Big news. Joey Valence & Brae (JVB) and DJ LSDream just released an amazing new collaboration called “RAD”. How amazing? Well, the song has recorded over 125k streams in its first week after release, and the artists recently came together to perform it live to a sold out Red Rocks crowd. As fans of both LSDream and JVB, we were very happy to learn they used Boombox to help power the collaboration.
Meet the Artists
If you’ve never heard of JVB or LSDream, you should stop reading this and go give them a listen. Joey Valence & Brae (spotify) are a hip-hop duo from Pennsylvania who’ve been making some serious waves in the indie hip hop scene the past couple of years. Most people compare their sound to the Beastie Boys. Their debut album “Punk Tactics” (2023) recently charted into the top 10 on Spotify, solidifying a promising early foothold in the indie hip hop world.
Emerging from the underground EDM scene, DJ LSDream (spotify) has carved a niche with his innovative soundscapes and immersive live performances. He’s no stranger to collaborations. Over the years, he’s worked with dozens of other prominent DJs, including Buku, Champagne Drip, Liquid Stranger, CoJaxx and more.
The idea of collaborating with Joey and Brae was sparked by award-winning producer & songwriter Jason Evigan, who has worked with several stars including Maroon 5, Charlie Puth, David Guetta. Evigan is currently working with LSDream and introduced him to JVB’s music. It wasn’t long before LSDream reached out to JVB on Instagram, setting the stage for the collaboration.
Over the next few weeks, the trio exchanged ideas on vocals, arrangements, and more, all on Boombox.
How Boombox Powered the “RAD” Collab.
So how did Boombox help? We actually got to catch up with the guys recently to discuss exactly that. Here are a few key features JVB and LSDream said helped the most in the process.
First and foremost, time-stamped comments. This feature allows collaborators to leave time-specific notes and comments on any individual mix. Boombox brings the commenting functionality everybody loves to use on Soundcloud earlier into the production process, and private to just your collaborators. This is a big pain relief for producers. Nobody likes having to go back and forth in a giant email or text thread. Time-stamped notes enhance precision in communication and also allow collaborators to pinpoint exact moments or sections that need revision.
Joey told us, “Being able to make comments on specific parts of the track on early versions helps us get through the process a lot faster. It’s also cool to be able to go back and see the old versions and the history of notes that we made through the production process.”
Voice notes. Notes don’t have to be just written text. Boombox allows users to generate voice notes with the same time-stamped precision as a text comment. This ensures clarity in communication and captures nuances and emotions that written text might miss.
Brae chimed in on Boombox’s voice note feature, saying, “One of the things we use all the time are the voice comments. None of us like taking a bunch of time sitting around typing notes out, so it’s cool to just be able to freestyle a thought or a verse with a voice note.”
Simple sharing and playlist creation. We do our best at Boombox to make sharing all of the files associated with a song as simple as possible. You can share individual files via an open link with whoever you want, or you can add collaborators to a project so they have access to a living folder containing all of the files relevant to the song or album you’re working on. Once your mixes get to a certain spot, creating a playlist in Boombox is a simple way to share multiple unreleased tracks. Many of our users utilize this feature to pitch songs, or in JVB’s case, just to share with their crew prior to release.
Joey told us, “After a new song’s done, most of us want to share it around with our inner circle, our close friends, before it goes out to the world. We don’t want to confuse them by sharing the whole project, so building a playlist in Boombox was a cool way to share our songs around without having to worry about anything leaking before the release.” He adds, “We’re actually back in the studio for our next album in November. We’ve been thinking it might be a cool way to give our fans a little sneak peek at a track before the real release.”
The Success of “RAD”
The connection between JVB and LSDream was so strong, it went beyond the studio and into the live performance arena. JVB were asked to be one of the openers for LSDream’s sold-out show at Red Rocks. Not only did they deliver a captivating 35-minute set, but they were also invited to perform “RAD” with LSDream during his headline set.
In just a week after its release, “RAD” has amassed over 125,000 streams on Spotify, a reflection of the collective talent of these artists and a clear indicator of the power of their collaboration.
This collaboration between JVB and LSDream, amplified by Boombox, showcases the transformative power of technology in modern music creation. It’s a compelling narrative of innovation, talent, and the ever-expanding possibilities of artistic partnerships. Watch their live performance from Red Rocks below: