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Where are you currently based?
We are currently based in Boorloo, Perth,, chillin.
How did you first start playing music?
I was given a guitar as a child, then was spoken to by the musical gods and learned my one true calling was to play music and with this, I began to write music. And with that, here we are. Welcome.
What’s been happening recently?
Music-wise we’ve started to really get into it, we’ve got a lot of new tunes we’re really excited about! We’ve just been playing a lot of shows and feeling them lows. We’ve also been a bit sad, and that’s not all bad. It’s important to feel as sad as possible when writing music so emotion can be successfully portrayed.
What influenced the sound and songwriting for your new single ‘Wish you’d show’?
Mainly Mac de Marco and Kate Bollinger, with a dash of Vampire Weekend. Big fan of how they can make such stripped back music sound so good.
How did you go about writing Wish you’d show and what does this track mean to you?
This track and “Sun may shine” were kind of written at the same time, Harry came over and did some Saxophone overdubs on a beat I came up with while Isaiah was asleep on the couch. Our old bass player Dan came around after and tracked some fantastic bass bits after. It’s by far our favourite song at the moment, and it’s a classic little love song. There’s definitely heaps out there, but they always mean the most to whoever’s making them!
Your debut EP is on the way, please tell us about your journey with this EP:
This EP has a special place in my head as it’s been completely produced and mixed in my room on GarageBand. Starting out I didn’t have too much to work with and I feel like a nice unique sound has come out of the process. I’ve been sitting on these tracks for a while, and was pretty unsure how they’d be received. We’ve had some awesome support lately, and it feels really good to get them out.
What can we expect?
Life. Thrills. Freedom.
Where and when did you record/produce/master and who did you work with?
All tracks were mastered with Gareth Henderson (thanks Gareth), everything else was done with the band in my bedroom.
How did you approach the recording process?
I usually just play around on the guitar or a synth and see if anything nice comes out of that, that’s usually the first step. Then I sing over whatever I have, and build everything else from there. Every song’s a little different!
Who are you listening to at the moment?
A lot of Kate Bollinger, and a local resurfaced band Butter who are just amazing.
What do you like to do away from music?
Play with animals, change the world, and inspire the generation to come.
What’s planned for 2022 going into 2023?
We’re absolutely loving playing live gigs around town, so we’ll keep doing that! We love reworking the songs for live performances, keep its really fun for us and hopefully people who come see us as well. We’ve got another EP ready to go as well, stay tuned…
Favourite food and place to hangout?
We love getting burgers at Flipside in Freo, and see whatever is going on at Mojo’s. Perhaps even have a nice beverage, if we’re feeling crazy.
COCO ELISE SOCIAL MEDIA:
INSTAGRAM // SPOTIFY // FACEBO
Where are you currently based?
We are currently based in Pōneke (Wellington, New Zealand)
How did Wet Denim form?
Brothers Joe and Jack (Bass & Drums) have been jamming together all their lives and have always wanted to be in a band together. After both moving to Wellington, it was the perfect opportunity to make this happen. Joe saw Nick perform at an open mic night a couple of months before the idea of Wet Denim came about, (and quickly forgot about him!). When it came time to fully assemble the band, Jack brought in his flatmate Luca on guitar and keys, and Joe finally remembered to ask Nick to join.
What’s been happening recently?
Coming out of the gate in May, post Covid, we were hungry to play as many shows as we could. Over the next four 4 months we played 8 local shows in Wellington including some sold out headliners. During this time we were also working on recording our EP. In the more recent months, the live shows have been put on the backburner whilst we wrapped up the EP recording, and as we prepare for our final Wellington show in 2022.
How’s the NZ music scene at the moment?
The NZ music scene, more specifically the Welly live scene has been pumping since shows started again yearly this year. Everyone is super supportive of each other, going to each other’s shows, promoting music, it’s a real community vibe.
Your latest single ‘Free’ is out on the 27th of October, what’s influenced the sound and songwriting?
All of the music we collectively listened to growing up has influenced our songwriting big time. This recent track takes quite a ‘Kings of Leon’ approach that we all froth!
How did you go about writing ‘Free’?
At the start of 2021 Joe was playing around on the Logic Pro X recording software and came up with the first idea of ‘Free’ with the intro up until the first verse. When we had our first jam he showed everyone the idea and from there we formed the idea into a full song – with Luca adding his sauce, Nick singing the melody and Jack driving the groove. And that’s what really grew our bond as a band. ‘Free’ was our very first song we finished.
Where and when did you record/produce/master and who did you work with?
Recording ‘Free’ began in Joe’s bedroom and then was taken to Avalon studios where we worked with Shaan Singh and Ben O’Leary, who helped us take the track from a demo to a release quality track. ‘Free’ was mixed by Neil MacLeod and mastered by Chris Chetland at KOG Studios.
How did you approach the recording process?
As mentioned before, the original demo of ‘Free’ was the fruits of Joe working away in his bedroom studio. We developed the ideas whilst jamming which Shaan and Ben then helped us track into the song.
What do you most enjoy about touring NZ?
We haven’t got there yet, but we have a few shows and festivals over summer that are outside of Pōneke that we are super excited for!
Who are you listening to at the moment?
We are really loving the music that is coming out of Wellington at the moment. Arjuna Oaks, Haven, Mikeyy, Frank on Tap, and Revulva are a few of our faves.
What do you like to do away from music?
Jack and Luca are both designers, visual and spatial respectively, which takes up a bunch of their time, Nick is right into his fitness and Joe has nothing else going for him.
Favorite food and place to hangout?
We love to hang at Raglan Roast Cafe and sip on their yummy yummy brew.
What’s planned for the remainder of 2022 going into 2023?
We have just recently released our second single ‘Free’. On November 17th we have our first headlining show at San Fran which will act as a taster for our EP set for release in December. We have a soggy summer lined up where we will be stretching our legs and taking our EP outside of the capital. You can catch us at Cape Estate on Boxing Day, Outfield Festival, and 121 Festival. Yeooooww!
https://www.facebook.com/wetdenimband
Title: Butterfly
Label: Barong Family
RayRay teams up with JVNA for a stunning collaboration – “Butterfly” from RayRay‘s upcoming debut album, making for a union of two killer females, originally hailing from Taiwan RayRay and US-born Taiwanese JVNA. The single showcases both artists’ talents perfectly, from JVNA‘s and RayRay‘s dreamy singing performances to both future bass and melodic trap production prowess. Opening with sultry, breathy vocals and an ominous bassline, “Butterfly” starts with an ethereal feel and blossoms into a drop featuring serrating synths and deep bass undertones that give it an edge. The mixture of feminine emotiveness and unquestionable sonic confidentiality makes the track an unusual creation where the lyrics are sung in English and Mandarin. RayRay and JVNA‘s collaboration is out now on Yellow Claw‘s Barong Family imprint and will also be featured on RayRay‘s forthcoming debut album “Unearthly World.” Read on what both artists have to say about their new release:
“One of my favorite songs on the album. It’s definitely a unique combination between me and JVNA. I’ve wanted to work with her for a very long time. She is such an inspiring person. It’s very interesting and fun to blend her airy music sound with my hard trap elements together. We started making this song in July 2021 last year and actually came up with the vocals first. Be strong and brave, and eventually, you will be like a butterfly emerging from the cocoon. This is also the experience we have been learning as artists. Life isn’t a bed of roses, and there are a lot of obstacles. However, as long as you pull it through, you will become a beautiful butterfly. It’s also a tribute to our friends and fans in Taiwan and Asia.” – RayRay
“I wrote ‘Butterfly‘ with RayRay wanting to write a track that felt empowering to both of us. As female producers/DJs we’ve bonded over our experiences of being in a male-dominated industry and the feeling of needing to prove ourselves constantly. This song is about taking a leap of faith in pursuing our dreams, becoming the person we want to become, and succeeding in our goals. When RayRay and I initially met, we clicked instantly. She is one of the few friends I have in the industry to whom I can relate and talk about the similar struggles and experiences we have in our work field.” – JVNA
RayRay has landed loudly and exploded onto the international dance scene in the past few years. With gigs at major festivals like Glastonbury, ADE, Tomorrowland, Sonar, and Arcadia, and her purple hair as her signature look. She cemented her status in the scene as a Red Bull Thre3style competition winner and through a series of studio sessions with artists such as Skrillex, Yellow Claw, Steve Aoki, and Atmozfears. All that while honing and training her vocals with voice professionals. After being named on Beatport’s HOT 100 Future Bass/Trap Top 10 List in 2016, her work ethic and signature sound caught the ears of Yellow Claw, who brought RayRay on tour in 2019 and quickly signed her to a management deal and to the Barong Family where she released three EPs: “Purple Alien” and “Alien Invasion” and 2021’s Brand New EP “Alien Mutation.” RayRay‘s new home on the Dutch imprint has gotten her name on feverish demand, and today she tours her signature sound all over the globe, creating seismic experiences for her newfound fans. With releases on Spinnin’ Records, Protocol Recordings, Dim Mak, as well as releases on Tiësto‘s label Musical Freedom to follow. Despite the pandemic, 2020 and 2021 didn’t slow her down one bit. With the dance scene at a standstill, RayRay started her live streaming channel on Twitch in early 2020 and, within a year, became the top Twitch “Live Music” Streamer, according to IMS Business report. During the same period landing a residency on Tiesto‘s Musical Freedom Sirius XM Radio show. 2021 saw her release EPs “Lasergun” with Yellow Claw, “Pump It Up” with Moksi, and “Where Are My Friends” with Sihk, to name a few. Needless to say, RayRay‘s spaceship is rocketing across the stars and doesn’t seem to slow down anytime soon.
California-based singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist JVNA produces electronic music that plays at the dichotomy of light and dark, bass and melody, organic and synthetic. Raised by Taiwanese immigrants, JVNA studied classical piano from the age of 6 and started writing songs when she was 11. Her studies continued at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, where she learned to score films and video games. Initially, JVNA made fun edits and remixes of her favorite anime and video game soundtracks; her take on MapleStory‘s “Login Theme” caught fire on the internet, earning half a million views in 24 hours. Her 2018 song “I’m With You,” inspired by her father’s death two years earlier, dared to dive deep into an emotional world. JVNA self-directed the song’s music video. The Follow-up single “Catch Me,” released in 2019, took JVNA on a sold-out tour across the United States. Due to the pandemic, it was canceled, and JVNA returned to the studio to focus on the album’s production. She pushed herself to incorporate more live keys, piano, and organic textures. In 2021 JVNA released her debut studio album – “Hope In Chaos,” which is a diverse collection of styles featuring JVNA‘s voice like it’s never been heard before, opening up about so much more than the standard dance floor love songs.
Following his chart-topping single “Flip Reset” with Kaskade and this year’s “I Don’t Really Care” with Neville, Australian house producer WILL K returned to Monstercat today, joining forces with Dutch electronic group Drove for the evocative single “Ghost.” The addictive groove, hypnotizing pads, and dreamy bassline are sonically reminiscent of fellow Aussie tastemakers like Cassian and Rüfüs Du Sol, yet distinctively driven by WILL’s eccentric artistry. Aptly titled just ahead of Halloween, the velvety vocals and dark chords make for a haunting heartbreak anthem.
WILL K shares, “Drove and I knew we had to make a record together as a lot of our fans kept tagging us together on social posts! After sending a few ideas back and forth, I came across the vocal of “Ghost” and knew it was something special, and I wanted to bring a Rüfüs Du Sol-inspired/moody vibe with the production.”
Drove adds, “The song itself is about coping with having to let go of someone after a breakup. Lyrically we tried to describe situations in which you realise the most of what you’re missing in your life. That someone you were so close to now feels like a stranger to you.”
For nearly a decade, WILL K has been climbing the electronic circuit with dominating dancefloor hits, including his recent track “OoooH” with CID, which went to #2 on Beatport and saw support from Steve Aoki, Alesso, Nicky Romero, and many more. After headline tours in Australia and Asia, he’s performed across the world’s biggest festival stages including Tomorrowland, Creamfields, and Parookaville. As he continues to take his project to new heights, expect more genre-pushing from WILL K in the months to come.
PLAY/LISTEN
Follow WILL K
Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | YouTube | Spotify
Follow Drove
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Follow Dream Dali Spotify | Apple Music | Facebook | Insta: @dreamdalimusic | Youtube |
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BUY/STREAM: LEER – OPTIMIZE EP
Sydney-based LEER, made up of Lachlan Henderson and Tom Eady, have been on the rise in the electronic music scene for some time. With a handful of epic releases under their belt they have revealed their anticipated debut EP ‘Optimize’, out now via Sweat It Out. Expanding beyond the roots of electronic dance, the 5 track body of work demonstrates the duo’s work ethic as staunch producers, whose mastery in creating immersive soundscapes is evident throughout the extended play.
Opening up about the release, LEER shares “The EP marks the start to our creative journey and encapsulates our growth over the last year. Starting with a bunch of bedroom club bangers we developed our sound and the result is sick. We’re stoked with this being our first official body of work and can’t wait to play it out!”
The project begins with their impactful debut single ‘Friends (Feat. fio)’. Released in May of this year, the track boasts a bouncy baseline infused with fio’s sultry vocals making for the perfect euphoric dance floor filler. Second in the project is cinematic title track ‘Optimize’, which finds the producers reaching new heights sonically, laying down the groundwork with a classic electro sound atop smooth instrumentation and mixed with energetic synth stabs. This cool club track packs a hard punch while keeping listeners revelling in the sublime reality of it all.
The spellbinding ‘Back to Back (Feat Woodes)’ follows as the third track in the project. The tantalsing club anthem sees the duo-branch out into elements of techno and house, among other sub-genres all while retaining all the key elements that make LEER’s productions so addictive. Next up is ‘You Get Me’ with a driving foundation of downtempo rhythms and instrumental electronica charged with airy distorted vocal intermissions. This hard hitter is sure to feature at a warehouse rave near you soon. The duo closes out the EP with ’Runna’ which cements the duo’s reputation as purveyors of deep club cuts. LEER’s unique production style is on full show with this infectious melody you’ll be replaying in your mind all day. Both Lachlan and Tom showcase their talents in tandem throughout ‘Optimize’, beautifully weaving a package that remains otherworldly.
DJ and producer duo, LEER burst onto the scene earlier this year parading their way around a club hook, by crafting magnetic bass lines over cascading synthesisers and transfixing drops. Releasing ‘Friends (Feat. fio)’ and ‘Back To Back (Feat Woodes)’ in the lead up to the EP release, the two have received a tremendous amount of support from some of the most prominent in the industry including Music Feeds, The Music Network, Acid Stag and triple j’s Dave Ruby Howe noting the “silky vocal that goes over the top of a dark and deep production. That’s a winning combo in my books.” LEER continue to demonstrate their strength in production prowess as their discography grows. Having already released an official remix of Crooked Colours’s hit single ‘Light Year (Feat. Masked Wolf)’ as well as playing a coveted support slot for Aussie indie dance legends alongside PRICIE, Annie Bass and Mazy for Great Southern Nights at Metro Theatre in association with Sweat It Out, LEER continue to go from strength to strength. With only a modest handful of tracks to their name so far, LEER’s debut EP, ‘Optimize’, not only provides an insight into the pair’s unique creative landscape but also forecasts a dazzlingly bright future ahead of them.
LEER’s debut EP ‘Optimize’ is out now via Sweat It Out
For more info on LEER, visit:
FACEBOOK | TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | SOUNDCLOUD
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TOUR DATES
Fri 14 Oct – Mono Hall – Tbilisi, Georgia (EU)
Sat 29 Oct – Claptone: The Masquerade @ Tobacco Dock – London (UK)
Sun 1 Nov – The Lawn @ The Star – Gubbi Gubbi Land / Gold Coast (AU)
Fri 18 Nov – Walter Studios – Hohokam Land / Phoenix, Arizona (US)
Sat 19 Nov – Wild Acre Live – Sioux, Cherokee, Iroquois Land / Texas (US)
Sat 3 Dec – Sunsets Festival – Gayemagal Land / Manly (AU)
Sun 11 Dec – Castaway – Boorloo / Perth (AU)
Sat 31 Dec – Harbour Party NYE @ Luna Park – Eora / Sydney (AU)
+ More TBA
Tickets available HERE
Stay connected with Bag Raiders:
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