Q&A: DAGR Joins Forces With Rebecca Black and LVL1 For New Single and Hard Industrial Bop “Cafe Racer”

Q&AMusic

Jun 29

☆ BY CHARLOTTE ISIDORE ☆

DAGR BEGS YOU TO GET UP AND DANCE — to their latest bass-slapping track, “Cafe Racer,” with Rebecca Black and LVL1. The talented duo is composed of Ceci and Veronika, two La-via-Texas queer producers known for their synthy, percussion-soaked dance music. Working on solo projects on top of impressive collaborations allows DAGR to release a diverse range of music — their dynamic production style caught the attention of artists such as King Princess, Lizzo, Girlpool, UPSAHL, Uffie, among others.

After releasing the first single off their new project, an album titled Fade on Back, to be released on July 29, DAGR left listeners wanting more (to dance to). Their new single, “Cafe Racer,” is as gripping as it is danceable, with booming bass, hypnotic synths, and catchy house vocals from LVL1.

An effortlessly eclectic collaboration, this new track is a beautiful embodiment of community — DAGR, RB, and LVL1 are calling it their “queer anthem.” The striking bass and energetic yet sensual vocals lure the listener into “Cafe Racer,” while the textured nature of the track is what keeps them locked in. This viscerally captivating energy is what distinguishes DAGR’s production. Their music is genre-bending, beautifully chaotic, and ridiculously fun to dance to.

Luna caught up with the two to hear about their dream collaborations and their current inspirations. Read below to learn more about the track, the process behind DAGR’s latest music video directed by Luke Orlando, and their creative process.

LUNA: Congratulations on the release of “Cafe Racer”! You’re releasing a music video alongside the track — what was the creative process like for this?

DAGR: We cycled through quite a few ideas for this music video with director Luke Orlando and ultimately landed on a concept that involved a craigslist ad, Rebecca [Black], and a lime green Jeep Gladiator romping around Los Angeles. Once all those pieces came into play, the video wrote itself. The cast of characters that showed up on set was more remarkable than we ever imagined. Luke is one of our favorite collaborators and a huge creative force behind all of our videos. He wove a story around the chaos of DAGR and the surprise nature of Craigslist want ads, all while keeping the spirit of the vid hot and sexy for our queer pop icon, RB!

LUNA: Community seems to surround your music. How would you define collaboration?

DAGR: Collaboration is the feeling of making a pizza where everyone adds their favorite topping. Someone always brings in pineapple and it's highly controversial but somehow ends up working.

LUNA: Is the intro to this song original music or a sample? What inspired this choice?

DAGR: The intro is actually LVL1’s verse vocal! We were inspired by their other music that we had heard and reached out to them over DM to see if they would be interested in hopping on the first verse, and they absolutely crushed it! We wanted to produce that classic house vocal treatment which is why perhaps it feels like it could be a sample.

LUNA: What is the most important aspect of the music-making process to you and why is that?

DAGR: The magic of being in the room together and making something entirely unique. Our favorite part is getting in the car at the end of the day and listening to whatever we made on loop for the drive back home.

LUNA: What was it like collaborating with Rebecca Black and LVL1? What were your collective intentions for this track?

DAGR: Collaborating with RB is always a pleasure. Ceci has been working with her for a couple of years as a producer and writer for RB’s music, so working on “Cafe Racer” felt very seamless. We started the track writing around a vehicle for desire with Rebecca (what we came to know as THE “Cafe Race”r!) and felt that the song needed one more raunchy feature. LVL1 immediately came to mind and low and behold they put the cherry on top of this hard industrial bop!

LUNA: Do you have any artists you would like to collaborate with in the future?

DAGR: Gosh, the list is so long. As of late, we would love to work with Grimes, Azealia Banks (controversial combo hehe), Justin Bieber, Doechii, Fatboy Slim, Mica Levi, and Paris Hilton, to name a few.

LUNA: What has been giving you joy lately, outside of music?

CECI: I’ve been really enjoying making candles. I’ve collected so many essential oils and have been obsessed with the scent wheel and various candle practices creating unique smells as gifts for friends and family.

VERONIKA: I’ve been starting to take large-format painting commissions again which has brightened my world up in a way I never expected.

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We couldn’t be more stoked to have Suriel Hess as our new headliner for our upcoming LA show 🤩 🫶 Not gonna lie, us & Notorious Noise kinda went OFF with this line up & you’re not gonna wanna miss it - ticket link in bio 🎫