Sonic Bloom is quickly coming up with less than a month to go until we gather at the Unified Field for a magical experience unlike any other! This festival is Colorado’s biggest electronic music camping festival and it has quite the selection for music, arts, and community workshops. Being Colorado’s Premier electronic festival, Sonic Bloom has brought in a plethora of diverse musicians and producers that bring in their own – distinct – vibe and make for a performance of a lifetime at this small local festival. Having the founders of this festival be musicians and apart of a experimental improv band called Zilla (composed of Michael Travis / Aaron Holstein / Jamie Janover,) this festival truly holds a high standard to bringing quality artists that really rock the grounds! The Road to Sonic Bloom continues and even though the end is sight, we still have so much more to do along the way. One of the artists that we are way hyped for, Late Night Radio, is a Denver based funky producer who has truly become a staple to the scene out here in Colorado. He has been one of the leading artists breaking grounds and pushing the envelope deeper into funkier electronic sounds. This is will be his third year at the Unified Field and we couldn’t be more stoked for his set and to have been able to sit down with him for a quick interview. Check out our Chronic Exclusive, Road To Sonic Bloom interview with the one, the only, Late Night Radio! Don’t forget to snag some tickets if you haven’t yet with the link below and be sure to check out his most recent release with Michal Menert, ‘Emerald City’.
Sonic Bloom 2023 Ticket Link
1. Alex Medellin, aka the smooth and funky bass producer Late Night Radio first started crafting music around 2010 for ski resorts in California. Sticking to providing music for commercials, web videos, and online posts for a few years, you moved out to Colorado jumping at the opportunity to play live shows and strut your stuff in front of a crowd. Tell me, do you remember your first live set? Where was it and how was the turnout? And how were your nerves?
My first live set was at a house party for Halloween in I think 2012 and then I played a number of times at The Goose in Boulder before touching a real stage. Turnouts were terrible. I was also playing all original sets from the get go so my mixes sounded like shit compared to the college djs playing bangers before and after me. I wouldn’t trade those shows for anything though because I believe that struggle builds character. I also met Robotic Pirate Monkey and Kevin Donohue and some of those early shows which both had less than 10 people there.
2. There’s plenty of lessons that can be learned from taking a leap to pursue your passions. You took a leap from one state to another, leaving behind one life in order to start a new one. What would you say was the most important lesson you learned from making that change?
Put yourself in positions to succeed and be ready to capitalize when you do have an opportunity. Also for better or worse don’t have a plan b.
3. You’ve been playing live shows for a handful of years now. There are countless up-and-coming artists who are taking their first steps to bring their unique ideas and sounds to the world stage. What would you say to aspiring artists doing everything they can to follow the same path you’ve been on these past several years?
Appreciate the ups and learn from the downs. Its a marathon not a sprint so be genuine to what you do and don’t worry if you don’t blow up overnight.
4. Working on new music is a fun but time-consuming and sometimes daunting task. Can you tell us a little bit about your creative process? How do you typically start when constructing a new song? Which instruments, programs, and/or plugins are your favorite at the moment?
I don’t really have an all encompassing formula but generally I dig through records until something really connects with me. I’m a sucker for Rhodes, mess around in Ableton, and plug in wise nothing crazy.
5. This year you’re playing at Sonic Bloom. I understand it’s a couple months out, but I have to ask: Have you put any thought into what fans can expect from your set? I’m particularly interested in if you have plans to incorporate any new or unreleased tracks that you currently have in the works. 
I’ve been on the road pretty hard this spring and haven’t had much time to write so I’m excited to finish some new tunes in between Summer Camp and Sonic Bloom so I’ll have a couple tricks up my sleeve. Also I always have at least 15 minutes of unreleased tunes in my set to keep things interesting.
6. Of the festivals and shows you’ve played in the past, which one is particularly special to you?
Playing Red Rocks with Thievery Corporation and Emancipator was definitely one of my fondest memories playing music but honestly my 2 night run at Cervantes a couple months ago has to be my favorite weekend of shows I’ve ever done. Top to bottom it was all friends involved from production and photo to every artist on the bill so that weekend felt really special.
7. I’m sure like most of us who have been to an EDM event, you’ve witnessed an outlandish, wild occurrence or two. Can you give us an example of a festival experience that has stuck with you? Something you wouldn’t have seen anywhere else?
Hahaha this was before I was playing music but in highschool I went to see SCI in Austin and ended up smoking a blunt with a mime, while tripping mushrooms hanging out in a tree in the rain. So that was one I probably won’t forget.
8. A crowd’s reaction is a big part of how artists typically judge the quality of their new tracks. Has there been a time where a crowd’s reaction surprised you in a good way? Where a song you’ve played, whether one of your own tracks or one of an accompanying artist, made a crowd go wild unexpectedly?
Debuting my soulful disco stuff went over a lot better than I expected. I made the tunes kinda messing around and now get requests for them all the time.
9. What else do you have in store for 2023 and beyond? And what social media platform is the best way to listen to your mixes, new releases, and find out information on your upcoming shows and events?
I’ve got a decent amount of festivals coming up, a full length album I’m wrapping up, fall tour we’re working on and some dope collars. Really just trying to stay busy and keep doing my thing.
10. Last question from us at The Chronic Electronic. What would you like to say to all your listeners and fans, as well as the EDM community as a whole? Give us some driving words, maybe some words of wisdom, to leave us on a good note and get us hyped up for your highly anticipated set at Sonic Bloom 2023!
Going to steal this one from my dude Michal Menert who is a bit more eloquent than I am, but I couldn’t sum it up any better. From the bottom of my heart thank you for making my life fun.