TRiLL MURRAY burst onto the EDM scene only a few short months ago.  He appeared out of nowhere, yet his music comes across as a fresh take on bass music, and does so in a polished and intelligent manner.  His socks are clean and his beats are dirty.  He’s released only four tracks, one of which, “LIGHTS OUT,” was featured on The Untz in July. Today we are extremely excited to debut “STRUTTIN,” a brand new exclusive TRiLL MURRAY track and free download!  The track, hot off the presses, er…rendering queue, falls in line with Mr. Murray’s previous work.  Creeping melodies layered upon 808 drumbeats and sprinkled with cosmic synths keep you “struttin” around even if seated.  The release also coincides with the launch of his brand new website, which can be found HERE. Recently, we were lucky enough to have the chance to sit down and get to know a little bit about the mysterious TRiLL MURRAY.  

THEUNTZ:  Mr. Murray, thanks for taking the time to sit down and chat a little with The Untz.  Why don’t you tell us a few quick things about yourself? After all, you are a bit of a mystery to most your fans.
TRiLLMURRAY:  Rad. Thanks for taking time to talk about me. (Laughs)  I love music. I’m awkward.  I like cool T-shirts and really unique socks and shoes.

THEUNTZ:  About 2 Months ago you were featured on our site.  You had just appeared, as if out of thin air, with a brand new squeaky-clean SoundCloud account and a couple of catchy trap-laced, melodic tracks.  EDM fans were buzzing about TRiLL MURRAY. Other than Outer Space, where did you come from?
TRILLMURRAY:  I was born in the East, raised in the Midwest, studied in the South, and now I live in the West - so I suppose, all over.

THEUNTZ:  You are obviously a skilled producer as evidenced by your work, how long have you been making music?
TRILLMURRAY:  Well I’ve always played music in some form for as long as I can remember. I’m pretty mediocre at all instruments (not gonna lie). I never really stuck to one as my mind would wander and want something new.  I was always getting bored playing one instrument.  I used to mess around with Fruity Loops back in the day in high school, not really taking it seriously. I would say around 2008 is when I actually picked up a copy of Ableton and was just so intrigued by it. I really haven’t stopped since; it’s an addiction. I don’t know what it is.  I feel like Ableton is the matrix of DAWs (Digital Audio Workstation software) with so many new things I learn everyday.  I straight up just sucked at writing for a solid year and a half and had no friends.

THEUNTZ:  Trill is simply defined as “True + Real,”  Give us your simple definition of TRiLL as it pertains to your music.
TRILLMURRAY:  Actually, I chose Trill initially based on the music term: "a musical ornament consisting of a rapid alternation between two adjacent notes, usually a semitone or tone apart" - because I actually use it in almost all of my songs. But I also chose it for the other definition, which you mentioned and definitely intend to remain true and real to myself.

Also, I chose to remain anonymous as part of being trill because I wanted my music to stand by itself and have people focus more on the music and not so much on what I look like, my image, or anyone’s image for that matter. At the end of the day no matter what brings fans to shows (whether its girls, friends, partying, or whatever else), music is the one thing that brings all this together to make it possible.  And that’s what’s really Trill!

THEUNTZ: Why TRiLL and not just dubstep or the increasingly popular “trap” music. What made you want to combine and mix and match bass styles and come up with something new?  It is much more risky as a professional artist to buck the trend.

TRILLMURRAY:  Well, the whole thing with the whole dubstep craze, and now I guess its the trap craze, is that music always evolves and always will. It goes in cycles and circles, everyone will always hate on the new shit because its new shit and people like what they are comfortable with and what they know.  A lot of people don’t really like stepping outside their comfort zone and I feel my music is a good stepping-stone to getting people to open up to different music that’s out there. It’s how you adapt to that change which is what’s important I think.

I chose to write Trill based on the fact that I like all music and I wasn’t so much trying to sound like anything  else really although you could compare me to whoever because that’s the way the cookie crumbles . I was more or less just seeing what I could offer to the table and be a little bit obscure and different just throw in aspect from every genre and see what happens almost make everyone happy by giving them a little bit of everything.

THEUNTZ:  What made you decide to use an alter ego for your creation of “TRiLL” music?  We’ve got the TRiLL part figured out, but what’s the connection to Bill Murray?
TRILLMURRAY:  I thought about this name change for a while, at least a few months, before I went with it. I have been playing out and writing music in the so-called “bass scene” for about 2 years now. I was kind of going in circles and not really connecting with any direction. Though I enjoy it and will never stop writing under my other alias, I just felt it was time to take a break and start something new with a blank canvas and a new direction.

The connection with Bill Murray is obvious- he is the greatest human being of all time (next to Da Vinci) .

THEUNTZ:  What is your favorite Bill Murray Movie?
TRILLMURRAY:  Life Aquatic

THEUNTZ:  What is your favorite Bill Murray character?
TRILLMURRAY:  Steve Zissou

THEUNTZ:  For some reason those seem like the PERFECT fit.  (Laughs) Though, we here at The Untz are big Caddyshack fans.


THEUNTZ:  Today you’ve got a new track for us, “STRUTTIN.”  An exclusive TheUntz.com debut as well as a FREE download.  What went into this one, emotionally and/or technically?  Let’s step into the shoes (and socks) of TRiLL MURRAY for a second.
TRILLMURRAY:  Man, to be completely honest with you, I kind of black out when I write tracks. (Laughs)  For this one I ended up writing it during the day, which I normally don’t do. I realize more and more that I put more into tracks during the day because I get lazier at night and just listen to the drop on repeat and jump around in my 1000 degree room cause I have no air conditioning, while my dog looks at me like I am an idiot.  As far as what I put into this production wise, first off I use Ableton exclusively. I love that system and I also have a Korg MS2000 that is tons of fun.  I usually start off with a scale I like, and then find variations of it and kind of mess with it for a while. Then I spend like 20 years figuring out what sounds I am going to use, then the drums are usually self-explanatory.  My one secret I can tell to all those other producers out there and such, is instead of using a Sub Bass synth as your bass line, use your kick drum as your bass line or at least think of your kick drum as your lead rhythm.  I think you might like the results and it’s actually a little bit easier to mixdown in my opinion.
THEUNTZ:  There you go producers, a little advice from TRiLL MURRAY.

THEUNTZ:  "STRUTTIN" isn’t the only thing you are debuting today.  You have also just launched your official website: www.trillmurray.com What can fans expect to find there?
TRILLMURRAY: Well its more or less just a website. (Laughs)  Everyone is using all the social media sites now, but I felt I wanted to go legit with it.  Its nothing too fancy, as I do my own graphics, web design, etc., and will just be keeping it updated and current with some cool videos and stuff in store.  I’m actually going to start doing a video diary or production video diary just to give people a more inside and upfront look as to what I do. Whether it’s shopping for socks or showing people how I write my music, it should be a lot of fun.  I also set up a contact page where people can send me their demos; or, if they want to collaborate with me or remix something or have me remix a tune - I absolutely love collaborations.

THEUNTZ:  You’ve been busy making new music and designing a new website, but are there any plans to squeak in an EP or full length release before the end of the year?
TRILLMURRAY:  Yeah. I have an EP titled Lust coming out on 710 Records for FREE later this month or early October.  It will feature all the tracks on my SoundCloud page as well as a new track and remixes of the title track “Lust” from a bunch of talented heads on the 710 Crew.  As for a full length - ABSOLUTELY!! I have been working hard on this to make it right.  I have a bunch tracks written, but I keep throwing some out the window because I feel they could be better and aren’t good enough. So with that said, hopefully around either Christmas or early next year for a full length.  As for choosing 710 Records for the upcoming release, I feel that owner/founder, Bleep Bloop knows exactly what kind of direction the current “EDM” world is heading and that he is down for that weird fresh new shit and that the label isn’t afraid of “going there.” Shout outs to the 710 Crew and Bleep Bloop, keep doing what y’all do!

THEUNTZ:  You have a couple of shows booked, one headlining gig at “Trap City” at the end of September in San Francisco and also Halloween with Minnesota in Santa Monica.  Are you looking forward to these first gigs? What are your plans for disguising yourself? Is there a TRiLL MURRAY mask in the works?
TRILLMURRAY:  Yeah man honestly these first two shows are very critical and crucial . It’s more or less everyone can see that from my tracks I can talk the music talk but now I have to walk the performance walk - so I really gotta make sure I don’t get too drunk.  (Laughs)  As for disguising myself, I am figuring it all out now and probably going to do something simple for now so I can still be comfortable and until it develops a bit more.  As for a mask I’m working on it but I’m working more on the actual music and live performance. But yeah hopefully in the near future I will have a more elaborate stage setup and costume, but it’s in the early stages as of now.  You will just have to come out and see for yourself on how fun, weird, and energetic my live performance will be.

THEUNTZ:  Do you plan on doing a lot of touring and live performances or is this more of a production related project?
TRILLMURRAY: Yes, this is definitely something I am trying to do right now.  I have been grinding hard to get some shows around the US and I do want to say on the record that I’m just getting started and plan to take this project as far as I can.  So with that said if there are any promoters out there, hit me up and book me for your next event!

THEUNTZ:  What are your goals for this TRiLL MURRAY project?
TRILLMURRAY:  I would say that my personal goal is to polish this style and sound off more.  I want it to be completely original and not like anything else, but I also want it to still be relevant and current. I know people will always compare me to other artists.  Of course, I [am] influenced by others, but I want to take what I know and create my own sound. Hopefully, in the long run I can inspire people to wonder, “Damn, how’d he do that?” or think “Cool I want to make that kind of sound!” I also just want to get people inspired and to release some energy and have fun and not take it too serious, and maybe perhaps wear the coolest socks of all time.
(Note to the world: You can’t have awesome shoe game without awesome SOCK game!! Don’t come over in the hottest shoes of all time with terrible socks with holes in them.)
THEUNTZ:  Is it a rush to produce music anonymously? Is there a certain feeling of freedom?  
TRILLMURRAY:  Uhmm there is a sense of nervousness because the tracks that are out right now are really good and I have to top those with each new track. (Laughs)  So it’s really hard in that sense where I’m really challenging myself to do better. (Laughs)  So cliché right? There is a certain freedom to it though. I haven’t felt this way or had more fun writing music at any other time in my life.  I feel that there aren’t any expectations like my other alias has, its more free form I suppose.  Not saying that I don’t have any pressure for writing better music just saying more or less that there is more freedom I suppose.

THEUNTZ:  Thanks again for taking the time to chat with me; it was a pleasure.
TRILL MURRAY: For sure, thanks for having me.  Shout out to my dog, who is my co-collaborator and basically writes my songs for me while I chew on dog bones.  Shout outs to Outer Space and all the booties and titties floating around in the infinite cosmos.



TRiLL MURRAY will be in San Francisco on September 29th, headlining “TRAP CITY” at 1192 Folsom and will also be performing with Minnesota on Halloween, October 31st in Santa Monica at Central SAPC.  Keep his website bookmarked to stay up to date and keep your eyes peeled for that sock & shoe game in your hometown.

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