Brett Callwood
L.A.-based production/DJ duo Vindata (Branden Ratcliff and Jared Poythress) have been active since 2010. They’re about to return with two new singles — “Good 4 Me” and “Union” — and a debut album …With Opened Eyes.
They’ve come a long way; both experimented with production in high school, making hip-hop and R&B beats. It didn’t get serious until about 2007/08 — then Vindata happened.
“We met through mutual friends and basically fell in love with electronic music around the same time,” says Poythress. “It started out as just an experimental thing. We worked with our friends on other side projects to get our feet wet. After a while, we finally discovered our own style and knew what we wanted to bring to the table ourselves.”
Ratcliff says that the sound is fluid and eclectic.
“We like to pull from many different inspiration sources when we sit down to make a track,” he says. “But most of our songs come from our R&B, hip-hop, and gospel upbringing. Our sound has definitely evolved over time. When we first started, our tracks were harder and more technical. But now, we usually focus on the feeling and vibe of a record before anything else.”
According to Poythress, the main themes on the new album are reflections on past experiences.
“‘Good 4 Me’ is a record about when you’re just feelin’ yourself,” he says. “We all have those moments when we know we’re on point.”
“‘Union’ is more about discovery or finding one’s true purpose and committing to it,” adds Ratcliff.
Looking deeper into 2021, Poythress says that there will be collabs and remixes to follow.
“We’re really excited to share all this music we’ve been holding on to,” he says.
The “Good 4 Me” and “Union” singles are out now. The …With Opened Eyes album drops in June.
