The Aussie superstars back with their massive ‘Sunrise’ collab with Tommy Trash
Interview : Dan Prince
Mikah and Vance welcome to DMCWORLD. I have been reading through some of your past interviews, one line that keeps on coming up is that Aston Shuffle “have effectively changed the face of electronic music in Australia” – thoughts on that?
“Wow that’s lovely but it’s an incredibly huge call to say that. There are so many amazing acts shaping Australian music at the moment. If are considered to be one of those acts then we’re incredibly grateful but to be honest we’re not really focused on accolades we just love what we do and hopefully that’s conveyed in our music.”
You’ve been all over the world DJing these past few months, London and New York must have been fun. What were some of the highlights…?
“We just got back from touring of the U.S, which was seriously amazing. America is going gang-busters over anything dance music right now so to go over and experience this first hand was great. We can’t wait to finish our record get back over there asap.”
May 12th sees the release of a major record for you, ‘Sunrise (Won’t Get Lost’) that brings together a double header of antipodean talent in the form of a Tommy Trash collab. Tell us about the history of the track…
“Basically it came from a song we did in 2011 called “Won’t Get Lost”, we were looking for remixes for the song and we thought of Tommy, but he ended up taking it to a place where it felt like it was starting to come together as a new song in it’s own right, so we decided to push forward & go for it.”
What is the current top 10 you are spinning?
Grum – Everytime
Clouds – Terrorcore
The Knocks feat St Lucia – Modern Hearts
Diplo & Tai – Booty Drop
Maribou State & Pedestrian – Mask
Justin Jay – Static
Bobmo – Hotspot
Beataucue – Lyrel
MYD – Freaky Andy
Bart Bmore – Bounce Back
Breach – Jack
What does each of you bring to the studio production, who excels in what department?
“It’s hard to say really, I guess that’s the beauty of working as a duo, you kind of dovetail into each other’s strengths & weaknesses. We start off writing ideas & loops individually and then get together for the bulk of the song writing done. Vance is definitely the one going crazy on plugins & stuff though, he has way way more than he really needs.”
How did you two guys meet in the first place and when did the idea of a production duo form?
“We met in the early-2000s in Canberra. We were both DJing around town so we were on each other’s radar from that perspective, but Mikah also used to work in record stores in Canberra, so the basis of our musical relationship was that record store guy/customer relationship. It didn’t take too long for us to realise we had a bit common ground musically and it all flowed pretty naturally from there.”
You are the first producers from Canberra we have featured in the magazine, tell us about the club scene in your home city…
“It’s quite small compared to say Sydney or Melbourne’s scene but it’s certainly a thriving one. Thanks to some forward thinking promoters and venues Canberra usually gets the same big names that the capitol cities do. The great thing about Canberra is that they tend to play in smaller venue’s which is great for that up close and personal kind of atmosphere which usually turns into 4-5 hour sets!”
Greatest record you have ever played to a dancefloor?
Vance – “Steeler Wheels – Stuck in The Middle With You (Todd Terje edit). If you can get the vibe in a room to a point where you can finish your set with this record you’ve done your job correctly!”
Mikah – “A big DJ set highlight a few years ago was mixing out of “Walking On A Dream” by Empire of The Sun, into “Sarah” by Fleetwood Mac, it was the end of a very big night and the vibe was just there for bringing the night to an end on that tip. Not a single dude on the dancefloor either, which was definitely a vibe!”
If you could change one thing about each other, what would it be?
Mikah – “Vance to stop making Simpsons references.”
Vance – “Mikah to stop talking about football all the time. Australian Football that is! “
Who are the producers from around the world you are giving props to right now?
“Duke Dumont, Alex Metric, Oliver, MYD, Maribou State, Clouds and Julio Bashmore.”
What is coming next from the Aston Shuffle studio…
“We are currently in the final stages of completing our album. Feels good to finally be seeing some light at the end of the tunnel.”
Tell us about your Friday night show on ABC’s Triple J…
“Well we are lucky enough to have a weekly show were we curate 3 hours of music on a national radio station. It’s great because we are into so many different styles of music and being able to share them with such a huge audience is something we really enjoy.”
You have remixed some major artists, Claude VonStroke, Dizzee Rascal and Kissy Sell Out to name but a few. Which rework have you been the most satisfied with and what is your approach to a remix?
“Hmmm that’s a tough one. It’s really hard to pick out one of them as we enjoy each of those remixes for different reasons! Before we ever start a remix we ask ourselves can we respectfully give this tack a different interpretation that still retains the essence of the song. It’s often a very fine balance!”
The summer months in Australia has seen another exhausting series of major festivals. What have been your highlights and what artists sets have you been bowled over by?
“it was really quite special to be the support act for Swedish House Mafia’s Australian leg of the One Last Tour. The scale of that show was incredible and watching those guys perform together for the very last time was something else!”
What is the strangest request you have ever had from a clubber?
“At the end of our set one night we were signing some t-shirts and posters etc. and a clubber came up to me and asked me to sign his prosthetic eye, like literally pulled it out of his head and asked me to sign it. So like what every good artist would do…I signed it”
Fuck me. Well okay moving on, everyone has one, what is each of yours guilty pleasures record?
Mikah – “Madonna – Physical Attraction.”
Vance – “Coolio – Gangsta’s Paradise.”
Not many people know this – but Aston Shuffle’s are great at…
“Mikah is a great cook and a dedicated dad whenever he is actually home”
Vance – “I guess I’m a pretty decent cook as well haha!”
And finally…where are some of the big worldwide dates you are looking forward to in 2013…
“We’ve got Asian, American & European tours in the pipeline. Stay tuned!”
The Aston Shuffle Vs Tommy Trash
‘Sunrise (Won’t Get Lost)’
(Outsiders / Polydor)
Release Date: 5th May 2013
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