the partae

Interviewer: Anthony Huttley

Rich, you’ve been one of the more recognisable names in Australian progressive house for a while now, can you tell us a bit about how you became a part of the scene? Were you always into electronic music?

I only began delving into underground electronic music at around 2003 when I was sharing a house with someone who collected vinyl records and liked to play them most afternoons after work. Prior to that I was 100% into heavy metal and guitar bands (which I’ve recently started to return to, just for some added inspiration!). Becoming part of any music scene in a town as small as Brisbane is definitely a challenge but when I first decided to give it a go I wasn’t aware of that nor had any set goals to strive for, I just knew I wanted to a) get behind a DJ booth in public, b) run my own night-club events, and c) host and meet as many international touring DJ/producers as possible without going completely broke. Looking back at the progression (pardon the pun) of the last 14 odd years I guess it has worked out rather seamlessly and sequentially, but it’s been a great learning experience and regardless of any musical or artistic benefits I feel being involved in the underground music scene has completely revealed my inner self in ways I doubt would have been possible otherwise.

I’ve heard a couple of people say that the scene in Brisbane, where you’re based, is a bit unique. How would you describe the music scene there these days? Is there much room for progressive house or the more underground genres of electronic music?

As I alluded to with the earlier question, yes it’s tough getting a foothold and staying relevant in such a small scene but there are definitely as many positives as negatives. These days the Brisbane nightclub world is very regimented, structured and defined in terms of not only musical genres but desired clientele, fashion trends and most definitely age demographics. Unless a promoter is happy to host events outside of the dedicated entertainment precincts, and rely more heavily on their own promotional skills or focus 100% on building their own fan network, they’re very restricted in the choices they have when running those events. I guess that’s not necessarily entirely a bad thing as it allows the crowd to be more informed and discerning, but there are only so many nights per year for events to take place and only so many dancefloors available. Put it this way – I’m glad I no longer have to promote events! 

Recently, you welcomed a new member into your family, which is huge, btw, congrats! As someone who is normally quite busy in the studio, did that affect your production?

Thanks! Yes Violet arrived 9 months ago and has turned “normal” life into something else! I consciously made a decision prior to her birth that I’d close off any studio activity until the newborn routines had stabilised enough that I could once again successfully multi-task. I didn’t want to deal with the stress of pushing myself to be musically productive at the same time as learning how to be a Dad, and so far it’s been the right move. I’ve used the last 10 months to completely rebuild my studio setup, install a few gadgets and finally buy some bass-traps which have made such a difference with my confidence in front of the speakers. The brain is currently over-flowing with musical ideas so I’m super keen to get back into a production routine, hopefully within a few months time. 

How would you describe your sound?

As a DJ I try to hover between a few genres, obviously progressive house and techno, but since around 2016 also breakbeat. Playing longer gigs in South America over the years has taught me that musical energy is as important as technical skill and track selection, so throwing in 15 or 20 minutes of breaks in a prog set has a huge effect on dancefloors when I’m playing gigs, as well as in recorded mixes which can get a little monotonous after a while. As a producer I’m obviously locked into the progressive genre and continue to find inspiration in productions from the masters such as Guy J but also weird and unique masters such as Maceo Plex. I guess prog is my “safe space” when in the studio but I still enjoy making it so have no real need to take risks at this stage of the game.

I find your sound quite unique, which is a huge accomplishment in the overly- saturated progressive house market. Were you actively trying to produce something different, or has it always been organic?

That’s good to know, because yes I have always wanted to have a different sound if possible. Most of the time if I’ve got something unique going on it’ll be a happy accident however, as I’ve never been deeply interested in synthesis or the nitty-gritty of sound design – I just like trying as many synths, drum-machines, arpeggiators, effects units and manglers as I can find, seeing how far I can bend and twist traditional sounds and hopefully capture what comes out the other side. Luckily I have a steady day-job so I don’t need to rely on music to make a living, but if I did I honestly think I would get bored with studio production due to having to churn out tracks on a schedule and focussing on my own “sound”, as I know so many producers do. Expression and inspiration go hand in hand for me, if I was unable to be inspired (because the studio was a workplace) I doubt I would be able to express myself musically!

Your podcast “Resolutions” started 10 years ago, and still goes to air each month on Frisky radio. That is a hell of an accomplishment, congratulations! Tell me, what was the motive behind starting that?

10 years, such a long time! Other than just loving to make DJ mixes the motive for the podcast was two-fold, a) to keep myself in a regular routine of track-hunting, technical practice and label/artist research plus b) to boost my DJ profile and have something to promote myself with. At the start of it all I was obviously still too fresh to be getting booked for gigs so having a mix-tape/CD/podcast to hand around at events and to promoters helped massively even with such a small audience. Being hosted by friskyradio these days is a great privilege as it’s always been such a steady, reliable and well-respected home for progressive music even now with the uptake in streaming platforms such as Spotify. In recent years I expanded the show to a 2 hour format so I’ve been opening up the 2nd hour to a few guest DJs here and there, for the most part focussing on like-minded DJs from Brisbane, of course!

Have there been any stand-out years in terms of quality, music- wise? Have you ever found yourself struggling to compile enough decent tunes?

To be honest no, there has never been an especially lean year or a stand-out year that I can recall. I’ve always found way more music than I could ever hope to play and there has never been a struggle even just relying solely on Beatport and not having to branch out to the other smaller retailers. I guess I have put in a lot of time over the years when tune-hunting and researching labels, so that must have paid off compared to what other DJs are experiencing. It’s amazing how much good music is out there at any point in time!

After so many years at it, has your objective with that mix changed much over the years?

Resolutions episodes have always been something I’ve wanted to be able to listen back to myself, to feel that they capture a certain essence of the time they were created both from the point of view of tempo and genre, but also where I was at as a DJ and where my career was situated. For example any episode after mid March 2013 would probably take on more of a melodic, hypnotic and subtle feel due to me having visited South America for the first time and observed how the people respond to those kinds of aspects of the mix. I think anyone can create a weekly or monthly podcast but if those mixes are created purely as a promotional vessel for the chosen tracks (or even just for social-media clicks) and there is little or no consideration to the flow, the energy, the emotion, then they’ll be more difficult to enjoy let alone remember.

Speaking of changes, I saw you post something about a new project called “Meld” recently. Can you tell us all what that’s about?

Meld is a concept suggested to me by my friend, Filip, in the USA who has been a big fan of Resolutions for many years. Filip is not a DJ but loves electronic music. The idea was for him to curate a batch of electronic tracks that he loved and I would then piece them together in the studio making a special one-off DJ mix just for him. I think it’s a fantastic idea which allows fans to connect to the DJ, melding the two different yet intertwined passions for music. I’m hoping people will approach me to make more Meld mixes in the future, who knows it could actually become a “thing”! 

You were due to tour South America for the 7th consecutive year in a row this year, obviously you can’t due to Covid-19, what’s the plan for you now?

Travelling and gigging through Latin America has become such a regular part of my life since 2013 that to not be over there at all this year really does feel odd. I’ve made so many friends there over the years and it’s rather painful to think of what they’re going through with constant quarantines and plummeting economies. Along with all the other out of work DJs I sure can’t wait to see a vaccine or some other end to this whole debacle but who knows when that is likely to occur. Clearly my plan right now is to stay locked indoors but as soon as the borders are opened up again and it’s safe to take long-haul flights overseas I’ll be hunting down gigs again and dusting off the old Spanish-language textbooks!

What’s your DAW of choice in the studio, and why?

I’ve only ever used Apple’s Logic when in the studio, mostly due to a lack of time to delve into any other DAWs. I’m keen one day to try Ableton and I believe the latest version of Logic actually shares many of the same workflow features so it could be a seamless switch. But after more than 10 years using Logic it’ll be tough to beat!

Top 3 plug-ins of the moment?

I’ve actually been researching lately into the world of Channel Strips and Pre-Amps, in a software-sense. So initially my answer would be biased towards the Arturia, Black-Rooster and Univeral Audio products in that category as they can add such a nice subtle colouring to any sound. In terms of synths I’d have to call out a bunch of Kontakt (Native Instruments) 3rd-party libraries that easily stand out from the herd, such as Tronsonic and Phono Loop’s Texture Mozaik. There’s so many options out there for making sounds so my money will always go towards the plugins that make weird and unique results without too much effort or technical know-how.

Who are you listening to at the moment? Any names that are standing out for you?

There’s always someone new and fresh popping up in my crates so this is a pretty easy question to answer: Jonas Saalbach, Hansgod and The Micronaut come to mind. Well worth checking out!

What’s planned for the remainder of 2020?

Aside from continuing to push Meld and Resolutions further along I’ll also be returning to making originals and remixes in the studio by the end of 2020, but am more excited to finally be getting some traction on mine and my mate Verve’s new record label idea. In a similar fashion to Meld we are trying to stand out from the crowd and the releases we’ve planned will be very different in format and content than your regular electronic music label. Stay tuned for that, the label is called Context Digital and will be coming to all the good music retail stores very soon!

Genre: Progressive / Melodic Techno
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Where are you currently based?

 I am currently based in Adelaide, South Australia prior to COVID I was living out of suitcase traveling between London, LA, Amsterdam, Adelaide and Sydney. Last week I flew to London which was an experience traveling through a pandemic!

How has your COVID experience been so far?

I have been super fortunate to not been or had any of my family/friends affected by it. which I’m really thankful for.   I’ve been able to use this time to be with my family which i don’t normally get when I’m traveling all the time and we’ve just been isolating and being present. As well as working on LOTS of new music of course!

Please tell us about your prior success as a songwriter and how it all came about for you:

I have been writing songs since I was a little girl! The first song I remember writing was when I was 5 it was a song about being true to yourself!  No one tells you how to do something like writing songs it just sort of happened. In my final year of school, I was flown to Nashville during exam week,  to do an album after being spotted on my youtube channel which has now been deleted!  After that, I wrote for The Voice and other artists and that was my first experience as a young writer, writing for other people. Nashville was a huge eye-opener. I was shocked to find out that people really do this for a living.. fast forward and Sony ATV heard some songs I was writing on a songwriting camp and the rest is history!

PS1 ‘Fake Friends’ has been well received within the UK, how did you come to be part of this track and why do you think this track in particular has been such a success?

Funnily enough, I wrote the song 3 years ago on a songwriting camp, it was actually the first song that Sony heard and signed way back then. Originally it was written (if you can believe it in a hip hop/ pop type of way! ( I know hard to believe) I sort of forgot about the song as a few years had past and the producer who I wrote the song with hit me up and asked if it was okay to send to PS1, a few months later it was turned into a House track!

You have a debut solo release coming out in September 2020, what can we expect?

I am really excited about my new song Playing Up! I wrote it a year ago whilst going through a breakup and during COVID I isolated with Adelaide producer Israel Amoy and we worked on music together. Playing Up was one of the songs that came out, we produced it and send it over to grammy-nominated Berkay Birecikli to add production, mix and master who is based in Los Angeles. It was again unlike any experience due to the pandemic things were slow but it was awesome to get to really work on every production element and make sure we were all really happy with the outcome.

How do you usually go about writing music and what or who influences your sound and songwriting?

I normally write songs about situations that I have gone through, its the reason for why most people start writing and I genuinely find that if I can connect to the song others will be able to as well. I always write down lyric ideas and poems and listen to a lot of different styles of music.

What do you have planned for the remainder of 2020 and going into 2021?

Writing lots and lots and lots of music! focusing on my own artist project! and hopefully, in 2021 I can start traveling and performing!!

What do you like to do away from music?

 I love working out and being outdoors, I am always in dark studios so any time i can get out and go for a walk i love it!!!

Who are you listening to at the moment?

 I can’t stop listening to Raye, Mabel, MNEK, Joel Corry,  Dua Lipa, Sigala, Stormzy, Sam Feldt, Jonas Blue, Manu Crooks, B Wise, Mø and Anne Marie!

Favourite food and place to hangout?

Adelaide:

Best Food: in Adelaide is Parwana Afghan Kitchen

Best spot to hang out: Mt Lofty Hike!

London:

Best Food: Dishoom

Best Spot to hang out:  Two Pair Cafe in Battersea Park in the afternoon when it’s sunny out!

www.alexhosking.com

www.instagram.com/alexandrahosking

Where are you currently based?

I’m currently based in Perth, Western Australia.

How did you first start playing music?

I was singing as a hobby from a young age but my proper start came in when my cousin and fellow artist, Rosel, asked me to join a studio session a while back and I thought I’d get on the mic and give this a go. After the session, I had my first feature on an original song called Nightfall.

What’s been happening recently?

As you know, I just released my debut track ‘Mean That’, but I’ve also been working on A LOT of original music, and some collaborations in the Dance music scene, keep an eye out!

Your new single ‘Mean That’ is out now, what influenced the sound and songwriting?

‘Mean That’ is my first piece of original work that I’ve banked for a while and I’m really happy to put this out. I wrote the song while I was going through some relationship struggles. People say things and don’t mean it and when you leave the relationship they go back to saying things they don’t mean to get you back. It’s like a never ending cycle and I wanted to portray it. The track overall has a very RnB and pop vibe, which mesh well together.

But it would be great to hear from everyone what they thought about the track, my DM’s are open!

Where and when did you record and who with?

I probably finished recording ‘Mean That’ at the start of 2020 with FRAAN, an incredible producer from Perth. He produced the track for me too! 

What do you like to do away from music?

I am a huge sports fan, so there’s a lot of games I keep up with on the weekend. I play sports and love to hit the gym too. Along with this, music and my day job, I try find time to keep a social life!

Who are you listening to at the moment?

As you’d expect, Drake is one of the main artists on my playlists but I’ve been vibing a lot of Bazzi and Stanaj lately.

What’s planned for the remainder of 2020?

It’s going to be a busy few months for me, I’ve got a few collaborations and original work releasing soon. As I said, be sure to keep an eye out.

Favourite food and place to hangout?

There’s nothing better than being at the local pub watching the footy or soccer with the boys, then having a chicken parmi (laughs)!

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