This year, the entire world is shuffling to LMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem." So far, the unstoppable track from the Los Angeles-based duo has topped iTunes charts in seven countries, and spent weeks atop the English pop charts in April and May, when the duo kept artists such as Chris Brown and Jennifer Lopez from reaching the number one slot across the pond. As further testament to the global love for the song, the vibrant music video passed twenty million views on Vevo in under two months
And LMFAO's "Party Rock Anthem" (featuring Lauren Bennett and GoonRock), is just the opening round of Redfoo and Sky Blu's forthcoming full-length album, Sorry For Party Rocking (Party Rock/will.i.am/Cherry Tree/Interscope).
"Sorry for party rocking is a party person's excuse for having fun," explains Redfoo, LMFAO's member known for his gravity-defying afro.
"It's the excuse you give when someone complains," he continues. "Let's say your parents say ‘stop shuffling upstairs you're waking me up!' You can now just say ‘Sorry for party rocking, Mom…sorry for having fun.'"
Redfoo's nephew, Sky Blu, echoes the sentiment, minus the apology. "We rock the party and lead by example," says LMFAO's lyrical wordsmith.
The duo is without question having fun in 2011, celebrating their successes by partying to the seriously infectious dance songs they have created, which prove as irresistible to radio as they do to DJs in clubs worldwide.
"We make all kinds of records, and we're serious about what we do," says Sky Blu.
According to Redfoo, the duo are more than dance/pop music creators….they are scientific spinsters of a carefully crafted soundtrack for a new generation of global party people. With LMFAO's debut and GRAMMY® nominated full length record, 2009's Party Rock, Redfoo showcased a new breed of music that now appeals to radio programmers worldwide.
"We're music designers," Redfoo says.
"If music is a way to communicate with people, we're almost like scientists," he continues. "Some people make software applications. Drama movie writers write a story that can make you cry. We're designing something for use in the clubs for DJs and we know exactly what we built it for."
Sky Blu agrees with his cohort, adding that the group boasts skills only hinted at so far in their career, which began in earnest five years ago after their now club staple anthem "I'm In Miami, Bitch" bubbled up from the underground club scene and caught the attention of Interscope Records via the Black Eyed Peas' will.i.am (interesting fact: Redfoo and will.i.am are childhood friends, and Foo produced the Pea's first demo in his home studio!)
But no one can say LMFAO's success was accidental…both men have been driven for years, and passionate about music since their early teens.
Prior to a set at Las Vegas' Surrender nightclub (Blu holds down a monthly dj residency at the Wynn, while Redfoo is a monthly resident at Marquee Las Vegas inside the new Cosmopolitan), Sky said, "I'm a real DJ. But I'm also a rapper…I grew up listening to Tupac, Mos Def and Eminem."
To that end, Foo and Sky have created an entire record of rap-infused party rock anthems for their forthcoming Insterscope album, which will likely ignite dance floors from Sydney to Stockholm and all points between come summer.
From the driving, propulsive, acid-house-tinged hip-hop of "I'm Sexy And I Know It," to the sugar-soaked, synth-laden VIP anthem "Champagne Showers," LMFAO furthers the global wave of crossover club smashes with their unique twists on this forthcoming album, which is sure to please fans well into 2012.
"We're just getting started," says Sky, who is looking forward to the LMFAO's summer 2011 tour with Ke$ha.
Those unable to catch LMFAO on tour are at home hitting the replay button on their computers, watching one of the most buzzed about videos for dance and music fans in early 2011, "Party Rock Anthem."
"That was one of the sickest videos ever," says Sky, who grew up dancing and shows off his moves alongside Redfoo in the high-energy video, filmed at Paramount Studios' "New York" back lot. "We were very inspired by ‘Thriller,' and to have an opportunity to do something like that is amazing," the rapper said, before adding: "No one knows this about us, but we are high level athletes, and we go hard whether it's basketball, tennis, skateboarding or dancing."
The duo's hard work has rewarded music fans with exactly what they wanted—LMFAO's Party Rock boasted four hit singles "I'm In Miami Bitch," "Yes," "La La La," and "Shots," all of which sold over 4 million singles, and the duo was rewarded with a nomination for Best Dance/Electronic Album at the 52nd Annual GRAMMY® Awards.
The success of their debut only furthered the boys' drive to craft epic party anthems, and today in the studio process, the goal is nothing less than sonic domination in clubs and on the radio.
"Our goal was to make ‘Shots' the number one drinking song ever, and we achieved it," says Redfoo of LMFAO's now ubiquitous collaboration with Lil Jon, which is played nightly at countless bars, clubs and parties around the world as an instigator of fun. "My work ethic is for someone who wants to be number one…I dream it," Foo says.
Redfoo's sweat equity behind his public party persona is paying off. The producer has two killer Kanye West remixes under his belt, he recently produced a song on Pitbull's new record, and his independent songs effortlessly tap into a new party zeitgeist. "There are no rules in dance music," he says of LMFAO's unique brand of fun-inciting anthems for radio and clubs. "It doesn't matter if you're rich or poor…'party' is a whole genre that everyone was discounting, but that's all we want to do," Redfoo asserts. "Who wouldn't want to be at a great party with sexy people?"
LMFAO is creating the soundtrack for that party with their music, they are dressing it with their "Party Rock" clothing line, and now they are taking it international with their tours and epic DJ sets. And come summer, Sorry For Party Rocking promises to embody this ultimate party when it's released as LMFAO's next installment of their global invitation to the world to "just have a good time."
