Just call their sound “baby-making jams.” This alt-electronic Brooklyn duo made up of singer-songwriter Justin Howard and guitarist-electronic mixer Nick Wisse developed their sound in Southern California, creating a chill vibe, perfect for sunshiney days and freeway drives, and brought it to New York City to give the East Coast a taste of endless summers.

Hometown: Murrieta, Calif. (Justin) and Simsbury, Conn. (Nick)

Current residence: Brooklyn, NYC (Greenpoint whatup!)

Before anything else, what does VYD mean?

It was a typo that stuck, funny enough, and we kept it because we thought it was eye catching. It's meaningless, so it's become our own parody on the acronym culture we live in (ROFL, TTYL, BRB, etc.). LOL.

How did you two meet?

Justin: We met at an underground event for producers a couple years ago. Originally it was just as musicians, but we're obviously friends now.

Do you have a musical background? What did you grow up listening to?

Justin: I begged my parents to buy me a piano when I was six—why, I couldn't tell you, neither of them are musical. Growing up I only played classical and wasn't allowed to listen to anything contemporary. One day though, I was out rummaging through our shed, I think I was about 12... And I came across a box filled with the dusty albums that I guess my parents just never had the heart to throw out. It was only three artists: the Beatles, Queen and Journey. I popped ‘em in and, well, I guess I never looked back.  

Nick: There were a few pivotal moments in music for me: taking a trumpet solo in sixth grade jazz band; making CDs and releasing them under fake band names in high school; running a youth music venue in my hometown; opening for Sam Adams at the University of New Hampshire; working at a recording studio in Boston; and meeting Justin. (Aww!)

You're both trained musicians. Why did you venture into producing EDM?

Justin: I got into EDM through raves like the Electric Daisy Carnival in high school, and later at warehouse parties in Brooklyn.  Artists like Daft Punk, Justice, Disclosure—some people think all it is is twiddling nobs but those guys are just as much artists as anyone I've heard.  

What's your favorite city in the world to play in? And what’s your least favorite?

Justin:  NYC!  The crowds here can be tough, but at least they're energetic and open minded. My least favorite is Los Angeles (sorry, SoCal).  Everyone's always on their phone, probably texting whoever's standing right next to them.

Nick:  Playing in Austin and Boston are fun, too.

Why did you make move from SoCal to Brooklyn?

Justin: It was just the headspace, honestly.  In SoCal I was surrounded by all the social bubbles I grew up with in Orange County and Santa Barbara and that was distracting - NYC gave me some space of my own in that way.  And yeah, nowadays you can collaborate with someone remotely and don't necessarily need to be in one place to "make it" but there's still nowhere like NYC to hear other artists, get the ball moving, and just straight-up hustle.

Nick: Also I was working in recording studios before this, and there are just way more of them in NYC.  

Has your geography changed the way you write music?

Justin: I include more weather references in my lyrics now, coincidence? People here like the West Coast vibes a lot as well — I guess you really do want what you don't have.  

Nick: I would say it's more the merging of our styles than our surroundings. I've learned more about where to be minimal and where to surprise people with production.  

Who would you love to collaborate with?

Justin:  Steve Tyler/Aerosmith, Lana Del Rey, and Calvin Harris.  

Nick:  OnCue, Mike Posner, Goldlink, daru jones, MNEK

Who—or what—inspires you musically?

Justin: It's run the gamut over the years, but lately it's been Funk/House(Madeon, Cherub, FKJ) and Alt-RNB (Blood Orange, Little Dragon).

Nick:  Mike Posner was one of my big inspirations in college. Cashmere Cat was a big influence recently for me.

How do you describe your music to someone you've never met before?

Justin:  Alt-electronic. Kind of like if house music and Third Eye Blind had a baby to our songs.

How would you know if VYD has made it?

Nick: I want to meet people in the future who can say, "Hey, I know you, my parents used to rock out to you guys!" Full circle. Music is life.