His latest release ‘And When Love Speaks’ feels built for the dance floor, especially compared to the more jazzy breakbeat leanings of his 2024 debut LP Blue Light. The track feels like a signpost in his transition from viral bedroom producer to nightclub drawcard, with his 500K+ monthly Spotify listeners now translating to bigger stages and ticket sales.
It’s been a natural ascension – one we’ve witnessed both live and through his socials, where he shares clips of himself skating ledges and stair sets around Newcastle. Even in those short, raw clips, you can tell he’s having fun. The man loves to skate.
We caught up with him recently in Melbourne for a chat and a skate in the Vans Authentic — check out some shots above and below from that day, along with our interview below, presented by Vans.
YOUR LIVE SETS ARE DEFINITELY TWEAKED TO MORE PARTY TUNES THAN YOUR ALBUM. DO YOU CHANNEL A DIFFERENT CREATIVE MOOD FOR SET BUILDING AS OPPOSED TO WRITING A RECORD?
Absolutely. The thing I always come back to when thinking about this is escapism. Music for me has always been about escape. Writing and producing allows me to build these worlds and go deep into myself in an introspective sense. Similarly, my only real goal in DJing is to provide the space for people to get lost in the music at that moment in time.
I very much came up on the selector type approach to being a DJ and through what some would consider sort of insane in an obsessive sense. If I’m doing something I need to know absolutely everything I can about it – not only the music someone is playing but how (for example) their childhood informed these decisions and the history of music in a deeper and personal sense. It took me a long time to shake this hyper fixation and remember the one reason I do it – to spread love and joy and try to recreate those same experiences on the dance floor that changed my life. My records are very introspective, my DJ sets are the opposite for the most part. They both carry this escapist foundation but just applied to different environments.
IS ‘TRY YOUR WINGS (TO FLY)’ PART OF A LARGER BODY OF WORK?
Who’s askin!? Haha nah no it’s not. Those tracks came about just before I took off for Europe last year and stand alone. Those tracks really bring a tear to my eye remembering all that. My next track will actually be out before this airs – HA! No body of work has given me this much head noise in my life. I can’t wait to get it out there.
HOW DOES SKATING COMPARE TO MUSIC FOR YOU AS A HOBBY, OBSESSION, OR RELEASE?
My mates would all laugh at this one as I’m often in the corner of a pub or club yelling at someone about the similarity and importance of each of them. I don’t really believe in the word hobby. Skating for most of my life was the only thing that kept me out of harm’s way. It’s that pretty typical skating saved my life stuff that’s blasted all over the internet – but for good reason. Music in many ways became the same as skating was when I was younger but encapsulated the transformation into adulthood.
They’re both the same to me really. They both represent this perfect unison of the intellect and the physical. One can’t work without the other. To me it’s about accessing the creative black hole in the brain. Flow state om shanti namaste business. Skating is dancing. You can’t dance without music (?). Whatever you do make sure you don’t bring this up in a conversation with me it’ll ruin your day.
WHAT FESTIVAL POSTER WOULD YOU LOVE TO SEE YOUR NAME ON?
Dekmantel Selectors without a doubt. On the shores of the Adriatic – a Croatian wonderland of hedonistic extremes. I went by myself in 2023 and linked with some people who I’ve since become really close with. There’s just no words for this. The sun setting over the mainstage is something I will never forget – all love, pure energy.
WHO ARE YOUR FAVOURITE SKATERS RIGHT NOW?
ANY SKATE VIDEOS THAT INSPIRED YOU TO GET INTO MUSIC?
I don’t think skate videos directly inspired me to get into writing or producing music however Geoff Cambpell and his early videos informed so much of my style and musical evolution as a listener. His soundtracks were always so eclectic and considered – still blows my mind all these years later. He would masterfully drop rare and seemingly unheard Australian joints alongside the most ghetto Kool G Rap B-Sides. That definitely informed my approach to DJing without a doubt. More life Geoff Cambpell.
YOU’VE HAD A BUNCH OF SUCCESS ABROAD, CAN AUSSIE PRODUCERS “MAKE IT” WITHOUT HEADING OVERSEAS?
That’s a fuckin good question and one that I’m currently in the matrix with. Australia is a bit of a tricky one when it comes to getting a start and career longevity. I think our isolation and rigid government make it hard for venues, events and small scale artists to thrive. I think to be honest the answer is no. I think to maintain any sort of relevance you need to be immersed in both local and international worlds. We are definitely on the up in Australia however. Festivals, clubs and events are seemingly on the rise and fresh ones too. I have faith.
YOU’RE HITTING OVER HALF A MILLY MONTHLY LISTENERS ON SPOTIFY, DOES THAT REGISTER WITH YOU AS A MASSIVE ACHIEVEMENT OR ARE YOU LOOKING BEYOND?
Don’t even get me started on this haha. I used to tell myself years ago that if I ever hit 500,000 I would be the happiest person alive. I try to not let the numbers get to me these days cause they definitely don’t bring happiness. I think the goal posts are so dynamic in this industry it can make it hard to ever stop and reflect with true perspective. One day you’re in an architecture studio everyday making music on the side hopeful, the next you’re in the deep end trying to scratch together the means – it’s ever changing and I love it. I’m realising every day that what makes me truly happy are big gum trees and the ocean and my family.
