Caru & Brandn Shiraz on their new EP ‘Back 2 Back’
Prolific Tāmaki Makaurau musicians Caru & Brandn Shiraz join forces on this new project, combining both artists' respective styles to create a unique and fresh take on the classic 2000’s dance genre UK Garage. Caru has been a fixture in Aotearoa's electronic music scene since 2017 as part of synth-pop duo Imugi 이무기, now with a summer residency on George FM and a sold-out Boiler Room show under his belt. A leading figure in Aotearoa’s hip-hop scene, Brandn Shiraz has number of notable collaborations including his most recent feature on the latest Home Brew album.
HM: Hey Brandn and Caru! Thanks so much for taking the time to chat to us about your new music! First of all, we'd love to know about your musical journey so far from when you first started making music?
Brandn: My brother taught me how to make beats and record using a PlayStation mic on a cracked version of Audacity. It wasn’t a crazy setup but we definitely put hours in. I think I still try to maintain that same drive that we had in those early days.
Caru: I started experimenting with making music on a computer when I was around 13 years old. My older brother’s friend had installed FL Studio on the family computer, and I would play around on it occasionally. In high school I got really interested in rock music, I learned a bit of bass guitar and played in a few bands. In my last year of high school, my friend Yery and I formed the duo ‘Imugi 이무기’, where I handled all of the production. We played a ton of shows and wrote loads of songs together. Over the covid lockdown I became really interested in DJing and dance music, and it kind of gave me a fresh perspective on producing music. I started making heaps of tracks and at some point decided I should probably release some. I settled on the name ‘Caru’ as it’s the first two letters of my first and last name - (Ca)rl (Ru)whiu
HM: Awesome! Who were your main musical and creative influences growing up?
Brandn: Lil Wayne had a big influence on me as a youngin. I see Wayne as someone whose always rapped at a high level but also constantly stepping outside the box a bit.
Caru: Probably my family - my dad was always playing in bands when I was growing up, seeing him committed to music and finding so much satisfaction in it was most likely a big influence on me. My brother introduced me to a lot of the music I listened to growing up. After that I’d have to say just the local music community became such a huge creative influence for me. Seeing other artists committing and challenging themselves to make great music was no doubt super inspiring!
HM: And congrats on your latest EP 'Back 2 Back' - we love it, it’s a huge vibe! What made you decide to go in this new direction musically and how did this collaboration come about?
Caru: Brandn started releasing music around the same time that Yery and I started ‘Imugi 이무기‘. In fact the very first show that Imugi ever played had Brandn on the lineup. So we’ve been aware of each others music for ages. Years later we ended up in the same circle of friends and a collaboration between the two of us just became inevitable.
Brandn: We’ve wanted to collab for a while, like I’ve had hundreds of this guy’s beats on my laptop for years. I think once the stars aligned we had a quick conversation about doing this project and we kind of both agreed on what we wanted to push sonically. For me, it was refreshing to focus in on this one sound. There were things I got to do on here that I wouldn’t usually do in my own music. It was definitely important for me to step back in some parts and let the production flex a bit.
HM: 'Back to Back' is an absolute banger! Can you tell us about the inspiration behind this track?
Caru: It was the first track that Brandn and I made together. We had been talking about making something where we both had heaps of creative freedom, and kinda fuse our respective sounds together. Production wise the beat came together pretty quickly, was just an afternoon spent experimenting with chord progressions and drum sounds. I was just trying to create a vibe, something that could inspire Brandn.
HM: One of our favourite tracks on the project is "Pull Up" with JARNA! What was the process of making this song like?
Brandn: For a while 'Pull Up' was just my two verses on that beat. Then I think we felt like there was an element missing from the EP, which is why we hit up Jarna. We wanted this one to feel like one of those old UKG songs where they take some R&B vocals and chop them up a bit. Jarna's delivery and cadence is sensational and she definitely killed that.
HM: Absolutely! What were some of your main highlights making this EP?
Brandn: Going bar for bar with Eo was a highlight, just because he's one of my favourite NZ artists period and someone who helped me a lot during my early days in the hip-hop scene.
Caru: I was stoked that it came together so effortlessly and smoothly. We managed to finish all the tracks and get them out not long after which was super satisfying. Just working with Brandn is a huge highlight, he’s such a talented dude and I’ve admired his work for so long - and working with my manager Casey who has been super supportive with this release
HM: Who are some of your favourite NZ artists right now and are there any songs in particular that you especially love?
Brandn: I'm rating the producers heavily at the moment. Tony Douglas, my brothers Dusty & Ghos, obviously Caru. MOKOTRON is tough as well.
Caru: Recently heard this tune from ‘PĀRŪRŪ’ called SAVAGEHINE produced by GlitzClub, crazy track.
HM: Caru, you recently performed at a sold-out Boiler Room show! What was that experience like?
Caru: Honestly pretty surreal, super gratifying and fun but also very nerve wracking and pretty scary hahaha.
HM: Haha I bet! What's one of the biggest lessons you've learned in your career so far, or one of the best pieces of advice someone has given you along the way?
Brandn: Stay hungry.
Caru: One lesson that took a while for me to learn was to be less precious with music, and to try to be less of a perfectionist to some extent. I used to overthink myself into inaction when it came to finishing and releasing music. And I just came to the conclusion that I had to care less hahaha.
HM: What have you got planned for 2025?
Caru: Make heaps of beats!!! And play heaps of shows!! Hopefully.
Brandn: Me and Caru have some shows coming up real soon. We made this EP with the intention of people being able to experience it live so we're definitely excited to bring it to the stage.
Lastly, if you could say one thing to every person in the world, what would it be?
Caru: FOLLOW MY SOUNDCLOUD.
Brandn: Show love, be kind to others. Also ‘Back 2 Back’ out now - go run it up.
You can catch Caru & Brandn Shiraz live at the upcoming Cross Street Music Festival on Saturday 8th March in Auckland, and in Wellington at CubaDupa on Saturday 30th March.
