Music Interviews

Where are you currently based?

We are currently based in North London.

How did Théa Marie form?

I began my music carrier as a singer songwriter simply called ‘Théa’. As I started studying in the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance in London, I realised I needed a band to portray my songs exactly how I wanted. One thing lead to the next, my flatmate Julianna became my drummer and our friend Peter became my guitarist. They both add a ‘rock style’ to my soul/jazzy compositions, which I absolutely love. Two years later, we created Théa Marie – a soul rock trio from London.

Your band members are based around the world, how does Théa Marie operate as a band?

Yes, Julianna is Franco English, Peter is American and I am Franco American! It’s crazy to think we all just randomly met in our uni in London. We are very good at getting the job done and concentrating on our music. We operate very well together because we are first of all friends and have the same work ethic.

For rehearsals, I will bring a new song, sing and play it on the guitar and we’ll all just jam on it and feed off of different ideas.

You released an album a few months ago, what influenced the sound and songwriting?

Some songs on the album were written about five years ago, while others were written two years ago. They all express the emotions I used to have like homesickness, loneliness, falling in love for the first time… This is why the album is called ’THEN’ – emotions of the past. The songwriting was influenced by folk artists like James Vincent McMorrow and soul artists like Amy Winehouse.

How did you go about writing the music?

I find a progression of chords first, then melodies and lastly lyrics. Usually, my best melodies and lyrics will be written late at night. For some reason, the emotions that I’ve felt throughout the day become more intense in the evening… I don’t know why. In a way it’s great because it means I have more inspiration for my writing.

How did you approach the recording process?

So we recorded the album in two different sessions: one in December of 2018 and one in April of 2019 – we took our time. I kept all the stems of the album for a long time because I wanted the perfect person to mix the tracks – someone who understood the atmosphere I was going for. Luckily, I spent the London lockdown with my flatmates and Jimmy, a brilliant sound engineer and producer. He was nice enough to mix the whole album within 2 weeks – amazing! He now has his own mixing/mastering/production studio called Vakant Studios, you should check him out!

Where did you record?

We recorded in the recording studio of my university.

Please tell us about your latest collaboration:

I wrote ‘Settle Down, Love’ with The Dunwells, two brothers from Leeds. We met in 2018 during one of my school’s events and have kept in touch since. During our songwriting session, I was very anxious by my life. I was explaining to them that I wished I could calm my mind and tell it that everything will be okay. That’s how the idea of ‘Settle Down, Love’ started. We personified my anxious mind and built a conversation with it trying to settle it down.

As soon as we finished writing the song, we knew we had to release it. We knew that so many people would connect with it.

Who are you listening to at the moment?

I am still listening to James Vincent McMorrow, I love all of his albums. I recently discovered Lucy McWilliams – her sound is so groovy, chill and elegant.

What do you like to do away from music?

I love finding new places to hang out at. When I’m free, I love walking around London and finding cute places I can come back to later.

What’s planned for the remainder of 2020 going into 2021?

We’re preparing a new set up for our live sets: I play bass instead of guitar, and Julianna and Peter do backing vocals while they play their instruments. It’s fun to change it up and it adds more spice to our authenticity and style of music.

Favourite food and place to hangout?

Théa: Favorite food is the Bufala pizza from the Salusbury Food Store in Queens Park. Favorite place is at the top of Alexandra Park on a clear day.

Julianna: Favourite food is the veggie breakfast at La Diva Kilburn and favourite place to hang out is on Primrose Hill on a warm evening.

Peter: Favourite food is a vegetable red curry from Spicy Basil – Kilburn’s hidden culinary gem, and favourite place to hang out is Hampstead Heath on a sunny day.

Are you still based in Canberra?
Born and bred! Besides a brief stint living in London town back in 2006 (some cracking parties back then).

Canberra is not a particularly big place, how’s the underground scene there?
Canberra has always had a thriving, close knit underground scene since way before I was old enough to go out partying.

Unfortunately, I have personally witnessed the demise of nearly every single last left night club and festival venue in the city over the years due to a rapid rise in rental costs, liquor licencing costs and residential properties spreading too close to the last pockets of music venue hope – which of course comes with sound complaints. To top that off a global pandemic hit and we are left with just two last venues in the city that regularly offer electronic music. It’s a real shame to think that when I started Djing there were countless pumping nightclubs and late-night venues in Canberra and now we are left with nearly none at all.

The positive side to this is that the ‘underground’ scene is building up and forming together stronger than ever with new ideas for the future.

What’s it like trying to make a name for yourself in a place like that with deep house and breaks?
I started Djing and dabbling in music production in way back in 2002 when I was still in high school.
I have been fortunate enough to have held residencies, helped promote parties and have awesome friends who ran some of the best parties this town has ever had and still do.
The scene was quite strong in Canberra in the early to late 2000’s, so I had many great festivals and late night venues to play at! The scene here has always been very open minded to different forms of electronica, so I find the vibe here less biased towards one genre to the other here than some other AUS cities tbh.

How did you first start playing music and how did you evolve into electronic music?
The first music I ever loved was The Prodigy’s ‘Music For the Jilted Generation’ when I was literally in primary school! I got into Gatecrasher style trance in my first year of high school. So I have basically had a love in electronic music since I knew about music.
I started making tunes with Fruityloops v1 and have stuck to it till this day.

There are a lot of breaks in your portfolio, where did they come from?
It is an interesting story.
I moved on from my passion of Trance music on to Progressive House and Techno in the early 2000’s. Then in early high school years I actually randomly won a crate of vinyl full of the entire Finger Lickin’ Records discography via a competition on the ‘In The Mix’ website. I didn’t even know I was in a competition! But I just got home from school one afternoon and there I was with all of the best Breakbeat the world had to offer at the time. This basically got me into Breaks and then as I was already into Progressive, it merged to become my real love of ‘Progressive Breaks’. I always wonder if I would have DJ’d and Produced so much Breaks if I never won that random crate?

Which artists have been your biggest influences? 

In reality, there are way too many to name through many genres, though I have to mention the big guns like: The Prodigy, The Chemical Brothers, Aphex Twin, John Digweed, Sasha, Nick Warren, Andy Page, Hybrid, Phil K, Hernan Cattaneo, Underworld. The list goes on but they have to be some major inspirers.

What’s been happening recently?
Due to the pandemic, no DJ gigs besides the odd livestream and recordings on Mixcloud and select radio shows. Though lots of music production has been happening which is a plus.
Oh and I got engaged! (Congratulations! – Anthony.)

Any upcoming releases we should keep an eye out for?
I have an EP coming out on ‘Late Night Music’ in November with two new originals ‘Distant Source’ and ‘Fargone’ with some fantastic remixes from Jamie Stevens, B-Tham, Kazuki and Tidy. I have had some great feedback on these tracks so far! It’s a fun EP as every track in the package is quite different so it makes for an exciting release.

Do you prefer to DJ or play live?
Djng is always fun and less stressful, but live shows which are much more rewarding.
I aim to do much more live stuff after the pandemic.
I also do a side project live show with Tidy under our name ‘Stact’ which has been the best fun I have ever had performing live. Its more of an experimental breaks/drum and bass/ idm project that we do completely live and improved on the spot with pallets of sounds, synths, vinyl and drum samples we have made. Basically, a live jam that never sounds the same twice. https://soundcloud.com/stact

What are your top 3 plug-ins to use in the studio, and why?
They change over time but at the moment I’m loving Gulfoss.
It is a live eq that balances out the sounds on the fly as they play. It’s really smart AI in a simple interface. It does wonders to the mix.
Native Instruments Guitar Rig has always been something I use on all sorts of sounds to re shape and texture. I use it in a much more subtle way than its designed for, but it really works for me.
I’m also loving Pigments by Arturia at the moment also, it’s a really full textured synth. The Arturia range is amazing.

Where can we hear you DJ? Do you have any future ambitions for your music?
The last gig I was billed for was to warm up for Booka Shade in back March but that got cancelled due to the pandemic, so at the moment you can only hear me on various livestreams and radio shows that I will always announce on my Facebook page: www.facebook.com/fourthstate
The future is shrouded in mystery at the moment.

Is there anywhere you’d really love to play, or any labels you’d love to release on?
I’d love to play at Rainbow Serpent festival for sure!  And my main goal is to support John Digweed one day and especially feature on his Transitions radio show.
Getting a release on Johns label Bedrock would be paramount.

What do you like to do away from music?
I love to get away from the electro-concrete jungle and head into real nature. camping, the beach, bushwalks etc.

Who are you listening to at the moment?
I’m always finding new tunes and shazaming ones I love in mixcloud and soundcloud sets of artists that I keep adding and following on those platforms. And I’ve been listening to John Digweeds Transitions radio show religiously every week for years and years now.

What’s planned for the remainder of 2020?
Write more tunes, try and play at a real gig and get to the beach as often as I can.

www.mixcloud.com/fourthstate

www.soundcloud.com/fourthstate

www.facebook.com/fourthstate

Interviewer: Anthony Huttley

Where are you currently based?

Hello! I’m in Melbourne, I’ve lived here for 7 years and am originally from the Northern Rivers of NSW.

How did you first get into music?

I first got into music pretty young. An early memory was going with mum to choir when I was 5. I still recall most of the songs, some were African, in different languages and were really rhythmic. It was pretty magical to hear all the different melodies and rhythms of the voices coming together as one.

What influenced the sound and songwriting for your new single ‘Sweet Mellow D’?

With this song, I’m not exactly sure as it was pretty intuitive. I resonate with alternative folk artists like the storytelling of Adrienne Lenker and Angel Olsen, the abstract and quirky characteristics of Aldous Harding, the melody and lyrical style of Hand Habits, the finger picking of Jose Gonzalez, and endless inspiration from local queens Maple Glider, Nai Palm, Angie McMahon and Harmony Byrne.

When and where did you record it?

I recorded SMD in June during Lockdown, with legend friend Nick Herrera in his studio known as The Grove, in Coburg. 

How do you usually go about writing music?

There’s no rules and honestly my ‘process’ is pretty random. I usually pop my phone on record, and then forget about it and just go stream of consciousness for ages. Then I listen back and deconstruct little gems that I can collage together and workshop. The improvising helps me say what I actually feel.

What instruments do you use?

I play guitar and I’m hoping to get a piano soon, which has been on the dream list for a while. I play my lovely old nylon, which I picked up second hand in Tasmania, or I play my ‘85 Japanese Strat which I found in a flea market, that was a good day!

I’m left handed and originally learned left, but 4 years ago started playing right handed. Not only can I now jam at parties, but also all the chord shapes I play are upside down and I like the different fingerpicking patterns, and new chord shapes I find. All the songs on my record are written this way.

How do you approach recording/production?

I first found freedom in demo’s. I see them as a carefree and messy thang where there is no room for perfectionism, which can hinder me. As I don’t have a laptop at the moment (sad story) I keep things simple with an ipad and Garage band. It is the perfect way to get a vibing demo as a reference for proper studio time. I quite like the inbuilt mic, and I feel rebellious by not having a monster set up.

Then in the studio is where the music is expanded upon and that is so satisfying. Nick really dug the lo-fi sound of the iPad demo’s and it ended up becoming a stylistic feature in the music –  hi-fi lo-fi if you know what I mean.

Please tell us about your new video, how was it filmed and where?

The video was a rapid fire creation, that timed itself well with the lockdowns. I teamed up with my friend Joli.vision, and we managed to get it filmed the day before stage 4 came in. He suggested the time-lapse idea with ‘masking’ elements, I don’t have much language or experience in video, so Joli is the man behind all the tech.

The vision was to set up my lounge room pretty much exactly how it exists in my room somewhere in coastal nature. We found an incredible spot looking over the water to the mountains of Wilsons Prom in the background, which is a prehistoric nature reserve to the south east of Melbourne. 

Who are you listening to at the moment?

Today I was listening to Godtet from Sydney, and their live performance at the Opera House. I found Duval Timothy whose mostly instrumental sample-based piano music had me in the feels. Also Maple Gliders debut track ‘As Tradition’ has had many plays this week.  

What do you like to do away from music?

I make stained glass earrings and during Covid I started Studying Glass and glazing which is cool. I build stuff from wood, I work as a carpenter’s labourer and want to upskill so I can build a shack in the bush one day. I take my dog on adventures and I’m getting into spearfishing after Covid. I’ve been reading a fair bit- I’m super interested in how trauma affects the body, and also the ability for the brain to unlearn and relearn. Also learning about this country in terms of colonisation, the untold history, current issues and my place in it all. 

Favourite food and place to hangout?

Most common shnack at the moment is A1 Lebanese Bakery for the stretched zaatar  –
Favorite spot is Eddie Gardens beers in the sun, or Warrandyte River for summer swimming. 

What’s next for you that you’re really excited about?

In terms of music, I have this unreleased album that I’m so excited to share. It’s quite a thing of beauty and experimentation, so I’m looking forward to setting it free. I hope to tour to the UK/Europe but that’s all pretty unknown at the moment, so patience is key.

I’m really excited to go free diving and GTF out of the city.

Danika Smith Facebook Danika Smith Instagram Danika Smith Spotify Danika Smith Bandcamp

Where are you currently based?
Currently still based in Sydney!

How did you first start playing music?
I first started playing guitar and piano through school, and from there my guitar teacher convinced me to start singing. I started growing more confident and becoming better with my craft I suppose. I then started to create my own project as
such, and everything flowed from there.

What’s been happening recently and how has your Covid experience been?
Covid at the start was tough, as my first national tour was cancelled halfway through. Like a lot of people that kind of forced me to shift my priorities and financials. These days it’s going great though! I’m in the latter stages of completing my first album, and I just recently played 2 sold out shows.

Your new single ‘The World Is In a Bad Room’ is out now, what influenced the sound and songwriting? 
I guess the song is a conglomerate of a lot of personal relationships mixed in with everything that’s going on in the world. I also took a lot of inspiration through Tom Misch’s latest album.

How did you go about writing the single?
The song itself didn’t actually take too long! It kind of popped up one day when I was in the studio. I had been playing around with a particular drum groove (the one you can hear in the song) and everything just fell into place really quickly!

Where and when did you record and who with?
I recorded the track in a few places, but mainly within Kiln Studios in St Peters, Sydney. I developed the final stages of the track with my engineer ‘Danial Notoli’, someone who I’ve been working with for the past 2 or so years.

How did you approach the recording process?
Like many of my other projects, I started this song with the drum rhythm. I find it a lot easier and, in some way, a lot more fun to create stuff over a rhythm that you can bop to to begin with.

What programs/instruments did you use?
I use Logic Pro for pretty much all of my recording! I also played pretty much every instrument you can hear in the track and recorded them all individually.

What do you like to do away from music?

I like to do a lot of things to be honest. I think the best thing I like to do other than music is hang with friends. Either going away somewhere or just having drinks really sets my mind straight. I also love a read.

Who are you listening to at the moment?
A lot of Jordan Rakei, and a lot of SG Lewis.

What’s planned for the remainder of 2020 going into 2021?
I’ve got a few more sit down shows within rural NSW before the year is up which I’m really looking forward to doing! Assuming everything eases up as it has been, 2021 should be full of touring!

Favourite food and place to hangout?
I don’t think I can go past Italian with some really good wine. And my absolute place to hang is the beach.

https://www.facebook.com/olyshermanmusic/

Where are you currently based and what’s the music scene like there?

I’m currently based in Osaka, Japan.

There are a lot of bands playing — rock, punk, heavy metal, noise, hip hop.

There are a few clubs — drum n bass, techno, house, bass music.

There are some spaces for more experimental music, ambient, IDM, modular.

So there is a good music scene, but it’s all quite hidden and underground.

Only certain people go to these kind of places which is a shame.

You recently spent a prolonged period in London, what took you there?

I actually came back to Osaka in 2012.

 The love of music took me there.

I found myself getting into music from the UK when I was in Japan, and I was curious to experience the music scene and culture for myself.

I wasn’t really into electronic music until I experienced it in London. I had some many memorable nights there.

How is it being back in Japan? Did you experience any reverse culture shock? 

When I came back to Japan, I stopped making music for a while and worked full time as an English teacher.

Having a routine and not having to think too much was quite nice, after my more free-like lifestyle in London.

The first year was fine, but during the second year, I started to feel like I was starting to miss something.

I missed something so much, I can’t explain what that something was, but I knew I wanted to create music again.

How has it been getting back into the music scene there?

It has been really great. I saw Andy Stott, Mala and DBridge amongst others, and I have played in various venues around Osaka, such as Circus Club supporting Machinedrum.

How did you first start playing music and how did you evolve into electronic music?

I first got into music writing songs with my acoustic guitar, and being in a band.

I still love bands. I got into electronic music after I experienced some amazing nights at clubs in London.

I also became a member of Nedry (electronic band).

How would you describe your sound/the music that you play?

My music, especially, the latest album sayonara dance is like you are under the water.

Swimming slowly, trying to get to the other side.

Last year you released a new album ‘Sayonara Dance’. Can you tell us a bit about it? 

I did everything except mastering, so it was a challenge and it took me 4 years to make this album.

I wanted to paint feelings with the sound. I was interested in the feelings in between. 

Between the light and the darkness. I was very inspired by Four Quartets by T.S.Eliot

The track in the middle of the album “The lights are extinguished “ has the lines from East Coaker by T.S. Eliot.

——So the darkness shall be the light, and the stillness the dancing————

Then at the end of last year, dBridge made a remix of this song, and I was blown away by it.

The titled song sayonara dance is saying sayonara to your love by dancing together for the last time.

Was there anything in particular that influenced the sound behind it?

Not really, nothing in particular.

Can you tell us a bit about the process?

I first bought a new computer, a good audio interface(RME) and monitors

Then after that it was pretty much, trying, failing, trying , failing until I was happy with it.

Did you record the parts yourself?

Yes, I did everything in my bedroom.

What programs/instruments do you use?

Ableton Live mostly, I used to use pro-tools but I got Ableton Live and taught myself to use that.

I also used KORG MS200, and Gibson acoustic guitar

Tell us about your live set up, what do you use?

A:I use Ableton push, a guitar with various effect pedals, vocal with voice live, a RME interface, and MacBook

Where can we see you perform?

At music venues in Osaka such as Socore Factory, environment 0g

Follow me on instagram @ayu_okakita

What do you like to do away from music?

I love swimming and going to sentos (Japanese public bath)

Being in a sauna after a cold bath feels so good, and after that I love taking a walk with a drink.

Who are you listening to at the moment?

I’ve been listening to a lot of UK Grime because of my boyfriend, he has introduced me to some other music too.

My favorite songs of the month are Patience by RHYE and Dismantle by Andy Stott.

What’s planned for the remainder of 2020?

I’m working on my next album!!

And I’m planning to organise a music event with Jack, called 深音(shinon), a night that focuses on deep sounds.

Favourite food and place to hangout?

I love going to standing bars, one of my favorites is Ushitora in Minami.

Base Island Kitchen serves great vegan food. And for a late night Bar Muffin is a fun intimate bar with an amazing sound system.

Where are you currently based?  

Mornington Peninsula, Melbourne

How did you first start playing music?  

My mum ran a Backpackers accommodation in the 90’s and all the international guests would bring the latest cassette tapes from places like London & Amsterdam. At the age of 13, I was given the responsibility of playing music for the wild parties that were happening.

How did Uone & Western form?  

I started doing A&R for BEEF records in the 2000’s, Nick was one of the owners at the time.  Our friendship and shared passion for music grew from there. We started producing music 4 years ago after a series of successful releases on Sol Selectas, Katermukke, Beat & Path. We decided to release a concept album that focused on combining our love of cinema (spaghetti westerns), live instruments, psychedelic culture and rolling deep tribal house.

How has Covid impacted the underground electronic scene? 

It’s been pretty hard actually. Not being able to play music, and connect with humans has been challenging.  But at the same time the COVID-19 outbreak opened up the opportunity to reset and reflect on where music and DJing started. It’s been a time to reflect on my early roots and a time I was young, free and completely transfixed with the art of DJing and the music it embodies.

What are you doing to support the industry and stay creative? 

I run a weekly radio show called RANCH-O-RADIO, which is broadcast on 33 radio stations globally. It’s a platform to showcase local artists as well as international artists I love. I have also been doing a few live streams raining money for Multiple Sclerosis to keep my creative juices satisfied.

Your new album ‘The Lone Wranglers’ will be out on October 16, what influenced the sound and songwriting?  

The biggest influence on this album is the love of cinema that Western & I share. I remember in between studio sessions we went to see Blade Runner 2049 and had a vivid conversation about the importance sound plays in creating mood and feeling. The conversation naturally flowed into the studio and we ended up writing 3 cinematic musical interludes for the album, (Let Red Go, Cotton in the Clouds, Forest Walker). The second biggest influence would have to be Quentin Tarantino and his modern day take on western cinema culture, the album naturally developed to be a modern day western dance musical tale.

Where and when did you record/produce?  

Mostly produced at the Smith and Western Studios’ in Sydney over the last 2 years, but a lot of the tracks finalised at the Ranch-O-Relaxo studio. A special thanks to Jamie Stevens for helping us finalise a lot of the mix downs on this album. Jamie’s musical knowledge & studio skills are phenomenal, having a 3^rd party come across and give the music a final tweak really brought extra clarity to the mix. The mastering was done by Danny Bonnici from Liquid Mixes.

What programs/plugins/equipment did you use? 

We use Ableton 10, big fans of Spectrasonics’ plugin called the ‘Keyscape’. A lot of the piano, vintage keyboards & Rhodes sound come from this extraordinary plug in. We also spent a lot of time recording live guitars with different pedals, all our percussion is recorded live and then processed inside Ableton. Combining a human feel inside the digitized computer world is important. Some key synths used were the Roland Juno-106 & Nord Electro 3 Stage piano.

What can we expect from this upcoming album?   

The album is a combination of some key key influences for Western & I. Quentin Tarantino films are a big one, The Doors and Pink Floyd also heavily inspired the album.

‘The Lone Wranglers’ has a super unique sound, you can definitely hear the psychedelic influences and tribal deep house sounds. The live guitars and tribal drums really make you feel like you are experiencing the album in person.

How did Covid affect the creation of this album? 

Fortunately, it was completed before COVID fully set in, but we pushed back the release date because we felt like the timing wasn’t right. There’s no time like the present, onwards we go!

Who are you listening to at the moment? 

New Zealand based Sanoi and Beacon Bloom have been on high rotation. Plus, diving back in the late 1990s & early 2000s sounds of Underworld, Orbital, Brian Eno, Bruce Springsteen, Jimi Hendrix and Midnight Oil.

What do you like to do away from music? 

Gardening! I am somewhat of a green thumb. Here at our property we have 5 acres of gardens & vegetable patches to look after. I really enjoy mowing the lawns with my John Deer.  Also having recently become a father, spending time with our baby girl has been filling my heart with joy.

What’s planned for the remainder of 2020 going into 2021?

I’m taking part in Beyond Borders ‘Desert Dwellers’ live streaming event October 23, then we plan to follow up this album with an EP ‘Magician On Duty’. In December I’m super excited to be playing ‘Elements Music Festival’ in QLD – a return to live music!

Favourite food and place to hangout?  

During COVID it’s been our local Goat Curry at the Himalayan & Nepalese Restaurant.

Hey Mark Roma, welcome to the Partae! Your debut on DOORN has just dropped,  ‘The Realm’, massive congrats! How did the release come about?  

Hey, thanks for having me! It’s quite cool how the release happened, I started sending  tracks to Morten at the start of the year and he loved them. He supported The Realm in a  Spinnin Records X 1001 tracklist ID livestream and when I asked would he think spinnin  would like The Realm, he personally introduced me to the A&R team via email and it  stemmed from there! So really all I can say is networking is SUPER important! 

How long had you been working on the track, did it work quite naturally or did it take  quite a bit of tweaking?  

Most of the track happened to just fall into place in about a day (maybe I was having a  good because this is rare haha!) I started searching really strange cinematic sounds on  splice and I used lots of dark sounding stabs and pads and the drop sounded cool. The  acid took a bit of tweaking to make it fit in with all these pads but not too much. I even  sampled a racoon and a dinosaur sound but it works! 

Where does the name for the track come from? 

The name came from the feeling that the breakdown gives me, like a feeling of flying over a  mountain range or over an ocean through a feeling of elation. I’m a huge lover of trance and  love to incorporate some in most tracks I create so that was the aim to give a huge  euphoric flying feeling. 

What sort of music did you grow up listening to yourself? What actually influenced  you to go into production and a career in music?  

I grew up listening to a lot of trance, mainly Tiesto, Armin and Ferry Corsten, which  eventually branched out into more electro and now I’m a fan of pretty much all dance music  genres. When I was younger I used to down synthesiser apps onto my phone and would  play about making trance melodies, then a friend of a friend I met mentioned he was doing  a music technology degree and I immediately signed up. I almost was not allowed to do the  degree as I had no previous music qualifications but I was determined and it showed so  here I am 5 years later getting signed to my dream labels. Determination and hard work  pays off! 

What advice would you give to others who were hoping to follow in your footsteps  and release on the labels of their heroes?!  

The best thing I can advise is to network. Go to ADE, go to local networking events, like  Liverpool Audio Network Sound Summit which is local to me. Make sure you setup  meetings beforehand and talk to the right people who are relevant to you, face to face  interactions are SO IMPORTANT! 

On another note for productions, finish tracks faster, don’t spend too long forcing a track to  work. I used to spend upwards of 3 months on a track and it would be trash. First time I  finished a track in 4 days, Blasterjaxx supported it! 

Also, do not give up. I get knocked back weekly by labels but I learn from it, maybe the  track did not suit, maybe the quality was not great, maybe the A&R had a bad day, do not  give up! Work hard and consistently and I promise it will happen. 

Buy Link: https://doornrecords.release.link/the-realm

https://www.instagram.com/markromamusic/

https://www.facebook.com/markromamusic

https://soundcloud.com/markroma

Where are you currently based?

I am based between London and Miami where I’m currently recording

What’s been happening recently and how has your Covid experience been so far?

When Covid first came about I quarantined out in Spain with my family for a few months. It was hard to begin with being stuck indoors everyday but I just used the opportunity to work on my project creating new music and ideas.

How did you first start playing music? 

I started writing my own material when I was 14 after finding out my mum had cancer. It was a rough time for me but music really saved me. It was the only thing that could take my mind off all the bad things that I was experiencing at that time.

Your mixtape ‘Long Time Coming’ is out now, what were the influences behind the Mixtape?

I have many influences ranging from classic R&B to modern afro beats with a hint of latin rythm and melodies right back to 80’s hip hop and I love my Drum & Bass!

Please tell us about the process:

The music flowed nicely during the creative process of the mixtape. I didn’t really think too hard, it was more a case of just making music I love and making sure the record has a wide range of sonics and vibes.

How did the concept for the music video come about?

The concept for the video was to have something dark and edgy with a sexy feel to it. The video showcases the storyline that is told through the lyrics of the track with a constant movement which is what gives it that rolling vibe.

Who did you work with and where did you film?

I work with various different film crews from Miami, LA, Spain and the United Kingdom depending on and what we are trying to achieve with each project, I love Kaz Ové’s work and I’m working with a cool Jamaican director at the minute on my next video.

What did you find most challenging and rewarding throughout the creation of ‘Long Time Coming’?

To be totally honest I wouldn’t say it was challenging as I enjoyed every part of creating this piece of work. The rewarding feeling was to finally finish up the project ready for release!

Who are you listening to at the moment?

I am currently listening to mostly latin urban artists ; people like Farruko, Sech and Myke Towers.

What do you like to do away from music?

I like to work out in the gym, go for a bike ride or some basketball or hit the beach, if there is one close by of course!

What’s planned for the remainder of 2020 going into 2021?

I am currently working on finishing up my latin project which I have been working on for some time now and I’m feeling great about it.

Favourite food and place to hangout?

Jerk chicken with rice and peas and a good movie binge on the sofa!

What is your name and role within LIMBS?

Hey I’m Austin and I sing in LIMBS.

Where are you currently based? And how did LIMBS form?

I’m currently based in Tampa, Florida, as is one of our other members, Tyler. The rest of the band lives in northeast America (two in Connecticut and one in New York). At one point all of the members still lived in Florida when the band branded to LIMBS in 2014. 

What’s been happening recently and how has your COVID experience been so far?

Being in quarantine has been challenging to say the least, but thankfully I’ve still been able to do a few of things I love other than music like go surfing, fishing and learning new recipes. I absolutely love to cook and all this down time has allowed me to try new ideas in the kitchen and perfect some of my favorite home cooked meals. 

You have just dropped a surprise EP called ‘Only The Lonely Know’, what influenced the sound

and songwriting behind this release?

I’m so excited to share this EP with everyone. We wanted these songs to be a representation of us at our very best as musicians. We were able to collectively write these tunes together, having a unified theme of going heavier and a little darker than our previous releases while still retaining catchy post-hardcore influenced choruses that hopefully get stuck in your head. 🙂 

Where and when did you record/produce and who with?

This EP was a massive collective effort: starting with Jordan, Tyler and myself recording most instruments and vocals with our friend/producer Matt Johnson in Florida. From there, our drummer Joey teamed up with engineer Nick Bellmore to track drums in Connecticut. After all instruments were tracked, the songs were sent to our man Sam Guaiana in Toronto, Canada to work his magic in producing and mixing. And FINALLY, from there, the EP was sent to Mike Kalajian in New York for mastering. Writing and recording an entire EP between multiple states and countries remotely and on COVID lockdown was one of the most tedious but insanely rewarding experiences ever. I’m so thankful for everyone who had a helping hand in bring OTLK to life and I couldn’t be prouder of the results! The summer of 2020 was a wild ride but in the end, we came out with what I feel is our best material to date.

How did the concept for the releases’ music videos come about?

Our bassist, Chris, is a videographer and is also our visual/social curator. He took the themes from our EP and created the visualizations accurate to lyrical content.

Who are you listening to at the moment?

Currently I’m listening to the record ‘tryhard ‘by The Band Camino on repeat. It’s just a flawless album front to back.

What do you like to do away from music?

Away from music, most of my time is spent going on surf trips, antique shopping with my wife and working on boats.

What’s planned for the remainder of 2020 going into 2021?

It’s still too up in that air to know for certain. Obviously we’d love to be touring again but people’s safety through the pandemic is top priority. Guess we’ll just have to wait and see. 

Favourite food and place to hangout?

Favorite food: Yellow Curry with chicken // Favorite Place to hang out: the beach!

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Where are you currently based?

Melbourne. 

How did you first start playing music?

I started playing violin when i was three years old and piano when I was four (my parents are musicians).

What’s been happening recently and how has your Covid experience been so far?

I’ve been working on this EP which is finished now! And covering songs, making videos for them and releasing them on YouTube. Oddly enough my Covid experience has been really great, allowing me to essentially work on music full time. 

What influenced the sound and songwriting for your new single “25”?

Being introduced to The 1975 definitely has a big influence on 25, specifically their honest and revealing approach to lyricism.

How do you usually for about writing music?

I’ll basically just sit down in my studio and start tinkering with different instruments. Eventually I’ll come up with a melody or polyrhythmic synth line and just build on top of that. 

What programs/instruments do you use?

I use Logic as my DAW and then in the synth department I use a Juno-106, Behringer Model-D, Prophet 08, Nord Electro 3, Bass Station 2, Arturia V Collection. Maschine and Spark take care of the drums, and then use a Neumann TLM 103 mic to record all my vocals, violin, percussion.  

How do you approach recording/production?

I approach the recording aspect by mucking around in the studio and then once I’ve got a a demo of a track, I’ll go back and do proper vocal takes etc. and then send it off for mixing. I used to mix everything myself but over the last couple of years I’ve been very fortunate to have my very talented friend and other half of Juno Disco Nick Bond take care of it and it’s really taken everything to another level. 

Please tell us about the upcoming video, how was it filmed and where?

I was very influenced by how they filmed The Mandalorian by their use of rear screen projection with giant screens. So I experimented with making visuals then putting them on my TV and then would shoot a single take of myself performing in front of it.

Please tell us about how you got into videography:

Filmmaking is something I did a bit in High School but hadn’t really touched it again since lockdown. I started making these videos for the covers I was making and then through doing so many of them, I got better at filmmaking.

It’s something I really love and will continue to do, the process is very similar to making music.

Who are you listening to at the moment?

The only new thing I’ve really gotten into recently is Parcels, such an amazing band and was very excited to hear that they’re big Whitest Boy Alive fans. That and The Weekly Planet podcast which is 11/10.

What do you like to do away from music?

Very lucky to have a park as my backyard so hanging out there, Watching movies, I’m watching The Sopranos for the first time and  I’ve gotten weirdly into running this year. 

What’s planned for the remainder of 2020 going into 2021?

More music! You’ll be hearing some new stuff from me very soon! The EP is done so I’ll be bringing out another single and the EP before the end of they year. And then I’ll work on my next release over the summer. We also have a lot of Juno Disco stuff in the pipeline which is exciting so I reckon it’ll be a busy 2021. 

Favourite food and place to hangout?

Without a doubt ‘Leonards House Of Love’.