Meet one of Los Angeles' best kept secrets, "The Far*East Movement" also known as FM. FM consists of four members Kev Nish, Prohgress, J-Splif, and DJ Virman who have created a huge buzz in the music industry. Now some of you might not recognize their names, but more than likely you've heard some of their music. Some of which was featured in movies like "The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift", "CSI: Miami" and HBO's "Entourage." FM has currently released their sophomore album entitled "ANIMAL" which features the radio single, "Girls On The Dance Floor" (Produced by The Stereotypes). And luckily, I was able to catch up with Kev Nish and Prohgress of FM and ask him a few questions. How did The Far*East Movement come about? Were you guys all friends before the group was formed? We all grew up around Koreatown, Los Angeles as good friends and shared a common love for music, especially hip hop. Our passion to create music led us to figure out ways to make and promote music online and eventually us performing around local clubs and events in Los Angeles. We had a "Jabbawockeez" type of mentality, where we didn't want people to judge our music by our race or face, so we started with the name "Emcee's Anonymous" hahaha! One day we made a song called "THE FAR EAST MOVEMENT" and as we were performing it, it felt strong saying it and we felt it defined the new lifestyle we were leading. After a few years of touring, movie soundtracks and community building, our manager Carl Choi introduced us to LA radio station Power 106 DJ, DJ Virman, whom we were fans of growing up and listening to the radio. Surprisingly he was interested in what we were doing and has helped take us to the next level in our career in the music industry. What nationality are the members of The Far*East Movement? Prohgress - Korean J-Splif - Korean Kev Nish - Japanese/Chinese DJ Virman - Filipino I saw that you guys recently worked with Korean artist Se7en, how was that experience? Se7en is a true professional. It's amazing watching how talented he is on the protools [i](music production software)[/i] and singing a whole project in English with ease. We had a chance to work on a song called "DO IT TONIGHT" thanks to his incredible management team out here, and luckily they liked what we laced! After working with Se7en, do you guys plan on working with other Asian artists in the future? We've produced an album called "ABC JIN" for the Chinese BET Freestyle Champion JIN The MC, which went platinum in Hong Kong, and are in the works on a collaboration with Taiwanese pop star Vanness who did an album with Korea singer Kang Ta. We have a lot of friends in entertainment in Korea, China and Japan so hopefully the future will have some fun collaborative projects coming soon. You've just released your sophomore album, Animal. How has Far*East Movement changed from the 1st album? Our first album "Folk Music" was released in late 2005/early 2006...and since then, we've toured across the globe meeting dj's and music lovers from all over. One common factor we notice all people love is to DANCE. It was a huge realization and moment of growth for us as artists, that as the FAR EAST MOVEMENT, we need to concentrate on making music that truly represents our lifestyle while consciously working to make a sound that people all over the world can enjoy. Our new album "ANIMAL" is us finding our sound and our identity as FM...We've learned a lot in production, song writing, marketing and putting together a cohesive project that can truly represent the big picture.... and will hopefully break into mainstream culture which has been our goal from the beginning. Breaking into the mainstream media we feel is the only way we can make a difference. In 2007 we had our first song on major national radio called "You've Got A Friend", which really taught us what works in mainstream music and taught us how mainstream radio works. Then, in 2008 we followed it up with our second radio single called "Lowridin" which played on radio almost the whole year, taking us one step closer to the sound we were looking for and what worked in the mainstream.. and the Animal Album is the product of all these new experiences. With the new album and the new year, what plans does The Far*East Movement have for 2009? 2009 has already started fairly fast, with our new single "GIRLS ON THE DANCE FLOOR" hitting major radio stations nationwide, so we've been busy visiting cities all over the US promoting the song and the new album. We'll be working hard trying to further breakdown the doors on radio and tv with our music.. and hopefully find the right company to help us on this crazy journey. Look for us to start working a few other songs from our Animal Album on the radio as well. We've also started a brand of concerts with indie film producers Wong Fu Productions called the International Secret Agents Concerts, showcasing Asian American artists crossing over to mainstream and shining a light on our scene and lifestyle. The first event was a huge success, selling out the whole San Gabriel Civic Center. Any last words? We'd like to thank our community, street team and fans.... without your help, there is no FM and there is no movement. Thank you for believing in what we're doing. If you'd like to be a part of what we're doing, feel free to hit us up on at www.myspace.com/fareastmovement and our website at www.fareastmovement.com. The guys at The Far*East Movement were nice enough to send us some signed copies of ANIMAL to giveaway to our readers. Stay tuned for the giveaway and see FM live in San Francisco at the International Secret Agents: San Francisco on March 20th. For more info on The Far*East Movement visit their allkpop Artist Profile in the allkpop Forums, as well as their websites: The Far*East Movement's Website The Far*East Movement's Myspace Check out some tracks from The Far*East Movement below...