Party Thieves Talks Trap Music And The EDM Industry In Exclusive iEDM Interview

Moonrise was a crazy event from start to finish. Sunday may have been the day for bass, but Saturday was indisputably ruled by trap.

With artists like Rickyxsan, Habstrakt, Boombox Cartel, Party Thieves and the king himself, RL Grime, Saturday was full of trap beats and a lot of grime.

iEDM had the chance to sit down with Jared McFarlin, better known by his huge stage name of Party Thieves, after his Saturday set.

While the rain was impending and Jared was missing a shoe from crowd surfing, we still had a chance to have a great talk about everything from the versatility of trap to mental health in the EDM industry. 

iEDM: EDM has a huge spectrum of genres, what inspired you to start producing trap? 

Party Thieves: I grew up on hip hop, that's the closest thing to trap in a non-EDM sense. Festival trap and trap itself is pretty much hip -hop without vocals, in a sense. Not always and not all of it, but hip-hop without vocals. 

iEDM: I think that's really interesting, a lot of people make this distinction between EDM and hip hop and a lot of these sounds are actually interconnected. Your music is a really good example of that. I remember I was reading the insomniac article where you talked about how EDM helped you with anxiety and depression, what do you think it is about music that makes it so healing? 

Party Thieves: I guess it's just the fact that it doesn't have vocals. That's what's always interested me. The fact that it has no vocals but it can be so powerful and entertaining without anyone saying anything. It kinda speaks for itself, and a lot of people miss that, no one is saying anything on 90% of electronic songs but producers like Deadmau5 are some of the biggest names in music. They make you feel good, which is a crazy concept. That something instrumental can make you feel those things. It really speaks for itself. 

iEDM: I totally agree, that's one of the most interesting things about EDM. It doesn't tell you how to feel, but it invites you to interpret it in a way that is completely unique to you. 

Party Thieves: Exactly, if you like it, you can write whatever you want. You don't have to do techno or house, you can do whatever you want, there's so much out there. 

iEDM: I feel you, there's so much bleed over, everything is really connected. Now I know you went crowd surfing today and lost a shoe, I was gonna ask you what your favorite memory is as a DJ, is that gonna be it or..? 

Party Thieves: Aw man. There's been so many great shows. Moonrise is definitely up there, the crowd was crazy, I got to go before RL Grime which was super crazy, pretty scary actually. *laughs* expectations are super high. But honestly, playing back to back with Ricky Remedy is always a crazy time. I've done maybe two or three shows with him and he's such a great producer and such a great friend, all good memories. 

iEDM: Do you have a favorite venue or festival you've played at so far? 

Party Thieves: Ah that's a hard question. 

iEDM: I'm sure you get asked this all the time. 

Party Thieves: I do, and it's hard because there are so many great things about each venue and each festival, you just have to be very appreciative of everything. Because any one show can be life changing you know? Just embrace all of it, that's what I was saying before about being aware of where you are as a DJ (we previously talked about living in NY) and just appreciating and embracing everything around you. I know it's a lot of depression and anxiety in this industry, and I've gone through that before and at this point, as a DJ and an artist, you have to appreciate the opportunities you're given and I've seen it. It could be worse. I've been to Haiti and the DR and those areas have it so hard. Who am I to complain about anything, you know? Your life is your life, make the most out of it and at the end of the day, don't complain about stuff you don't have because it could be so much worse. That's why I love trap culture, it's an inspiring thing. You see how life can shape you. 

iEDM: I know you had a crazy set and are completely exhausted, so I don't want to hold you. Do you have any final words for your fans? 

Party Thieves: Shout out to any fans in general who've been following and supporting me, I have an EP coming out in a couple months and expect more shows and more fun shit. 

Thanks Jared for taking the time to chat with us. Stay up-to-date with his music and tour information by keeping an eye on his Facebook, SoundCloud and official website for all his recent releases. 

Check out more iEDM Exclusive Interviews HERE.