Catching the waves in LA is the EDM artist Alexi Diem or otherwise known as GHO$TBOY. Initially picking up music with the guitar at just five years old and then after graduating from the University of Southern California's School of Cinematic Arts. GHO$TBOY has been working in music full-time due to the help of his distinctive sound that captures the audience's attention and has them wanting more. Recently, GHO$TBOY is showing again his ever so unique sound with his release "Not Mine (Feat. Adam Pastel)".
"Not Mine (Feat. Adam Pastel)" immediately transports us to an outer world in the intro with the use of synthetic bells that have the perfect amount of bite to them. Then transitioning to the verse, we were introduced to an engaging vocal performance that tells us the story of missing someone you cared about dearly and wanting them back. The cherry on top, however, is the drop within "Not Mine (Feat. Adam Pastel)". GHO$TBOY beautifully crafts an elegant synth and bass groove that is instantly able to get our bodies moving to the beat. "Not Mine (Feat. Adam Pastel)" is a record that you can easily find yourself enjoying at the club, and we definitely cannot wait to hear what else is coming from GHO$ TBOY's definitive style.
You can listen to “Not Mine (Feat. Adam Pastel)” here.
Welcome to BuzzMusic GHO$TBOY! We’re loving your danceable anthemic tune “Not Mine (Feat. Adam Pastel)”! What was your source of inspiration for coming up with this tune? Did you write the verses or did Adam Pastel?
First off, thank you for having me I'm stoked to be talking with you guys! The instrumental is based on a tune that I made while I was studying at USC. I used to release music under my full name "Alexi Diem" and it was very similar to what I have been releasing for the past year. When I changed my name to GHO$TBOY in 2019, I wanted to continue with the same hard-hitting future bass sound and it happened to work that there was already a tune with a good foundation get inspired from. From there it was just figuring out how to make it better and opening up the instrumentals for vocals. As for the actual songwriting, all of the lyrics and toplining was done by Adam after I sent him the instrumental.
Speaking of the lyrics, we’re loving Adam’s performance, what was it like to work together? How much of the song was completed before he came on board?
Working with Adam was super easy. I've never actually met Adam in person yet but we have the same manager Noah Schwartz and he was able to connect us and really help the record come to life. I gave Adam the completed instrumental and he sent back-vocal takes that he recorded himself and from there it was just about mixing and mastering the tune and making it the best it could possibly be.
A highlight of the song for us has to be the drop, what was that whole creation process like? Did you start off with a particular element? Could you talk to us about how you create some sounds?
The creation process for me is usually starting with a small idea whether it be a chord progression, melody, or even a drum groove. For this tune, I already knew what I wanted the drop to sound like because it was heavily inspired by an earlier track. It started with getting the chord progression down and then adding the simple melody that goes up the scale. I wrote it with my two good buddies when I was traveling in Sweden and the rest is history. As for the sounds, sound design for this particular genre is very important. The drop is really only a chord progression with a simple melody, bass, and drums; it was all about layering synths to create a sound that would fill up the space.
Since moving from Minnesota to LA, how has the shift in city culture affect the music you are creating? What are some of the things that inspire you in your everyday life?
Moving from Minneapolis to Los Angeles was for sure a bit of a culture shock. I had been to LA a few times before with my mother to go on sets and watch film productions but I never really got to explore the entire city; I just knew I loved the energy and how everyone was trying to make something of themselves. I decided when I was halfway through high school I wanted to move out to Los Angeles to pursue a career in filmmaking and the fastest route to moving was to attend the University of Southern California. I played music growing up but music production was never really on my radar; I just wanted to join a band and play my guitar once I got to school. My freshman year a buddy of mine was playing with a DJ controller down the hall and I really started to get into it. Eventually, I started to play parties around campus. I got really inspired by the music everyone was playing and knew that I had to start producing original tunes of my own. I don't think I would have every started producing if I hadn't moved out here. I get super inspired by hearing other artists do dope things. Going out really helps as well.
We thank you for talking with us GHO$TBOY! What else can we expect from you in 2020?
Thanks for having me! I'm working on expanding my catalog with different sounds and blending genres. I'll be releasing more singles as well as a few official remixes in the latter half of the year and I'm excited to share it with everyone!