The Knocks at LIV

Photography by Ryan Troy on May 23rd, 2013 in Clubs, Nightlife

The Knocks

Miami Beach, FL – May 22, 2013 – Electronic duo The Knocks came to town on Wednesday night to take on LIV‘s Dirty Hairy party. The duo, made up of Ben “B-Roc” Ruttner and James “Jpatt” Patterson, came up with their name from working at home back in the day when neighbors would complain about the music by knocking on their doors. Since their single “Dancing With the DJ” in 2010, they’ve become very popular for their remixes, covers, and own tracks. Right now, they’ve just finished touring with Alex Clare and have just released a single off their first full album that’s already a big hit: “Modern Hearts.” World Red Eye caught up with the guys while they were in town.

World Red Eye: You guys have been to Miami before. What’s your favorite part about playing here? Any cool spots you’ve hung out at?

The Knocks: Miami is always fun to play because people are always ready to have a fun time. It’s not like NYC or LA where people tend to worry too much about being cool and ‘the scene.’ There’s no other place that can compare to the vibe of the super clubs in Miami. One of our favorite spots to hang out at and play at is Bardot. It feels like you’re in NYC kind of, but there’s something different about it.

WRE: You’ve been on tour with Alex Clare the past month or so… How was it touring with him?

TK: It was awesome. We’ve known him for a long time, before he blew up, so it was really cool that everything came full circle. His fans are all really open to new music, so we got a great response.

WRE: Are you looking forward to playing Governor’s Ball next month? It’s got a great line-up.

TK: Yeah we’re really excited about it. It’s our home town, so it means a lot to us. We’ve never played a festival in NYC, so it’ll be cool to have a lot of friends there. It also is one of the best line-ups of the year in our opinion, so we’re honored to be a part of it.

WRE: Your latest single “Modern Hearts” has gotten remixed by Amtrac and Treasure Fingers already. What was the inspiration behind this track, and do you have any other collaborations in the works?

TK: That track all started with the bagpipe sample, then we wrote the words and melodies with a friend. It instantly reminded us of a St Lucia type vibe. He’s our buddy, so we asked him, and he was really into it. Since then, the feedback has been amazing, and we’re excited about the remix package. We still have an Aston Shuffle one dropping soon that’s awesome too.

WRE: What else can we look forward to on your upcoming debut album?

TK: It’s very disco-influenced, but still has tracks that can be played in clubs, your car, your bedroom, or anywhere. We also have a lot more guest vocalists like Dragonette, Sneaky Sound System, and X Ambassadors, to name a few. It’s going to be a huge step for us as artists, and we can’t wait to get it out.