Title Photo Credit: Yoder Productions
After a killer set from Party Favor at this year's Lollapalooza featuring dark, hilarious visuals and multiple mosh pits, things had calmed down I got the opportunity to sit down and talk with Party Favor (aka Dillon). While Party Favor wasn't new to the Chicago or Midwest scene, this was his first Lolla performance. In my opinion and judging by the reaction of the crowd, he killed it! I brought up the craziness of his set, which of course he appreciated.
“It was crazy! The energy was amazing. People came out early for me and it was amazing to see the crowd grow as I went on. It's a really great feeling of everyone being so responsive and ready to party. For me, that's as good as it gets.”
The last time I caught Party Favor was at a venue in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. While both crowds had maxed-out energy, the sizes definitely made a difference of the overall vibe during the set. I asked Dillon what type of crowd he preferred.
“The big festivals are crazy because you have so many people going so hard in one place, plus the production and the spectacle. I still prefer the more intimate venues because I think that's when you get so much more sweaty and into the set and the crowd goes so much harder. I feel like they're there with you and you don't feel so distant on stage.”
Lollapalooza is a festival that welcomes all genres. With set times competing with other acts, and music fans walking around the festival that might not be familiar with Party Favor music, I asked Pary Favor if he thought of that as a challenge or an opportunity.
“For me I love playing festivals like this or Coachella, playing next to artists I look up to in other types of music. DJs and their fans sometimes get caught in this bubble and forget that there's other music out there. I'm a huge fan of Hip Hop, Alternative Rock, Metal, a little bit of everything. For me, it's inspiration. It's cool that you might have people coming to my set that may have never heard me or don't know who I am, so for me it's a chance to win some new fans and also show someone who doesn't know our world a taste of dance music.”
Besides the festivals and live sets, Party Favor has been busy in the studio. His new EP is scheduled to be released soon. I was intrigued by Hip Hop influences of the EP.
“There's definitely some Hip Hop influences, but obviously it's not anything full Hip Hop. I wanted to show some versatility on this record. I've got some more mellow and anthemic tracks. There's a track with Dillon Francis that is Moombahton, a track with Hip Hop influences with Rich The Kid, and a track that has more of a ‘poppier' style with Sean Kingston. I've kind of been known for the twerkier and Trap stuff, but I've never wanted to be confined to one genre. This is also a chance for me to showcase where I am as an artist, here's who you've always known, and here's where I'm going. I want to evolve.”
Obviously, Party Favor is ready to show his fans he has a variety of sounds to share with everyone, and not just a one trick pony. From the 110 BPM record with Dillon Francis to the 140 BPM anthemic track featuring the vocals of Georgia Ku , this EP will have it all. The new EP is scheduled for release on August 12th and has been at least a year in the making. Party Favor is also putting tons of work into his headling show at El Ray Theatre.
“I'm trying to sell it out all on my own without any sort of outside promotion. I'm going to start showing people that ‘Hey, here I am and I'm here to stay!'.”
For as long as I've known about Party Favor, he has been true to the Mad Decent label. A great label to partner with since they seem to match their loyalty to their artists.
“Mad Decent is great. I love that I'm constantly inspired and challenged by the people I'm around. When you're at a label like that which has so many talented people and trendsetters in the industry, it inspires you to do more. They're a great family”
Being the 25th anniversary of the well known festival, Lollapalooza, I asked Party Favor if there were any past performances or memories of Lolla he had, or maybe someone he was looking forward to seeing this weekend.
“Major Lazer is going to kill it today. I wanted to see Rufus Del Sol and Duke Dumont.”
There were other artists on the list Party Favor wanted to see, including Red Hot Chili Peppers, but duty calls. He had to play at an after party with Valentino Khan that night before taking off to hit another show the next day.
Finally, the 25th anniversary is commonly known as the ‘Silver Anniversary'. I asked Party Favor, if there was one item in the world that he could take and turn into silver to give back to Lollapalooza, what would it be? After a few rain showers that day, he responded with a fitting answer of an umbrella.
Big thanks to Party Favor for taking the time to talk with me during the craziness during Lollapalooza! We wish him the best with the upcoming shows and EP!
