The Knockturnal caught up with Antonio Cuna, better known to his fans as Sweater Beats at the Big Beat Thanksgiving party in NYC.
Born in the Philippines, Cuna later moved to Maryland and adapted to his new environment by engaging with music and skate culture. It wasn’t long before R&B entered the picture, first as an obsession and later, while Cuna was at university in New York, as a creative outlet. Read our exclusive interview below:
How does it feel to be here DJing for the Big Beat Atlantic/Thanksgiving party?
Sweater Beats: Oh, man, amazing. I don’t have to worry about playing bangers, I just want to play the music I like to listen to and vibe to. It’s going to be great out here.
I just want to start with your beginnings in music. How did you get your start?
Sweater Beats: I grew up playing in emo bands and pop-punk bands in middle school and high school.
In New York, or another state?
Sweater Beats: In Maryland, in the suburbs. Me and my friends from the neighborhood, we would just play covers of Blink-182, and that’s kind of how I started playing music, and we started writing songs, so yeah, that’s how I started.
What do you play?
Sweater Beats: I play guitar. Shredding it. I joined jazz band in high school and learned a lot more about music and how to write music. Music theory.
How did you get into producing? How did you make that transition from playing?
Sweater Beats: All my friends left my hometown to go to college. I stayed at home, so I didn’t have anyone to jam with. So I learned how to program my own drums, so I could jam over top of it. Everything kind of evolved from that. Just producing music on a computer because there was nobody else to jam with.
So tell me a little bit about the singles you have on your SoundCloud, and you have a collaboration with MAX?
Sweater Beats: Yeah, my latest single, “Did You Wrong” is with my homie MAX, who’s a beautiful human being. Yeah, I had that song lined up for a couple of months, and Natalie, who’s my A&R, she linked us up and it was a really beautiful thing because everything clicked and the song turned out amazing, and I’m really glad that happened.
Who are some of your DJ idols?
Sweater Beats: Let’s see. I would have to say Cashmere Cat and Lido, because when their music first started popping up on SoundCloud, it’s really rare to hear something and something move you and inspire you so much. So they were definitely the early inspirations for how I make music. Yeah, I think they’re my favorite. Also Timbaland and Pharrell. They’re just timeless producers and songwriters.
Artist-wise, singer-wise, who are some people you’d like to see on your tracks?
Sweater Beats: Oh, man. Bad girl Riri, baby. Beyonce. If we’re shooting for the stars.
Shoot for the stars.
Sweater Beats: Absolutely. Also, Pharrell. Andre 3000. That’s just shooting for the stars. And Kimbra. I love Kimbra.
What inspired your name? Your DJ name?
Sweater Beats: Yeah, well when I started making beats and I wasn’t taking it too seriously, I went by “I Sweat Everybody.” It was like a dumb name. But when I started to take things more seriously, I shortened it to “Sweaters” because I liked the sound and I wanted my music to make you feel warm and fuzzy. But then you couldn’t Google me. So I added “Beats,” so you can Google me and find me on the internet.
So Google helped.
Sweater Beats: Yeah. SEO, baby.
In doing DJing and producing so far, what has been the coolest event you have participated in?
Sweater Beats: Oh, man. I did Coachella this year. Just being at Coachella is an amazing thing, but playing that stage and just vibing out, it’s a really trippy time in the desert. Yeah, I think that’s as far as I can think of this year. This whole year, I was just writing, writing, writing music. So that was definitely a memorable one.
What’s coming up next that you’d like to share?
Sweater Beats: Oh, man. Big Beat EP at the top of next year. New single at the top of next year. So new music, and then touring Australia and Asia at the top of next year. So a lot of things.
How did you come to be signed? What’s your story?
Sweater Beats: It started out as Big Beat wanted me to do a single, and then they were like, “Hey, let’s do an EP.” Then they were like, “Hey, you want to just make a lot more music with us for a long time?” Then yeah, now I’m just here for a long time.
You also have a lot of awesome label mates. Anyone within the label that you might want to link up with soon?
Sweater Beats: Oh, yeah. Charli XCX, she’s amazing. Also Icona Pop, and Galantis. They just have great production in songs. They just have great songs. And Skrillex.
What are some songs that you like to play for the holidays?
Sweater Beats: This is cliché, but every time I hear it, there’s something inside me that triggers. It’s Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas.” Because I heard that song, my sister used to play that when I was like 13 every Christmas. They would just play it, and I think that … Just hearing it is like nostalgia. My heart gets filled with joy.
Being in New York, how exciting is that for you right now?
Sweater Beats: I actually lived here for five years. I went to school here.
Where?
Sweater Beats: At Hunter College. Then I stayed a couple more years to kind of hustle and do the music thing. Then I moved to LA. But it’s always super, super exciting and great to be back in the city. Because there’s no place like it. There’s an energy here that’s just intangible. Yeah.
What did you study?
Sweater Beats: Media studies. Which is, pretty much, I made websites. That’s like my degree.
How does it feel to be doing music full-time?
Sweater Beats: I’m super, super grateful that it just happened that I could pay my bills doing the music thing. I never really thought that it would get to this point. Music has always been a passion, but I always thought of it as a hobby. Like, “It’s a side gig. This is your creative outlet, but you got to have a 9-to-5 to live.” But I kind of just worked really, really hard at it and networked on the internet, met the right people. It’s like, I’m super, super lucky, and I’m super grateful.
Is there anything else you’d like to add for our readers?
Sweater Beats: Yeah. Catch me on the road for the Cold Tour. I’ll be shredding guitar and playing beats for you guys.
Nov 30 – Montreal, QC @ NewSpeak
Dec 1 – Toronto, ON @ Velvet Underground
Dec 2 – Ann Arbor, MI @ Blind Pig
Dec 3 – Chicago, IL @ Lincoln Hall
Tickets available at http://sweaterbeats.com
