Meet Miāo: An Exciting New Techno Duo

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Together, Maomi Chu (left) and Carly Lynch (right) make up Miāo, an exciting new duo that’s been bringing dark techno music and their ‘alien beatz’ to rock dance floors from Los Angeles to Dallas. After getting to open for Lane 8 at his “This Never Happened Tour” stop in Dallas on 9/22, Miāo sat down with WOTN to discuss the motivations behind their sound and what’s next for them as an up and coming DJ/Producer duo.

For those not familiar with you two, tell us a little bit about your background.
Maomi: Carly is originally from Dallas and I was born in Houston. We have both been in the Dance Music scene for about four years. We were promoters for a few years with a company called Full Access under Jeremy Word, who had a big impact on how we saw the music industry from behind the scenes. “Unity Thru Music” is the slogan he lives by and so do we.

When did you first start showing an interest in DJing?
We started talking about it two years ago, but took the initiative to start one year ago. We both have a burning passion to travel and discover what the world has to offer us. We’ve been to countless music festivals all over the country and after a certain point we both realized we wanted to make our own art to be able to share with the dance scene. We followed certain artists around for years and they eventually gave us the motivation to create something of our own. NOTHING makes us feel the way that music does. It’s like a safe haven to us.

miao

How did you two first meet and what led to you deciding to become DJs together?
We actually first met in the crowd at EDC Las Vegas in 2012 during Knife Party’s set. Needless to say, we were all at one time ‘baby ravers’ (no shame.) We later attended school together back in Dallas, and our friendship just grew from there. Day of the Dead 2013 was our first out of state festival that we attended together and ever since then we’ve been side by side, travel/music wise and for the past 2+ years we’ve been on the same wavelength when it comes to our music taste. At a certain point, the music we were listening to started to all sound the same and nothing was catching our interest anymore, until we discovered Drumcode Records. After discovering more and more Drumcode artists, they were the ones that really inspired us to pursue a career in music.

Is there anything you find easier about DJing in a duo as opposed to alone? Anything more difficult?
Carly: We complement each other’s strength and weaknesses really well, whenever I slack, she’s always there to pick me up and vise versa.
Maomi: We haven’t discovered anything more difficult yet.

You both love dancing, how do you factor this into the music you play in your live sets? And also, how does it feel when you look out from the DJ booth and see people dancing and enjoying what you play?
Maomi: Carly has been dancing for 4-5 years and has gained a good following from the dance community throughout the nation. When we first started traveling together, she introduced me to all these amazing dancers and since then, they have been some of our closet friends and biggest supporters.
Carly: It is always the greatest feeling to see people dancing to what we’re spinning because that is our main goal during our sets. It doesn’t matter if there’s 5 people or 500 people on the dancefloor, as long as everyone is moving and grooving to the beat, we’re happy.

What’s your favorite thing about the dance music scene?
Our favorite thing about the scene is all the friendships/relationships that we’ve cultivated within the scene. Without our love for the scene, we wouldn’t have met each other. For the most part, everyone we speak to on a regular basis or hangout with, we’ve met through the music scene.

Who has been your biggest mentor since you started DJing, and what’s one tip or helpful piece of advice they have given you?
Robert Pennington (Closed Caption) and Chris Lund (Left/Right)
They told us that in order to grow and to see the full potential of Miāo, every move we make needs to be bigger than the last.

Who helped to create your darker techno sound? Was there a set you saw or DJs you’ve listened to that helped mold or inspire your unique style?
Nicole Moudaber, Adam Beyer, Richie Hawtin, Hell Driver, Mark Sherry, & Gene Karz are some of our biggest influences in our production. Nicole Moudaber’s live sets and her success in the space have especially inclined us to go in a darker direction.

What’s next for Miāo, are there any projects in the works or upcoming shows you’re excited about?
We are currently resident DJs for Audiophile XXL’s monthly event called Bass Ellum at Punk Society in Dallas, TX. We are looking forward to branching out in the Los Angeles underground scene as well. That being said, the transition between moving from Dallas to LA is the biggest upcoming change for us right now. We have a really big support system here in Dallas and the West Coast and we couldn’t be more grateful for everyone that has been there with us from the beginning.

Upcoming Events:
Bass Ellum 008 (10/13) @ Punk Society – Dallas, TX

Connect with Miāo:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/miaomusix/
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/miaomusix
Instragram: @miaomusix
Twitter: @miaomusix

Be sure to check out their new Xenon EP available on Beatport or stream their new song Kontrol on Soundcloud.

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