Dr. Dre meets Radiohead meets Sigur Ros: those are the reference points that the producer-DJ duo Disco Fries uses to describe their sound. Danny Danger and Nick Ditri met at the prestigious Berklee College of Music, randomly paired in the freshman dorm. “Torn” by Natalie Imbruglia, and “MMMBop” by Hanson; these songs top the guys’ list of all-time guilty pleasures. (Millennial artists and their ‘90s fetish, it’s a thing!)

In truth, Disco Fries’ sonic ground lies in the atmospheric EDM space. Definitely club candy, but not too far from that weird ‘90s Bermuda Triangle they draw for themselves. Both Danger and Ditri have the range you would expect from their pedigree; they have writing credits on records by Tiesto, Krewella and Ditri composes songs for artists on several major recording labels.

Their collaboration with fist-pumping club producer Shanahan, “Is It Over,” features Shy Martin on vocals reminds that warm days are behind us. The season for scarves and comfort food is here, and Danny and Nick are excited — after all, their name comes from a dish that should be called Jersey Poutine.

Hometown: Danny Danger grew up in northern Virginia and Nick [Ditri] is from New Jersey.

Homebase:

Danny: After a few years in New York City, I’m back down in Virginia.

Nick: I’m in Red Bank, NJ.

What is the history of Disco Fries as a duo and where is the name from?

Nick: We randomly met as college roommates freshman year at Berklee College of Music and the rest is history. As far as the name goes, we got it when we were eating in a local diner in New Jersey after ordering a dish called “Disco Fries.” French fries with cheese and gravy. Not the best tasting stuff on the planet but the name did the trick.

What do you say about your music to someone who'd never heard you before?

Nick: Our catalog as a whole is very disjointed. We tend to make whatever the hell we want and hopefully it is well received. We’ve been pretty lucky on that front to date. The Disco Fries sound is melodic, uplifting dance music with hints of funk, ‘90s rock, classical, and hip-hop. This is always the hardest thing to try and verbalize.

Do you have an EDM experience that changed your life?

Danny: First DJ I ever saw was Benny Benassi at a club in Boston when I had just turned 21, probably. I don’t even know that I’d consider it EDM since the term hadn’t been coined yet, but it was the first time I got to experience that nightclub atmosphere.

Nick: I think I was in 8th grade, around 13 years old, when I had my first club experience thanks to a spot called Hunka Bunka that used to host teen nights. It’s interesting to think about since I got into DJing parties prior to that but seeing a proper club DJ in action definitely solidified that this is what I wanted to do.

You were trained at the Berklee School of Music; how on earth did you end up playing electronic music?

Nick: I realized when I was about 11 or 12 that I wanted to DJ. It sounds absolutely ridiculous but I was mesmerized by what the local DJ was doing at school dances. Something about the blending of genres, tempos, and changing the vibe in the room grabbed me. We never “formally” learned to DJ but I think that beyond some of the technical aspects, formal education on DJing is impossible. If you can’t read a room, it doesn’t matter how much you know about mixing in-key or beat-matching; you’ll fall flat.

Danny: After we made a few bootlegs and mashups of ‘80s records with some uptempo beats, dance music just grabbed us. It was a snowball effect where one successful remix led to the next and then eventually original records came into play.

What do you like better, DJing or producing?

Danny: Producing came first for me and it’s still what I enjoy doing the most. With that said, being on the road and meeting fans is inspiring and an important part of our creative process, too.

Nick: I’m an equal parts production and DJing guy. Being involved in dance music, if you are detached from the live element, the music seems to suffer. That said, if we’re on the road too much, it’s impossible to create in a clear headspace.

Who would you love to collaborate with?

Nick: I absolutely love what Gallant is doing at the moment. He is equal parts classic soul, next generation R&B, and has unbelievable range. I’d imagine we’d create some kind of musical journey together on a record that is absolutely unplayable in a club but would take you on an epic trip if you were high. We’ve also been working with a new artist by the name of DOMENICO that has some killer indie R&B coming out.

Whose songs do you love to remix?

Danny: Generally we like to remix songs that are super interesting melodically and the vocal has some sort of unique characteristic too it. If we aren’t keen on the original song, it’s usually tough for us to vibe with doing a remix.

Which artists do you enjoy listening to and inspire you?

Danny: I enjoy listening to so much recently because it seems like there’s an endless stream of good music being made right now. A lot of it isn’t even what we play in our sets but it’s still something I draw inspiration from. Lemaitre, Swindail, Virtual Riot, and Myrne are a few I’ve been following recently that I think are doing really cool things.

Name your favorite cities in the world to play shows in.

Danny: Scottsdale, Arizona is always a fun one. People like to party and our style of playing works well for the crowds out there. Least favorite? I don’t think I have one. Every city we’ve been to has had something interesting to offer and I’d feel bad calling one out for being lame..

Nick: I’m with Danny on this. Love Scottsdale to death. We just hit Ireland on tour and did some really small cities in the countryside. Those small towns know how to party hard.

What's your relationship with Shanahan? How did you meet?

Danny: We’d never been in contact prior to working on this record and was cool getting to know him through the process. The collaboration was orchestrated by the guys at Enhanced who thought we’d all get along nicely and we’re very grateful to them for setting us up together.

What songs are your guilty pleasures?

Danny: I’m partial to Natalie Imbruglia’s “Torn.” But actually I don’t even really feel that guilty about that one. Does it still count?

Nick: I’ve been known to add Hanson “MMMBop” to party playlists at family events.

What influenced the making of "Is it Over?”

Danny: Sonically we wanted to take a sound we had used before and use it in a new way. We approached in a similar fashion to our records ‘"Stars Come Out," "We Are One," and “The Light,” but at a slower tempo it takes on a very different feel.

If you were a hashtag what would you be?

Nick: #WhatsWrongWithTheseTwo