Barry & Kenny Schwartz Discuss New Disco Vietnam-produced Zilla Rocca Album FAST EDDIE
Disco Vietnam, L-R: Barry & Kenny Schwartz with Zilla Rocca (photographers unknown / SOURCES: Disco Vietnam - Facebook)
Disco Vietnam has been a musical entity for 20 years. Comprising of principal members and brothers Barry & Kenny Schwartz, their music has maintained a sound and aesthetic that is wholly their own and consistently delivers. Whether they are a full Rock band on stage or in the studio producing classic Boom-Bap/Hip-Hop-style beats, they are committed to their ethos of remaining true to themselves and presenting art that is authentic. It seems though Disco Vietnam (or “D.V.”, for short) is and has always simultaneously—oftentimes, quite confusingly—functioned as both an Indie Rock band featuring Barry & Kenny and, sometimes, additional friends and collaborators when needed/wanted, as well as the solo beat-making/Hip-Hop-producing solo moniker of just Barry and, sometimes, also, with Ryan Siegel (Exes of Evil, Ghostwolf, Party Pupils, The Rivalry, The Urgency, Los Stellarians.) Disco Vietnam’s “band” discography includes Get At Me Corruption EP (2007,) Totally Awesome Decisions EP (2010,) Fear of Lava EP (2012,) Totally Awesome Decisions (10th Anniversary Re-mastered Edition) from 2020, and their 2021 “reunion” track, “When I Get Older (I Might).” Disco Vietnam/Barry’s “solo” discography includes Bandcamp-released House Rabbi, Vol. 1-12 (plus, additional Vols. 0 and 5.5) beat tapes/instrumental collections released between 2018-22. Lest we forget, Disco Vietnam can, also, attribute the 2007 Indie/Modern Rock smash single, “The N.P. (Natalie Portman,)” to their name!
Collectively, Barry and/or Kenny AKA Disco Vietnam has/have worked with the likes of Zilla Rocca, Curly Castro/Wrecking Crew, PremRock, andrew., Smiffson, Prafit, Roc Marciano, Flee Lord, Method Man, Raekwon, Willie The Kid, Ghostface Killah, CRIMEAPPLE, Jim Jones, and 2nd Generation Wu, mostly, thanks to collaborations with Peter Rosenberg. Kenny is an established producer, session and touring drummer, mixing and mastering engineer, and owner/operator of both Red Fox Recording and the Kenny Schwartz Drum Academy in his own right. Kenny Lane Schwartz’s additional and assorted non-D.V. credits including We Are The Union, Trouble In The Streets, Los Stellarians, Adore Delano, Marcy Grace Ian Abel, and more. Now, this is a all a very long-winded and, yes, rather sprawling way to say that I got the chance to interview Barry & Kenny Schwartz late last year right around the time of the November 2025 self-release of Zilla Rocca’s latest effort, FAST EDDIE, on the Philly rapper/producer’s own Three Dollar Pistol Music… which was 110% produced by Disco Vietnam with mixing and mastering by Kenny Schwartz at Red Fox Recording in Bandera, Texas. Zilla has been a long-time friend, supporter, and collaborator of The Witzard and I feel like I’ve been chatting up Barry (and, also, now, his brother, Kenny) for a good number of years, too, so it’s great to finally connect with, as I call them, The Disco Vietnam Brothers! The interview below was conducted with Barry & Kenny Schwartz primarily in November of 2025, via email, and has bene lightly edited for general clarity. So, cue up Zilla Rocca’s Disco Vietnam-produced FAST EDDIE album, listen, and read along with our interview.
I. When, how, and where did you two first meet Zilla Rocca?
Barry Schwartz: Like all great friendships, I have no recollection of actually meeting Zilla. I know I met him through Jeff Weiss of Passion of The Weiss about 15 years ago. We were message board buddies, who met in real life and recognized a kindred spirit.
Kenny Schwartz: I have yet to meet him [in real life (I.R.L.)], unfortunately, but Barry first recommended me to him to mix his [2021] album, Vegas Vic. Barry had a couple of beats on the project and we were simultaneously working on [the] Real Late [album] with Peter Rosenberg, which gave me some Hip-Hop mixing credibility in a big way; this was 2020-2021.
II. What was your first collaboration with Zilla Rocca and as part of what project was it ultimately released?
Barry: I did a song called “Homeless Swordsman” with Curly Castro [and Wrecking Crew] for Wu-[Tang] Pulp, which Zilla put together.
Kenny: I got brought on for Vegas Vic.
III. What is each of your roles with Disco Vietnam?
Barry: When we are an Indie Rock band, I play guitar and sing and Kenny plays the drums and keyboards. When we are doing Hip-Hop, I make the beats. Kenny mixes and masters any recordings we do with other artists.
Kenny: I play drums, co-write, and co-produce. I’ve been laying down some bass and piano parts, as well, on our new[/forthcoming] material. I’ve been recording and mixing all of our new[/forthcoming] stuff, as well. Barry plays guitar, writes, sings, [and] produces, as well as bass and keys.
IV. Is it true that over the years, Disco Vietnam has functioned as both a one-man band/solo project as well as a slightly larger two-man band?
Barry: Disco Vietnam is a collective, like Wu-Tang [Clan]. Sometimes, there is only one of us. Usually, me. Sometimes, there are five of us. We are still accepting applications, especially, if you play electric bass.
Kenny: Disco Vietnam has always been Barry & I at its core. We have had some amazing other contributors over the years, who play and co-write with us. Jared Winzelberg, Jon Graber, Nicki Winzelberg, Keith Allen, Tom Cumming, [and] Ryan Siegel have all been essential in our history as a musical entity. That being said, Disco Vietnam has, also, been Barry’s beat-making moniker since he started releasing Hip-Hop and posting on Twitter [now known as X] (as @SupernovaLox).
V. How long has your FAST EDDIE project with Zilla Rocca been secretly in-the-works?
Barry: About two years, but we haven’t been keeping it a secret!
Kenny: This probably spanned about two years or so.
VI. What processes typically went into the recording processes between Zilla Rocca and the two of you?
Barry: Usually, Zilla records all his vocals over the beats he selected and sends them to Kenny [and I]. The majority of FAST EDDIE was recorded in-person. We recorded the songs with Prem[Rock] at steel [tipped] dove’s studio. Zilla came up to my studio in New York to write. I drove down to Philly for a day and all [of] the [four!] andrew. songs were recorded in that one session. I flew down to Texas to mix it with my [brother,] Kenny in-person. This ain’t no email album.
Kenny: Barry was physically in the studio with Zilla during the initial pre-production, recording, and writing. Since I live in Texas, we did some ZOOM meetings and set up Google Docs to track all the progress and most importantly, file management. A lot of records are made remotely now, so, sometimes, you get a whole take, make notes, and, then, need to record another whole take… or more.
VII. How much of the instrumentation heard across FAST EDDIE was created on real deal/real life musical instruments and how much was created on computers?
Barry: All [of] the songs are sample-based. There are slight embellishments. Some keys and added bass on “Grand Closing.” Kenny plays live drums on “Tire Swing.”
Kenny: There are a few over-dubs I did on percussion and, maybe, sub-bass, but, otherwise, [it’s] all sample-based.
VIII. What can you tell us about the artwork and packaging accompanying FAST EDDIE?
Kenny: I love it.
IX. Do you fellas and Zilla Rocca (and/or the team at Three Dollar Pistol Music) have any immediate plans to make and release music videos to accompany any of the FAST EDDIE songs?
Kenny: No idea, but [that] would be cool.
X. What did it feel like getting to help Zilla Rocca create "Bourbon Generals Theme (Part 3)"?
Barry: I was just happy to contribute the music that inspired Prem[Rock] and Zilla to go back-and-forth. Maybe, all Rap songs should be two rappers going back-and-forth.
XI. Have you two ever heard anything back from Natalie Portman and/or her team about how she feels about your 2007 self-described "smash single," "The N.P. (Natalie Portman)?
Barry: I heard through the grapevine that she was honored to be associated with such an undeniable Rock “n” Roll classic. Why? Have you heard different?
Kenny: Hahahahahah, I wish!!
XII. In addition to or aside from your esteemed body of work with Zilla Rocca, who else have (or do) you two (plan to work) worked with and collaborated?
Barry: Method Man.
Kenny: Peter Rosenberg heavily involved us in his Real Late record, which had Barry’s beats paired up with [our] Hip-Hop heroes and legends, like Ghostface Killah, Roc [Marciano], Flee Lord, Jim Jones, and even the children of Wu-Tang members known as 2nd [Generation] Wu.
XIII. Can you tell us anything about the widely anticipated and eagerly awaited follow-up to Disco Vietnam's 2012 Fear of Lava EP?
Barry: We have about nine new songs; 10, if you count the reprise (I don’t).
Kenny: We are diligently, yet patiently, working on it. All [that] I can say is it sounds like Disco Vietnam. We look forward to releasing it one day! It’s probably gonna be a full-length or, maybe, a double-EP. There are definitely two phases/movements to the record. Barry has had some pretty big and amazing life changes in the last few years, as have I, and I’d say, thematically, it’s centered around that.
XIV. What's planned next for Disco Vietnam (as a group) and/or both of your solo endeavors?
Barry: We hope to keep making music into the next world. Disco Vietnam is forever.
Kenny: Persistence. My studio, Red Fox Recording, in Bandera, Texas has been really busy and I’ve been involved in a ton of cool music lately. [I’m] currently working on scoring/mixing a college football documentary featuring Eli Manning, which has been fun. I produced and mixed the new Marcy Grace Band record, Tear It Up, and just had a couple of her band mates do sessions for me for another Country artist I’m producing named David Palmer. I’m helping to develop an amazing young singer named Lonnie; kind of Indie-pop stuff. Lonnie is a big Disco Vietnam fan, as it turns out!! My project with [Doug “S.A.”] Martinez of 311 called Los Stellarians is still sitting on, like, three records, too, but he’s been quite busy since they put out their new album. Thanks for all the thoughtful questions!!
