Congratulations on headlining Ultra Music Festival 2017.
It was fun! I was surprised because it’s common for these international music festivals to book huge DJs and fly them over, so when they approached me — I played in 2016 as well, but on a smaller stage — it’s like people are realising that the standards of local and international music aren’t that different. I can really be based here and still have quality output like the rest of the world, and that’s encouraging for me as a producer. It’s definitely a milestone in my career, headlining an international music festival in my own backyard.
You’re also writing a new EP with Gentle Bones.
The first time we met was probably the middle of this year. I knew him from his music — did a few remixes, been to a couple of his shows — but we’ve never really hung out, which was weird. He’s a good singer, I’m an OK producer — so I floated the idea that we should write something together. He came over one day, and it was the most productive session I’ve had in awhile. He’s good at bouncing ideas: telling me what sounds good, where to put voices, which parts to remove — I’ve never worked with a singer in such close proximity before. With electronic music, a lot of the time you just write an instrumental or a beat and send it over the Internet; there’s no real immediate feedback. Working with [Gentle Bones] came naturally; we’ve done a lot of demos and now we’re cutting out stuff to put into the final album.
What motivates you to keep producing music?
Well I listen to a lot of music, and when you have problems or struggles in life, if you impose that sense of despair or hopelessness onto the music you’re listening to, it can sometimes bring you to a better place. Like, the world is f***ed up, and one of the ways for people to destress and let go is to spend two hours in the club, or listen to their favourite album. That has really helped me when I was young, and I just want to do the same with my music.
Check out the other interviews of Men’s Folio 20 Men including cover star Pierre Png, photographer Anton Lim and more in our 20th anniversary October issue, available now.
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