Q&A: t1r

If you’ve been to any festival in NZ recently, we’re SURE you’ve had the pleasure of cutting shapes to t1r’s INSANE sets. He’s played at Northern Bass, Hidden Valley, Mardi Gras (Ohakune + Queenstown), Rhythm & Vines and Beyondbass Festival to name a few, and opened for the likes of What So Not, RL Grime, Mr. Carmack, Kaytranada, QUIX & Montell2099. We’re super excited that he’s just dropped his debut EP “reform” which is, no surprises, full of absolute bangers.

We’d love to know a little bit about your musical journey so far from when you first started making music!

My musical journey all began when I first attended MAINZ (Music & Audio Institute of NZ) back in 2012 where I studied DJ & Electronic Music Production. While studying there, I grew a liking for Trap, Bass and Electronic music. From 2013 onwards, I started to play at various nightclubs in Auckland and decided I needed to take my music production more seriously to propel me to that next level of playing festivals and perhaps some shows overseas. Fast forward to 2015, I got my first festival slot at Rhythm & Vines and from then onwards I’ve earned the amazing opportunities of playing at various music festivals such as Rhythm & Vines, Northern Bass, Hidden Valley, Mardi Gras as well as my first overseas shows in Australia playing at venues in Sydney and Newcastle. Throughout those years I've released a handful of tracks including a remix alongside Netsky, an official remix for Fat Boy Slim and most recently my debut EP “reform”.

Congrats on your absolutely amazing debut EP “reform” serving us crunchy, headbanging-worthy production with plenty of heavy, tasty drops! Can you tell us about the concept of this EP and why you decided to call it “reform”?

Thanks guys - really appreciate it. Well, long story short “reform” symbolises a new era for myself. Just evolving and progressing musically throughout the years. Especially over the last year for myself personally - just making healthy positive changes and all of that positively influencing my music. So I thought there was no better time than this year to release my debut EP. And that’s how and where the meaning and the title of my ep “reform” came about.

What was the production process like for this EP, and what tools did you use for the creation of this project?

It was quite a long process, and a process I took slow and steady. I had started making this EP last year when the first lockdown struck so you could say it wasn’t a rushed process as I really wanted to nail it and be happy with it once it had been released. Production aspects of this EP, I used Ableton Live and I pretty much just experimented with different sounds on Serum and Massive. A whole lot of trial and error but at the same time still having a clear idea of what I was aiming for with this EP. In the end I made a handful of tracks and I handpicked these ones and culminated a project of 5 tracks.

What were some of your favourite and most memorable moments working on the EP?

I’m not sure if it was a favourite moment but being in the first lockdown and kick starting this EP was pretty memorable in itself. A full on lockdown was something our country and the world hadn’t experienced before and was foreign territory to us all. It was a buzzy time but really enabled me to put my head down and produce a lot more music without many distractions.

Who would you say are your biggest inspirations in music?

My biggest inspirations in music are music producers, so artists such as Flume, Netsky, Rezz, Mr. Carmack, Skrillex, Troyboi, Hudson Mohawke, RL Grime and all the Sable Valley artists as well as the local lads Montell2099, QUIX, Lee Mvtthews and Latu.

Who are some of your other favourite NZ artists right now and are there any songs in particular that you especially love or connect with?

I mean NZ’s talent pool is endless, some of my other favourite NZ artists include Muroki, Melodownz, CHAII, Diggy Dupé, Dera Meelan, Babe, 33 Below, SYSYI, The Upbeats, Witters, Jeddy Beats, deadforest, LMC, Yancey, sturling., nekolai, Matt Miller just to name a few. All amazing in their own right and all have crazy good music on a world class level.

What do you love most about living in New Zealand? Do you have any favourite places to travel to or local spots to visit?

Our country is beautiful and has scenery for days. I grew up in a small town called Hicks Bay situated on the East Coast of the North Island - I highly rate it as one of the most beautiful spots in NZ, unbiased opinion of course. But yeah, most recently before lockdown I went to Queenstown for the first time and was absolutely blown away, what an amazing place.

What would you say is the highlight of your career so far?

There’s been a few but I think this newly released EP has been the highlight for me so far. It’s been a long time coming and to finally have an EP out is a cool feeling and something that I've been working towards for years.

What are some of the biggest lessons you’ve learnt and what advice do you have for new artists out there?

I’ve learnt that you’re not going to get to where you want to be overnight. So be prepared to put in the long hard hours, days, weeks, months and years into this music thing. If you have a true passion for it you’ll stick it out and reap the rewards and opportunities, so be prepared to grind and put in the mahi.

Lastly, if you could say one thing to every person in the world, what would it be?

Look after one another! 

Thanks heaps t1r! Make sure to keep up with him on Instagram, Facebook, Soundcloud, Spotify or Apple Music.