Selected By Bassment - EP. 5: 33 BELOW
Growing up in a small town in Martinborough, electronic producer 33 Below is quickly becoming a familiar name in the NZ electronic music scene. With recent collaborations with LA WOMEN and MCK, he’s played at Rhythm & Vines, That Weekend, and Baseline festivals and has even supported one of the world’s biggest dance and electronic artists Wilkinson on his NZ tour!
WE’D LOVE TO KNOW A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOUR JOURNEY FROM WHEN YOU FIRST STARTED MAKING MUSIC!
I started off by playing in bands throughout my time at school. A lot of the stuff we were writing & playing live was kinda like a psychedelic rock/reggae fusion - we would always compete in our local school Battle of the Bands and Smokefree Rockquests. One of my friends introduced me to DJing when I was around 15, and I pretty much got hooked on it straight away. We would always be in class watching live DJ sets from artists like The Chainsmokers & Louis The Child - and I think that’s how I kind of sparked an interest in music production. After leaving school I did one semester studying Commercial Music in Wellington but dropped out as I wanted to get into the music scene in Auckland. I’ve now been here for the last 4 years and had the opportunity to play festivals like Rhythm & Vines, Baseline & That Weekend as well as open/tour with Wilkinson & Dimension.
INCREDIBLE! ONE OF OUR FAVOURITE NZ BANGERS THAT DROPPED THIS YEAR IS YOUR TRACK ‘BURNING’ FT. MCK! ️🔥 WHAT WAS THE WRITING AND PRODUCTION PROCESS LIKE FOR THIS ONE?
Thank you! Yeah ‘Burning’ was originally an instrumental idea with SACHI that we’d been sitting on since the end of last year. I’d been playing it out a lot at live shows but couldn’t find the right singer for it. My friend Seb (IPSY) sent me a demo he’d made with MCK, and I loved her vocals - so I hit her up straight away! I think we were in the studio together 2 weeks later. The whole writing & production process took around four sessions and came together pretty quick.
SO DOPE! ANOTHER SONG OF YOURS WE ABSOLUTELY LOVE IS ‘WITHOUT U’ FT. LA WOMEN! CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE CONCEPT OF THIS TRACK AND HOW THIS ONE CAME TOGETHER?
Thank you again! Yep ‘Without U’ came together after I returned back from the UK after hearing a lot of garage music. I wanted to incorporate garage as well as having a slightly more poppy/electronic element to it. I’m good friends with the LA WOMEN boys as we all grew up in the Wairarapa - they would actually always beat my band in the Masterton Smokefree Rockquest haha. Jake is one of my favourite singer/songwriters to work with, so I thought he’d be perfect for the track - we jumped in the studio together and pretty much had the song finished in 2 sessions. It was a super fun & easy collab!
LOVE IT! DO YOU HAVE ANY NEW MUSIC ON THE WAY SOON? AND IF SO, WHAT CAN WE EXPECT FROM IT?
Yeah I’ve been working on a bunch of new music during lockdown that I’m currently finishing off! I have a few remixes & also a single that is on the way very soon! But I’ve also taken a lot of time trying to improve my mixing as well as experimenting with new sounds. I’m excited to release!
WE CAN’T WAIT TO HEAR YOUR NEW STUFF! WHO ARE YOUR BIGGEST INSPIRATIONS AND INFLUENCES IN MUSIC?
My biggest inspiration would definitely be Disclosure! I just love how intricate their production is & their ability to create their own signature sound. My dad recently put me onto the new Tom Misch & Yussef Dayes album which I’ve really been digging! Also feel inspired listening the The 1975 (especially their garagey stuff), Flume & Imanu!
WHO ARE SOME OF YOUR FAVOURITE NZ ARTISTS & DJS RIGHT NOW AND ARE THERE ANY SONGS IN PARTICULAR THAT YOU LOVE OR CONNECT WITH?
Yeah there’s so much talent coming out of NZ so it’s hard to name them all! But I’m a huge fan of IPSY, LA WOMEN, Cellarr, SACHI, LEISURE, Nekolai, Balu Brigada, Foley & Montell2099! I’d say My favourite NZ song would have to be HIGH HØØPS - ‘Body’. Such a chooon.
HUGE TUNE! WHAT DO YOU LOVE MOST ABOUT LIVING IN NEW ZEALAND? DO YOU HAVE ANY FAVOURITE PLACES TO TRAVEL TO OR LOCAL SPOTS TO VISIT?
My favourite thing about living in NZ is the sense of community! I’m lucky to be in a supportive circle of mates who are all musicians and are all pushing each other to achieve their best. My favourite place to visit is definitely Wanaka! After a day of skiing, having a beer by the lake looking at those snowy mountains literally feels like heaven on earth hahah.
YES SO LUSH! LASTLY, IF YOU COULD SAY ONE THING TO EVERY PERSON IN THE WORLD, WHAT WOULD IT BE?
Chase your dreamsss & don’t be scared to take a risk!
THANKS SO MUCH 33 BELOW! MAKE SURE TO KEEP UP WITH HIM ON INSTAGRAM, FACEBOOK, SPOTIFY OR APPLE MUSIC.
