The music of Boombox Cartel has long been a fixture in Vegas clubs, where superstar DJs such as Diplo, RL Grime and DJ Snake have been blaring these genre-defying dance tracks for years. Now it’s time for Boombox in the flesh: Americo Garcia played a series of dates at Drai’s Beachclub recently and is set for his Marquee debut on Monday.
On making the jump to Strip nightclub gigs: “It’s a dream come true. I remember going to Vegas as a kid and seeing billboards of DJs and artists coming to play residencies at big hotel clubs, and now I get the opportunity to do it. Vegas is always crazy, and everyone is down to party no matter what time it is.”
On Boombox Cartel’s transition to a solo act minus Jorge Medina: “Jorge ran into some visa issues and couldn’t make it to certain shows, and with me being in LA or on the road all the time, we talked about it. While he figures all that stuff out, I’m going to be face of it for now. We’re great friends, and we still work on music together. Nothing’s changed as far as the music, because we always had the same vibe.”
On finding his sound: “I was in rock bands in middle school and high school playing drums and bass and got really inspired by Passion Pit, Foster the People, Neon Indian and a bunch of indie bands. Then that Skrillex era hit right when I was learning to produce hip-hop and listening to Deadmau5. It was perfect timing for me, because my bandmates were going to college and growing up and I had to figure out how to make music by myself on my laptop. That’s why it’s all over the place, a little EDM here, more of the pop side over there.”
On new single “ID” with Flosstradamus: “We worked on that song for a full day a couple weeks before EDC, and we played it live in front of all his fans and it really took off, so we posted a video and the fans online went crazy. But this was a song we had for a year and a half that we finally got the chance to finish up and coordinate [the release] with Mad Decent [records]. We tried a bunch of vocalists and rappers, hunting through to see who fit, but we just didn’t catch the vibe. It was all about that music and that big drop, so we put it out as is.”
BOOMBOX CARTEL October 8, 10:30 p.m., $20-$30. Marquee, 702-333-9000.
