Twin sisters RaeCola opened the second day of Shabang at Funk Safari. The Chicago-born, LA-based duo wouldn’t let this overcast day shadow their stellar performance. A mix of classic hits and original works, RaeCola aimed to have everyone dance during their set. For those who recently saw them at EDC and Project GLOW Festival, you know exactly how captivating these DJs are on stage.
I sat with the duo after their performance to learn more about their musical journey, their manifestation journal, and what’s next.
How has your music journey progressed since releasing your first EP, Bezerk?
Rae
It’s progressed so much. I look back and I’m excited by the journey. I think we’ve tried a lot of different things to find our place, which has been exciting. We found what we want our sound to be like, especially with songwriting and dirty bass lines. We’re continuing to grow and work with new artists. It’s been exciting.
Cola
No matter what, as artists, I feel like you always want to be transforming and growing, to learn new things, to have new interests, and life experiences. It’s cool to be able to incorporate those different aspects into our music as well.
Were there any particular events on your manifestation list that you’re excited came true?
Rae
Everything we’ve done as DJs has made me believe in manifestation. It started with Dirtybird, which transformed our music when we were just DJing, even before we were releasing music. It was one of our first travel shows, which was cool. We’re playing EDC this year. That’s been a goal we’ve had written down as a manifestation.
From your perspective, how does Ghetto House music set itself apart from other genres?
Rae
I think a lot of the bass line and the kick, and the vocal chops in general are so unique to the genre. Having those repetitive, dirty vocals is such a vibe that can change the moment of a set. You turn something that is almost unexpected at a lot of times. It sets the vibe of the song genre. It switches the mood and makes people bounce with it. It’s a feeling, and it’s exciting when you get to play shows, and people have never heard this before, that a part of Chicago.
Is there one song you’ve made that people get down to the most? Why do you believe that is?
Cola
I think our most recent release has been great. We did “Nite Cap” with UNIIQU3, and we started playing it at the beginning of the year, and it definitely hits different every time. The stank faces in the crowd.
Rae
The lyrics are catchy and something everyone vibes to. We’re like talking about drinks, and everyone has their drink in their hands [laughs]. You got a really good rap verse on there. It has a more radio-style format while still being house, so it has a different edge to it, too.
What song of yours would you say is your most underrated?
Rae
I love “Off The Goose.” I think we both put a lot of creative, fun energy into that song. We literally set up one night, turned on the mic, and just started singing. And the lyrics came out. It was the first time we did full-blown lyrics, not just like a four-bar or eight-bar.
Cola
It sometimes gets its flowers. But if you haven’t seen it yet, we made a dance project for it. “Off The Goose” was a creative passion project for us. I don’t know if that’s underrated or not, but one of my favorites. When I look at having creative flow and things just coming naturally, and being in that state of just creativity. That’s a song that feels like a higher power.
How did you feel about your set today?
Rae
That was so fun. I saw Shabang on Instagram over the years. There are no expectations for what the vibe will be. So many people came out dancing and vibing. That always makes me so happy. And you’re looking at these beautiful hills outside, such an unreal view.
Cola
I love it when I look down, there were two kids dancing in the front row. It’s so nice seeing all ages getting down to house music. It’s special. I feel like we also got to do a fun little journey within our set time, playing different genres and adding a lot of new releases and unreleased music too.
RaeCola
