Hey Reddit, we're the Far East Movement

Hello

We're a group of friends born and raised in downtown Los Angeles. We've always been big music fans trying to pursue our dreams. It started out with working at record shops, to dj'ing clubs, and writing and producing mash up style tracks from our friend's bedroom. We love that classic party hip hop from the Beastie Boys, Run DMC to 2 Live Crew... we also love house. A few songs we've done are "Like a G6", "Rocketeer", "Girls on the Dance Floor", "Live My Life" and "Turn Up The Love". Our online fam was really what made the dream come true, so we recently put together a music video featuring fan submissions from all around the world for "Turn Up The Love": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oQ97_vcsKuM

And oh yeah, we love that Dirty Bass

We've got the whole crew in the house - Kev Nish, Proghress, J-Splif and DJ Virman. We're going to be popping in and out throughout the day and answer as many questions as we can. AMA!

EDIT: we're back from dinner. will answer some questions from the studio

**EDIT 2: was great chatting with yall. this community is amazing. thanks to everyone that contributed. now its time to get back to work in the studio. love n respect

Comments: 1678 • Responses: 60  • Date: 

anandora539 karma

Have you ever actually been in a G6 plane?

FMisFarEastMovement754 karma

never

braunshaver135 karma

The song is about being a G6 i hear

FMisFarEastMovement219 karma

lol... we just feel like one.

beckers_wolfman433 karma

‘Like A G6’ was everywhere two years ago. I can’t hear the song anymore without thinking of a friend of mine who insisted that the lyric was ‘Like a Cheese Stick’. She had no clue what a cheese stick would have to do with a night of raucous partying, though.

I don’t really have a question; I just wanted to share that little anecdote. But since this is an AMA, do you like cats?

FMisFarEastMovement351 karma

love cats, but allergic haha. we've stumbled upon some awesome parodies

ZeroCool2u105 karma

I finally figured out why you guys are called the Far East Movement.

FMisFarEastMovement105 karma

awesome

wooglinkai208 karma

If you could bang any girl in the world, who would it be?

FMisFarEastMovement886 karma

meg from family guy.

deciphermusic192 karma

What's up FM! This is Decipher, not sure if you remember me but just wanted to say keep doing yall thing.

FMisFarEastMovement169 karma

Decipher waddddddddddup!! AR fam all day thank you bro

zorcdestroyerofworld175 karma

Was it hard to break into rap because of your race? Do you feel like you had a harder time getting successful because of your race?

FMisFarEastMovement299 karma

i think we're lucky to be living in an age when people are more open minded to new things, new stories, new faces... so we had to work as hard as anyone else in the music industry but we don't think it was more difficult

funfungiguy156 karma

If you had only primitive weapons, and had to fight a dinosaur to the death in a "Dinosaur Death Match", what is the biggest dinosaur you think you could defeat? You don't have to give a specific dinosaur, just give us a general size. Also you can't set traps.

FMisFarEastMovement164 karma

a baby t-rex. we'd use the death touch from kill bill

HnB113 karma

Do you 4 divide your earnings equally?

FMisFarEastMovement152 karma

yes

kidbom112 karma

Your style has changed from the songs you made in Folk Music. Why the shift to a more electric dance hip-hop sound in Free Wired and Dirty Bass?

FMisFarEastMovement192 karma

thx for listening since then!!!!!!!!! as music fans ourselves, we grew up in the DJ community from working at record shops back when vinyl was hot to djing clubs... so our musical style is always changing with whatever inspires us. Beastie Boys have always been a huge inspiration to us, one thing we loved about them was how they always re-invent their sound and brand.

shanghaistunna99 karma

I just wanted to give a shout out to Kev Nish, apparently we're related. His grandma Mable is my grandpa Jimmie's older sister which makes us second cousins. I guess my question for you is, when are we having a family reunion?!

FMisFarEastMovement108 karma

hello family member haha. let me know!

mikenotreally99 karma

You guys are awesome, and are one of the first to let me see that asians could make it in the mainstream, without doing kung fu or being emasculated. My question, is do you feel a lot of pressure from the asian community (like me and countless others) to "represent" for your people? How do you deal with it?

FMisFarEastMovement102 karma

thank you fam! we feel so embedded into the community that we don't feel the pressure from the community, but instead we feel the community nurtures our growth and gives us the confidence to always experiment and try crazy things

tornado87593 karma

What is it like being famous? Does it ever get tiring?

FMisFarEastMovement189 karma

far from famous, but never get tired of doing what we love

DrunkeNinja84 karma

What are your favorite cartoons?

If you could be a piece of clothing for any celebrity, what would you be?

KFC or popeyes?

FMisFarEastMovement308 karma

  1. family guy
  2. mila kunis's short shorts.
  3. popeyes

Flowsion84 karma

Who's your favourite K-POP act?

FMisFarEastMovement164 karma

Jay Park. Drunken Tiger JK, Yoon Mirae, YB Rocks

middleson1280 karma

Which one of you is Steve Aoki?

FMisFarEastMovement170 karma

FMisFarEastMovement35 karma

J Splif.

interrupting_candy77 karma

Did you download the iOS6 update yet?

FMisFarEastMovement53 karma

not yet

Not_Blitzcrank75 karma

Can you acknowledge my existence? :)

FMisFarEastMovement118 karma

:)

Metalgrowler71 karma

Do you feel like gulfstream should give you a free g6 for promoting their product so well? Also if you ever need some metal vocals hit me up.

FMisFarEastMovement86 karma

YES. there was a petition out trying to at least get us a free ride but no luck. And love metal so thanks for the offer fam

MrRoyalScotsman65 karma

Did you guys genuinely enjoy performing at Arizona State? You guys seemed to have a ton of energy and you put on a great show. I ask this because it seemed like B.o.B. just wanted to show up, get paid, and bounced. You topped B.o.B.

FMisFarEastMovement108 karma

we LOVED performing at ASU. yall know how to party and could feel your energy from the stage so it was an honor to rock with the Sun Devils

Moxie242344 karma

i really love the song rocketeer what/who inspired you 2 write it

FMisFarEastMovement67 karma

thank you. much love to Bruno Mars who co-wrote that with us. we wanted to write a song about following our dreams and never looking back

virgin_thx_2_reddit40 karma

You guys are awesome! 2 quick questions...

  • Are you guys ever gonna play in the Ultra Music Festival?

  • When are you planning to visit South Florida again? :)

Thank you for your time!

FMisFarEastMovement45 karma

  1. if we're invited we'd love to.
  2. YES.. next year

random5guy36 karma

Do you feel Asian people are represented well enough in the American media?

FMisFarEastMovement90 karma

it can always be better

aSunnykiss30 karma

what are your ethnicities? love you guys

FMisFarEastMovement67 karma

love you. jsplif and prohgress are korean, kev nish is half japanese and chinese. dj virman is filipino

IMAHORSIE25 karma

What influenced your genre and how did you guys get together as a group? What tips do you have for aspiring artists?

FMisFarEastMovement36 karma

influenced by a lot of old school party hip hop from the the late 80's like the Beastie Boys, Run DMC, 2 Live Crew... mashed with current dance and pop. Tips for aspiring artists: have faith, keep your world positive and enjoy this!!!!

IMAHORSIE15 karma

[deleted]

FMisFarEastMovement32 karma

we've experienced it growing up just like any minority for sure. the best thing is to keep the world around you positive, and channel that into what you love.. the result was the far east movement

asaetern24 karma

What happen to the old FM I use to listen to on Aznraps.com? Where they had more meaningful lyrics/songs than the FM today? Freewire was a step in the right direction to get into mainstream music, but Dirtybass was 10 steps backwards and imho was pure garbage.

I understand the need to stay relevant and attract the young crowd, but what does it tell you when you show up on the billboard with only 3,000 album sells for first week of release of Dirtybass?

FMisFarEastMovement71 karma

lol we've been answering this question a lot. to re-state... we're always changing... from our musical tastes, to the clothes we like to the tv shows we watch.. and when you are creating music you create off what influences you. "meaningful' is all in the eyes of the beholder... to us our music represents our mood and we enjoy life so we want our music to reflect that and hopefully others feel the same when hearing it.

regarding our album release in the US, we havent promoted it yet out here. with our touring schedule we knew we would be spending our first half of the year overseas so we made the decision to launch our album promotion in Europe and Asia first and a huge thanks to the fans out there for the success the songs have seen. now we're working on promoting the album in the US and taking a tour out here... to be continued.. haha

Demotic23 karma

Another song like "Fetish". When can we expect one?

Also why doesn't J-Splif get on the mic a bit more?

FMisFarEastMovement20 karma

got a fetish for these kicks! will possibly do a song like that. thx for bumping it. J been writing different style parts as a songwriter now

maxjive21 karma

[deleted]

FMisFarEastMovement25 karma

congrats on your wedding, wish we could have been there to see it. the MAMA's were unforgettable since we almost didn't make the show due to last minute flight delays. but we made it, goood times!

ChampionMantis21 karma

How did you guys end up collaborating with Quest Crew for the first time? and how did you team up with Wong Fu productions to create the awesome ISA concerts? (Hopefully they are going to be rescheduled this year!)

FMisFarEastMovement23 karma

we met Ryan C from Quest on myspace hahah. he messaged us saying he dug the music and we hit them back saying we loved their choreo. ended up asking them to do a music video with us shot by Wong Fu Productions called "Dance Like MJ". Through this music video it inspired the creation of ISA. glad to see an ISA fan on here thx

Edwardian18 karma

So why the "fake" names? Why not use your real names or names that at least sound like they COULD be real names if it's for privacy. . . I doubt anyone has a birth certificate that says "J-splif" for example.

FMisFarEastMovement150 karma

quanfused16 karma

[deleted]

FMisFarEastMovement13 karma

first time seeing that hahah awesome. food on the road is tough to find a good selection so frozen white castle, white bread and salami is a staple in our tour bus fridge

Woodhi15 karma

Will there be a new album?

FMisFarEastMovement21 karma

working on a few new songs for a dirty bass repack

Taibo14 karma

How does being Asian influence your music, if at all?

FMisFarEastMovement30 karma

being Asian American is how we were born and raised, and how we grew up influences our music for sure... but our perspective is also representative of growing up in LA

[deleted]14 karma

What up Far East Movement. Do you guys remember playing a Margaritaville theme party at a frat at SDSU about 2 and a half years ago? Well that was my houses theme party and it also happened to be my 20th birthday party. Dancing with you guys on stage, smoking a blunt with shwayze and you guys raging with my friends and I after, so legit! I have to say that was one of my best birthdays ever. So thank you guys again.

FMisFarEastMovement18 karma

wow that event was rockin, yall had sand brought in and everything!!! hahah. totally remember, we got traaashed with yall hahahha

[deleted]13 karma

Do you get sick of hearing drunk chicks play "Like A G6" as much as i do?

FMisFarEastMovement144 karma

they're only actin like they're drunk.

Frajer13 karma

Was Hip Hop Squares as fun as it looked?

FMisFarEastMovement26 karma

it was hilarious. it was great to meet ghostface

sssossssaaa12 karma

Wanna hang out?

FMisFarEastMovement14 karma

sure

amimimi12 karma

Boxers or briefs?

And what's y'alls favorite Ramen noodle flavor?

PLEASE come to Georgia!

FMisFarEastMovement21 karma

boxer briefs to keep em snug. love chicken. love to GA

AreaManReddits10 karma

Favorite type of cup noodle?

FMisFarEastMovement22 karma

chicken

Mehverick10 karma

How was it working with Rye Rye, and are there any other artists you plan to collab with, or really want to work with?

Love your music you guys and I hope you continue to come out with great stuff.

FMisFarEastMovement9 karma

rye rye is a ball of energy. loved working with her and tried to learn how to booty shake from her haha. would love to work with the Beastie Boys (RIP MCA), Daft Punk, Janet Jackson.. too many to list

oniontomato10 karma

The first time I saw you guys on stage was during an LMFAO concert in IOWA. Any collaborations in the near future?

FMisFarEastMovement9 karma

nice thx, loved that Iowa show. Just did a collaboration with the Bingo Players and Wiley in the UK

joinedforFM10 karma

Hey guys,

I'm from Monterey Park and been with you guys the whole way since the small concert days at Alhambra and I still remember the flyers that were passed out. Was wondering if you guys had any opportunity for me to intern/work with you guys just for some experience.

I go to USC now and will still be here for the next few years. Let me know, thanks!

FMisFarEastMovement10 karma

mad love to monterey park and alhambra!

yes, hit up [email protected]

JamieSackville10 karma

What do you have in your pockets right now?

FMisFarEastMovement22 karma

pack of gum. iphone. used gum.

cblood5 karma

Used gum? How was it used?

JamieSackville10 karma

By chewing?

cblood9 karma

But would you put chewed gum into your pockets?

FMisFarEastMovement53 karma

we don't like to litter. wrapped it in an old dollar

khaoskyle10 karma

Have you ever experimented with classical music or symphonic music in your music style? I believe working with different genres of music will help your fans and non fans learn more about you as music artist.

FMisFarEastMovement12 karma

prohgress here, my parents both work in classical music so i was surrounded with it, probably to the point where i didn't want to be around it!! haha i agree though, we experiment mashing up all different genres

dailyciara9 karma

what are your favorite things to do when you're not making music?

FMisFarEastMovement13 karma

tacos, movies, jogging, cooking

equilizer9 karma

How did you guys get started with your music?

EDIT: Also who is your biggest inspiration?

FMisFarEastMovement16 karma

started as fans. figured out how to record over instrumentals from our bed rooms and pressed up cds. we would walk around the streets of LA and hit all the clubs with these cds with our phone numbers written on them hoping anyone would listen

seyser9 karma

[deleted]

FMisFarEastMovement42 karma

probably our cherrytree brothers LMFAO. every day on tour was an insane party haha. one of the most memorable would probably be the day Snoop Dogg asked us on stage and Warren G, Daz and Kurupt handed us their mics before we went on stage

gangnam_style_9 karma

I don't really know what to ask you. I just want to say that you guys are amazing and thank you for breaking every asian stereotype that makes us uncool or nerdy.

FMisFarEastMovement25 karma

we're un-cool and nerdy, but thank you.

Dj_Nu128 karma

What other music do you guys listen to in your free time?

FMisFarEastMovement21 karma

beastie boys, snoop dogg, sidney samson, michael jackson, bingo players

jaaaaake8 karma

Far East Movement, I'm going to have my first EP finished soon, and I'm going to collaborate with you early next year. Together we are going to release a single that redefines electronic pop music. It's going to change the way people groove, and bring forth the new era of audio. Might I request a tour of your recording facilities, so that we may become acquainted? I'm in San Diego.

I will be in touch with you presently.

FMisFarEastMovement6 karma

well planned. awesome

olivaw_another8 karma

1) What are your favorite albums of all time?

2) If you were on your (collective) death beds, what would be your last meals?

3) Do you have any cool stories about your early days as a hip hop group?

THANKS!

FMisFarEastMovement12 karma

  1. Doggystyle and Thriller and Ill Communication
  2. El Taurino carne asada tacos
  3. will have to think about that one

poophead77 karma

Yo guys, thanks for doing this AMA. All I really have to say is that I once handled some of your equipment while you were shipping it through fedex. Sooo... I've touched your stuff.

FMisFarEastMovement19 karma

whereismybeer6 karma

If you could chose 2 historical or current music legends to fight each other, who would they be and who would win?

FMisFarEastMovement18 karma

Barbara Streisand vs Celine Dion ... Barbara wins in an arm bar

Flowsion6 karma

The first K-POP / Korean Convention is happening in North America. Would you guys be interested in going? I think it'd be pretty awesome to have the first super successful Korean guys in the US be there.

FMisFarEastMovement6 karma

heard about it, if it works with our tour schedule would love to

Soliduok6 karma

Your new music sounds great and I'm sure it's going to take off well. You've worked with lots of different artists now, who has been the most enjoyable to work with? The most difficult to work with?

FMisFarEastMovement10 karma

hard to choose, one of the most memorable would be Snoop Dogg since we grew up in Los Angeles and are such huge fans. Difficult?? to be continued hahhaa

amimimi5 karma

Is there anyone outside of your genre you'd want to work with?

FMisFarEastMovement23 karma

Maroon 5, We The Kings, Linkin Park, Muse, Gotye

Mountainmantom4 karma

Lowridin, My favorite song from you guys, have you ever thought about doing anything back to your roots?

FMisFarEastMovement5 karma

our song "Flossy" off our new album dirty bass was inspired by Lowridin. always referencing our roots in our new music