It’s been a blur of flights, festivals and faces for the Gold Coast bred Matt and Chris Stafford, since first signing with Central Station Records back in 2006. So the prospect of heading out to perform a massive 40 shows in the span of 60 days is essentially as simple as breathing at this point. “We never really come off tour so it’s pretty normal.”
Relocating to Los Angeles earlier in 2012, the Stafford Brothers have spent the last six months extensively touring their new home country, along with treks to Europe and Asia. Despite all the adventure, or maybe because of it, Stafford admits, “It’s just great to be back home in Australia.” The returning heroes will be performing a string of local dates, including a comeback at Crown Casino‘s Fusion. “Touring the world is amazing, but the Australian crowd are one of our favourites. Aussies know how to party.”
In the time since they last performed for their Aussie fans, the Staffords have been entrenching themselves in the American music industry, signing with the gargantuan Cash Money Records, home of Lil Wayne. It’s an opportunity not lost on them and one they are looking to take full advantage of. “Being able to connect with such a massive iconic label and now release music with them is like a dream come true.” Much like the chance they took when first deciding to enter the treacherous waters of the music world, their venture to the States is a calculated risk that has, so far, been a success. “We moved to the USA to take a chance, and it now looks like it will all pay off.”
Much like the whirlwind journey they have been embarking on for the past six years, their recording process is one of chances and experimentation. “You never know what is going to happen in the studio. You go in with one plan and what comes out is never what you planned.” The main common thread, regardless, is the emotion they want to inspire. “We always like our music to be uplifting and full of energy as that represents how we DJ.” It’s a unique process, with both strong-willed brothers bringing their contributions to the table. Admitting that Chris takes more of a “driving” role, it’s ultimately a joint effort. “We both are often giving our opinions on the tracks, so there aren’t really disagreements, just input to get the best product we can.”
Their ability to strike a balance between commercial and progressive house, such as on the anthem Open Up Your Arms, is one that has expanded their reach to a broad cross-section of fans and surely caught the attention of the Cash Money brass. It’s a skill they have apparently refined to a point where they can choose what direction they choose to go in.
“We always just produce tracks for the dance floor, but lately have been also focusing on the radio,” Stafford reveals. “If people are having a good time to our music we have achieved what we wanted.” The brothers believe they need to feel some sort of emotion from their creations, if they expect fans to. “If you can’t rock out to the track, then we aren’t going to put it out. We actually get up and dance in the studio to feel how the crowd are going to feel when we play the track.”
With their unique worldwide perspective, Matt and Chris see a bright future for EDM on the typically rock-dominated Australian shores. ”Events like the Big Day Out are down, and events like Stereosonic and Future Music Festival are the parties everyone wants to be at. There will always be rock but it’s dance music’s time to shine right now. Australia is right at the front of this style of music.” The growth of dance music in this country is one Matt attributes to the broad scope of artists we are exposed to. “The good thing about Australia is we get all the European influence and the American influences. Australia picked up on dance music as it began.” As the homegrown sound continues to evolve, the Stafford boys are excited about the new challenge that lays ahead, with the burgeoning new scene in America. “The USA is only just catching on, but it’s really about to go crazy there.”
Looking to be at the forefront of that new movement, they are currently cooking up some fresh tracks, which will presumably push the Stafford Brothers sound to a new level. “We have a load of new singles coming out. Our next big single is called Hello, on Cash Money Records, and features Lil Wayne and Christina Milian.” Waiting in the wings after that will be the monumental-sounding Future Music Anthem. Clearly, if one music act embodied YOLO it would be the Stafford Brothers.
BY ANDREW ‘HAZARD’ HICKEY
