You gravitate towards sounds that are extremely emotional and nostalgic. When I hear your stuff I dream of sunset sets in remote, leafy locations. Where are you transported when you are producing music? Are there particular moments that you draw on for this sense of nostalgia?

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I find myself thinking up images that would fit the song- like imagining a storyboard for the music video. Sometimes the images come directly from a memory or something I’ve seen, otherwise they’re more abstract or something entirely fictional. I think this helps with the storytelling/emotional context that I try to incorporate with my music, trying to translate that image and emotion into a sound. Music does often force me to reflect on shitty memories but I think stirring up the bad emotions does help create a more candid sound or idea.

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Who are your biggest musical influences?

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Jacques Greene, Kllo, Nathan Micay, Burial, Ouri, Barker, Cinthie, and Skee Mask, to name but a few.

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You’ve been experimenting with music production since the age of 9 on Garage Band so it’s no wonder you have found such a distinct style. Have you had any formal music training or are you entirely self taught?

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I’m entirely self taught! Everything I know has just been either from Youtube or passed on from another producer. I do take learning really seriously, and I was a bit of a type-A high achiever when I studied, so when I sit down to learn about a topic I write notes and go into as much depth as possible. I guess I never really had that “I should learn how to make music” moment- it’s just always been something I’ve done as a pastime, and I slowly migrated into production as my main focus. In terms of theory I know fuck all- I just learn about stuff as it comes up, like learning about relative and parallel keys for DJing.
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A lot of people have started delving into music production as a result of lockdown. Any advice for people starting out or places you turn to when you get stuck?

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I think the best advice I can give to anyone starting out is to take it slow. Music production is a complicated skill, and I think people tend to rush into it with the intention of immediately making top-quality dance music. It takes so long just to learn the ins and outs of a DAW (digital audio workstation), let alone create the sound you really want to make. So take it slow, enjoy it, learn things in depth, one detail at a time. Otherwise, it’s really easy to get intimidated and give up. Lol. Also, another really helpful thing, which I still do, is dissecting other people’s tracks- listen for any noise or ambience in the background, try to work out which effects are on each element (flanger, distortion, delay), and any little details that you wouldn’t hear on the first listen. From there you can try to replicate, or experiment with similar ideas in your WIPs, and it will give you an idea of the little details which give a track warmth, depth and atmosphere.

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2020 has been a roller coaster year for everyone but Melbourne especially has been a wild ride. You’ve gone from one of the strictest lockdowns back to full blown parties. How has this adjustment been for you and do you approach partying differently because of it?

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I would honestly describe this adjustment as an explosive decompression. I haven’t even really taken the time to reflect on what’s happened in my life since we opened back up but I can feel a pretty intense burnout coming on (lmao). Don’t get me wrong, these past few months of events and clubbing have been some of the best fun I’ve ever had. It was such an emotional experience getting to be back on the dancefloor and to FINALLY get to hear music out of a PA. But I think everyone’s been a bit more intense than usual because of the insecurity in the COVID situation right now- we don’t know if the freedom will last. One thing that I’m also struggling with at present is trying to focus on Pretty Girl- I haven't really made anything because I’ve been so distracted playing at least one DJ set a week and also partying till 10am every weekend. So it’s time to relax a little bit with partying and focus more on getting my live set and release ready.

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What are you most positive about / looking forward to for the year ahead of us?

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This question kind of rocked me a little bit because I realised I haven’t even been looking forward to anything this year. I was so beyond excited to start playing my live set, but I’ve been bogged down so much in the process of finishing it that I’ve forgotten why I’m even doing it. I think the past couple months have just been so intense and I’ve lost track of why I make music and why I enjoy it. That might even be evident with the vibe of the mix I made for you guys. So I took a bit of time to reflect and make a list of what I’m feeling positive about:

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- Lineup diversity: so far there has definitely been a bit of a positive shift with the representation of female/GNC/POC musicians and DJs in our events. Obviously it’s not where it should be, but the dialogue is definitely becoming more widespread, and I’m feeling more positive than ever about our party scene being represented by talents from all different identities and backgrounds.

- My live set is in the works at the moment so I’m keen to stop DJing as much and start playing live.

- I do have releases coming out this year! A single and an EP. When I don’t think about the 4 million things I need to get done for them to get released, I definitely am excited about them.