Getting To Know: ALPHA DATA

With electronic music permeating mainstream consciousness, 26-year-old James Ristvedt, aka Alpha Data, is looking to bring his unique brand of EDM to as many raging dance floors as he can.

Under the tutelage of Disco Biscuits bassist Marc Brownstein, who manages and guides Ristvedt as he progresses through the treacherous world of up-and-coming artists, he plans to continue to take life and his career one day at a time while making music he loves.

Only performing under his current moniker since August due to trademark concerns with his previous stagename, Ristvedt has already amassed an impressive following and risen through the online glitch-hop charts.

The Minneapolis native has plans to share the stage with The Disco Biscuits over their New Year’s run in both New York City and Chicago and open for Conspirator on their winter tour.

We caught up with Ristvedt to discuss everything from what sets him apart from other artists to his on-stage demeanor and working with Brownie to Skrillex’s five Grammy nominations.

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YOUR SOUND

In one sentence, describe what Alpha Data is all about. 

Bass-heavy dance music with huge drums, catchy melodies and intricate layering.

What’s your musical background?

I grew up playing trumpet in concert band, jazz band, pep band – pretty much anything in school where they allowed you to play music really loudly, I was involved.

In high school, I was really big into punk rock. Some friends and I formed a band together where I was actually the lead singer. However, around the time I was 15 or so, I started producing electronic music using a program called Fruity Loops.

[FOLLOW Alpha Data on Facebook.]

Around the time I went to college, I started playing bass guitar and getting more interested in the low end of music. By the time I graduated, I had begun making electronic music with a heavy focus on bass.

While some of my experiences certainly influence my music more than others, I like to think they’ve all played some part in shaping my musical identity.

While some of my experiences certainly influence my music more than others, I like to think they’ve all played some part in shaping my musical identity.

Describe your sound and what makes it unique.

I tend to write tracks with a lot of layers. What this means, practically, is that while there’s usually an ample amount of bass and drums to get people dancing, there’s enough by way of melody and textural effects that the music can also be very enjoyable to listen to on headphones sitting at your desk.

What makes your brand of electronic music particularly enjoyable?

It’s fun. It’s got a bounce to it. It’s got a swagger to it. It’s something that people don’t necessarily hear on a daily basis, but still has some modicum of familiarity to it.

Explain what the genre of “glitch-hop” means to you.

Glitch-hop, laser bass, aqua crunk, or whatever you want to call it, has so many different definitions and descriptions that are attributed to it.

To me, glitch-hop is about using sounds and techniques that might not normally be found in music in a way that creates danceable beats with a groove.

What are some of your inspirations besides The Disco Biscuits?

Tipper, Opiuo, Love and Light, Samples and Knight Riderz. All of them are making some of the greatest music on the planet right now.

Who are your non-producer or non-electronic influences?

Some of my biggest influence comes from videogames – new and old. I grew up playing games like “Contra,” “ToeJam and Earl”and “Chrono Trigger.”

These games all have really great soundtracks, and in some ways, really helped to make me appreciate music more. At some point I plan to do an entire EP based around videogame music that inspired me when I was younger.

Minneapolis isn’t necessarily known as a hub for electronic music. How did you first get into the scene and how does your upbringing affect your sound?

Minneapolis actually has a humungous dubstep scene, which I think surprises a lot of people. I basically got into the Minneapolis EDM scene through friends who were playing and listening to dubstep. After I started playing shows, I was able to get some gigs opening up for some great national and international acts.

Luckily, this area has some really talented producers who have really helped me to develop my sound. I think more than anything, being surrounded by so much bass music serves as constant inspiration for me.

What’s your nightly goal when you’re playing a gig?

Honestly, my biggest goal is to have fun. I know that sounds really cliché and such a politician answer, but it’s absolutely true. The primary reason I make the music I make is because I enjoy the music I make.

Getting to hear tracks that I spent weeks toiling over blasted out of a gigantic system is an incredible feeling. I like to have fun on stage and try not to take myself too seriously.

As far as what kind of reaction I want from crowds, I really just want people to have the best night ever, every single night.

I think it’s a reciprocal thing. The more fun I have, the more fun it is to watch me, so the crowd has more fun, which means I have more fun. It’s like a carousel. It goes up and down, and around.

I think it’s a reciprocal thing. The more fun I have, the more fun it is to watch me, so the crowd has more fun, which means I have more fun. It’s like a carousel. It goes up and down, and around.

ON THE ROAD

What are you working on right now? 

Right now I’m working on new originals, new remixes and constantly working on more and more exposure. I’m playing the Disco Biscuits’ after-party on December 27 in New York City with Tipper and Orchard Lounge, and playing with The Biscuits on New Year’s Eve in Chicago.

I have an EP that just came out called “Nefertiti” (which is currently number 3 on the Beatport Glitch-Hop chart). Next year is going to be pretty much constant work and a lot of fun.

How did you hook up with Marc Brownstein?

Marc and I had been talking for a while on Facebook, and I’d sent him some of my tracks to listen to. I honestly didn’t expect more of a response than, “Cool man, sounds good,” or some other polite-but-uninterested answer.

To my surprise, he sent back within just a few minutes and told me he really liked the tracks and that I should send more. Over the next few weeks we talked more and he told me that he was interested in helping my career.

[BUY tickets to The Disco Biscuits' New Year's Eve run on their website.]

He said that if I would give him the opportunity, he’d like to manage me, and use his knowledge of the music industry to help me in any way he could. We’ve been working together ever since.

How has he helped you get started? 

He’s helped me book some really mind-blowing shows. Playing on the same stage as The Disco Biscuits at all would be an honor for me, but playing on the biggest night of the year is beyond words.

He’s also helped me get connected with some really great musicians. I’d say most importantly, he knows a lot about this business that I know nothing about, and he’s been great in that sense. He also routinely gives me feedback on new tracks. I honestly could not ask for a better manager.

What kind of technology do you use on stage?

Right now I’ve got a fairly limited set-up as far as live performers go. I’m running Ableton Live on my MacBook Pro and I use an Akai APC40 MIDI controller.

A lot of people have more elaborate set-ups, but for what I’m doing right now, it is the perfect amount of equipment to use, and it makes it really easy for me to travel.

With software available to everyone, what sets you apart from everyone else in both tangible and intangible ways?

I think more than anything it’s my perspective. I think I have a pretty unique perspective on music, so I offer a lot of listeners a sound that they can’t find in most places.

I have a constant drive to improve myself and make every track I produce better than the previous track.

[LISTEN to Alpha Data's music on SoundCloud.]

Two years ago I went to see the Disco Biscuits in Chicago on Halloween . . . In a few weeks, I’ll be playing in that venue . . . with that band . . . on the biggest night of the year. Two years ago, this was something that was not even in the realm of possibilities for me in any way.

I’m currently halfway through my final year of law school, and I’ve managed to balance producing music and reading casebooks pretty well for the last three years.

Overall, I think I’ve just got an easygoing personality. I’ve been incredibly lucky to have the good fortune I’ve had thus far, and I like to try and stay humble about everything. Oh, and I love telling jokes. Especially extremely long jokes. If you ever see me at a show and want to hear a good joke, ask me. But be prepared to stand around for five minutes listening.

Skrillex just got 5 Grammy nods, Britney Spears is incorporating dubstep into her songs – what do you think of where electronic music is headed?

I think it represents a really phenomenal opportunity for EDM. It shows that more and more people are broadening their horizons and listening to music that in the past would have been condemned, as Hank Hill so eloquently put it, as “toilet sounds.”

As far as where it’s headed, I’m not really sure. People seem to be very worried about the notion of EDM “selling out,” or becoming too mainstream.

Regardless of whether or not that’s a feasible possibility, I think that as long as there are artists out there who are willing to push musical boundaries and try new things, it will continue to be a great time to be a fan of music for the foreseeable future.

Where do you see yourselves in 1 year? 2 years? 5 years? 10 years?

Celebrating the five-year anniversary of you asking me this question. I’ve wanted to use that line since the first time I ever heard Mitch Hedberg, and this is honestly the first chance I’ve ever gotten, so thank you for that.

As far as my Nostradamus predictions: I try not to get lost in thinking about the future too much. There’s so much that’s impossible to predict, and the present is way too much fun to spend any time being anywhere else.

I guess my biggest hope for the future is that I continue to maintain some success, am able to keep making music and, ideally, have that music bring some happiness into the lives of others.

Two years ago I went to see the Disco Biscuits in Chicago on Halloween. They played at an absolutely beautiful venue called the Auditorium Theatre. I walked in and looked around, thinking, “These are the luckiest guys on the planet. They get to play in this incredible place, playing music they love, for thousands of people. I will never know that feeling.”

In a few weeks, I’ll be playing in that venue . . . with that band . . . on the biggest night of the year. Two years ago, this was something that was not even in the realm of possibilities for me in any way.

Now that this is a reality, I plan on spending every possible waking moment being thankful for how lucky I am and soaking it in.


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Catch Alpha Data after The Disco Biscuits at the Best Buy Theater in New York City on December 27 at the after-party with Tipper and Orchard Lounge and playing set breaks at the Auditorium Theater in Chicago for New Year's Eve. He will also join Conspirator for their winter tour in 2012.