Hey guys, really excited that you’re having a chat with us. Where are you at the moment and what are you up to?
At the moment we have been concentrating on our label, Punks, which is working with a lot of great artists. We have been mad touring as ever and also working on a lot of new material which we will be playing on the tour.
You put out your album Rebel Bass last year, and you’re currently touring it all over the world. HHow’s the tour been so far? What can we expect?
Lots of fresh new music. So much good stuff out there if you dig hard enough. The tour has been non-stop and has taken us all over the world and has seen positive responses all over.
Recently you got the chance to play at Coachella, which is one of the festival highlights for many in the world. How did that compare to other festivals you’ve performed at?
We played at the amazingly designed Do Lab stage, which hosts a lot of the underground dance sounds. It was definitely a highlight of the year. The production, crowd and atmosphere were on point. Major Lazer even came and did an impromptu set afterwards.
You’ve put out your music on vinyl in the past. Do you have much experience mixing with vinyl? Do you have any favourite classic releases?
We’ve mixed vinyl for years and own and a big collection. I especially love all my old school hip hop and electro 12-inches as well as all the mid ’90s American house sound, and so much more. They are all classics.
Given you’ve played all over the world, where has been the place you’ve connected with the most? Anywhere you’d love to move if you got the chance?
That’s a hard question to answer as countries and cultures can be very different. We love places like Australia, Canada and America because they feel familiar to us and we have had so many good times there. But we also love playing more ‘off the beaten’ track places like Cambodia, Malaysia, or deepest Siberia with the chances of playing to whole new crowds of people.
You’ve definitely moved up to playing larger scale venues. Do you still play a few smaller raves and parties, or is it all onwards and upwards for the moment?
Big arenas are great for energy and sheer scale, but you can’t beat an intimate BBQ or house party to really connect with people dancing close enough to steal their beers. A good mix of the two with the odd boat and pool party thrown in makes for a good mix of parties.
AC Slater and Tony Quattro feature on Rebel Bass, what was it like working with them?
Both are really cool to work with. We worked in LA with AC, and Brooklyn with Tony. One good thing with touring is that you can go hook up with local producers in different cities. We have another load of collabs forthcoming that we have been working on over the last few months.
You’re playing down here on Queen’s Birthday Weekend, do you have anything else planned for the visit?
Going to catch up with friends and family – my dad and brother live in Adelaide – and of course as it’s our Queen’s birthday we will be worshipping her by drinking and genuinely getting on it. Plus, we have a load of other gigs all over. We have never not had a great time in Australia.
Aside from performing at venues, what’s your ideal way to spend a long weekend?
Escape to the country and do chill stuff like read books, stare at the sky and eat food. But that never happens. In reality I would probably lay on the sofa staring at a laptop.
Thanks heaps for your time, and we’re looking forward to seeing you again in June. Do you have any words of wisdom to hold us over until then?
Originate, don’t duplicate.
