christian loves it. I was like oh shit this is crazy.

Aukoustics: 1:11:10

You know like, and then we just developed the whole song and the song took about like I don't know like a year, a year to make Like it was a 27 piece orchestra, like just this whole thing Like. It's like like hearing, like I'd like have the videos of like them recording the live strings to the melodies and the chords that I wrote, and it's just like just this crazy thing. And then we had this whole song and then they're like Christian, who do you want to feature on this? And he's like we should get Dolly Parton.

Aukoustics: 1:11:49

How did that idea come up? Because he's always loved Dolly Parton, he's always been a fan of Dolly Parton and at this time Dolly hadn't released anything in like a long time Like it's been years and he's like Dolly Parton. And then everyone like laughs in the room. It was like what the fuck? Like no way I wasn't there when this happened. But you know, like this is just like the stories. And he was like and then St was like yeah, let's try. So like we end up sending it to like Dolly's like management team or whatever and they passed on it. Her management team passed on it but then, like randomly, we got another email. I don't know exactly how the story worked, but like we got an email direct from Dolly's actual manager. So like her management team was like Dolly really appreciates it, but like we're gonna pass Gatekeeping.

Aukoustics: 1:12:39

Yeah, I mean it's essentially yeah, but then Dolly it's Dolly fucking parton, and they're probably thinking in their head they're not like, yeah, dolly's gonna wanna do this dance record, like with Galantis. Like no, I mean, galantis is obviously a super successful act, you know, but they're not you know. I mean like they don't probably even know who Galantis is. You know what I mean. Like maybe maybe they do, maybe they don't, but cause they're like they work in Dolly Parton world, you know what I mean. It's completely the different world. And so then, like, then, like it gets to Dolly's manager and he's like I'm gonna play this for her, this is really cool. Like I'm gonna play this for her. And we're like, oh shit, dolly's gonna hear it. Like even the fact that Dolly's gonna hear it is insane. Like we're just thinking like, all right, like, yeah, sure, dolly parton, I'll sing it. You know what I mean. Like that'd be crazy.

Aukoustics: 1:13:25

And then, apparently, the story is like she heard the song and she listened to it the first minute and she stops it and then she goes and she looks at her manager and is like, same as Danny at the time I don't know if she's still my assistant, but and he's like, and she's like I have to do this. The world needs this. Wow, because the song is called Faith and like the song is like have a little faith in me, right, and it's like yo, what Like? And then apparently she played it like 10 times. Like she kept on playing it over and over and over and over and over and over again. And then she got on the song and she sang it.

Aukoustics: 1:14:02

And then I remember we were, you know, like just like sitting there like in the studio and we're like Dolly's vocals come in and we're like this is Dolly Parton's voice, like on our song. Like this is like absolute insanity. Like my mom, like I told my mom that like I have a song coming out with Dolly Parton and she literally was like like that's like the funniest joke you've ever said, like there's no way. I was like mom, like here it is. I played it and it was just like starts crying. It was like what the fuck? And like that was my first big cut. I didn't know that that was my first big cut. I mean I had to have like some other stuff. Like I did like a song like Bad Baby, like a couple months before that. But I was like involved in the process of making the song, but that was like my first, like real major placement, I mean kind of ridiculous Was with.

Aukoustics: 1:14:55

Dolly Parton and Galantas like group that I always looked up to, and Mr Props waves is one of my favorite songs ever and his voice is incredible Absolutely. But it was just like a wow, like holy shit, like this is like it's a thing now Like wow. And then Faith ended up doing really, really well, got two Billboard number ones, went gold in like four countries, went platinum in like a couple of countries and I was a really successful song and I think that like Faith was kind of the one that like really sort of like kickstarted my career.

Aukoustics: 1:15:29

And was like okay like this guy actually can do something, make something happen you know, and then that's kind of like really what it also built my relationship with Christian from Galantas and you know, from there we just kept on working together and I've worked with now Dolly, like this will be. I've done three songs with Dolly now. It was on her greatest hits too. Faith was on her greatest hits.

Austin Seltzer: 1:15:55

Insane, it's unreal. Yeah, that's super cool. So you have three out with Dolly.

Aukoustics: 1:15:59

Well, I have two out with Dolly and then we have we have a new song which will probably be out by the time this thing airs. It's a remix with my project Sex on the Beach. That is, I think, like now, my one of my main focuses now is building this Sex on the Beach. It's like a indie dance DJ sort of project. Yeah, it's with Dolly Parton and Livy Newton-John. I didn't know that Livy Newton-John is on it and Rest in Peace. And it's a cover. It's a remix.

Austin Seltzer: 1:16:37

official remix of Jolene yeah, probably one of the most iconic. Us songs Like from here. That's like the fabric of our country.

Aukoustics: 1:16:47

I feel like I mean, it's such an important song, it's such an iconic song, it's unreal. I don't know what it is, it's just weird. And apparently she loved it and, yeah, we're gonna put it out. Yeah, it's the freaking awesome. Yeah. I know.

Aukoustics: 1:17:05

Super excited, really really excited about it. I think like she even gets to work with Dolly Parton. It's just like I can't even put that into words Like it's just like you know, like you grow up, like listening to these people and like it's also like you like go home and like people are like oh, how's that music thing going? You?

Aukoustics: 1:17:21

know what I mean and that one's like a slap and then you tell them like you tell them like yeah, you know I've done a couple songs with Dolly Parton, Even like my grandfather's. Like whoa, Dolly Parton, wow, you must be really doing good things over there. You know what I mean. Like it's just someone that everybody knows and I think, like she's just such an iconic person, like celebrity character, and she's incredible. You know what I mean. Like to even be at that age, to even be open to the thought of making a remix. You know what I mean Like in having someone like you know, like Dolly is one of the most successful artists of all time Like why does she have to do a song with me? You know, like it's just because she has that forward thinking mind and like that's why she's a great. Like that's why she is incredible is because she just is always evolving, she's moving with the times. She's not stuck in her ways, she's just being Dolly you know.

Austin Seltzer: 1:18:12

Now I want to ask kind of the project that not sex on the beach, cause we will touch on that, but the project that you're putting a lot of time and effort into and a lot of cuts, cheat codes.

Aukoustics: 1:18:22

Yeah, so yeah, absolutely.

Austin Seltzer: 1:18:24

Again another group whenever you were younger, just like holy shit, these guys are killing it.

Aukoustics: 1:18:29

I love this music. 100%, 100% Cheat codes I mean working with. They're like really good friends now and like but how did this relationship come about?

Aukoustics: 1:18:37

So cheat codes started. Well, I'd always looked up to cheat codes Like no promises. One of my favorite songs, sex, was like sex to hold, like let me hold you, like all those songs Like when I was in college and shit like that. That was like soundtrack to my life, like that's like when I that's how I kind of fell in love with. Dance pop was like cheat codes and like that era, chain smokers and galantes and like all those people. That's like really the music that I love to listen to. So I was always a fan of them, huge fan of them, and I did this.

Aukoustics: 1:19:10

One song called how Do you Love. And how Do you Love Was one of like the real, like first songs that like I made from like top to bottom, where I was like wow, like this is me, like, like this feels like, like I felt a connection with that song. Faith also, I felt a connection with that song too. But like how Do you Love was one of the ones where I was like wow, like I saw this vision from A all the way to the end, like beginning all the way to the end. And I remember I was on a hike one day and I heard Don't Let Me Down by the chain smokers and Tequila by Dan and Shay, and I was like holy shit, these songs are in the same key, the same chord progression, they use similar notes in the chorus and I was like, whoa, why don't I just put this together? Why don't I just make like a Don't Let Me Down, tequila, and that's what kind of created this song called how Do you Love, which is like a country dance crossover sort of thing, and then Made how Do you Love and the song.

Aukoustics: 1:20:10

I think we did the song in like 2019, started it with my friends, corey and Celeste and we wrote the thing and we worked on it with St and everything like that. We ended up finishing the production together and then the song had like a four year life and remember I was in like I think it was I forget where I was but we sent the song to cheat codes and they were like whoa, this is really really dope. It's actually like really funny, like we're doing like this whole country thing, and I was like, oh, shoot, like sick, like, and it just happened to align perfectly with exactly what they were envisioning and working on, and so how Do you Love was kind of like the inception of my relationship with them and then they really loved, like my production, how Do you Love? And just the whole concept and idea behind the song. And they're like, hey, do you wanna work on some other songs? And that was like heck, yeah, of course.

Aukoustics: 1:21:06

And then we ended up making a whole album called One Night Nashville and it's like a whole country dance project. So then just built a relationship with them over the years and I think now I've done, I think on the album I did like eight songs, eight, seven or eight songs, I don't remember. But yeah, it's kind of turned into a whole relationship. But very lucky because they're super talented, like all the guys Trevor, kevvie and Matt, they're all just and they're all like really good dudes too, which all makes it easier.

Austin Seltzer: 1:21:41

Yeah, yeah, yeah, I love that. I mean, I think that you have a knack for country. You know what's crazy?

Aukoustics: 1:21:49

I didn't even really like country music growing up, Like I mean, I always say my mom used to listen to Dolly, I mean, but we're.

Austin Seltzer: 1:21:54

I guess we're in a time where country is very pop 100%.

Aukoustics: 1:21:58

Yeah, I mean now it's just pop music.

Austin Seltzer: 1:21:59

Different instrumentation, 100% Generally a different message.

Aukoustics: 1:22:02

Yes, very good songwriting. And also you got the twang. You know what I mean? You gotta have the twang. It's the voices, it's the character, the mantra behind country music. I mean you look at like a Veechi and things like that, like he didn't do country, he did like folk, but that whole crossover between the two worlds. Now there's a whole new style called EDM. Like.

Austin Seltzer: 1:22:22

Iaha like EDM.

Aukoustics: 1:22:24

There's a playlist called Country Club.

Austin Seltzer: 1:22:27

I've seen Diplo, all about this. Yeah, Diplo, I mean yeah. Diplos, diplo, did that.

Aukoustics: 1:22:32

The Thomas Wesley stuff, the Thomas Wesley stuff and Marshmallow dipped into it for a little bit too, with King Brown Yup, but yeah, yeah, it was really really cool, but now we're working on some new music with them, so super exciting for sure.

Austin Seltzer: 1:22:48

Before we go to Sex on the Beach. I wanna ask and we'll go into this little segment that I think this is the most important thing on this podcast is the question of what does success mean to you? Right, and I wanna hear what it means to you today, sitting where you're at. But what are some of the things that you did that have made you successful? Like some key points, and I think that we should just start with what does success mean to you now?

Aukoustics: 1:23:22

It's a great question. I mean, like, what success means to me is, like you know, like you can look at it objectively, like you know your goals, like I wanna be the biggest artist in the world. I wanna have these numbers. I wanna you know what I mean have five number one hits, and you know what I mean. Like you can look at it like that, or like I think, like you know, obviously I want all those things, I want number ones. I wanna be the biggest DJ in the world. You know, I want all those things right. But I think realistically, like success to me is creating art and creating things that I'm proud of and that other people can create memories too, and like I wanna create as many memories for as many people as.

Aukoustics: 1:24:07

I possibly can Like, that to me, is success. Like, if that's 100 million people and it's 105 million memories from 100 songs that I've made, that's amazing. You know what I mean. Like I wanna, like, I want whatever I create to impact as much people as possible and create moments that like, even though it's like I'm not there or it's like it's like somebody else enjoyed, like I added to the world. Like I leave this world knowing that I added to it, and I think that that is like I can like, die happy you know what I mean.

Aukoustics: 1:24:43

Knowing that I helped in some way this humanity or society, or like you know, like some couple fell in love listening to a song, to a chorus that I helped write and it's like that song is like their wedding song, or that song is the song that they drive to the beach too and they laugh about and oh my God, there's a dolphin in here. You know what I mean. Like it's like and it's like a thing. You know what I mean. Like things like that. Like it's like the little moments but the big picture, you know, I think that's kind of like how I would view it a successful life and career you know I love that.

Austin Seltzer: 1:25:20

You're the first person to give that and I actually think success. Whenever I talk about what success looks like to me, that is part of what I say Legitimately. I'm not writing the song, I'm not producing the song, but if I got to mix it and that touches people's lives, like I want to touch as many lives as possible with the stuff that I get to work on and generally we've talked about it several times I really only like working with people who are my friends. Yeah for sure. It just makes everything so much more enjoyable, for sure, man.

Aukoustics: 1:25:57

Like building with your friends, like building with your homies. That's also cool because you're creating memories, creating the memories. You know what I mean and I think that that's what it's all about, man. It's all about, like, looking back and being like, wow, we made this thing. Remember when you, like, we got too drunk after we made that song, and you know what I mean. Like it's like things like that that's invaluable. You know Like, no amount of money, like. You know what I mean. Obviously, I want millions of dollars and I want a successful life. You know what I mean. Like obviously I want those things, but it's like that's not what is success to me. You know what I mean. But I think, chasing like chasing the feeling, chasing that thing of impacting people, and like the positive and the right like, if you have the right intentions in mind, money's gonna come. Like you know what I mean Like. But if you focus on money, you lose the other part, which is actually the part that actually makes you feel fulfilled.

Aukoustics: 1:26:51

Makes you feel happy, like the people that chase money. They're probably just like sad, you know, but if you chase the feeling and you chase the memories, like you're gonna get the money anyways, you know what I mean. Like mind will chase that, chase the happy shit you know.

Austin Seltzer: 1:27:03

Yeah, I think you nailed it. Yeah, I mean so we've already really dove into a lot of the things that have gotten you the success that you've had so far. But if you could distill it down to a couple points that somebody could take away, how could they socially engineer or like engineer themselves? And their surroundings and what they're doing to be more successful.

Aukoustics: 1:27:27

Right.

Aukoustics: 1:27:28

I think hard work, work ethic, delayed gratification is like working so hard for something and being so passionate about that thing and almost becoming so obsessed not in an unhealthy way I've definitely been unhealthily obsessed with things, but it's also, to a certain extent, that unhealthy obsession is what ends up creating the success. It's because Steve Jobs said this one time and it's such a good point he's like in order to be successful in your passion, you have to be a psychopath. And it's like really true, because it's like no person, no normal human being, is gonna sleep on a couch for three years. Like there were points at the time where I was like eating once a day, had like less than $100 in my bank account. Like no sane person is gonna do that for something that they don't 100% love. Like I kind of had to be crazy, like that's like insane to do that. Put your body through that, put your mind through that. Like that's insanity. Like you have to have that obsession in order to become uber successful at something. So work ethic 100%. You have to be the hardest working person and like and be honest with yourself. Like am I working the hardest I can work right now? There's definitely been points in my life where I have not been working that hard and it's like I have to check myself and like snap back into it and be like, oh shit, I gotta step it up.

Aukoustics: 1:28:46

Being honest with yourself is also a big thing too. But proximity, establishing points in which you are close to things, where the things are happening. You don't need to necessarily be in it, you need to be close to it, because if you position yourself in the right way, maybe it's just like being close and being homies with a guy that knows a guy and like, if you're close to it and the opportunity comes and you've put in the work and you've done the time, when that moment comes you're gonna be ready for that moment. And it's like also seeking out proximity, always seeking that out. You always need to try to find a way to be close. You don't need to be in it, you don't need to be in those rooms. You need to be close to those rooms, though you gotta be in the building. But I think proximity is also a really, really big thing.

Aukoustics: 1:29:33

And just being a good person, be a good dude or a amazing girl, like you know what I mean Like you just need to just be like a likable personality and I think putting yourself out there is like that was one of the things we touched on in the beginning Just put yourself out there, allow yourself to be found. Sometimes people are so talented, so talented, but they just, you know, they're afraid to show it and it's like it is a scary thing. But if you never put it out there, it's just you're leaving it like to never be found. Like if a tree falls down, does it make a sound Like and you're not there. Does it make a sound Like you gotta be around the, you gotta be around the tree to hear it. You know what I mean. Like you gotta put yourself out there. So I'd say it's a lot of those things and it's all of it combined. You know Like it's not, like there's like one secret. You know what I mean, or like there's one thing. You know what I mean. It's honestly all of it.

Austin Seltzer: 1:30:26

But, yeah. I think that was perfect. Gotta work. I really think that you nailed, you summarized what we all, this whole podcast has been saying, but very distilled, and I think that that's perfect. Now we're going to fast forward past all of what we talked about and really go on into the future, and that's gonna have us talk about your artist project, sex on the Beach Super excited.

Aukoustics: 1:30:56

Yeah, sex on the Beach is something that like it's always been like my, I think, like Sex on the Beach is like it's always been my dream. You know what I mean. Like I think, like you know, growing up like I always wanted to be an artist, like that's always been my like my end goal. You know what I mean and you know a lot of the times like I honed my craft as a producer and a songwriter in making songs and in that process, like I think that's what's geared me for the ultimate goal and it's helped me meet the people that have are going to be mentors and have been mentors to me for this new artist project and really kind of like laid the groundwork for what I see as like my main purpose creatively.

Austin Seltzer: 1:31:46

Yeah, so I mean that's beautiful. I went to one of the writing camps in Mexico and. I got to see behind the curtain.

Aukoustics: 1:31:55

Yes, behind the madness, behind the craziness of Sex on the Beach yeah, absolutely.

Austin Seltzer: 1:32:01

I feel very connected with the project. I mean, I love everything that I've heard Thank you, man, you know and being cooked up and just more or less like the vibe of the project, the feeling behind what goes into whenever you're creating for yourself 100%, which, after this conversation, I almost think was born out of that first cheat code song. Yeah, because from whenever you were describing it, it sounded like you wanted to keep it for your own because it was like so near and dear to you.

Aukoustics: 1:32:32

But you were like 100% there will be a time and place 100% and I think that, like I've always been, I've always had the artist mind.

Aukoustics: 1:32:40

You know what I mean, because it's like it's two different mindsets. Being a producer is like some of what you're talking about, how, like as a mixer, your job is to deliver a vision. You know what I mean and you know what I mean. Like you have your vision, but, like the, you're getting a product and then you're delivering that final vision that that original whatever had in mind, right, whereas as a producer, in a sense, it's a similar thing. Like you're, you know, you can obviously input certain your vision into it, but at the end of the day, that's it's the artist's vision that you're bringing to life. So, as a producer, you know what I mean I'm there to deliver the vision of the artist, whereas when I'm the artist, like it's my vision and it's like how I see it.

Aukoustics: 1:33:26

And I think that, like Rick Rubin said this, like he's like he always and I love Rick Rubin he's amazing mind and he talks about how, like you know, like the most amazing thing that you can have as an artist, or the best quality can have as an artist, is knowing what you like and being confident in standing by that thing it's like, no matter what other outside things people have, it's like. But I think that this is, you know what I mean, in having that confidence. And I think, in the transition from producer to artist, I think now I've like, as my time as a producer, I've developed that mindset, because that's what it takes to be a successful artist. You can't count Like it's you, like you're the one who's saying I want the music to be like this, this is my vision. And then you work with the people around you and they help bring it to life.

Aukoustics: 1:34:16

You know, but I think that sex on the beach is like the first thing that feels like. It's like truly like comes from me, you know, and it's like exactly how I see it and exactly how I want it to be, and that's like really, really, really cool for me.

Austin Seltzer: 1:34:31

For sure. Yeah, yeah, it's beautiful. One of the things I just mentioned about just wanting to work with friends sex with the beach is literally you and very close homies. Oh yeah, 100%, I mean like brothers.

Aukoustics: 1:34:46

Only friends. You know what I mean.

Aukoustics: 1:34:48

Like I'm on my Mexico trips and you know, you or you were on one, sam was on one, my friends Ben Kyle, david Brooke, like they're just all like my closest friends. You know what I mean and I think that, like, having working with your friends is a different product than working with random people. It's like speed dating, you know what I mean. Sometimes, like, maybe people live in LA or they live wherever they are listening to this, like you, just it's like you just like walk into a gray box and in that gray box you're there for eight hours and there's a person there and they tell you to leave because there's another session at eight. So you got to leave and first hour is like hey, who are you? You know what I mean.

Aukoustics: 1:35:25

Like, when you're creating your with your friends, it's just passive creation. It's just like yo, I got this crazy idea. What if we have a song called ding dong? You know what I mean. Like it's like it's like what the heck? You know what I mean. Like yeah, okay, cool. Like we're like in the ocean. Like you know what I mean, like figuring it out, and it's like you can only do that with your friends, and like it feels different, the music feels different when you're creating it with people. It feels less formulaic, and I think that's one of the beauty, beautiful things about sucks on the beach is that it's just, it's fun, it's creative, it's unique, it's identifiable, but it has a life. It has a life to it that wouldn't be created if it wasn't with your homies. Like, no person is going to come up with the concepts that we have come up with or the sounds that we've created, because they're like oh my God, I just met this person. I don't want to be like yeah, so weird.

Austin Seltzer: 1:36:19

Like pulling punches, playing it safe. You know what I mean.

Aukoustics: 1:36:22

Like, and I think that, like you know, we've written a lot of songs and created a lot of songs that like, essentially, like the whole mantra behind Sucks on the Beach is like creating pop music, because we love pop music, we all come from the pop world but it's a non-formulay approach to pop music, like we were talking about, like you know, like with toxic, like how like toxic is like it's pop, but it's like its own rendition of pop, you know, and I think that like that's kind of what Sucks on the Beach is. It's taking pop music and pop structure and pop melodies but doing it in a way that we want to do, you know, like this is what we want and this is like our own take on that. So it's fun, it's like, it's like refreshing to make music like that.

Austin Seltzer: 1:37:07

You know, yeah, absolutely. And also this kind of leads us to something I said I wanted to talk about earlier it's like your affinity for Mexico.

Aukoustics: 1:37:18

Yeah, I love Mexico man.

Austin Seltzer: 1:37:21

You love it. You basically live there most of the time, it seems All of the music has been created there, because Sequoia shits you out.

Aukoustics: 1:37:29

Yeah, sequoia, like we do like monthly RBMBs, I like live like the Nomad life and I just jump from monthly RBMB to monthly RBMB and just travel because like that's a creative sugar for me. I just like I feel more creative when I'm always in a different atmosphere, because I feel like you create differently when you're in different places. So, but there's a magic about Mexico and if anyone's ever been to Mexico I'm always in like the Yucatan Peninsula, cancun, playa del Carmen, tulum, that area. There's magic to that part of the world that just creates. I don't know what it does, it's hard to explain in a sense, but I think that that has also been an integral part of creating the music that we've created is like you're just having friends, like you just have your friends and we all come down to Mexico and we have this little cool little spot and we go to the beach and just make fun music in a magical atmosphere.

Austin Seltzer: 1:38:28

And you guys tried to go elsewhere, and then you had a yeah, we tried to, we tried to, we tried to. You know, what?

Aukoustics: 1:38:33

let's switch it up. You know what I mean. Like let's go to the mountains, let's go to Sequoia National Forest. We rented a rented a place in this place called Wofford Heights, which is like this small town, like 2000 people in the mountains in Sequoia and up in Northern California and or Central California, whatever you want to call it and get a knock on the door like halfway through my stay there and it's the guy from the fire department and they'd had a lot of rain and snow at that time and he's like hey, man, I just want to let you know, be something where it's on your property. I'm like what? And he's like see that like land up there. You know, like it could be coming down tomorrow when it rains. He's like you're gonna have to leave, like a landslide and they evacuated the whole town so we had to leave. It was like almost like the universe was like nah, bro, go back to Mexico, man.

Aukoustics: 1:39:27

Just go back to Mexico, man, just friggin.

Austin Seltzer: 1:39:29

Just like a bad hole, you can erase it from your mind, exactly.

Aukoustics: 1:39:33

It's a bad hole, man, you know. Just get on it and just go back to what you know you know, yeah, yeah, but yeah, no, mexico is a.

Aukoustics: 1:39:43

It's a special place with special people. It's just completely changed my outlook on life and how I view life now, I think, is just I'm so much more grateful, I'm so much more appreciative of just life in general. The people there are just so kind and amazing and the nature is just absolutely breathtaking the beaches, the sunsets, the water, it's like just the overall atmosphere is just it's amazing, really life changing for sure.

Austin Seltzer: 1:40:13

Yeah. So what is the plan for Sex on the Beach? What is the overall goal? I do know you want to be the biggest DJ in the world with this project. But what is the? I don't know if the timeline or what does this project look like?

Aukoustics: 1:40:30

Yeah, I mean honestly, like you know, sex on the Beach, you know we're doing a lot of remixes right now and just kind of just creating, just creating music. We're in the stages of creating music. I'm going to be dropping some music very, very soon. It's very exciting news that I'll be announcing really, really soon. But honestly, the plan is to just release a lot of music, unique music, and just create something, create a product and a brand where it's like that's the only place you can get it.

Aukoustics: 1:41:04

You know, like I think, like we listen to songs now and like some things feel very formulaic or something like that, and I think that, like with Sex on the Beach, it's every time that we approach a song whether it's a remix, whether it's Jolene or you know I've done remixes with all different types of artists, like Megan Trainor and Flo Rida and Oliver Tree and like all these other people you know it's like creating. Every time you hear a song by Sex on the Beach, it's like whoa, I didn't see that coming. Like it's like oh, that's an interesting take, whether it's a remix or we're going to have singles that are going to come out. We'll do collaborations, all different types of things across the board, releasing a lot of music but still maintaining that identity of uniqueness and the facets of the sound of what Sex on the Beach is and just creating amazing music that people can make memories to and, you know, live to be the soundtrack to their lives.

Austin Seltzer: 1:42:03

I totally hear it from the stuff that I've heard, which I know have taken on different lives and versions of what I heard, but yeah, I'm. I think that one interesting thing here is that most people I would say generally are an artist or they're a producer or maybe they are an artist and then a producer. But you did it flip flop.

Austin Seltzer: 1:42:29

You were a producer first and I'm really curious how you think developing all of those relationships as a producer, as someone who is quality, you know, on the production side but, just all of the relationships you put in place, how you think that that is going to help blast off Sex on the Beach Really, so that maybe people watching or listening, who are producers right now that want to be an artist, can understand how those relationships are going to just catapult them 100%. Or just look from a different angle, because I think, that this is a rare circumstance Right.

Aukoustics: 1:43:11

Yeah, it is in a sense. You know what I mean. Like most people, like you said, it's normally flip flopped or the other way around. But I think when you, like my dad, always said this in my life, like as a kid, he's like Eric, it's all about who you know. You know what I mean. Like your life is about who you know and if you can create those relationships like and create that trust, you know what I mean. Like with Christian from Galantis, he just, he just believes in me, believes in my project because I've.

Aukoustics: 1:43:38

You know, we've gone to war together, we've worked on so many songs together. You know cheat codes like I'm opening for them and at a show in Boston and you know things like that. Like I've become friends with these guys and you know, I think that that is really invaluable. It's like goes back to that point of the same thing, of like you know what I mean, like you earn the right to be there, and it's like creating those relationships will catapult you in a way, like you'll cut off so many things but you had to put in the work to do those things right. But at the same time, like if I was just starting out, like I'm going to be on a like I'm going to start at a different level because I've, you know, like worked with them for so long and created those relationships, and relationships is literally the key to everything in this, in this game. You have to be able to be able to create strong relationships too. You know what I mean and, like I've been very lucky to have been cross paths with these people and we've had, we shared a lot of memories together and moments together and like they're gracious enough and to help me in my career and yeah, you know, I think it's, I think it's really just, it's really invaluable. It really is because but the thing is like you also learn so much in that process you know what I mean Like I've learned so, like I've honed my craft as a producer so much to the point like where it's like I've almost like skipped all those steps, because, like I've learned so much from these people that I've looked up to like and I've been around some of the best minds, like the minds of people that are crazy successful, like that is like you can't buy.

Aukoustics: 1:45:13

That let's like, let's just years of like them going on their journeys and them learning things along the way and they teach you and it's like wow, like I skipped so many steps, whereas if I just went by myself and I'm just like, oh, I'm gonna go, you know what I mean Like I'd have to go through a whole learning process. But I can skip all that stuff because I'm like, I'm like I have mentors, you know people that can really help me and put me on and kind of pave the way for where I'm going for sure.

Austin Seltzer: 1:45:41

Yeah, yeah, I think. I think the electronic culture is so inviting. Yes. The whole plur thing is like let's just remove that. I think it is a very loving and lift your people up kind of community. Yeah for sure, I think one of the most iconic people, or if not the most iconic, going from a producer to an artist, is Kanye. I mean and I know, because I've watched the documentary, how freaking difficult it was, as him, moving into an artist. Nobody wanted to give him the time.

Aukoustics: 1:46:17

Yeah, they were like. Oh, they were like no dude, you're the producer, 100%. What do you mean? You want to be an artist? Kanye is a great example. You know what I mean. Like, kanye obviously said some very questionable things nowadays. Of course, if we're just speaking to who he is as a creative I mean like as a creative you can't deny that he's a genius. I mean, he's one of the guys that's really paved the way for, like you know, artists, like you know he was. It's a similar yeah, kind of a similar path to Kanye, obviously on a different level, but in a different style of music.

Austin Seltzer: 1:46:50

Who's to say you're at the start of the artist?

Aukoustics: 1:46:52

Yeah, of course of course, of course, but, but yeah, but no, but he's, you know, he's obviously a like like he was a producer and like you know you kind of have to like people know you as a producer. You know what I mean. And like it's one thing to be known as a producer, it's another thing to be known as an artist. You know what I mean and it's like shifting people's vision of you also is very, very important. You know what I mean.

Aukoustics: 1:47:12

Like an artist is not just necessarily like I'm an artist now you know what I mean Like you need to have the mind, you need to have the vision, you need to have the abilities to like all the facets that take it to be an artist. You know, like that's a whole completely different toolbox, completely different skill set, and it takes time for people to view you in that light. So, you know, I I definitely think, like someone like you have to really believe in it. You have to believe in yourself more than anybody else and I think that that's what makes a great artist and that's why Kanye ended up becoming so successful.

Aukoustics: 1:47:42

Because Kanye was a huge producer, very successful. He had hits with Jay-Z and then, literally he's like I want to be an artist, I want to wrap him my shit. You know what I mean. And he was a great artist, but people still didn't give him the time of day. You have to prove it to people and you can't expect people to just understand. That's another thing. I think, like a lot of times we go, they don't get it. You know I'm an artist. You know what I mean. Like it's like what have you done to prove to people that you're an artist?

Austin Seltzer: 1:48:06

You know, like prove it Like where's your vision? The hip hop culture is very very different at least at that time, 100%. And in that documentary he's in there over beat just spitting bars. Right then, right there.

Aukoustics: 1:48:18

Yeah, very different era.

Austin Seltzer: 1:48:20

And it was like, oh my God, this dude is so talented, holy crap. But nobody wanted to give that the time of day, because it was in my mind this person is this, and also I think that seemingly from the documentary there in people's minds there's only so much space for like the guy right now. Like Jay-Z was the guy 100%. Don't, don't tread on my ground. 100%. In the idiom world, man, there's like so many festivals, so many shows.

Aukoustics: 1:48:49

Yeah.

Austin Seltzer: 1:48:49

Everybody. I mean, there are clicks 100% 100%, especially in like the rhythm side. Yeah, of course. But I think I really see that people lift each other up.

Aukoustics: 1:49:00

But yeah for sure, the dance community in general is just a. It's a very fun loving community. You know what I mean. Like cause it's happy music man. You know what I mean. It's like it's just yay dancing in drugs.

Aukoustics: 1:49:12

I mean like I don't do drugs but like you know, like it's a lot of people, that's what it is. It's an experience, it's like a dopamine rush. It's a happiness, like everyone's like. Like, like Galantas' biggest song is Runaway. Like I want to run away anywhere out this place. I want to run away, you and I. You know what I mean. Like it's like it's a camaraderie, and you know you look at a lot of the most successful DJs. They've all been put on you know what I mean by other DJs and it's like that cosine is so important. I'm really really lucky to have you know DJs that believe in me enough to be able to do that.

Aukoustics: 1:49:46

So you know, but that that starts because I you know, was a producer and did all that stuff, so you got to put in the work, man. That's like I think that that's like the thing, like I think a lot of people like they look for, like, especially nowadays, everybody just wants it quick. You know what I mean. They want that viral moment or they want that thing, and it's like, yes, but you know you can get that quick thing. But it's like, like I always like compared to like stocks because I come from like the finance world like if you look at stocks that last a long time, it's because they incrementally grow up over time. They build support at levels. That's how stocks work.

Aukoustics: 1:50:21

But if you have some stocks that just balloon, they go up like 200% and then they just crash because they didn't build support. It just has like this huge hype and then it just falls. It's the same way. Like you need to view music is the same way. You need to incrementally go up, go up, go up, go up and just work hard. You know this is really it Just work hard and be passionate about it. But I digress, but yeah, really lucky to have some great mentors, you know for sure.

Austin Seltzer: 1:50:49

Yeah, so, dude, thank you so much for coming on to this podcast. Like it means so much to have you here.

Aukoustics: 1:50:55

Thank you, we're like super close, absolutely my brother.

Austin Seltzer: 1:50:59

It allows us to talk about these cool, deeper nitty gritty things and, honestly, the way that this podcast works and I think, the way that a lot don't. And my lane is that I don't really want to do a ton of deep research about my guests. I want to have, like this beautiful organic conversation and I have a couple of points that you know I want to hit because I know that they will bring on like a great conversation. But yeah, I didn't do a ton of research so that we can just like have this beautiful organic conversation.

Austin Seltzer: 1:51:35

I think that I learned, and I hope that everybody viewing this has learned some of the inner workings of your mind and really how to, how to grow with a core group of people yes. Yes, that, even though the two that you came up with were already moving and things were you know already on the up right. We all lift each other up 100% and if you find those people that believe in you and you believe in them and you know consistency, like like the board says, I think great things will always happen.

Austin Seltzer: 1:52:12

I don't think that you will ever fail if you just keep going. Yes, man.

Aukoustics: 1:52:17

They say. They say like it's another thing in stocks, like you don't lose until you pull your money out, Like you haven't lost money until you pull your money out, and it's so true, Like you know, I mean things go up and things go down. It's like another thing. That like is like in this game, like the happy times are temporary and the bad times are also temporary, Everything's temporary. So it's like if you're happy in the good good shit's going on, enjoy it while it's there. If it's bad, oh shit, Well, it's only gonna be bad for a little bit of. Eventually a little get good. But if you're always with the people that you grow with, and like your core people, your friends, like you never feel, you never feel completely lost. You know what I mean.

Aukoustics: 1:52:58

Cause at least you have each other, you know, Cause it is an up and down battle, man, it's an up and down battle, but I really really appreciate your friendship and you having me here today. This is like so dope. I'm really really excited for everything that you're doing. World, watch out this guy the goat.

Austin Seltzer: 1:53:18

Dude I mean, I feel the same. I can't wait to. I can't wait to be invited to Vegas to watch you, dj oh dude man, we got to bring you to Vegas, man. Yeah, we've never done Vegas properly actually.

Aukoustics: 1:53:29

Oh man, it's like Sam to Vegas, and it was like I know he won't shut up about it.

Austin Seltzer: 1:53:33

It's like the greatest experience of his life, yeah, but I want to go and see you, dj. Oh, dude, heck, yeah, man.

Aukoustics: 1:53:39

Heck yeah, absolutely, absolutely. You got to come by and see the set. It's a good time man, you know. I think, like I try to play like a lot of music that's like you wouldn't normally hear in a DJ set. It's kind of like sex, the whole thing. Buying sex on the beach is just like yo. There's the rules, fuck them. It goes just like dude, like be left be different? Yeah, absolutely, man, I'd love that for sure.

Austin Seltzer: 1:54:03

Hell yeah, Dude, thanks for being here.

Aukoustics: 1:54:05

Thank you for having me man, my brother, my brother, my brother Go Patrons.

Austin Seltzer: 1:54:16

All right. So now that you've listened to this episode, I'm sure that you can see me and Eric are real great friends. Art Bantur back and forth about Cowboys and Patriots and everything in between is. It was a fun conversation to have and of course, I'm really close with Eric and while he's not in LA all that much, whenever he's here I always see him. So you know it was fun to get to share this with him.

Austin Seltzer: 1:54:42

The first point that I want to bring up is Eric wrote on the chalkboard the key to greatness is consistency, and I just don't think that there could be anything more true. That is like the. In my mind, the epitome of what makes somebody successful is just having consistency day in and day out. If that's five minutes, if that's an hour, if that's all day that you put into your craft, being consistent with it, that is literally the answer to everything, and I just thought that was really cool. I guess it was a tiger thing that Tiger Woods said, but ultimately, that is probably the best key you take away from this episode, but I'll tell you some other amazing ones as well Just getting stuff out into the world, if that's a song, if that's a painting, if that's an article that you wrote, a book, a drawing, whatever. Just putting yourself out there and allowing others to judge, you know, for the good or for the bad or whatever. Just releasing things is the key to becoming great and moving forward. If you forever just keep things on your hard drive or at your house or, you know, in your head, you don't get it out there. Like, how could you ever move forward? You don't ever have people giving feedback and being able to resonate with your art. It has to get out there. So the quicker you can do that, the better. If it's, you know, a shitty quality, whatever, just get it out there, like, get the bad stuff out so that everything afterwards is a little bit better and a little bit better. Just move forward.

Austin Seltzer: 1:56:26

One of my favorite stories from this talk was the one about how Eric would create beats and music in the library at his college until like 3 am in the morning and he had class so early that it was a 45 minute drive to school, so he would just, at 3 am, go out in the parking lot and sleep in his car to be able to wake up and go to class in the morning, just because he wanted to put that many more hours into music and you could hilariously joke about hygiene and like he's grinding too hard and he needs some balance. But Eric is incredibly passionate and he knows where he wants to go with music and he's obsessive, and that's what you need to be great at something. So he was dedicating every single second he could to this craft. And you know I know whenever I was doing my early 10,000 hours, I wasn't sleeping Even way after my 10,000 hours. I was pulling all nighters doing custom music to hopefully land in a trailer and doing various things, and that's just because I love this. And you know if you're watching this or listening to this. This is what you have to give. This is the mindset you have to have to be able to break through, because there are other people doing this who are maybe not as good as you, but they will work so hard that they will be given the opportunities and they'll be able to deliver.

Austin Seltzer: 1:57:57

So I'm so glad that Eric said that little story. I also love the story and just the idea that having a background or some kind of like knowledge in sales is possibly one of the greatest things that you could have in life, because here are the things to sell a product to somebody. You don't have to be great at manipulating them, you don't have to be great at saying things that aren't true, you don't like. A sale is not a transaction. It's actually you being able to resonate with the person you're talking to, making them feel like they trust you, making them feel comfortable to open up to you and not in a manipulative way. I mean, I think it is really a genuine connection. So Eric worked at AT&T and they told him that it's about educating and not selling. So how this could relate in music. What Eric said is whenever you're pitching a track, you can say what this song does that no other song does. Yeah, it's a pop track, yeah, it's in the same key and it's this and that and the other, but what are the things that it does so much better than other tracks? What makes it different? And highlight those. Don't sell the song. Just tell somebody what's so special about it. Or whenever you're out at having coffee or lunch or whatever, just be passionate about what the other person is doing and that, right, there is selling yourself, because that person probably now feels invested in your world as well, because you actually cared about theirs. I loved the story. This couldn't be any more true for how I carry myself and my business.

Austin Seltzer: 1:59:51

Another point is proximity. If you live somewhere where what you want to be doing in life is not happening at the level you want to, or if the people you want to meet are not where you live, you need to get to a place like a cultural hub of whatever it is that you want to do. Whoever you want to meet, whatever level you want to play at, you need to be in the place where people are doing that at the level you want to. In my opinion, it's always better to be a small fish in a large pond. You don't want to be the big dog. You want to be in a place that's going to help you grow and nurture you and you're going to be able to continue to get bigger and bigger. Or do do whatever it is you want to do, but don't be in a place that doesn't allow you to do that. And last but not least, a really interesting take I'd never heard this before and I think it's really cool Read your energy before you enter a room.

Austin Seltzer: 2:00:47

So, if you're going into a writing session, if you're going into a sales meeting. If you're going, you know wherever whatever you're about to do, think of who you need to be in that room energy wise, do you need to be the calm, cool, collected person or do you need to be the hype man? Do you need to be energetic and excited? Well, read your energy before you go into that room. And if you need to bring your energy down to be more calm and level headed, maybe take five minutes to do a little meditation or, you know, some breathing exercise or whatever can lower your heart rate, can make you just a little more chill before you step into that room. And if you're going into a room where you need to be the hype man, you need to be excited, you need to lift up the room. Eric said that he would shout in the car before walking into that room or something you know play some metal music, play something that's going to get you hype, scream along to a yell, dance, jump up and down. Whatever you need to do to raise your heart rate, to raise your energy, so that you can bring that into a room, and I thought that that was a really interesting and cool little tidbit. So hopefully all those key points help you on this episode and I'll see you in the next one.

Austin Seltzer: 2:02:13

Thanks for listening to the Grounds for Success podcast. I want to thank all of the people who work on this podcast and help me out. My team is everything to me, and without them I couldn't bring these to you every single week. I couldn't post on social media, you know, with all the clips that we have, and so I thank you guys so much. I want to also thank all of my clients on the Mixing and Mastering side, because without you, I could not have Grounds for Success. So thank you so much. If you're enjoying the Grounds for Success podcast, please follow, like and subscribe on whichever platform you're listening or watching on. It helps us out a ton, and I want to keep getting this content to you, in whichever way you listen or watch.