Brooklyn rap producers Party Supplies got what you need

by Aaron Zorgel

October 14, 2013

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Party Supplies are a band. Let’s get that straight.

Despite the fact that the moniker is often cited as the hip-hop production alias of Justin Nealis, the Brooklyn-based one-two punch of Nealis and multi-instrumentalist Sean Mahon came together to reveal a heavily ‘80s-influenced, synth-laden debut for Fool’s Gold Records in September. Anyone expecting more of the sample-driven boom-bap that characterized Action Bronson’s Party Supplies-produced mixtape Blue Chips instead got Tough Love, nine pop songs elevated by lovesick vocal hooks, jangly Strat leads, and chopped-up beats courtesy of Nealis’ trusty MPC.

At one time Party Supplies was a solo project for Nealis. More recently, he’s working to make it clear that Mahon is essential to the project’s two-pronged approach. The pairing makes perfect sense when you consider the musical duality of Party Supplies’ discography: Nealis writes self- described “kinda corny” rock songs by day, and makes beats for Action Bronson when he’s not in front of a mic stand. Sean Mahon, on the other hand, is a pro-tier runner (literally), who lends his considerable musical talents to Nealis’ songs, beats, and live performances when he’s not, y’know, clocking in personal bests and four-minute miles at the track. In our interview, Nealis even noted that he could see Mahon having to choose between doing Coachella and the Olympics.

These guys are both very good at (at least) two very different things, which is a big part of the duo’s success in two disparate musical arenas. And when they come together, good shit tends to manifest.

I gave Justin Nealis a call and asked him what it’s like working with Fool’s Gold, how he manages the balancing act of having two musical personalities, and life’s most important question: what are the essential ingredients for planning the perfect party?

AUX: Congrats on Tough Love. I feel like it’s been a long time in the making, so I just wanted to hear how that’s been for you.

Justin Nealis: First of all, thanks man, for liking the album. It’s definitely been a long process. We had a lot of ideas on the table for this album, so many different rough ideas, and songs. The ones that were finished are on the album, and the songs that aren’t finished are gonna be on our second album, and our third, and fourth, and fifth.

Glad to hear you’ve got long term plans. You played Fool’s Gold Day Off a couple days ago. How was that?

That was great. It’s a strange dynamic that we have with the audience because they…well, the Fool’s Gold’s audience isn’t used to hearing a band of this nature.

It’s kind of an interesting fit for Fool’s Gold. How did that relationship start?

They’re always looking to expand to anything that could be poppin’, I guess. When I linked up with them, they just dug the songs. I sent it over to A-Trak and Nick, and they kind of gave me the courage to do this. It’s not just something that people are gonna laugh at. I was always writing vocal stuff since I was like 10 years old, so it wasn’t new to me. But it was when I started the idea that I was gonna publicize this shit, and try to go out there and do shows, and try to actually do this shit, A-Trak was like, “this shit is good, man.” My parents thought it was good and shit. Everyone was like, “this shit is good…you should probably release some of this shit.”

Was it always a conscious effort to balance beatmaking with the vocal stuff you do on Tough Love?

I’ve always been gravitating towards this shit. Making beats is something I love to do. [Action] Bronson, he’s one of the only artists I work with, and working with him has been great. I like making beats, but you’ve gotta understand, I like singing my heart out, and writing love songs. It’s as simple as that. At the end of the day, there’s never been a producer who’s made something that’s rap that people actually like, and is relevant, then going ahead and doing a rock, kinda corny, vocal project. You know what I’m saying? I love the eighties. I’m a corny dude. I like big Eddie Money choruses and shit.

Did you have to take a different approach knowing the album was going to be for sale and you’d have to clear any samples you used?

A lot of songs couldn’t make the record because of sample clearances. I’m gonna put out that extended version for free. I like experimenting, though. I could sample a Kellogg’s commercial, I could sample something from now, or I could sample something from the sixties. I could sample voices, interviews, people talking, people screaming. The Internet will help bridge the gap between the fans and the music that I can’t commercialize. At the end of the day, the Internet is a great thing for me. If we can’t sell it on iTunes, we’ll just give it out for free.

I gotta ask about [Action Bronson’s] Blue Chips 2, specifically the release plan.

It will come out on the first day that it rains in November, in the borough of Queens.

I consulted the Farmer’s Almanac for New York. Apparently last year the first rain of November happened on the 8th.

Oh wow, so it could come out around the 8th, then. I gotta tell Bronson you checked the almanac. That’s amazing.

This article originally appeared in the October 2013 Issue of AUX Magazine.

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Tags: Music, Interviews, action bronson, AUX Magazine October 2013, Party Supplies

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