Music Interviews | The Partae

Writer/Producer Lupa J unveils more of her forthcoming album with her latest...

March 22, 2019

LISA CARUSO RELEASES ‘A HOLIDAY’ + ANNOUNCES AUSSIE TOUR

March 22, 2019

Mötley Crüe Releases The Dirt Soundtrack Today To Accompany The Band’s Biopic,...

March 22, 2019

THE CHATS NEW SINGLE PUB FEED SMOKO IS OVER. TIME FOR A...

March 22, 2019

CUB SPORT perform Billie Eilish on ‘Like A Version’, before their headline...

March 22, 2019

CONCRETE SURFERS ‘My Life On Repeat’ EP

March 22, 2019

CROOKED COLOURS ANNOUNCE NEW SINGLE HOLD ON OUT TODAY + NEW ALBUM...

March 22, 2019

SECOND PRIZE Launch ‘The Heel Turn’ Album 31st March @ The Workers...

March 21, 2019

DIDIRRI + RO collaborate on understated track of unsaid truths and repressed...

March 21, 2019

Introducing the Mentors and Participants of ‘Cultivate’ the first women-only leadership program...

March 21, 2019

EXPERIENCE YOUR OWN DEATH AT THE ESPY THIS MARCH: “DEATH MEDITATION” –...

March 21, 2019

Glasgow’s most promising rising star Jasper James returns to Australia

March 21, 2019

BIRDS OF TOKYO REVEAL STRIKING VIDEO FOR NEW SINGLE ‘GOOD LORD’

March 21, 2019

Joe Hertz

March 21, 2019

Ro – “F**ked Up Over You” Single Tour

March 21, 2019

Opening tomorrow: Top Arts celebrates 25th anniversary at NGV

March 21, 2019

Beverly Kills

March 21, 2019

Groovin the Moo 2019

March 21, 2019

Hard-Ons

March 21, 2019

Vast Hill

March 21, 2019

Franz Matthews & Local Suicide – Meditation / Tutan Jamon EP Out...

March 20, 2019

Dune Rats – ‘Scott Green’ (live at Splendour In The Grass)

March 20, 2019

Jamie Adam

March 20, 2019

SKEGSS – L.S.D 2014 & PARADISE from their debut album “MY OWN...

March 20, 2019

Joe Hertz ‘Møøn ft Nonô’ https://juicebox-recordings.lnk.to/BkQ_Y 1. Where are you currently based in the UK and what is the music scene like there? I’m currently based in Brixton, London. It’s a vibrant place and has been a key part of London’s music culture since the 1950s. There’s a record shop near my place called Soul Proprietors, my friend who runs the place gets a lot of rare groove, funk, soul and hip hop. It’s always a fun way to spend a couple hours in there digging for bits I’ve never heard before. 2. How did you first start making music? I first started DJing when I was about 15, and it wasn’t soon after I found that passion, I wanted to explore making my own beats. I think my first program I was using was reason 2.5. It was the first time I found a way for me to express my ideas in my own space. I loved staying up all night making beats so I could share them with my friends, even though they were super rough and all over the place! 3. What have you been working on recently? I have recently been working on tracks for my album. Some are ready, some are still in the process. I also just got back from my first Asia DJ tour which was nuts! Had a great time. 4. What themes/concepts does your work explore? I have always wanted to draw out an emotional response from people with my music. With beat making it’s very much a personal preference / on-going experiment on what sounds and melodies to use to do this. In terms of collaborating with songwriters I always like to spend time just chatting with them about what’s going on currently rather than try and put yourself in a position that you're not really in. It’s easier to write about stuff your experiencing at the time. 5. Who are you listening to at the moment? Jengi, Wantigga, Jael. There’s a lot of good shit coming out of the Netherlands at the moment. 6. How did you meet and get to work with Nono? Like most of the sessions that come through, my management and myself discuss and find people online that we like the sound of. I met Nonô for the first time when she came into the studio. There wasn’t that much expectation, but we got on so well in the session and it was actually a lot of fun to write with her. It’s always good to work with someone who’s not just talented but who you have fun with on a personal level 7. What do you like to do away from music? Cooking a 12-hour tonkotsu ramen, it’s kinda similar to making a beat. 8. Top 5 dream collaborators? J Cole, Kaytranada, Bobby Caldwell, Patrice Rushen, Bonobo 9. Any plans to tour Australia soon? We’re looking into it for later in 2019 / beginning of 2020. I have family in Aus and there’s so much good music that comes out of Aus, I can’t wait to play there. 10. What do you have planned for 2019? Really just finishing the album, DJ’ing - there will be some US dates, and dropping singles. 11. Favourite food and place to hang out in your hometown? I love Asian food! Ramen, hotpot, Korean BBQ

Joe Hertz

What is your name and role within Beverly Kills? Alma Westerlund on vocals and synth, Viggo Mattsson on bass, Hampus Höggren on drums, and John Jonsén on guitar. Where are you currently based and what is the music scene like there? Alma: We’re based in Gothenburg. And I’d like to describe Gothenburg as an active city, musically. There’s a lot of stuff going on here. I don’t think there’s ever been a Friday or Saturday night that I’ve been bored. What have you been working on recently? Hampus: We have been writing a lot of new stuff recently. Viggo: We also recorded a music video for our next single. Alma: Another edition of our zine is also on the way! Which bands are you digging from Gothenburg? John: Terra and Tyred Eyes are two of the bands I like the most right now. Viggo: Westkust’s latest record slaps! Agent blå and Kollapse are great too. Does living in Gothenburg influence your sound? Hampus: Not for me, at least. Viggo: I don’t think it influences us, but it might be something that affects us subconsciously. Bands like Broder Daniel and Makthaverskan are very typical for Gothenburg so it’s hard to be an active pop band here without getting somewhat inspired by them. What or who influences your songwriting? Alma: It’s hard to answer that question, because I’ve never heard anything and felt “that’s how I want to sound!”. Of course I have musical preferences, but I don’t think it affects how we write music. None of my favourite bands sound anything like we do, and I think that’s good. You've just released a new single 'Revellers'. How did this track come about? John: Alma and I used to live in a shared flat with some of our friends, where we wrote our first tracks for Beverly Kills. Back then Alma still played guitar instead of synth, so all of her melodies used to be guitar parts. I sang on two or three tracks, and this was one of them. When Alma switched to synth we kept very few of our older tracks since they didn’t translate very well into our new sound change, but Revellers made it through. Hampus: We didn’t actually plan to record it, but we had some time left during the session when we did ‘Melodrama’, ‘Dreamless’ and ‘In This Dim Light’. And here we are! Where and when did you record and who with? Alma: At Welfare Studios, sometime around the beginning of March 2018. Everything was recorded with Kalle Lilja, Per Stålberg and Olle Björk. John: We recorded our debut single ‘Fourteen’ with them too, and we were so satisfied with how it turned out so it felt natural to go back there the second time around. What programs/instruments did you use? Hampus: They use Cubase for recording. Alma: I used my Micro Korg, with a Roland Space Echo RE-201. John: I always use my Fender Telecaster for everything guitar related. Viggo: And I used my Fender Jazz Bass. How do you usually go about writing music? Alma: John and I usually sit at home and write stuff together. We often record a quick demo and then we take it to the rehearsal space. When we wrote ‘Revellers’ and ‘In This Dim Light’ it wasn’t as easy to write vocal melodies, since we hadn’t rehearsed that much as a full band at the time. So I wrote all the vocal melodies at home, or on the bus at times. How did you come to sign from punk/indie Melbourne/Fitzroy label Hell Beach? John: When we released ‘Fourteen’ in August I tried to spread the song as much as possible, so I used SubmitHub for the first time in my life. We had some blogs who picked the song up, and one of them was Little Indie Blogs and Hell Beach found us through there. He sent a mail a few weeks after the song was out saying that he wanted to work with us. What's the Hell Beach experience been like so far? Alma: It’s not easy having a record label on the other side of the planet. But Luke has been a pleasure working with, and he’s given us countless of good ideas and advice how to handle our social media. It’s lovely working with someone that understands you and understands where you want to go as a band. Where do you usually go out in Gothenburg and what's a typical night out look like? Viggo: We begin at someone’s flat and drink a few beers at first, since alcohol is pretty expensive in Sweden. Then we usually hit up one of the bars at Andra långgatan, which is one of the more popular bar streets in Gothenburg. Alma: Most of our nights out are the same, but I think that’s the charm of it as well. That way it’s even more fun if something unexpected happens. You have a limited edition double single vinyl record coming out in April, what can we expect from this release? Viggo: It’s blue, for one! Alma: About eight and a half minutes of emotions. Why did you decide to release on vinyl? Alma: To make our parents proud! Just kidding. It’s amazing to have our music printed in physical format. John: But it was all Hell Beach’s idea really. Where will we be able to purchase it? Viggo: From the Hell Beach store (https://www.hellbeach.com/store/beverly-kills-in-this-dim-light-7-vinyl) and from our merch booth at live shows. What do you like to do away from music? Hampus: Watching movies, cooking and playing video games. Viggo: I love to draw and sometimes tattoo my friends. John: I like to eat good food and watching Netflix series. Alma: I’m a big fan of plants, but I’m too busy to take care of them so they always end up dying. Other than that, I like to read and to pet our bunnies that John and I have together. How did you first start playing music? Viggo: I don’t know really. Everyone I knew played guitar when I grew up so it felt natural to play something else, so I chose bass. Hampus: Honestly, I first got into playing music through the video game Rock Band on PS3. Alma: Music has always been a part of my life. There has always been different instruments around the house, but I started getting into it when I felt that it brought me so much joy. Fun fact – my first performance was at the local church, and I forgot the lyrics. I started playing guitar when I was 8, and everything that followed after that has been a way to express my creative outlet. John: I don’t know if I ever had a choice, to be honest. My father is a musician and works with production and mixing nowadays, and my mother was a music journalist when I grew up. I’m surprised that I didn’t learn to play guitar until I was 16. Alma: I’m more surprised that you didn’t revolt against your parents to become a soccer player instead. Any secrets that you care to share? Viggo: My guilty pleasure is the Instagram account @samantha_holic. What do you have planned for 2019? Alma: A lot. Viggo: Releasing more music and to play a lot more outside of Sweden. The second edition of our zine is coming as we mentioned. Alma: Drink a lot more beer, hang with more friends, write some more banging tunes. Favorite food and place to hangout? Hampus: The bar/restaurant Omnipollo in Gothenburg. Their Sloppy Joe is incredible. Viggo: Soy in Berlin. John: Eating a nacho plate at Kelly’s in Gothenburg. Alma: My killer Ceasar salad, and me and John’s apartment.

Beverly Kills

What is your name and role within the Hard-Ons? Ray, bass player, vocals sometimes Where are you currently based and what is the music scene like there? Sydney Australia. I do not know what the scene is like here. I am 53 with two kids. All I know is that the best venues I have been to recently have been the MOSHPIT and BANK HOTEL in Newtown, The BOWLO in Marrickville and the CROWBAR in Leichhardt, all superb venues. And The LANSDOWNE in Chippendale has made a comeback upstairs with a nice room, friendly staff and a fantastic P.A. How did you first start playing music? We were all huge rock fans in the mid 70s but when punk hit in 1977, it felt like anyone could form a band and I am not sure if I would have had the courage to form a band without the advent of punk in 1977. I joined the DEAD RATS in 1982 and we changed our name to the PLEBS straight away and by October 1982 we had changed our name again to the HARD-ONS How do you usually go about writing songs? I take my smart phone with me everywhere and will record riffs and melodies on there by singing into it. Then at band practice I will insist the other members amuse me by trying to play my ideas. I usually rely heavily on other members to finish off anything I start What's been happening recently? Trying to get organised for our tour with Rose Tattoo. Mixing albums by Hard-ons, Nunchukka Superfly, and Wog. Three albums at the same time. Getting ready to release “HARDER AND HARDER” 7” for Record Store Day. It will be released by Music Farmers of Wollongong You're going on tour with Rose Tattoo at the end of March till early May, how did you come to be the support with this tour? They asked us. We are friends with them Favourite Rose Tattoo song? “ROCK AND ROLL OUTLAW” for sure What can we expect from this upcoming tour? You can leave the grind of 9 to 5 behind for a few hours and get your ear-drums pummeled beyond belief. And as you lie in bed, you will hear a constant mid-range hum. It will mean you went and had a good time What do you find most challenging and rewarding when on tour? The most challenging for me personally is when long drives are involved, such as it is the case sometimes in Europe. The most rewarding would always be the 45 minutes on stage, especially if any punter happens to come tell us that they enjoyed the concert. I find that incredibly humbling and still feel extremely fortunate that there are people who like the Hard-ons Any spots that you are most looking forward to play and if so, why? Would have to be: FRI 5 APRIL - Doncaster Shoppingtown Hotel + BABY 8 SAT 6 APRIL - Chelsea Heights Hotel + BABY 8 The Hard-ons have played Europe 19 times, Japan 6 times, USA 4 times, we have played Mexico, Tromsø on the arctic circle, Buenos Aires, Joensuu near the Russian border, we’ve played many places that I’d never ever visit but I have, thanks to the Hard-ons. But we’ve never played DONCASTER nor CHELSEA. So of course we are looking forward to that very much! We’d love to play Darwin one day What do you like to do away from music? I used to be an avid record collector but nowadays I love hanging out with my family, we have two little kids. If I get a moment to myself, I love looking after my Australian native garden, I have banksias, grevilleas, Acacias and Davidsonias Who are you listening to at the moment? THE COLLINS KIDS – a rockabilly band from the 50’s Favourite food and place to hangout? Favourite place to hang out would be the Illawarra region of NSW. I just feel very comfortable there. Beautiful natural surrounds and easy going unpretentious locals. Favourite food would have to be roasted sweet potatoes

Hard-Ons

What is your name and role within Vast Hill? Elle Kress - Vocals, Synths Adin Milo - Vocals, Guitar Where are you currently based and what is the music scene like there? We are in Sydney, Australia! There has been a renaissance in the last say, 3 years of great bands and song writing coming out of Sydney! We feel like the next couple of years is going to kickstart Sydney back to its former glory (at least we wish it will). What have you been working on recently? Our first ever album "More Than You Imagined" has been taking up 99% of our time, which will be out this year! Who are you listening to at the moment? I Know Leopard, Froyo, Not a Boys Name, Tilda, Julia Jacklin, Dent May, Georgia June, Kira. Your new single 'Heartbreaker' has just been released, where and when did you record/produce? We recorded and produced the whole song in our home Studio with an array of gear we've collected over the years. 'Heartbreaker' has beautiful spacey harmonies, delicious poppy melodies with a strong electro drum 80's back feel, what inspired the sound and songwriting for 'Heartbreaker'? Thank you! Our influences are endless, but Electric Youth would be a big one, along with Luke Million, Touch Sensitive and Lana Del Rey. What was the songwriting process for 'Heartbreaker' ? Elle: It was a quick one. I had the chords already in my head along with the chorus hook and I just sat down on logic and smashed it out until all the bones were there. I laid down drums first, then chords and bass. You worked with super talented producer/electro artist Luke Million, how did you come to work with Luke? We have always loved Luke's music and style, and one night we were at an "All The Colours" gig at Frankie's pizza in Sydney. We bumped into another "Luke" from I Know Leopard and started having a chat about their new single Landmine and were loving what Luke Million did on their track. Then Luke (I Know Leopard) told us to contact him because he's an absolute "hidden gem" of a producer/mixing engineer. We then messaged Luke Million and he took our album under his wing. Please describe what it was like working with Luke and what took place during your time with Luke: Nothing but great things to say about working with him! He is not only one of the nicest people ever, he is so talented and easy to work with. We basically handed him over our un-releasable songs and then... lets just say... Luke is the reason we believe magic exists. What did you find most challenging and rewarding during the recording and production of 'Heartbreaker' ? The biggest challenge was not being able to hear the full potential of the song due to our lack of production skills at that time. So its hard to remain with a song that you ultimately start to lose sight of, which is where we asked Michael Chow (Froyo) and Luke for help. The rewarding part is getting the song back after a fresh set of ears have taken it to that next level so that it is finally at a stage where we are so happy with it. How did the concept for the 'Heartbreaker' film clip come about? It was a very impulsive thing actually. Adin always dresses in cowboy themed shirts and we both love Wes Anderson and the idea just came to us to do a dead-pan-western-meets-Wes Anderson theme! Where and when did you film and who did you work with for each process involved? We filmed it at our house. We like to collect vintage furniture and stuff so it fit quite well. We got extra props from a Sydney Stylist friend of ours Brendan De La Hey, and Michael Chow (Froyo) did everything else - filming, directing, editing. What do you like to do away from music? Spend time with our 3 big dogs, play basketball with a few of our muso friends, Elle roller skates, and Adin is an awesome illustrator. How did you first start playing music? Elle: I started playing violin and piano when I was 4, so I guess thats how it all started for me! Adin: I got my first guitar on my 15th birthday, and taught myself because I was determined to be a decent guitar player because all my friends in high school were amazing musicians and I wanted to catch up. You'll be in a mini Aus tour in April 2019, what can we expect from these shows? We play with a full live band which is such an energetic vibe. You'll also get lots of exclusive listens to a lot of the songs on the album! What do you have planned for 2019? A second Single, our album release, loads more live shows and photoshoots! Any secrets that you care to share? yes, Adin's hair is real and it is 100% his own haha. Favourite food and place to hangout? Superior Burger - its a 45min drive - and it is totally worth it. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFoFfJaqopA https://www.facebook.com/vasthillmusic/

Vast Hill

Where are you currently based and what is the music scene like there? I'm currently based in Dublin, Ireland. The music scene here is great at the minute, very diverse. There are a lot of younger people coming through now who realise that they can produce and write their own music. I had an opportunity to leave Ireland last year but I stayed purely because of the music scene here. How did you first start playing music? I was made to learn how to play a traditional instrument called the ‘tin whistle’ when I was seven. I stuck at it for a few years and then one day I heard ‘7 Nation Army’ by the White Stripes on the radio. From then on I always wanted to play the guitar. What have you been working on recently? I have been working on some tracks for a second album. The first album is yet to be released but I finished it over two years ago. I never stop writing. Your new single 'Nocturnal' is out now, please tell us why you called the track 'Nocturnal': It’s about being a night owl, someone that naturally gravitates to the night time. It’s also about being an introvert. I guess I’m trying to say the night time opens up the world and gives space to us introverts to escape the madness that is currently happening on a daily basis. Where and when did you record? I recorded the demo for Nocturnal back at the end of 2015, it’s been around for a while. After I made the demo at home, I took it to the ‘Jam Studios’ in Meath, Ireland to re-record the guitar parts and the vocals. Everything else you hear on that track came straight from the bedroom. What programs/equipment did you use? I used a basic Ipad recording programme called ‘Cubasis’. Then I downloaded a drum machine app for five euros in order to programme the drums. It was a real DIY project. What influenced the sound and songwriting for 'Nocturnal'? I have been influenced by a lot of people from Tame Impala to Mac Demarco to MGMT. The guitar is tuned down for Nocturnal to a tuning that I learned while trying to learn Jose Gonzales’ version of ‘Heartbeats’ so I guess that would be the biggest influence for this track. How did you learn to produce your own music? Trial and error! I have been writing riffs and melodies and recording them on my phone since I was 16. About five years ago I decided to record some demos for a band I was in and I never looked back. How do you usually go about writing music? It’s always changing. It could be a piano progression or a riff on the guitar. Then I’ll construct a bassline or a drum part around it. The vocals generally always get added to the mix last. How do you go about producing/recording? I usually record the basic idea first and try to build layers over it. That will usually end up as the chorus for the song. Then I sit on the idea for a while and just listen to it over and over. If I start getting sick of it then I’ll scrap it. Otherwise I’ll start to develop it and fill in the verses around it. It’s mostly done using one guitar and one synthesizer. I find limiting choice aids in my creativity. How do you capture the vintage tones and psychedelic-rock feel? The sounds come from messing around with guitar effects like phaser and reverb. I naturally write quite happy and major melodies so I use tones as a way of trying to make the music a little more interesting. You also have a new album to be released on April 19, please tell us how this album came together: Lot’s of late night sessions in my bedroom while I was at college. I was determined to make a full album so I hung a blank A3 sheet of paper on the wall and marked it 1-10. Then I’d stick a song title beside a number once I was happy with a demo I’d finished. I went through lots of paper making that album! What's planned for the album release? The album is going to be released on Vinyl and digital download. It’s also going to be supported with a small Irish nationwide tour. Who are you listening to at the moment? I just finished listening to the new Foals and Maggie Rodgers records which are very good. There is an Irish rapper called Jafaris who has just released an album that I’ve been enjoying. And Pond have a new album out about an impending apocalypse due to climate change, it’s as great as it is weird. What do you like to do away from music? When I’m not working or doing music I like to chill out and read or go to the cinema. I played a lot of sports when I was younger so I also like exercising. Sometimes you need to tune out and do something completely different. What's planned for 2019? Releasing the album! I’ve been holding onto it for too long so it will be a weight off the shoulders to finally get it out there. Then to gig as often as possible. And finally to get back in the studio, there is a lot of new material I want to get out there. Any secrets that you care to share? If I did that then it wouldn’t be a secret. Favourite food and place to hangout? Indian and sushi at the minute. Favourite hangout? Probably my bedroom studio cave where I can write more music!

Jamie Adam

Where are you currently based and what is the music scene like there? I am currently based in Berlin, Germany. The music scene here is very colourful, there are a lot of musicians from all over the world carrying their own culture and sounds. At the same time all the big names in the music business stop by Berlin for a yearly show. The city is so special and so rich in music, I can’t keep up! What was it like growing up in Cyprus and then moving to Berlin? Growing up in Cyprus was simple and beautiful. I grew up in a small village and played all day in the yard or in the streets with the other kids in the neighbourhood. Moving to Berlin was a shock! The change from a small village on a small island into a big capital city was very difficult, it took me years to adjust to the new lifestyle. How did you first start playing music? I started playing the piano when I was about 8 years old. My uncle Elias was a tenor and one day he heard me singing and said to my parents, "Eleni sings very well, you should send her to learn music!" He paid for every music lesson and piano lesson I had until I was 18 years old You transition from a classical musician to a pop songwriter, how and why did you take your music in this direction? I was trained to be a classical concert pianist but for me, practice at home meant, 30 minutes learning the pieces for the teacher, and hours improvising and playing my own music. I never thought of it as a big thing but my personal sound was always there and kept growing with me even through the time where I was really into classical music while studying and performing...now it has taken over and it is finally out there for everyone to listen to! Please describe how you go about writing music: I don’t always have a theme or a message I want to put out there. At the beginning, I am trying to figure out what a song is trying to say to me aswell. I let all my feelings go into the writing sessions and when I am writing I am thinking "oh, so this is how I feel"! Writing music can be a very healing process for me. How do you go about recording and producing your music? I am so bad at this! I am happy to have my 2 amazing friends and producers who did a brilliant work with the production of the album., Lefteris Moumtzis and Andreas Trachonitis. Andreas also recorded the album. I have been doing all of my recordings with Andreas since 2008. I was actually one of his first customers! Who or what influences your sound and songwriting? I am mostly influenced by relationships. The relationship with a partner, a friend, my own self, an imaginary partner, an imaginary friend, the imaginary self...! I also find nature fascinating, the moon and the stars and everything that is majestic and more powerful than me. I like to build a bridge between reality and my dreams, using my music and my songs. Who are your favourite artists from both past and present? Madeleine Peyroux, Billie Holiday, Alice Phoebe Lou, Freedom Candlemaker, James Blake, Sufjan Stevens, Joan as Police Woman, Bon Iver, Damien Rice, Sigur Ros, Notwist, Beatles, George Harrison, Eva Cassidy, Moving Mountains What do you like to do away from music? I like doing yoga, cooking or baking for friends, going for a swim in the summer, travelling! Who are you listening to at the moment? I am listening to Sam Cooke and really enjoying it! What do you have planned for 2019? We are planning a tour in Europe to present Rise Love, there is still a lot to be done! Apart from that, I have 8 shows until summer in Cyprus, Germany and the UK. Favourite food and place to hangout? Whatever people I love cook for me! Wherever as long people I love are with me!

Eleni Era

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Interview 1986

Classic Red Hot Chili Peppers Interview 1986 !!

https://soundcloud.com/annika_zee/sets/factory-pageant-by-annika-zee

Annika Zee

Where are you currently based and what is the music scene like there? Hello! I’m from Paris, France, and I still live in my hometown. I don’t think I need to introduce the local scene since it’s one of the biggest and most avant-garde in Europe now. We’ve got incredible, worldwide famous electronic music artists belonging to all genres What have you been working on recently? So many things at once. I Just finished 3 remixes and some original tracks in the studio, I’m about to release new music … You have an EP coming out soon on Mindshake Records (Paco Osuna’s label) how did you come to release with Mindshake Records? There were many reasons. But the main ones are is that I respect Paco as an artist and person; I like his vision and how he thinks. The second is that it made sense musically : these tracks fit Mindshake’s identity and vice-versa. What influenced the sound for this EP? My mood of the moment, where I was, what I was listening to or watching … I’m very impulsive when it comes to producing; I follow the wind. How do you usually go about writing music? I am mainly working in my home studio so as soon as I have an idea, I translate it on my computer and put aside bits of this and that until I have a more global vision of what I want. What programs/instruments did you use during the recording and producing of this EP? I am using some hardware as the virus TI, novation mininova or the Moog Little Phatty Stage II and i use a lots of different VST too Can you tell us a bit about your label FORM Music? Form Music, which I created in 2009, aims at being a platform for talented artists, established or unknown. The only condition is that we have to like the music we receive, otherwise we don’t care about the rest. So we’ve had releases by respected artists like Julian Jeweil or UMEK, and also released amazing music by younger rising artists like JuanDDD and Celic, from Colombia, or The Reaktivitz from France. Any upcoming releases we should know about? Valkyrie EP by American trailblazer Dustin Holtsberry is out right now on Form Music – it’s a Techno gem! Feel free to check it out on Beatport : http://classic.beatport.com/release/valkyrie-ep/2521448 Where will you be touring this year? Pretty much everywhere as usual! I’m heading soon to Miami to perform at Resistance/Ultra Music Festival, I’ve got a bunch of upcoming Form Music events around the world, a bunch of festivals as well, and some Ibiza dates as well… What do you like to do away from music? I’m a living cliché of a Frenchman so I’ll take fine dining and wine anytime! Other than that, I’m into sports a lot : running, snowboarding, boxing … What do you have planned for the rest of 2019? To continue enjoying the job I’ve been blessed to have, to keep making music, and to enjoy myself. And definitely to release a coupla more EPs and remixes

POPOF

What is your name and role within Neon Tetra? I’m Josh the lead singer in Neon Tetra Where are you currently based and what is the music scene like there? Adelaide born and bred. The music scene is really thriving over here and is going to have a real boom period I think over the next 12-24 months. The rest of the country is going to start hearing some big things from many Adelaide artists. How did you first start playing music? I started playing music at a young age. I started off playing the trumpet, which I did for about 9 years. I started singing in shortly after that and haven’t stopped since. I’ve been playing guitar since I was in high school. How did Neon Tetra form? Liam (our wonderful bass player) and myself were in a high school band we formed together for a couple of years. Then after we disbanded we wanted a medium to still play music together so I made some calls and got Dan involved and we formed Neon Tetra. Your stunning new single 'Used To Be' is out now, what influenced the sound and songwriting for this track? This track was pretty heavily influenced with Dan’s love of 80’s stadium rock, so we kind of just went deep down that hole for this one in terms of production. Where and when did you record? We recorded this one late last year. We tracked most of it ourselves at home, and then tracked the drums with Matt Hills at Hillside Studios, who also mixed the track. What programs and instruments did you use for the recording? Everything under the sun touched this recording, Qbase, ProTools, Ableton etc. Fender P for bass, Gibson Les Paul for guitars and a Prophet 6 for synth. How do you usually go about writing music? The writing process is collaborative between Dan and myself. Usually whoever comes up with the original idea will kind of dictate where it needs to go and the other jumps in to offer their thoughts and help guide it if it ever gets stuck. It’s a really nice way to work to constantly have fresh ears processing how a song sounds. You have a tour coming up, where are you headed and what do you have planned? So we are playing Adelaide, Sydney and Melbourne, probably our favourite cities to play. We are also playing Whyalla and Wollongong for the first time which we are really excited for. What have you been working on recently? Basically as soon as we finished Used to Be, Dan and I began writing a whole bunch of songs which we are hoping to have together and ready to play on this tour. From there we’ll be recording those once the tour is done and hoping to drop something towards the middle of the year. What or who influences/inspires your mixed genre sound? Dan and I have very different influences. Dan listens to stuff almost exclusively between the 1960s to 1980s, while I listen to a lot of modern music. Finding the sweet spot (or sometimes the sweat spot) between those two influences is a fun challenge and with each release we get closer and closer to finding exactly how we want to express ourselves as Neon Tetra. Who are you listening to at the moment? I’m listening to a lot of different stuff as always. Lately though, a lot of Big Thief, Sharon Van Etten, Beach House, Paul McCartney and Wings, Unknown Mortal Orchestra, Tyler, The Creator and The Strokes What do you like to do away from music? Despite most of my life being consumed by work and writing music at the moment, I still find a bit of time to watch plenty of movies, I rewatched Interstellar for the first time in ages last night, that was a blast. Otherwise I love to sit around and sip away at a coffee and read. I’ve been reading some Nietzsche for some light and summery reading lately (haha). What do you have planned for 2019? Tour this single, record some new tracks, write some more songs to record at years end or early next year, play as many shows as possible, and have fun the whole way. Any secrets that you care to share? During May we will be working with a pretty heavyweight producer for the first time to complete our first 6-track EP. Favourite food and place to hangout? Can I say coffee? I’m hooked! I love nothing more than getting a coffee to go and sitting by the River Torrens in Adelaide and just lie down in the grass on a sunny day and read a book and listen to music. https://open.spotify.com/artist/3PfeyKMVSytMLxwZ3cATu4 https://www.instagram.com/weareneontetra/ https://www.facebook.com/neontetraband/

Neon Tetra

Ross Jenkins

What is your name and role within Being Jane Lane? Hello. I’m Louise and I pay bass guitar. Where are you currently based and what is the music scene like there? We were originally spread across Gold Coast and Brisbane, but are basically all Brisbane based now. The music scene is actually really great. The quality of bands kicking around is kickass, and people are really into the scene of live music. Your new single 'Be Okay' is out now, what influenced the sound and songwriting for this track? Our singer Teigan wrote this little ditty on acoustic guitar and we basically built it up from there. It’s a song about forgetting the shitty things happening in your life with an understanding that all things pass and everything will ultimately be okay. Where and when did you record? We work with Guy Cooper of Serotonin Productions/Human Records on the Gold Coast, which we have done for quite some time now. Over the last year we have been working on an album and ‘Be Okay' was a priority to record as we instantly knew there would be a place in the world for it to be a single. How did you approach the recording process for 'Be Okay'? We wanted this one to be perfect, so it was carefully structured in pre-pro before we entered the studio. Followed by drums, guitars and vocals as the icing on the cake. We are all a part of the process no matter who is doing their part. We make a pretty awesome team, adding ideas and just generally supporting each other. ‘Be Okay' was a prime example of this as it was a reasonably new addition to our set so we had heaps of room for the song to grow. Where can we listen to 'Be Okay'? It’s on Spotify! You played Big Gay Day in Brisbane on March 10, what does playing this festival mean to you? This is so important to us. As much as we love all the gigs we play, there is a special place in our hearts for playing BGD and Pride festival. Not only is it a celebration of being yourself without fear or prejudice, but there is plenty of exposure and fundraising for community organisations. We want to be out there playing amongst, and for our LGBT community. Not only are we proud of being women playing music, we are mostly proud of being gay women playing music. How did the Big Gay Day gig come about? I basically contacted the organisers, and who could resist and all gay punk rock band to warm up the crowd. We got asked back again this year and that was super flattering. You played the Hard Yards shows last year on tour with Waax, what did you find most challenging and rewarding of that tour and what did you learn from it? Well. Where do I even begin. This was one of the difficult things we have done as a band. The most challenging was absolutely the lack of sleep. We put a lot of time into setting up and packing down the backline, so it was late nights and up early again travelling to the next place. It was a huge eye opener to what big bands go through on tour. But every night we hit the stage and we were all instantly reminded why it is we play music. WAAX were so nice. And it was really cool to bond over Brisbane related things. Not only did we learn a lot about ourselves as a unit, but I think it inspired us to work harder to get to where we want. As hard as it was, we all would love to be a touring band as much as we possibly can. Playing live is our favourite thing! How did this tour change things for the band? We had so much exposure for our music and our name, and we are beyond grateful for the opportunity, and for all the people that worked so hard for us to have that opportunity. Who are you listening to at the moment? We are huge supporters of Australian music. Some of our favourites are Pagan. WAAX, Trophy Eyes, Hellions, Clowns and Totally Unicorn to name a few. The band won The People's Choice Award at the 2017 Gold Coast Music Awards and you are nominated for a Queensland Music Award this year, you've had a lot of love in your home state - what are your plans to take the band to the rest of Australia? Crazy right!! We definitely feel the love. It’s heart-warming. We have plans throughout this year to spend more time in our states. We have a tour coming up end of March/April to play the east coast, and then will be teeing another up later in the year, hopefully adding some more places we haven’t been to before. We have made best friends with heaps of bands from Melbourne and Sydney, so it’s nice to have some word of mouth and social media to give us a bit of a leg up getting our music out there. You've supported heaps of pop punk legends (Unwritten Law, Millencolin, Frenzal Rhomb etc), is there anyone left on the bucket list? Personally for me Green Day would be the ultimate dream come true support. BUT as a band our bucket list actually consists of supporting a band for their Australian tour. That’s a medium-term goal for us. It would be really cool to do that with bands like WAAX or Camp Cope. What do you like to do away from music? We like to hang out and have beers. We are all really close so it’s fun to just do stuff together outside of band stuff. We also love doggos. The band have an astonishing list of accomplishments for a band who has yet to drop a full length album - when can we expect that one? Yeah look we don’t muck around haha. Every Sunday we are in the studio working on Savage Sunday, which will be our debut album. The plan is to get it out July/August, which is looking pretty solid at this stage. It’s something we have been working really hard on, but we never wanted to rush. It’s going to be something we can all be proud of, and we hope that everyone enjoys as much as we have enjoyed writing. Any secrets that you care to share? Our lead guitarist Febe stalks celebrities. We also have a new song that might include a violin. Maybe a whole orchestra? What do you have planned for 2019? After the single tour we are really focused on getting the album out, backed up with another tour. We are already so happy with how this year is turning out, we are just going with the flow. Favourite food and place to hangout? - Ami (drums) brings a selection of cheese and crackers to our band things and this is our favourite thing. -Netherworld arcade is the best place in Brisbane…

Being Jane Lane

he Knows is made up of Teresa & Marcel, a spanish vocalist and a brazilian music producer, how did you two meet and start playing music together? We’ve met in a paella dinner at a friends place in Berlin. Since then We’ve been planning to play and write music together. We have now our own studio space and we’ve been collecting ideas and sounds since then. Where are you currently based and what is the music scene like there? Berlin is our base. Our studio is located in the heart of Berlin's creative headquarters in Holzmarkt. Many things happens in this place. The music scene in Berlin is full of creative people coming together to develop any kind of project and collaborations.This is something that is always pushing us, motivating us to create the music we love. What do you love most about Berlin? When I moved to Berlin I was impressed about the history, the architecture, the alternative life styles, and the magic of this underground electronic scene integrating all kinds of people, gender, nationalities with acceptance and tolerance: “Kein Mensch ist Illegal”. It is very interesting to learn how immigrants from all over the world are enriching and colouring the city. There is a big voice here claiming for freedom, breaking prejudices and walls, and many groups of people, communities, associations and cultural projects shaping the city. Berlin is full of dancers and many people doing what they love. How has the music scene changed since you started and where do you see electronic music going in the future? Well, in Berlin you always had the feeling that the past of the city has influenced the electronic music scene and how Berlin’s nightlife was connected to politics. The future in Berlin is a new mix every day integrating Berliners and Newcomers, you find always a bar or a venue in any district of Berlin playing very interesting music. Berlin is a showcase not only for music, but for any kind of artistic expression. Your first EP 'Distorted Images' is out now on the famous Berlin based Bar25 Label, how did you come to work and release with Bar25? In February 2018, we showed a few tracks of our production to the DJ and Producer Fraenzen Texas and he directed us directly to the Bar 25 Music Label. In the meantime, the label was curating the Zeitgeist Vol. 2 / Various Artists Compilation, which has a more 'Listening' character, and less Dancefloor oriented. Our first track Thalassa was subsequently released. Sometime in the summer, after we played our new live set at the Fusion Festival in Germany and Garbicz Festival in Polen, the feedback from the audience was very positive and we were asked about our music. The idea was to release an EP and at the same time came the call from Bar 25 Music who suggested that to us ... and so everything developed very organically. How has the experience been with Bar25 so far? Excellent. You know, this kind of moments when you are working with people and you have that feeling we all make a great team together. It's really interesting how artists like Sascha Cawa and René Bourgeois have remixed the tracks Passing Hours and Thalassa in their own style. We are very grateful that they took the time to support us. In addition, these two remixes complement our EP Distorted Images very well. Where and did you record/produce Distorted Images? We’ve written, produced and recorded everything in our studio. For the final mixing we were listening our sound and giving final touches at the Studio of our colleague and friend Zeno Mainardi, who has been also touring with us in 2018. We have also much to thank Sascha Cawa as he always gives us very good tipps for mixing and finalising our tracks. What influenced the sound and songwriting for this EP? The S-Bahn passing by close to our studio, the input on the streets, the festivals in the summer. The inspiration is everywhere and finds you for sure working, but I guess everything comes outside from the inside. The beginning is always based on the moment, on your feelings, experiences, emotions and the circumstances around us, we can’t scape from what we feel, for the good or for the bad. What are your plans for Distorted Images? We would like to create something hybrid, that fits the dance floor but not only. We would like to make something that also is a great song to listen to while riding a bike or having a good time at home with friends. Now we just want to share it with everyone and play it live as many as possible. Who are you listening to at the moment? We just released a Podcast for Bar25 including tracks we like. We also are about to release on Spotify the Distorted Images world. We invite you to have a listen. What do you like to do away from music? Going to the beach anytime it is possible and enjoying the warm of the sun in the skin, and spending quality time with the people we love. What do you have planned for 2019? Keep on track. We are working at the moment to publish more music, we have many unreleased tracks wanting to be shared and many new ideas and feelings wanting to be expressed. We are also starting a collaboration project with Fish Eye Collective, who made our Official Music Video for the track Distorted images and Conzum.eu, to integrate images and music in the life performance. Favourite food and place to hangout? Lunch time at Katerschmaus, at Holzmarkt, every day there is a different menu and it has a wonderful terrace on the Spree river. The OMAs Coffee, which is door by door to our Studio and the cocktail bar Böckhstraße 50 in Kreuzberg for tasty drinks.

She knows

Where are you located and what is the music scene like there? Aurelia: I live in Melbourne and the music scene there is.. well, Melbourne. There’s something amazing happening literally every night of the week. Deutsch Duke: I live in Sydney and it’s had it’s troubles in the live music scene recently, but we’re getting there. It’s a pretty cool place. How did you first start playing music? Aurelia: I had an ex-boyfriend that was a musician (hence, no more musicians) and he was way more interested in his xbox than me, so I started an affair with his guitar.. Deutsch Duke: I started before I can remember. It’s always been a part of my life. How and why did you decide to come together to create BATTLEGROUND ll? Aurelia: We were working together on a bunch of tracks for other artists, and D showed me a track that he was working on for himself which was the original Battleground and I loved it. We’re both still living in the 90’s, so we decided to do somewhat of a sequel to the track as an ode to 90’s power duets. Deutsch Duke: I had written most of Battleground 1 with one of my other bandmates from Electric Empire, Simon Olsen, and Aurelia helped us finish that off. It was after that, that we decided to take it further to a sort of sequel and that’s what became Battleground II. What influenced the sound and songwriting for this track? Aurelia: Red wine. Haha Deutsch Duke: Aurelia is really world conscious, and really wanted to talk about the sate of the world and wanted to be able to write something that could bring some kinda peace. Please describe the songwriting/creative process between the both of you: Aurelia: The first time I saw D play live it was with his band Electric Empire, along side Aaron Mendoza, Jason Herrah and Simon Olsen.. Gods!!! I’ve never been so blown away by anything in my entire life, and it was a surreal experience for me to have to opportunity to work with such an amazing musician. Writing with D is always so easy and this song in particular just sort of tore itself into existence. Deutsch Duke: Aurelia is such an incredible singer and songwriter that pretty much anything I’ve ever done with her is the best thing I’ve ever done. Battleground II is a really good example of that. Where and when did you record/produce the track? Aurelia: We wrote and recorded the track pretty much in the one night. The whole thing was very frenetic. Deutsch Duke: In my old studio in Rushcutter’s Bay that isn’t even there anymore cause the building got knocked down. A lot of good old memories there. Was anybody else involved during the process? Aurelia: After we recording the track as a demo, it was ages before we decided to release it and I ended up getting my fave partner in crime Thrones who is the best, to add some live bass, a marching beat and some lush mellotron at the end of the track for a little bit more drama. I love the drama!!! Deutsch Duke: We recorded the track and I bounced it down to an MP3. After that my hard drive crashed and I lost all my files. So those guys only had an MP3 to work with, and I’m still not sure how a live bass and marching beat showed up, but I’ve learned that you never really know what to expect when it comes to Aurelia… What are you plans for BATTLEGROUND ll? Aurelia: I’ve held on to this song for ages, and I knew that when the time was right it would find it’s way forward… I’m so glad that this time is now. Deutsch Duke: I really believe in this song so much and I’m so busy working on a whole bunch of other things, but I just really want this song to be able to get the life it deserves and so I’m so overjoyed that everyone gets to hear it now. Have you been working on anything else recently? Aurelia: Yes, I’ve been hard at work in the studio working on a whole bunch of different things and I’m so excited for them to come out over the next couple of months. Deutsch Duke: Yeah I’ve been working with Baker Boy and St. Lane which has been awesome. What do you like to do away from music? Aurelia: I spend most of my spare time training my martial arts, and when I’m not doing that I’m drinking coffee and hanging with my pot plants. Lol Deutsch Duke: There’s an away from music? Who are you listening to at the moment? Aurelia: Electric Empire!!! Haha Deutsch Duke: Aurelia!!! Lol What do you have planned for 2019? Aurelia: I meditate a lot, but that’s prob a bit boring to you guys, lol, but apart from that I’m in a bit of a creative slipstream, so that pretty exciting. Deutsch Duke: My studio is at home now so I get to spend a lot more time with my family which I love, so lots of studio/family time. Any secrets that you care to share? Aurelia: Not yet… Deutsch Duke: I’m the worst at returning emails about answering Q&As. Lol. Favourite food and place to hangout? Aurelia: 2019 Deutsch Duke: The Bourbon haha

Aurelia x Deutsch Duke

Hamilton is booming right now - what is the music scene like there? Hamilton’s a super cool scene to be a part of. My favourite part is the supportive attitude musicians have towards each other - we go to each other’s shows, show support on social media, and genuinely are friends with one another. It doesn’t ever feel competitive to me, which I find so healthy. How did you first start playing music? I’ve been singing and performing since I was a kid. My mom loves to tell a story where I hijacked a friend’s birthday party and told them all to stop playing, gather around me, and I would sing for them (rude). It was just in me - I don’t really remember it beginning at all. Formally, I started taking voice lessons when I was 7. What have you been working on recently (other than Dried Flowers)? I just got a new apartment, so I’ve been slowly making it try to look like me and keep all my plants alive. What influenced the sound and songwriting for your new record? I’m influenced by a lot of different music - I grew up singing classical music, but also was gigging in a classic rock band, so that gives you a bit of a clue as to where I come from. Right now, the people that I seem to gravitate the most towards are those that do the same as me - that blend genres together to make something that they feel sounds like them. I really love messing around in alternate tunings (shocker: I love Joni Mitchell) but I also love the whole four chords and the truth style of songwriting, so I kind of jam them together to see what happens. I usually love to focus on the atmosphere surrounding the music, so there’s a lot of spacey guitars, keys, and pedal steel happening. My heroes seem to always come back to Joni Mitchell and Kathleen Edwards, but while recording, I also listened to loads of Kacey Musgraves and Maggie Rogers. Where and when did you record "Dried Flowers" - did the location influence the sound? I recorded Dried Flowers with John Dinsmore at Lincoln County Social Club in Toronto. The vibe in a space always factors in a lot for me when I’m looking for studios, and John has a great setup with a classic country western vibe. John also works with a lot of the musicians I look up to (Kathleen Edwards, Donovan Woods), so I knew we would be a good fit and he would understand where I was coming from. I definitely think working together influenced the sound of the album. What did you find most challenging and rewarding during the songwriting and recording process? I’ve never edited songs as heavily as I did for Dried Flowers. Most of this record was written during a residency at the Banff Centre, where I got to work with lots of heavy hitting Nashville writers as well as many of my peers from across Canada. It was a really vulnerable and educational experience to learn how to be open with others through the writing process - I had never really let others see a work in progress, but at the Banff Centre, that’s all I did. This challenge became a reward (albeit, a trying and painful one at times) as I think I learned SO MUCH about songwriting during my time there. Who did you work with on the album? John Dinsmore produced, engineered, and mixed the album. The musicians on the album started off with my long time bandmates, Bruce Scavuzzo (bass) and Justin Han (drums). After that, we brought others in to fill out the band - Emily Rockarts (keys) and Alyson McNamara (backing vocals) were fellow songwriters from the Banff Centre and I knew I had to have them on board. The rest of the band were new to me, but I had been following their work for years: Aaron Goldstein (pedal steel), Gord Tough (electric guitars), Rosalyn Dennett (fiddle), and Drew Jurecka (strings and string arrangements). Two of the tracks were done at the Banff Centre, so those were produced by Howard Bilerman (Arcade Fire, Basia Bulat), and featured folks such as Old Man Luedecke, Fats Kaplin, Mike O’Brien, Rebecca Emms (TOVI), and more! This album has the longest credits list I’ve seen, I think. How do you see this record fitting into the Canadian folk rock / Americana canon? The thing I love best about this genre of music is that it’s just stories followed by more stories - I’m now a part of that ongoing tradition of storytelling. I think this album combines a lot of old and new sounds - some tradition, some non-traditional - I like to be able to contribute in a way that can fit in a lot of different places. Who or what influences your music? Everything! The tracks on this record all ultimately relate back to me and kind of carry on this theme of growth or self-relization, but there’s tales about relationships, living in Canada, my family, political matters - you name it and I’ve probably been influenced by it somehow. I think the tracks I wrote at the Banff Centre were all very much inspired by being there - I wrote a proper love song there (which I don’t often do) and I’m pretty convinced that only happened because of the beauty surrounding me. Who are you listening to at the moment? I’ve been beyond obsessed with Maggie Rogers over the past year - I think it’s because of her history in folk and bringing that style of songwriting into a different genre of music. I adore so many of the artists in my scene that have put out new music recently - folks like Danielle Knibbe and Claire Coupland. Like every Canadian songwriter, I’m always listening to Joni Mitchell, and I’ve spent a lot of time listening to Andy Shauf recently too. What do you like to do away from music? Well, music seems to take up the vast majority of my time, so when I’m not doing that, I love to do virtually nothing - with others, or just on my own. I love spending time in Hamilton and trying new places throughout the city, as there’s so many new spots opening up all the time. I also see a lot of live music - I go to a lot of shows. It’s rare that I’m not doing something musical. What fuels your creative process? For the most part, I tend to go through feast or famine with my songwriting. The writing I do is often very project based, so I’ll write an EP or a record, figure it out, record it, tour it, and then start again. You have to want it - to work in this industry. It is both a huge blessing and also such a strange thing to do for a living - it’s such an obscene amount of work and you have to get so used to rejection, so it has to be deep in you to keep going. The fuel behind it is a certain something that I can’t really explain, which sounds so cliche, but it’s so true. Oftentimes, when I’m stressed out or tired, I think “what would it be like if you had a Monday-Friday 9-5 job and weren’t working on music” and then I always come back to wondering what my life would even be if I did that? I can’t think of a time I wasn’t making music in some capacity, so I suppose it’s second nature to keep moving forward. What do you have planned for 2019? This record is finally going to come out, and I’m going to play a BUNCH of shows. More on that later... Favourite food and place to hangout? Burritos and barbecue are my favourite foods. I love to hang out with my friends or family, in someone’s house, so that we can chill out and have great conversation (and eat burritos, ha). I spend so much time in noisy places, that the quiet ones are my favourite. Probably my favourite spot to really do that in public is Bampot House of Tea in Toronto, because it feels like you’re in someone’s home.

Gillian Nicola

What is your name and role within Set Mo? We're Nick and Stu and we're the two band members that make up Set Mo. How did you first start playing electronic music? When we both turned 18 and starting going to nightclubs and music festivals we both very quickly feel in love with DJing and then that's how we met a few years later down the track. Your debut album is out now! Where and when did you record? This album was actually written all over the place. Over two years we went on several writing trips to places like country NSW and the Adeliade Hills and then also went to Europe for five weeks were we wrote in Berlin, London and Amsterdam. What influenced the sound and songwriting for the album? Many things! One of the main influences though was actually a lot of the first electronic music we got into as kids. We went back and revisited a lot of the first albums we ever owned and they ended up playing quite a large roll in the direction we took. How do you usually go about writing music? We always right together and if we're working with a vocalist we like them to be in the room when we start song, that way everyone is on the same page. We often just start with a simple idea/mood, build some chords and then go from there. Is the the end result of the album as you expected it to be when you started recording? To be honest I don't think we had a super clear idea of what we wanted it to be like in the end. The album is called Surrender and I part of the meaning behind that was us surrendering to whatever happened. We experimented more than ever before and loved the process and then in turn the end result. Who did you work with during the recording process? The album was a very collaborative process, we wrote with a bunch of musicians and vocalists. We were lucky enough to record with a bunch of artists we call good friends and admire such as Asta, Thandi Phoenix, AJ Wright, Happiness Is Wealth and Woodes. Your single 'Surrender' has received a lot of praise, what do you think it is about Surrender that has made it such a hit? When we wrote Surredner we instantly we're like 'this is the album opener'. There's something about it and the spoken word sample from Brian Eno that really draws you in and makes you want to see where you're about to go. You're heading to Newcastle to play Up Down Festival on March 17, how do you prepare for each live show? We go over the set, iron our all black and all white outfits and then just before going on stage have a shot of tequila. ;) How would you describe your live show? So the live show is currently being built as we speak. Up until now it's always been DJ sets. The live show is going to involve us playing a bunch of synths and mid-controllers on stage and then we're also bringing vocalists with us. We don't want to give away any more than that, you'll just have to come and see it. Which artists are you looking forward to seeing during Up Down Festival? Motez always throws down so that'll be sick. It's also been a while since we saw Kilter play live so looking forward to that. Who are you listening to at the moment? We listen to so much music we actually have Spotify playlist where chuck in a lot of our favs (https://open.spotify.com/user/setmomusic/playlist/1iOqKVL1ATm02hHdGW9Cbk?si=sVhapmylQj2l6wYlmdYw7A) What do you like to do away from music? We love travelling which is handy considering we spend a lot of time touring, we're right into food so whenever go to a new city we hunting for best coffee, burgers, beers, bbq you name it. What do you have planned for 2019? We're working hard on making this live show extra special for you and then we're going to spend a lot of the year on the road touring it. Favourite food and place to hangout? The Dolphin - great food, wine and beer. :)

Set Mo

Where are you currently based and what is the music scene like there? Right now I'm based in Cape Town / South Africa for 3 months and the rest of the year I will spend my time in Berlin. Both scenes are super different. in South Africa House is next to Rap the ruling sound, you can hear it on daytime radio, in the supermarket etc… it's pretty much everywhere. There is a ton of interesting producers and DJs that are incredibly talented and hopefully with a bright future. The Berlin scene..well, it's the Berlin scene.. ;) I don't have that feeling that it changed that much in the last years, it's the big famous clubs we all hope that the bouncer has a good day and let us in, and those clubs that are open for 3 days straight where the magic can happen. I'm not that up-to-date on new talent tbh, as I don't go out that much these days. The music scene is just so consistent for such a long time now and I don't think it will change anytime soon. Your third album 'Ocean' is out now, where and when did you record/produce? It all started with a track I worked on 2 years ago and it was in the back of my head for a while and after finishing a single for 'Suol' early in spring last year I was brainstorming with my producer / engineer buddy Tigerskin about doing an album that has a certain vibe / theme. So I spent 3-4 months every Wednesday at his studio and we worked on these tracks together. What programs/equipment/instruments did you use? Cubase as DAW. Tigerskin has great roland collection and tons of other interesting stuff. we used the dx7 by Yamaha in almost every song, it has this great 80s feeling you either love or hate ;). There is a guitar kick in almost every track and analog delays and reverbs for a better atmosphere. What influenced the sound and songwriting for 'Ocean'? Long car trips along beautiful coastal roads, yacht rock and metro area jamming with nightmares on wax back in the smokers delight days. The idea of creating a House album that you can smoke weed to on the beach on a Sunday afternoon, well ..kinda How do you usually go about writing music? It's always different, sometimes I work on ideas on my annual South Africa trips on the hammock and then finish them back in Berlin, sometimes Tigerskin and i just start from scratch in Berlin building a track around a sample. I love to keep it interesting and don't do the same thing over and over again. What did you find most rewarding and challenging during the whole process of putting ‘Ocean' together? Having an idea and 2-3 hours later listening to a ruff jam and thinking: yesss, this is exactly what I wanted it to be like ;) Did you work with anybody else during the recording/creative process for ‘Ocean'? D.Y.A sent me some really nice percussion / drum stems for “Junjung” and some of them ended up in other tracks ( don't tell him ;) ) He is a superb Jazz drummer and I'm a big fan of organic drum sounds. In the original track it was a sample, but it was kind of static, this now has a certain live feel which is exactly how I wanted it to be. How did you first start playing music? I used to rap when i was a kid, 15 years old. Once I started DJing in my early 20s I also wanted to produce tracks of course, so it's been a long journey ever since. What have you been working on recently? I finished a new EP for ‘Suol' and a remix for a well-known classic on classic, both out in April I hope. Who are you listening to at the moment? A lot of LA Rap music like Buddy, Jay Rock etc., lots of early 80 boogie music and lots of new cats like Dijon, Kiefer… What do you like to do away from music? Surfing when I'm in South Africa, spending time with my family and friends as much as possible, exploring new restaurants. What do you have planned for 2019? Taking it easy for sure. The last 10 years have been pretty hectic at times and I'm at a point now in my life where I prefer an easy going lifestyle over DJ gigs, lack of sleep, and travels every weekend. I still love it, don't get me wrong, but it's okay when I do it like 2-3 times a month and not Friday to Monday. and of course working on music as soon as I'm back in Berlin . When and where are you playing next? I have 3 more gigs lined up in South Africa before returning to Berlin, and then going to Istanbul, Nice , Valencia and hopefully other beautiful places. Favourite food and place to hangout? too many ;) I love Mexican food, I could eat Tacos everyday . I love this Taiwanese place called Din Tai Fung that's franchising worldwide now except in Berlin ;) They got great dumplings. I'm always down for a nasty breakfast, the one you just wanna lay down afterwards and look at “fit models “ afterwards posting their food pics on the gram and be like: "girl please..” if you know what I mean . My favourite place to hangout is the one where you have the beach, but also an urban area close, and when it's then surrounded by some nice mountains where you can go hike and it's sunny 320 days of the year, then I'm all yours.

Till Von Sein

Where are you currently based and what is the music scene like there? I’m currently based in Collingwood, Melbourne, and the music scene is amazing. You don’t get the title of ‘Most live music venues per head than any other city in the world’ for nothing ;) You were previously the lead guitarist of Brisbane band 'Tourism' how has the experience been after moving to Melbourne and going solo? It’s been great! In terms of the progression into solo work, I really enjoyed how fast the songwriting can happen. For a band, particularly a band with multiple writers, you know every song is a negotiation. It was lucky that there were no egos in Tourism and we all got along really well, but you know lots of songs that maybe only one person loved might never see the light of day. Being in creative control and really holding yourself accountable is great. I hear that you run a business whilst also pursuing your music, what business do you operate and what's it like juggling the two? Yes! I run a couple - Working on for the last five years, Pitchblak, a start up incubator doing our own software companies or helping other entrepreneurs with their own. Working on right now, Mr Yum, which creates online photo menus for Melbournes best cafes and Restaurants. Working on launching, Rogue, an indie label helping independent musicians get a head start in their career with some of Australias best resources. Juggling business and music is pretty busy, at times it feels like a lot, but hey, thank god for managers haha What have you been working on recently? We’re just pushing my first album, which comes out Feb 22nd and working on the launch show for March 23rd. I’m writing a few demos for the next record but only sporadically. Who are you listening to at the moment? I’ve got Andhim, Bon Iver and The National all on repeat. What do you like to do away from music? Drinking when it’s daytime, a lot. Who or what influences your sound and songwriting? Phil Collins, Michael Jackson, Paul Simon, Mark Ronson, Tame Impala and Pheonix. Michael Jackson possibly the most across this latest record. How do you usually go about writing music? I always start just with a laptop and Logic - I’m not very poetic, I can’t sit and look at a white piece of paper, the lyrics are always inspired by the sounds. I usually start with a drum beat, or a synth sound, and I’ll play a puzzle game of different sounds and decide where they should go. Then I’ll figure out the melody, do 10 or 15 different melodies, pick which one works best, then the finish off with the lyrics. What do you have planned for 2019? Album release on February 22nd, Album launch at the Grace Darling Hotel in Collingwood March 23rd, writing the next record and hopefully adding a bunch more shows to the calendar. Favourite food and place to hangout? Favourite food, definitely ramen! Best hangout spot is the roof of our old distillery tower office in Collingwood, the nicest view in Melbourne.

Seattic

Bobby Alu

Where are you currently based and what is the music scene like there? We’re all from South Manchester, still based here now. The scene is really strong, everyone has a rough idea of the history of house in Manchester but there’s a new wave of young artists and creatives right now that are doing their thing. We have a problem with venues closing here at the moment, so in turn more promoters are using unconventional spaces to throw parties in, which helps keep things diverse. You've recently launched your own label Whippin Records, why did you decide to start Whippin Records? Everything we do we make sure we keep it fully ‘us’. We’ve been working on our sound for a minute now, and we’ve always wanted our own label from the beginning, so we felt like now is a perfect time to create a platform for music from ourselves and other artists that fits that niche. During the start up process of the label, what area's have been most challenging and rewarding? As you can imagine it’s a big trial and error process, but we’ve had some dope advice from some other artists in the scene that have the experience and we feel like we’ve got it down. The most rewarding thing has been the support to be honest. We’ve had a lot of love shown since we announced the launch. We recently had a launch party here in Manchester as well, fully sold out and the energy was crazy. How did the label name come about? Whippin is a term we use for making a track. It was the name of our first solo EP and the title track. It was also our first overall Beatport number 1, and to reach that point so quickly was a massive achievement/milestone for us. We feel like it fits the label perfectly. You've just released your EP 'Wifey' as party of the label launch, what influenced the sound and songwriting for the EP? We just wanted two solid tracks that would set a precedent for the sound and direction of the label. We sat on those tracks for a minute, we knew they’d be the two we’d draw for when we came to set something up. After all the support the tracks got in Ibiza last summer from guys like Jamie Jones and The Martinez Bros it was only right. What other artists are you feeling at the moment? There are a lot of other artists in Manchester that are killing it right now, for example Reme, Renko, AJ Christou, Joseph Edmund etc. You've collaborated with fashion labels GRAMM and Adidas/Foot Locker, how has this fashion connection come about? It’s always been one of our main interests and just became our thing. AK from Gramm has been one of our boys for over 10 years and we’ve been wearing Gramm since the beginning so that link up was only right. We were in talks with Adidas/Footlocker for a while as well, we felt that campaign was right for us. It was dope working with them. We got some more things coming on our side. You have also collaborated with GRAMM on a few collections now, please describe the collaboration process? It’s a back and forth thing. We pool ideas together then decide on what the best fit is for all of us. You have an upcoming Fabric date on March 1 where you will be making your Room 1 debut, how will you prepare for this show and what can we expect? We’ve wanted to play Fabric main room since we were kids so to get the call up is a blessing. We’re going through the vaults atm making sure we’re ready, we’re going in for this. No holds barred. Lastly, what else do you have planned for 2019 that you can share with us? We’ve got some releases coming up on labels that we’ve been aiming for from the start as well as a busy tour schedule over the summer. We’ll be in Ibiza a lot and should be crossing the pond real soon so keep it locked!

Mason Collective

here are you currently based and what is the music scene like there? Currently I’m based in Amsterdam but I have a studio not too far from here in Hilversum. Right now the scene is more at the festivals in the Netherlands. What have you been working on recently? Quite a lot actually! There are a few collabs coming up and I'm working on a follow-up of Bug a Boo as well. Your new single 'Bug a Boo' out now! Where and when did you record it? Yes I’m very happy with the release! The vocals were re-recorded early in the last year as it is being released as a cover. It was important to get the ‘feel’ right. I’ve tried quite a few styles as to where the song is now. What influenced the sound and songwriting for 'Bug a Boo’? The song was influenced by a more classic house style from the likes of MK, Freemasons and Booty Luv. As for the songwriting it was based on a sample and an existing song. So not much really. How has the track been received by fans? Really good actually. They can’t get it out of their heads. You just released the official music video which is very funny and has quite a unique storyline. Can you tell us a bit about it? Thanks and I’m very proud of it! I think it is something different. The director Boitelle came with a very funny idea to tell the story of who the real Bug a Boo was in the original Destiny’s Child's music video. And to tell that story in a funny way. You have a 90's influence running through a lot of your productions, please tell us about what it is about this sound that you most enjoy? As a child I grew up with a lot of music from the 90’s. A lot of my favorite songs came from that era. I guess I like to bring back nostalgia. You have a long history with Spinnin' Records, how did this relationship start and what has been the key the relationship lasting all this time? Yes it has been a few years now. At Spinnin’ I have a lot of creative freedom to try different things if I want to. What do you have planned for 2019? More music and shows. Announced on my socials soon. Who are you listening to at the moment? Sometimes I like to listen to something totally different like Smooth Jazz, Soul and R&B. What do you like to do away from music? I like to watch some movies or play games. Sometimes I like to cook. Favourite food and place to hangout? My favorite food is Indonesian and Italian. Favorite place to hangout is home. Or going to the movies with family / friends.

Joe Stone

Thanks again for making it happen. Look forward to doing more! Thanks!! Where are you currently based and what is the music scene like there? Los Angeles, Fairfax area. If Soundcloud rap had a neighborhood it would be right where I live which is cool cause you see the new trends right away but there are a lot of copy cat artists too. How did you first start playing music and what has brought you to this point in your career? I started playing guitar when I was 9 years old, I knew even from that age that all I was going to do was music I just loved it so intensely from the beginning. When I was younger I played in a few different bands then I started rapping later on when I realized that my real passion was writing and storytelling. I’ve tried and failed a million times but I never give up thats whats got me to this point. How would you describe your music? Its a mix of hip hop, punk rock. How do you go about writing music? I try not to think about it I just get in the studio and say whats on my mind keep it authentic, for the more emotional songs I wait to feel really emotional about something then I just sit and write What or who influences your sound? Literally everything how I’m feeling to if I want a song for the crowd to go crazy to. Who are you listening to at the moment? So far gone by drake a lot and the new A boogie wit da hoodie album a lot How did the collaboration with Playboi Carti come about? I met him thru Hit boy who is a good friend of mine in LA I messaged hit boy randomly to see who he was recording with and he mentioned carti. We had just finished a new track that we thought would be perfect for him so I came thru the studio and vibed out first and ended up doing the track. You're currently on tour in Europe with Smokepurpp, what have you found most challenging and rewarding so far? Its challenging to make it to every flight on time lol I miss more flights than anyone. Playing new songs live and seeing kids go crazy to them has been most rewarding for sure. Any secrets that you care to share? Im about to drop some crazy new music that’ll change your life forever What have you been working on recently? I just finished up my first project thats going to be released in the next few months. What do you like to do away from music? I like to watch Austin powers and the matrix over and over again. What do you have planned for 2019? New projects U.S. tour and world domination Favourite food and place to hangout? Italian food 100% and my favorite place to hangout is my room with 10 bad bitches

Jack Bruno

Where are you currently based and what is the music scene like there? I live in Palermo, Sicily. A charming and controversial city in the middle of the Mediterranean, source of most of my artistic inspiration. Its art scene is vibrant and growing faster each year, and it’s rich of singer-songwriter who choose very different styles, moods and even languages. It’s like Berlin in the 80’s, but warm and on an Island in the Med. This spring you'll will releasing 'Lights', your new album that was recorded and produced by Dani Castelar (Paolo Nutini/Editors/REM) in Valencia and at Studio Indigo in Palermo - a studio that is fast becoming one of the most popular music hubs in Italy. Please tell how what influenced the sound and songwriting for 'Lights’? Teamwork at its best. And the team includes my engineer, Francesco Vitaliti, and the band (Carmelo Drago, Donato Di Trapani and Adam Dawson). I can’t believe we’ve been together for such a short time (a couple of weeks) and yet so much on the same wavelength on the choices regarding arrangements and sounds. Everything was so fresh, I would even write the lyrics at the same time as we were tracking the final takes for the songs. The album is made up of 11 love songs, all dealing with empathy, union, betrayal, sex. The colors are shiny and lively though. How did you come to work with Dani Castelar? I hired him for my previous album, “Of Shadows”. I looked up for producers who had made some of my favorite contemporary albums and he was number 1 in the list. Turns out he was the first to answer my email, with the most enthusiasm and will to experiment. Since day one we created a bond that made him one of my best friends and the only producer I want to work with at the moment. What was it like working between the two studios in Valencia and Palermo? We did the most of the band tracking in Valencia, in a country house studio among the orange groves. We were isolated, and that made us do a great job, I guess. Most of the vocals were tracked in Palermo, in a completely different situation, as Indigo Studios are in the historical city center, an area which vibrates with people all day and night, a constant stimulus source. My songs were all about stories around those streets, so it was vital for me to daily alternate the lyrics-writing, the recording takes and the real Palermo life. What programs / equipment did you use to record? You have to ask our producer Dani Castelar and engineer Francesco Vitaliti that regarding. They’ll be happy to answer. How do you usually go about writing music? I only write about my own experiences. Love, loss, happiness, seduction… I don’t have the slightest control over my creative process. As far as I’m concerned, every song could be my last. So far, I’ve been lucky enough to have a healthy long-term relationship with Miss Inspiration. Is the end result of 'Lights' the same as you imagined it to be when you first started the recording process? I was open to anything. I entered the studio with literally no songs, except for a couple of vague harmonic ideas. The flow during the recording was so smooth that today I think this album was meant to be just like it is. There is no other way. You've been touring the USA and Europe, what do you find most challenging and rewarding when touring and is there much of a difference between touring in the US as compared to Europe? I’m very lucky, I always perform in front of audiences that are there to be involved in my world. From country to country, they react in different manners, but I always see this involvement, the aim of my performance is to take the listener out of his/her comfort zone and raise into them the same questions, fears, joys that brought me to write this or that song. I don’t want my music to be relaxing, I want it to be a soul-investigation self-practice though catharsis. I want to inspire tears and laughter, resentment and forgiveness, joy and pain, memories and oblivion. What have you been working on recently? I’m currently planning a book and a record based on Leonard Cohen’s youth, together with my friend and fellow singer-songwriter Dimartino. We’ve worked on something similar regarding Mexican singer Chavela Vargas ("the Latin-American Edith Piaf”…) a couple of years ago. What do you have planned for 2019? Many gigs to bring the “Lights” tunes around the world. What do you like to do away from music? I love analog photography. I always have my Leica with me during my tours. Who are you listening to at the moment? The latest, amazing album by The Paper Kites, “On The Corner Where You Live”. Favourite food and place to hangout? Pretty easy, I’m Sicilian… Pasta! (I’m a pretty good cook too!)

Fabrizio Cammarata

What is your name and role within the band? My name is Josh Stewart; I guess you could say I am the captain of the ship. As the song-writing/recording component - which is a solo endeavour and exists separately from performing live with my band. I am responsible for all facets of the project, from liaising with booking agents and venues, to recording and promoting each release. Where are you currently based and what is the music scene like there? I’m based on the beautiful Sunshine Coast. The music scene is growing strong here, we’ve got some great festivals in the Maroochy Music & Visual Arts Festival, Caloundra Music Festival, the Big Pineapple Festival, Jungle Love and a bunch of other rad ones popping up every now and then. Venue wise I’d have to give a little shout out to Maroochydore’s Solbar, it won a QMA for venue of the year last year and has been nominated again this year. Well-deserved too because the whole crew absolutely shred. There are always rad bands playing there every single week without fail. Your last two singles ’You Never Made It Easy’ & ‘Wait For You’ have amassed over half a million streams, what do you attribute to the success of these tracks? It definitely required a bit of effort, I made sure I had a great team helping me to try and get each release as successful as possible, and I was very lucky to get some support from the editorial staff at Spotify and Apple Music. I have also been very fortunate to get support from a lot of independent playlist curators and music blogs, which are really vital to getting exposure. The Internet is crazy, if people genuinely like the song it really only takes a handful of blogs and playlist adds for the word to spread. Where and when did you record both tracks? I recorded ‘You Never Made it Easy’ in my home studio (which is where I record 99% of the time), ‘Wait for You’ was demo’d here too but sent to my good pal and producer Elliot Heinrich, who finished it up. What or who influences your sound? If I’m writing a song that has a lot of guitar in it, chances are it’s going to sound a lot like a band from the 2000s. The Killers, the Strokes, the Vines, Interpol… too many years of listening to those bands has shaped my taste, I like my guitars distorted and fuzzy. That said, I have so much music that maybe doesn’t fit High Tropics, but for the sake of this project’s influences let’s go with said bands. How do you usually go about writing music? For me the recording/writing process happen at the same time. It’s a good way to capture any ideas and see if they’re worth pursuing, but in a broader perspective there’s no set way. Sometimes I’ll write and hit a wall, and there’s been quite a few songs I’ve finished by transposing other parts of unfinished songs. Sometimes it’s far easier, like in the case of ‘Feel the Same’, I picked up the guitar and that riff and melody just came flowing out of me. I ended up tracking the skeleton of the song over the next day or two. The band represented Australia at Project Aloft Star Asia Competition 2018, how did this come about? I think I saw a video of ‘Dyso’ (Alex Dyson) advertising the competition. It was pretty straight forward, leave a link to a Soundcloud track or two, they had a judging panel that deliberated the entries, and then voila a few weeks later I got a phone call and wasn’t sure if it was a stitch up. To be honest, we’re still not sure if it actually happened or if it was just a dream. What did you find most challenging and rewarding during the competition? There were a number of challenges, the language barrier, free alcohol, little sleep, but that was all offset by the whole experience; the most rewarding of which was having our first international performance and meeting some absolutely amazing people we wouldn’t of got the chance to otherwise. It was a once in a lifetime trip, and Aloft Hotels and UMG took such good care of us, I’ll be forever grateful for the opportunity. What have you been working on recently? I’ve been pretty busy on the rollout for this most recent single, sending a lot of emails, reaching out to blogs, playlist curators and radio presenters, organising shows etc. In terms of music though, I’m always tinkering away at something. Who are you listening to at the moment? Sharon Van Etten’s new album Remind Me Tomorrow, and getting very excited for new Cage the Elephant! The band has supported Middle Kids, The Rubens and Birds of Tokyo, huge acts! Do you have a favourite show that you've played? If so which and why? Well our first show we got to support Middle Kids at a sold-out Foundry in Brisbane, it was about as epic a first show as you could get. We were on the same bill as Birds of Tokyo and the Rubens for Caloundra Music Festival, they (the Rubens) actually started playing 15 mins into our set, which coincides perfectly with our audience disappearing half way through. My favourite show would have to be our Aloft Star performance in Seoul, South Korea, because it felt so surreal and was just a magical week. How do you prepare for shows? I try to get a good night sleep the night before and stay as quiet as I can be a few hours leading up to going on stage. We like to have a light rehearsal a couple of nights before to shake the cobwebs off if we haven’t rehearsed in a while. Before hopping on stage, I like a little bit of whiskey for liquid courage ☺. What do you have planned for 2019? New music is imminent! Favourite food and place to hangout? Solbar for their fish and chips, and their diablo ginger beer – it’s so good!

High Tropics

Where are you currently based and what is the music scene like there? I’m based in Toronto, ON and the music scene is vibrant here. There are so many talented wonderful people making ALL kinds of music, it’s hard to get out and see it all. There’s so much going on that it forces everyone to be the top at their game. The community is strong and collaborative, not competitive. How did you first start playing music? I grew up around music and took up piano lessons when I was five. I didn’t start singing until years later... Your first big break came when you and two other young singers formed the group Take 3 (who went gold in Canada via UMC), which lasted a few short years which gave you an education in the music business. What did you learned from this experience? Those years in Take 3 were a whirlwind and we were lucky enough to have a lot of people in our corner helping us along the way. Since we were young and inexperienced, we knew we had to work very hard to knock each performance out of the park. We practiced like crazy. We showed up to gigs, rehearsals, and recording on time. We never wasted an opportunity by phoning anything in. Since we never knew how long our success would last, we valued every moment being on stage or in the studio. I think that was the most important lesson - to remember that each minute spent making music is a gift, and not to take it for granted! You've really delved into 70's funk/soul tunes, why have you decided to take your music in this direction? I’ve always loved the soul singers of the 60s and 70’s. In those classic records there was a message, a raw and honest delivery of the lyrics, there was imperfection and heart. There was pain and joy all mixed up together, and people were really saying something. With my own music, I strive to convey emotion through the singing itself, so perhaps in all those early days of listening to soul records, something about that style stuck with me. For the first time, on this EP, I ventured into 1970’s funk (with tunes like “Baby Wants to Dance” and “Mercy”) and that came from the simple fact that it just felt good. It felt good to write something with a driving dance beat, it feels good every time I get to sing it, and people feel good dancing to it. I also perform often with a horn section, and I wanted to give them an opportunity to go crazy on stage! Who or what influences your sound and songwriting? Inspiration for lyrics almost always come from my experiences with other people. But inspiration for music itself can pop into my head from literally anything - the light in a room, a particular mood, a phrase overheard in conversation, a memory, a dream... I often don't realize a particular moment is a song waiting to happen until I've had some distance from it, but when I look back on my experiences (and especially relationships), that distance allows me to see particular moments through a different lens and I'm able to write about it. How do you usually go about writing music? I have hundreds of voice memos on my phone. Mumblings and melodies, me plucking harmonies out of the air, usually sounding half asleep and mumbled... When I get a song idea I try to record the essence of what inspired me right way, as explicitly as I can, before it disappears. It’s like trying to remember a dream: there’s a small window where it feels fresh and close to my heart, but it’s fleeting. And in order to access that feeling later and draw out the rest of the song, I need to record down everything that surrounds the original idea. Then when I’ve got time to dig in, I’ll sit down at the piano and sort it out. I always feel like the song exists already, and it’s floating just above me, or maybe it’s somewhere inside, and I just have to find it and pull it to the surface. So it’s more a matter of trying out different chords and melodies until I can confidently say “yes that’s right, that’s what it’s meant to be.” When it’s safely jotted down either on paper or digitally, I’ll record a rough demo of it, and I won’t share the song with others until it’s at least at this stage. I need to feel sure that I honoured the original idea before I offer it up for collaboration and change. What have you been working on recently? This new “Heartbeat EP” has been my whole focus lately. Recording and releasing the record has been a complete joy! I just threw a big release show party last week with an 8-piece band to a full house... and can’t wait for the next live show. I’m also working on releasing a wacky and wonderful stop-motion animated video for Heartbeat in the spring! The next project will likely be a Christmas album -- I’ve wanted to do one for so long and I think this is the year! What do you like to do away from music? Baking! I used to make wedding cakes on the side, but I’ve since scaled back! Now I just bake for friends and family - cupcakes, bagels, cookies, bread… doesn’t matter what it is, but it’s my favourite hobby. I get the urge to bake all the time! I also love spending time with Sophie my hilarious Jack Russell terrier... I love to garden, to cook and relax at home whenever I can. What do you have planned for 2019? I’ll tour this EP in the spring, and hopefully record a Christmas album this summer! I’d like to spend as much of the year playing live as possible! I’ll keep writing songs for the next record in between… I’m too excited to sit still these days :) Favourite food and place to hangout? Pizza 100%. I love leftover pizza in the morning with coffee! Or coming home from a late night show and remembering I have a slice of pizza in the fridge. My favourite place to hang out would be in front of a crackling fire with friends at the cottage!

Stacey Kaniuk

What is your name and role within Lime Cordiale? Oliver Leimbach – singer, guitarist and songwriter along with my brother Louis. How did Lime Cordiale form? I played in multiple bands throughout High School and they kept breaking up. After the 4th or so breakup, it was obvious that I had to look elsewhere. Louis had started playing bass and always screamed out vocals around the house so it seemed to make sense to start something with him. We were natural enemies for years before but as brothers grow older, they often start to become friends. Where are you currently based and what is the music scene like there? Sydney, Australia. It’s suffering. We’re currently experiencing a “War On Music” between the industry and the government. Festivals are under constant stress with high fees and strong regulations. Venues are closing down due to curfews and noise complaints. But the lovers of music are fighting back and their passion is more exciting than ever. What have you been working on recently? We’ve been working on touring as hard as possible whilst also completing our second album. You're playing Bad Friday’s 10th anniversary on April 19 at Fraser Park, what do you have in store for this show? This festival has had some amazing line-ups in the past. There’s a lot to live up to. It’s a festival that I’ve always wanted to attend but never been around for. We’ll be working to make it bigger than any other Sydney show we’ve ever done. Who are you looking forward to seeing play? DMA’s are always a favourite of ours. We’re incredibly lucky to have Jungle on the lineup - they kill it live. It’ll be great to hang out with Georgia June, who just supported us on our last tour, and they’re a great band. Crocodylus are from our home town so we’ll have to be front and centre for that. How did this show come about for Lime Cordiale? We’ve been nagging to get on the line-up for years so I guess they just gave in. Who are you listening to at the moment? Papooz. I discovered a live performance they did on YouTube for “A Takeaway Show by La Blogotheque”. Papooz are French and they’re absolutely insane. It looks like their second album is about to come out and it’s all I’m looking forward to. What do you have planned for 2019? We’re really trying to finish our album throughout March. We’re driving up north to a farm and have a week to get it in the can. After that, we don’t have a weekend off. We have the second year of our own annual festival called “The Squeeze” happening in June. Then we’re off to Europe for 2 months before our album comes out. Then back to Aus for the Summer. Favourite food and place to hangout? Indian Curry. All the best spots in Sydney. Maya Vegetarian in Surry Hills. Faheem in Enmore. Cheer Factory in Newport. Gurtaj in Collaroy. You gotta go to the good ones.

Lime Cordiale

Oliver Huntemann

Where are you currently based and what is the music scene like there? Hey guys, I am based in Krefeld/Germany, it’s a city near Düsseldorf. I was born there and lived my hole life in that city. Our club scene reached much more attention in the early 90’s, but I also had the possibility to get in touch with our well known club Königsburg with the “Katakomben Club” downstairs. That club was the place to be and I had my first contact to techno music there. Today this club doesn’t exist anymore, but I’ve heard about a pretty cool event named my:zik which I came around for once a month . Artists like Ame, Cinthie, Julien Bracht, Gerd Janson, Chymera, Prosumer just to mention a few have played there. But at least it was especially the Audio Fc Party with Chris Liebing in a club called Meilenstein which gave me an Inspiration to visit more techno events like Loveparade, Pollerwiesen, Tribehouse Partys and Cocoon Events. How and when did you first start playing Techno? Already in the age of 6 I started playing drums and my parents gave me the chance to take lessons with a teacher. But especially listening to my fathers discs was a bright influence in what I listen and work on today. A good friend by my uncle who was a well known dj and producer of acid in the 90’s than gave me first steps in djing and the electronic music scene. He showed me how to play and as the most important criteria he brought me to music which inspires almost decades until today. His feeling for music and the inspiration for spreading vibes to other people by playing timeless music invaded me to find a club where I can do the same. So Dj Plank a father of Acid music had an huge effect on what I do on my own today. PS: thanks for showing me to Labels like Plus8, Planet E, Cocoon and so on. On some point it got out of control when my uncle gave me the opportunity to play some gigs on events he was already in contact and also the support to buy my first Dj stuff. What influenced the sound and production for The Plot? I had more contact to feeling older tracks because most of the time I’ve heard the older stuff by my father or older friends. It don’t mean that newer once are not that mine but older tracks are like a symphony for me. 😉 A production by Plastikman or Derrick May create a different warm feeling. I tried to combine old and new styles in my EP. For example the acid 303 sound in my Track stixo or the synthy waves in Animo. Everything is coming around again, like in the fashion scene. That’s why I love that music so much. My Manager Andreas Schneider already teached me a lot about music, ambients of it and let me know about the Label The Plot and there fresh published productions. That Label has a unique and fine sense for artists. So we came in contact with Lars from The Plot Music. Who are you listening at the moment? I love the old synthy sounds but as you can see these sounds are straight on its way back. At the moment I love listening to Maceo Plex aka. Maetrik, Anna, Dubfire and Fabio Florido. I think I don’t have to mention that I am also a huge Fan of Collabs 3000, Efdenim, Moritz von Oswald or Richie… because when it’s about them I always find some time for listening. What or who influences your sound and music? It was Laurent Garnier who captured my sense for music, djing and production. His productions are incomparable. In my opinion he knows how to produce techno anthems back in the days and now and also I saw him around 10 times celebrating his dj-sets. He was the artist who affect all my senses. But there are so much reasons to see some new artists! I love to go out and having some drinks while listen to artists and their sets. Especially in a club called Gewölbe in Cologne where the soundsystem is outstanding. Besides that I am making my apprenticeship in a company which organises their own festival “Luft & Liebe” twice a year. So I have the chance to play and get involved much more with artists and sound. What do you like to do away from music? I love to meet my friends and have a dinner, lunch or a just a talk with them. During the week I love to walk through the forrest and the gym. At the Weekend I meet with my friends and listen to some fresh techno. Also when I drive with my bike to work in the summer days. I played Tennis and field hockey in my childhood and today I try to find some time to stay in practice. At least I find my new favor destination Mykonos to have a break. This summer I will recover my batteries there for some days again. What do you have planned for 2019 Focusing more on producing and listen much more to techno music is not everything at all. I think I will try to live more healthy and find more time to do workouts next to the music stuff. But most important is to play more gigs in front of different audiences. And for sure finding to my own sound and sense for electronic music. Favorite food and place to hangout? I am living right next to a forrest and I love to have a walk through it. When it’s about cafés in my city, I definetly hangout most my time at my best friend´s bar/restaurant called Café Kosmopolit. It’s a pretty cool one with great food and a special ambience. One of may favorite clubs is ”Die Nacht” in Mönchengladbach where I am celebrating the release-party of my first EP together with Drumcomplex, Plank and David Rosales.

Max Danberg

Where are you currently based and what is the music scene like there? I choose to live with no fixed address due to my creative process and learning of life’s wisdom’s beyond the norm have brought me here. As I type, I am out in Abergowrie—north of Townsville, two hours and surrounded by mountains and waterfalls. I am hanging with Indigenous youth creating and empowering Black voices around making my own music, dance, mind and nature practise. The young fellas hear have got natural rhythm and can really dance and create off that dream’n magic. It’s really special to witness and inspires me also. Your incredible new video for your single 'Thrill of The Chase' — watch HERE is out now, what influenced the sound and songwriting for Thrill of The Chase? My personal inspiration comes from a number of vocal styles and sounds so I just throw them all into one to express my message and story. As you may notice, I get bored quite easy so with the track constantly changing is purely me wanting change coz it hypes me. With the story I mean it’s mine but I ask that the audience take theirs from it and makes it what they want. Where and when did you record? Quite cool actually, the dingo loves to howl to the full moon. But this was an eclipse I finished this on somewhere in 2018 and then released it on the full moon luna dingo eclipse just gone. This trilogy of songs and visuals is an expression from a part of me I feel that gives me these experiences to watch, listen back and learn from. Kind of like timeline moments to see my own growth and lessons. The art speaks to me like Dream’n with my eyes open. How did the concept for the video come about? I was running with my dog, who very much wanted to chase after rabbits on my nature run, when I was living in Diamond Creek, Melbourne. I always found myself getting frustrated at her for stopping me running on my circuit to call after her to get back on track. One day, I gave in to her idiotic life changing teachings and I ended up on a run after rabbits into the bush. Found myself becoming a little boy again full of so much excitement doing jungle parkour and gaming with myself and her. One day she caught this rabbit and killed it. I was shocked and felt bad coz I was encouraging her. Then I was like “WELL”? Are you going to eat it or just leave it to be nothing and she went for the next rabbit. At this very time, I had come from a relationship where I totally mistaken love for inspiration and became a stepping stone for someone and totally used and abused it felt like at the time. Then I experienced it again pretty much after writing these lyrics back in 2013 it was. Then the same thing happened. Now I have a lesson from that and have found a relationships with strait love and mutual sharing of give and takes so I hope haha. Not that there is anything wrong with being inspired by people but for me there's a look I called Thrill of the Chase that looks like they loving you but they have something different in mind. They after you for pure thrill to use you for their own self pleasures, gains of success in their mind or something. This I'm sure was a reflection for me in past relationships to where I have been that however this lesson defiantly has flipped my script I feel and am noticing in my life. The video represents something similar I guess but obviously it's more made for the trilogy and is a piece that is for you take your interpretation. Who did you work with and how did you go about turning the initial concept into a finished video? I had some stem ideas I had to take to Dave Dog Atkins (Resin Dogs, Hyrdrofunk Records, Wolfmother) in Mullumbimby when I was chilling on the Gold Coast creating for a while. Dave chucked drums on it messed with some of the sound verses, re-did some vocals and mix and mastered it. He’s a legend and a really great friend. I took the video idea of the full Trilogy to Claudia Sangiorgi Delimore in Melbourne and then we took this track to Gumbaynggirr country where I was born (Halfway Creek) with three stunning indigenous dancer and actors—Shae Duncan, Jaymen Blk Cockatoo Drahm and a cinematographer Leroy Button—working with a RED camera named Lucy—haha trust me, she deserves a name—supplied by Dominik Muench. This team took this video out with an idea of direction yet free styled filming and a full wknd with fire, food, nature in a creative arts shed with beds, kitchen, bathroom and big ass dance floor. Claudia then edited it and sent it to Treehouse Productions in Melbourne for that slick colour grade. How does Thrill of The Chase tie in with your grand single / video trilogy / storyline? I would love to hear your comments on the video of what it means to you ??? The firsy song and video is there to and the third is not long away! Ytdingo.com What are you working on at the moment? I am working on my EP, some more videos with an exciting feature and some ideas to tour but really want to tour with the full decked out idea to honour the art so it always takes a little more time and people to know I’m coming! Who are you listening to at the moment? A lot of my own work to get it right for the release and then these young fellas I’m creating with to help get them in their best self. Add them on socials! They are called the SPACE PIKININI’s and coming very soon! What do you have planned for 2019? THE 3RD and FINAL DROP OF THE TRILOGY!, A NEW E.P!, MORE VIDEO’s and some DEBUT SHOWS, TOURS and INTERNATIONAL TRIPS! IM ready! Hope you are? Hit me up? What do you like to do away from music? Spend time with 2 lovely lady's in the tropics, 1 is my dog but she kinda isn’t. Empower youth and give em what I didn't get and wish I did. Surfing is a bonus when Im not in Croc territory aha but taking the roof off and chasing water falls sitting and swimming in silence. Choreographing and creating with artists and touring the world and Down under being in or creating urban based theatre, film, photography, TV shows that friends make. If it aint music its still creating sumn.. Favourite food and place to hangout? I haven’t been back but want to! Its was eating Turtle in the most peaceful honouring way being strait eaten after cooked from in the shell on the beach after being caught with a spear traditionally. It was with some close new friends on Yolngu country Elcho island thanks to Djuki Mala dancers who took me there. To Special! Please include links to socials and website. facebook.com/ytdingo, instagram.com/ytdingomusic, ytdingo.com

YT DiNGO

RedHook

RedHook

https://www.residentadvisor.net/dj/naufer

Naufer

Host's debut EP 'Adolescent Content' is out on Monday 18 February.

Host

Where are you currently based and what is the music scene like there? Berlin, and it's crazy! How and why did EKORD start? It started as a party in São Paulo in june 2017 and the label was released last year. The idea behind the party and the label is basically to offer and connect a certain variety of sounds in the huge world of electronic music. If you look back and check the guests we had in the party and also the releases of the label, it goes from melodic sounds like Lake People and Dave DK, to House music like Ejeca, and to Techno like Soukie & Windish and Renato Cohen. Thats what we try to do, go from the deepest to the darkest side of emusic. EKORD is known for releasing good music that crosses between genres. EKORD isn't a techno label and is also not a house label, you make bloody good electro beats and release music that sounds good. Why did you choose to approach electro in this way and how has this freedom of electro style enabled EKORD to stand out from other labels? Because every track has its right moment to be played and its boring to stay in the same moment forever. We wanna be there when the dj drop a techno bomb in the club, but we also wanna be there when he spreads love in a sunny day of a nice festival. We don't wanna stand out from any label, we just want to release music that we like and touch as many hearts as possible with those sounds. EKORD has recently released to EP's being Soukie & Windish and Carrot Green. How do you go about choosing artists in with which you would like to work with? Basically i go after artists that i really like and i also like to release new artists. Looking back, in 1 year EKORD released EPs from artists of the Sao Paulo beautiful new generation scene like Nicolas Pera and Mari Herzer. But we also released names that are more known already for their releases in big labels. Carrot Green is constantly in labels like Permanent Vacations or Get Physical, and Soukie & Windish are the heads behind URSL, one of my favorite labels. Does EKORD have any influence on the sound or producing of the EP's released? If so, to which degree? Almost nothing, just final mix details when necessary. What does EKORD look for when releasing music? Music made from the heart. You used to organise amazing events back in Brasil: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tcHEnS2uc9M&list=PLclHJO0ucU8HAGfe-bjiDFS-U3XiIDDWP what is the electro scene like in Brasil? The scene there is fantastic. I was really divided to choose to move out from Sao Paulo in such a beautiful moment of the scene in the last years. Lot of independent crews making awesome parties, the number of brazilian producers getting known around the globe is growing exponentially. I can definitely say its already one of the biggest scenes in the world. You can confirm that when you see this wave of huge european festivals making their editions in Sao Paulo for the first time out of their hometown in Europe. Will you be hosting EKORD parties in the future where by you'll be able to showcase the EKORD artists? Thats one of our targets for this year. We have really nice releases coming out in the next months and the crew is getting bigger and stronger. Im sure that very soon we will be ready to throw our first showcase in Berlin. What do you like to do away from music? Travelling. And also, Im actually enjoying to learn German in the last months. Who are you listening to at the moment? Bookwood What does 2019 hold for EKORD? Great tunes, great parties! Favourite food and place to hangout? Portuguese and Spanish food. Place to hangout, house parties with friends! Please include links to socials and website. https://soundcloud.com/ekordmusic https://www.facebook.com/ekordmusik/ https://soundcloud.com/johnnydacruz https://www.facebook.com/johnnydacruzmusic/

EKORD Label with Johnny

INSTYTUT FESTIVAL

Chus & Ceballos

Chus & Ceballos

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qlL-1Vdgonw

EMBRZ

Sosefina Fuamoli @ Beehive PR

The Partae chats to Melbourne Music Publicist, Journo and radio all rounder Sose Fuamoli of Beehive PR

Megan Davies

Megan Davies

Bob Sumner

Bob Sumner

The Vasco Era

https://www.facebook.com/theoogars/

The Oogars

Drumcomplex

Drumcomplex

VŌS

VŌS

Armin Van Buuren

Armin Van Buuren

Jeremie Whistler

Jeremie Whistler

The Southern River Band

The Southern River Band

Donnarumma

Donnarumma

Fredfades & Jawn Rice

Fredfades & Jawn Rice

Batts

BATTS

Simon Ashford Collarts

Simon Ashford – Australian College of the Arts AKA Collarts – Head of Animation & VFX

What is your name and role within Twin Dive? My name is Robert. I'm the lead singer-guitarist, chief-songwriter, co-manager and producer for the music videos and above all I hate boasting. My name is Raggi, I am the drummer and the better-looker in this band. Where are you currently based and what is the music scene like there? Our band is situated in Aarhus Denmark, which recently gets around as the Seattle of the modern day. The city is largely populated by young people, thus has a large artist community, therefore the music here is thriving. There's little to none divisiveness based on genre, if anything you will see the same faces at a metal concert as at a hip hop show. People go for the experience, not a genre and we think it's a good style for an audience. How did Twin Dive start? Having parted with our former bands some time ago, we were both looking for a new gig and then almost naturally found each other. We co-acted in a music video for my former band earlier, which involved a lot of preparation and physical contact, during which Raggi and I became good friends. Starting a band was an obvious move so we did it. How do you usually go about writing music and what or who influences your sound? It's quite organic all of it. I'd normally show up with some skeleton of a song that I made up in my room or during one of my frequent walks, Raggi would drop the drums on it and then it's all down to details, you know, dynamics, phrasing, bars, transitions and what have you. After all of that is done, I'd go into my bubble and take a fukin forever to finish the lyrics. The influences of our sound are quite obvious and we see it as a good thing. Everything reputable that came out from early 90's and onwards is in there, all the grunge, all the british cool, the punk, even the hip hop. Make a hotpot with Nirvana, Kings of Leon, Oasis and QoTSA and garnish it with some modern thinking and originality and there you have it. Who are you listening to at the moment? IDLES was spinning quite heavily for a while along with Flyte, both great fukin bands. The UK, they just got the music sorted, man. Being late into my 20's I've naturally been listening to a lot of the old stuff that shaped me too. Raggi has been hooked on The Acid. The band, not the substance. It used to be both though. What have you been working on lately? We are lucky to work with some of the finest film makers in town, so there's been a lot of making and conceptualizing of music videos. We are also working on an outdoor event where we will play a live soundtrack to a movie being projected onto a huge wall. Sort of like the very early format of film where you had a dude playing piano to a silent movie, but with all the tech and musical upgrades. What do you like to do away from music? We both love a good workout, I do thai boxing, Raggi loves his gym routines. We read whenever we feel like it, averaging to about 4 books a year but our local library is just glorious, so we go and enjoy the big open spaces there quite often. Making money is nice too. Spending it even more so. As is often the case with musicians, we are flirting with the idea of acting in film and are looking into some ideas and making some minor plans. What do you have planned for 2019? Currently we are looking at 4-5 single releases, plenty of gigs in the country and a weekend in the UK, dates of which aren't confirmed yet. Booking for Europe has just started so we will take the gigs as they come. And then that outdoor film-soundtrack event we mentioned above. Favourite food and place to hangout? Robert: I basically run on grapefruit, nuts, cookies, pizza and sandwiches. I'll eat one healthy substantial meal a day in a nearby cantina. The rest is snacking. Everything is a sandwich anyway. I like to hang out in local bars where you can smoke indoors. Luckily, they seem to attract my kind of people and the playlist is great too. I love my friends above all, with them it can be a ditch in a bigger ditch and it will be great. Raggi: I'll eat whatever has been cooked for me. Again, our local library is the bomb. It's got this great view overlooking the ocean, hangout spots, huge comfortable chairs, infinitely high ceilings, gaming consoles and the nicest staff. It's a prime location for dates as well, hands down. You can find photos here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Xxxv0B_pOa1XaI4nhXz6NicIfAl7yuPq?usp=sharing Social media: https://www.facebook.com/twindiveband/ https://www.instagram.com/twindive/

Twin Dive

Hands Like Houses

Hands Like Houses

nathan ball

Nathan Ball

Manovski

Manovski

Duendita

Duendita

The Gooch Palms

The Gooch Palms

Super Drama

Super Drama

Iris Gold

Iris Gold

Luminous

People Luminous

Jurek Riegler

Jurek Riegler

Arran

Concrete Surfers

Concrete Surfers

Lanisa Dawn

Lanisa Dawn

Sarah DeBorre (Music Victoria)

Sarah DeBorre (Music Victoria)

Marco Resmann

Marco Resmann

Kids At Midnight

Cream with a K

Cream with a K

Sugar Jacket

Where are you currently based and what is the music scene like there? I am currently based on the Gold Coast. Live music here is not too bad, there are a couple great venues to play and we seem to be getting more and more major artists booking in a stop on their tours on the GC. There does seem to be more of a buzz in Brisbane, which is only an hour way and not too far to get to. You recently collaborated with with Jarryd Shuker (The Art of Sleeping) please let us know what the both of you worked on? Yes I did. Jarryd produced Alive my debut single with me. We met up about once a week for a good couple of months this year and worked on Alive, as well as some new tracks hopefully to be released one day soon. He is a great producer and writer and he really believed in the project just as much as my self. I am super grateful to have been able to work with him on my debut release, and I am even more grateful to now call him a friend. I hear that you have an EP in the works, what has been influencing the sound and songwriting? Well it’s another big debut for me and by the time the release comes the aim is to have people sit up and take notice. The tracks I think are all so different, which makes total sense having all been written over a few years. The sound is influenced by a combination of the team of producers I have been working with and myself falling in love with electro pop music. The brief I set for this EP was I wanted to be able to groove hard! Very broad, I know. But I am pretty confident that we have come up with some serious jams. I am hoping that this collection of tracks will really show the potential I have to be in this industry and hopefully stir a serious buzz for d e n n i s. How do you usually go about writing music? Writing music varies a little for me. I really love to write with other likeminded producers/artists as well as on my own. However collaboration is definitely key for me. I believe collaboration is important; it keeps out creative minds on top of our game and sometimes it may feel as if we have met our rival, but healthy competition is good and it pushes us to want to create further than what we already know. When will you be releasing the EP? The date is yet to be confirmed, however it looks like the half way mark of 2019 and the debut EP will be here! Who are you listening to at the moment? Right now I am on the BROODS vibe. I am totally digging their recent releases and am so keen for more new music from them. The new E^ST EP is also a cranker! I also as cliché as it is right now am pumping the Xmas tunes! My absolute favourite is ‘Baby it’s Cold Outside” – Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Jordan. What do you like to do away from music? Honestly so many things but right now its perfect weather on the GC to be at the beach. So probably spending a day out on the water boarding and sunbaking is my top thing to do when I’m after a break from music. What do you have planned for 2019? I feel like I have set super big plans for myself in 2019! Releasing more music is number one. Playing some live shows will be super nice and hopefully I get to make some new music friends and starting building a name for my project! I’m pretty stoked for 2019 to get here already! How did you first start playing music? Music has been all I have ever known since I was pretty young. Everything sort of began because my neighbour showed me how she could play the piano and so then I wanted to be able to do the same. I am super lucky that my family and my Mum and Dad in particular saw that music was serious for me and encouraged me to pursue music as a career. Not everybody is fortunate enough to get that type of support so I really do consider myself lucky. Plus growing up in a small town, there isn’t always a lot to do! Favourite food and place to hangout? There is this pasta/pizza roof top bar – Justin Lane in Burleigh Heads (GC) right on the beach and its super hip and trendy. Definitely is where you want to be on a Sunday afternoon as the sun is setting and is also definitely where I plan to be all summer long.

dennis

Youthfire X Diemne Interview Each Other

Cat Dealers

Hussykat

Dj Assad

Here you go :) Where are you currently based and what is the music scene like there? I’m currently based in Toronto. The music scene is awesome here because it’s super diverse. You can pretty much find all types of people playing all types of music at all times— and everyone’s always awesome. How did you first start playing music? Ever since I can remember I loved to sing—but I picked up my first guitar when I was in grade 9, because my little sister started playing and I was really jealous that she could play, and I couldn’t. After that I never really put it down. My guitar teacher is the one who encouraged me to start writing songs. Once I started, I fell in love with it and knew I didn’t want to do anything else with my life. Please tell us about your new remix with TRU Concept, how did this come about and how did you approach the remix? I was walking in NYC and got a Facebook message from a girl who found me on Spotify and was interested in talking to me about my music. We ended up chatting and getting along great, and she ended up being TRU Concept’s manager. I loved his Lauv remix and he loved my new single, so it seemed like the right thing to do. What programs/equipment did you use? I’m actually not sure what he used…but whatever he did, I like it. To make the original track we used Ableton and Pro Tools. What did you find most rewarding and challenging during the remix process? I guess the most challenging thing was wrapping my head around my song sounding different than how it originally was intended, but that’s also what the most rewarding part was. Having someone else reimagine your song into a completely different genre and vibe is so cool. Some of my closest friends are super into dance music and they’re pretty obsessed with it. I got to hit a whole different audience with this one, so that made me happy. How has being from Toronto influenced your sound? There are so many amazing artists that have come out of Toronto recently. It’s super inspiring to look up to those artists and learn from them. So I don’t know if it’s influenced my sound per se, but living in Toronto has definitely given me a lot of motivation to try my best. How do you usually go about writing music? It really depends. Sometimes when I’m feeling really sad or mad, I’ll sit on my bed with my guitar and write an entire song in an hour or 2. My bed is pretty much my songwriting sanctuary. Whenever I get inspired outside of my bedroom, I’ll always write my ideas down on a massive note in my Iphone. These are sometimes just song title ideas, or words that I think are cool. I’ll go back and use this note for ideas when I’m collaborating with other songwriters in writing sessions, or when I just feel like it myself. I want to learn, but right now I have no idea how to produce. Luckily I have 2 amazing men in my life who help me with that. So once I’ve written a song, I always take it back to my producers and we record it together. They help me bring it from my bedroom, to life. It’s pretty cool. You won iHeart's Future Star, how has this effected your music career? For sure the best thing that’s happened to my music career thus far. The Future Star program helped my song get heard all across Canada. I owe a lot to IheartRadio and to all the radio music directors who believed in me, and believed in the song. I’ll never forget that. Being on the radio is MESSED UP in the most amazing way possible. I asked people to send me videos of themselves singing it when they hear it, and I’ve gotten so many videos. People from all over, singing and dancing to my song, as well as people letting me know that they can relate to it, or that it helped them through a breakup or something. That’s what makes all the hard work feel so worth it. I hear you have a tour planned, where will you be headed and what can we expect from these shows? I can’t say much, but i’m starting to plan out and practice for my live show and I’m really excited. In the past I’ve always performed acoustic, so it’s going to be an experience for me to perform with a lot more elements. I’m working on making some cool merch as well. What do you like to do away from music? Hang with my friends, my family, and my puppy. I also love some ‘me’ time. Sometimes I have crazy weeks where I’m in the studio for hours upon end. So it’s nice to just take time to relax and catch up on my favourite TV shows. I just finished Handmaid’s Tale and I am obsessed. Who are you listening to at the moment? Billie Eilish, Tove Styrke, Sasha Sloan, Gavin Degraw, and ‘Shallows’ from a Star is Born, on repeat. What do you have planned for the remainder of 2018 going into 2019? I actually have 1 more remix coming out on Dec 7th from an awesome DJ who’s also based here in Toronto— “Pusher”. If you don’t know him yet, you should listen to his stuff because it’s reallllllly cool. This next remix is super vibey, i’m pretty obsessed with it. I’ve spent the last two months working on my EP. I’m going to put out another single from it in 2019 and i’m REALLY pumped about this next song. It’s very special to me. Favourite food and place to hangout? My favourite food is a tie between grilled cheese and angel hair pasta with rose sauce. My favourite place to hangout is at a music studio, or Disney World. PHOTOS - https://www.dropbox.com/sh/0ulf4sjoxznlon9/AAAjYe3EI0mZir_u2bSYO1sNa?dl=0 http://www.itslolomusic.com/ https://www.instagram.com/lolopopgurl/ https://open.spotify.com/artist/5MjcGshMggPgIHinIUDaX0?si=J8YRuhtuSVO-IFw_HR3bOA https://twitter.com/itslolomusic https://www.facebook.com/itslolomusic/

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