2020 was a pretty tumultuous year but you used your downtime to start a really special project alongside Milly Lees and Harry Hooper called Anomaly Radio. Can you tell us about how this project emerged?

At the beginning, 2020 was quite an unsettling time. There was so much uncertainty. We launched Anomaly in the midst of the pandemic, but I had been thinking about starting something long before that. For a while I was looking at contributing to the music sphere in a way other than DJ’ng. I decided that I wanted to set up a radio show, but didn’t want to rush a release before coming up with a unique name. Anomaly came to mind early in 2020 as it was the word that I felt best described the music that I play. By definition Anomaly is a ‘deviation from what is usual, normal, or expected’. I wanted to create a radio show that shared the sound I love to people both in Australia and around the world. Then by mere chance, the pandemic hit and the virtual became the only space where the global village could listen to music. It was at this time I approached Harry and Milly about my idea, they loved it and we began working as a collective. Milly and Harry really helped me bring the idea to life (there is absolutely no way I could have done it without them). It was a really great way to get our minds off the pandemic and the economic turbulence that followed.

Could you give us some background about your newly formed collective?

The bond between the three of us dates back several years. As some who are reading this may already know, Milly and I have been dating for over 7 years, she also happens to be a brilliant writer. With Harry it’s a different story. On the dance floor of A State Of Trance Festival in Sydney in 2015, Milly introduced me to her friend Harry Hooper. Harry was a DJ and from very early on was always known for his dark and melodic sound, whereas I was completely infatuated with progressive trance music. Several years later (when my music taste caught up to his) on the dance floor of a Kollektiv Turmstrasse set, Hooper and I concocted a plan to release a mix together. We have been best mates and playing gigs together ever since. Clearly the dancefloor is conducive to devising business strategy. Whilst our sound continues to evolve, melodies have always been our common denominator.  When it comes to Anomaly, Milly is responsible for the copyrighting (it really sets our show apart) and Harry and I book the artists. All 3 of us make decisions about the art and creative together.

What is the sound you are cultivating through Anomaly?

Anomaly is the departure from the confined, a deviation from the static and a navigation through the beautiful obscurities of electronic melodies. It is music and melodies by the community, for the community.

The graphic design for Anomaly is really emotive and striking, how did you come up with the concept for the imagery?

From the beginning we wanted Anomaly to provide an audio visual experience to our audience. What I mean by this is we wanted to provide people with a unique and unheard of sound; accompanied by contemporary and eclectic graphic design. For us, the art had to represent the quirkiness of Anomaly. It had to be completely different to anything that people were used to here in Sydney and Australia in general. We liaised with two artists from Berlin and Barcelona, before we linked up with our current artist; Panthera Krause, who is based in Leipzig, Germany. Not only is Panthera a prominent DJ, but he is also one of my favourite graphic designers. His designs are incredibly unique, and I still pinch myself whenever he sends over new art.

One of the purposes of Anomaly is to bring your favourite sounds from across the globe to our Australian shores through a virtual platform. How important has travelling been for your musical education and is there a particular place that has had the biggest impact on your taste/ sound?

Travelling has been utterly influential to the shaping of all of our tastes. In my opinion, you can’t understand different sounds or the music industry without time on global dance floors. We have been incredibly lucky to have been exposed to so many cultures and places around the world. Whilst I can’t speak for Milly and Harry, for me, when it comes to electronic music, Berlin and Ibiza have been the most influential. I don’t think I would have my music interests without those two places.

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When borders open up again where’s the first place you want to jet off to?  

I would say the first place I will jet off to will be Africa. I fell completely in love with that continent in 2019. Genuinely can’t wait to get back there.

The local electronic music community interacts almost exclusively within a virtual space at the moment. What are some positive experiences you’ve had because of this?

Anomaly has definitely benefited from this move to a virtual space. Our first mix from our dear friend David Mayer was released back in May of 2020. The global lockdowns had well and truly begun. So many people were inside on their computers. To put it into perspective, the first mix has now been viewed over 8 thousand times… pretty solid effort for the first release. Anomaly’s success can definitely be attributed to presenting the right idea at the right time. We have managed to pull some seriously weapon artists as no one is travelling and playing gigs.

How would you like to see Anomaly grow in this next year?

In the past year we have started to see the brand grow. Our mixes have now been viewed over 25,000 times. We are super excited and enthused by this and it has been cool to watch it grow. In 2021, we will continue to focus on curating unique shows for our audience and plan to increase our output. We definitely plan to do more with our art, but you guys will have to watch this space  ;)

What do you do for self care?

I’ve just moved out to Bronte. So I would say that the Bronte lifestyle is self care in itself.

Fave BPM & why?

Plot twist: I have two fave BPMs. 120 for studio mixing, as I prefer listening to slower music when I’m chilling at home. When I'm playing at a club, 123 BPM is my favourite, as it’s still deep and melodic but gets people dancing. It’s the perfect middle ground between deep house and techno, which is where I believe my sounds lies.

What are your predictions for Sydney’s electronic music scene going forward?  

Well, as we all know, the days of lockouts are well and truly behind us. I predict that once COVID-19 ends, there will be a musical renaissance. I really hope to see existing clubs thrive as well as the emergence of new venues. From all reports, in 2000, Sydney was the best city in the world. Not only was it picturesque but it also thrived after dark. It would be pretty epic to see that for ourselves!