4/20 in Colorado is no joke. It marks the opening days at the legendary venue of Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre and, of course, is a holiday for stoners in a weed-legal state. For the past two years now, Flosstradamus has made it the home of HDYFEST, and the 2017 rendition brought a new stage design and an untouchable lineup to match. Supported by What So Not, Gucci Mane, Branchez and Gryffin, Floss brought what was arguably the best HDYFEST lineup ever.
Better yet, our writer Travis McGovern and I got to sit down with the man himself backstage at one of the world’s most historic music venues.
Here’s what went down.
How are you doing man?
Good. A lot of big ordeals today, I’m stoked. I’ve been producing this stage set up for awhile so I’m excited; nervous and excited at the same time.
That was a little bit into where I was going but what can we expect with this new stage? We got a teaser video but it didn’t show too much. So what can we expect, is it part of a bigger picture, do you have a tour going on?
Yeah so every year at Red Rocks, I debut a new stage set up. Last year was the Bunker at HDYFest and this year is this pyramid thing and we’re all stoked about it. It all started from P Thug from Chromeo showed me this thing where you can cut a CD case and you can make a hologram with your iPhone. Like you cut a CD case into triangles and you put it on your iPhone and it makes a hologram. He showed me it like two years ago at this Christmas party and I was like “whoa that’s dope, it’d be cool to make this large scale and make it like a pyramid thing since our logo is a pyramid.” So anyway, it was always in the back of my mind and that’s what happened. We ended up making a large version of that.
So are we going to get a tour from it too?
Yeah definitely. I don’t know when that is but definitely. I always want to after a new stage reveal.
So you like announce and then…
Yeah I design the stage set up for Red Rocks, and then usually later in the year is when the tour happens. Like the Bunker, we debuted it at Red Rocks and I think it went out on tour like last Fall, it was later and almost going around Christmas time too.
What’s it like being on the road all the time? Do you produce the same? Do you produce on a laptop or do you need to be in studio?
I need to be in the studio. Road life is awesome, but it’s just so go go go and for me the way I make music is I need to sit down and focus. So it’s hard to make music but it’s good for other things like designing stage set ups. I design all the clothes for Floss so doing that type of stuff is good, but yeah music definitely gets the back seat.
What are the best and worst parts of touring for you?
You know it’s funny the best and the worst parts are the same thing. Like, the best part of being in the studio is being able to travel, but the worst part is the travelling. It’s the weirdest shit man, it’s hard to explain.
Do you have any music on the horizon?
Yeah, yeah. I just had my new track come out with Flocka, about to have one with Dillon Francis coming out, one with Rickyxsan, and a single coming out this summer that’s just a solo single. It’s more like the pop side, summery vibe song. Then have some festival banger songs too. I’m very excited for everything coming out, and that’s what this year is about. A little bit of time away from touring, because last year we had a crazy amount of shows, so this year a little less shows and more music.
Speaking of your track with Flocka and Mayhem, what was it like collabing with them in the studio?
Floss: Yeah! Well with Flocka, I’ve toured with him for awhile. When Josh from Floss had a baby two years ago, Flocka came out and toured with me for the whole summer and so we just became really good friends. Whenever we hashtagged photos we’d say #Flockadamus, and we joked about starting a project so we started recording a bunch of songs. This was just the first one to release and that beat, I made it with Mayhem a few years ago and we ended up sending that and a ton of other beats to Flocka and he ended up liking that one and it was the first to come out, with maybe some others coming too, we’ll see. It was just all organic man, he’s such a chill dude.
He’s vegan right?
Yeah man it’s crazy! He’s like, the hardest vegan.
So this is your second rendition of HDYFest here. Outside of Red Rocks, what made you decide to come to Colorado? What’s your relationship with your fans out here?
Dude, I mean this is the bass capital of the world for one. We just always have great shows here, every time we’ve come out here it’s always been a memorable experience, especially Red Rocks, they’re just the most memorable shows. So yeah, we were just like… Y’know it was funny we were like where are we going to move HDYFest too and we said Red Rocks jokingly and we ended up talking to the team here and they made it happen. It was weird. And then it did so well last year they invited us back this year.
So this was a big one. Gucci Mane. Huge, unexpected add for the HDYFest line up. Are you planning to play more shows with him, are you a huge fan of his music? How’d that all go down?
All of the above. Huge fan of the music, and yeah planning on making music with him. I was talking to him tonight, but he has another show at the Ogden tonight so he was running to that. But yeah he was like “hit me up, lets get some stuff going,” so hopefully we’ll see.
Alright, we have some 4/20 questions for you… So yeah, at Red Rocks 4/20 weekend is a pretty big deal, it’s like the start of the season. So how much do you actually smoke on 4/20? And how do you balance it with performing?
Y’know it’s weird, so before I get on stage I usually take like small, low dose edibles. That’s been my shit lately actually is doing like small, low dose edibles throughout the day instead of doing like a huge amount and ruining my day and then finally recovering and enjoying some of it. So it’s been like low dose edibles so that’s what I’ve been doing. Especially today since it’s so high pressure, the edibles kind of keep me chill and help with the anxiety with everything. And then post show I’m probably going to turn up. Like if you were going to ask me this question after the set it’d probably be a completely different answer. *laughing*
So do you have a particular strain you prefer? In the studio do you smoke different strains?
It varies, like I’ll do sativa stuff in the daytime. Like coffee and sativa. I try to get high CBD in both. Then at night I’ll usually get indica, usually in a little edible style or smoke if I have to, little vape pen style.
Do you have a favorite particular strain?
There’s this one called WiFi. And when I smoked it it was weird cause like it’s just happy. I don’t know how to explain it. Like, weed makes you happy but I don’t know how to explain this. I smoked it with some friends in the studio and I don’t know it was almost like drunk vibes but off weed which is weird. So WiFi is my shit. I don’t even know what it is. I was like what is this? And we looked at the little package and it said WiFi and I was like “alright that’s my favorite.” I haven’t found it since either.
So with that, I know that artists like Big Gigantic, GRiZ, they’ve all partnered with local dispensaries and started their own personal strains. Have you ever thought of doing your own?
We’ve done little collab strains but I want to get my own strain.
Yeah like Die Antwoord has their whole merch they do off of it.
The thing that’s cool with actual marketing things is you can’t take weed across state lines but I can take the brand across. So I can have a strain sold in Seattle and sold here and it’s kinda cool.
We’ll do our review of it. *laughing*
That could be included in your new VIP package for fans. *laughing*
Yeah, everyone just gets a dime bag with VIP ticket. *laughing*
Alright, what is the stoner 4/20 anthem?
Ooooo, I’m gonna say Roll Up because it’s my song. *laughing* No but otherwise, you know this is so corny, but I’m gonna say Because I Got High. I’m gonna play it tonight. I’m just going say that is, I don’t know it’s just so funny and ridiculous. I was kind of embarrassed putting it in the set, it’s so borderline, but you know I said fuck it.
Okay last one, if you could choose any musician dead or alive to get high with and make music who would it be?
Fuck man, that’s a deep one… And you said dead people too… Man… I’m gonna say alive Andre 3000 for sure. Dead I would say Jerry Garcia.
What would a Floss and Jerry Garcia track sound like?
I don’t know man, he would be shredding on it. I’d make like a little two minute part and then let him go for ten minutes and then bring it back at the end. *laughing* You know maybe actually it’ll be Andre 3000 and Jerry Garcia. *laughing* One track, that would be tight.
New 4/20 anthem!
Yeah man, exactly.
Well, thanks! I appreciate your time and look forward to the set.
Enjoy the holiday dudes!
