In case you didn’t notice, bass music is becoming big business. So are lifestyle brands. Put the two together, and you’ve got the powerhouse known as Brillz. The DJ/producer returns to Las Vegas for the October 30 relaunch of Bassment at Body English, and he’s prepared to spread the gospel of Twonk—which he helpfully breaks down below.
Your last Las Vegas show sold out. How was the experience? The last show was crazy—Las Vegas is crazy. We renamed it Twonk Vegas. I’m really excited to come back.
What is the Twonk Team? Can anyone join, and what are the requirements? Twonk Team is for everyone. It’s just about positive vibes and getting weird. Basically, the way it started was I called [my first] record Twonk and it grew into this organic culture. Twonk Team has no limits, and anyone that’s down with it can be down with it.
What’s the vibe of Twonk clothing? We’re working on a new fall [line], more of a fashion-forward vibe for Twonk. We’re going to do a new cut-and-sew piece, which is like a sleeveless hoodie dress kind of thing. It’s a lifestyle for kids who want to express themselves with their style a bit more than wearing just a regular T-shirt.
Besides music and fashion, you also love to dance? I started going to raves in like ’99 and 2000 in New York ... I got into it because I was a fan of dancing in general and teamed up with a bunch of [guys] from the East Coast and started a crew called Liquid Bomb Collective. We started getting into hip-hop and more popping, funk-style, robotic [dancing] and merged the two styles.
For the novice music fan, explain the differences between trap and hip-hop. Trap comes from Atlanta, and I would say it’s like [the hip-hop subgenre] Dirty South … Even within trap you have two differences. One would be like traditional trap. And then there is this new reincarnation for the dancefloor with electronic beats and a lot of 808s, Dirty South beats, but more synth-driven, as opposed to vocal and lyrics.
What was it like having the remix you and Z-Trip did of Jay Z’s “Dirt Off Your Shoulder” featured on his blog? It was dope! To get his stamp of approval? I honestly flipped. I was very grateful for that.
Twonkaholic Tour at Bassment Thursdays with Brillz, Snail, King and Byra Tanks. October 30, doors at 10:30 p.m., $30+ men, $20+ women, locals & industry free. Body English, 702-693-5000.
