Melbourne-based DJ/producer and four to the floor guru Needs No Sleep is putting out some of the freshest, hard-hitting house sounds in Australia, and is poised to further break into the world circuit in 2019.
Earlier this year he released tech house banger Lambo/Not My Question on This Ain’t Bristol, 6 In The Morning on Astrx AU, and most recently was his collab with Wildfire, On The Edge, which landed on Be Rich Records with support from DJ EZ, Kissy Sell Out, Vanilla Ace, Richy Ahmed and Claptone.
Now, Needs No Sleep is back on Be Rich Records, this time bringing fellow Austrailan producer SWOOP along for the ride, and Big Tings – a dope house cut that’s already picking up support from the likes of Claptone, Treasure Fingers, Golf Clap and Joachim Garraud.
WWD: Thanks for speaking with us today – what’s been your personal highlight from 2019?
No worries, thanks for having me on. Personal highlight would definitely have to be taking out the #1 spot on the Australian Aria Club Chart this year with my track ‘On The Edge’.
WWD: It seems like you’ve changed direction, musically speaking, in the last few years… what prompted this switch?
I used to produce under another alias, and it took a trip to Ibiza for me to really fall in love with tech house & house music and when I came back from that trip, I decided to start a new alias and write that style of music.
WWD: Tech house seems to sometimes get a hard time from the critics, but is a genre that gets so much love from fans… why do you think that is? Do you think there’s a disconnect between what works on a dancefloor and what people like to write about?
I don’t pay much attention to the critics so I can’t comment too much in that regard. What I can say though is nothing sets the mood in the club like a good tech house romper! There is definitely a fine line between boring tech house and amazing tech house, but when its done properly it is undeniable the groove that it emits.
WWD: We’re loving Big Tings! How long did this one take to come together? Any particular hurdles you had to overcome when putting it together?
Thanks for the kind words, its one of my favourite releases I’ve had this year. It came together one Friday night in my studio with SWOOP and we pretty much banged out the whole track that night. Like most the stuff I write, I usually get the main idea/groove down in 1 session and then all the sessions after that are to mix it properly and add any icing on the cake that the track may require.
WWD: What inspires you when you’re sitting down to write music? And what – if anything – can get in the way of that inspiration?
The best thing to do for inspiration is to chuck a mix on from an artist or a label that you respect and admire and to listen to the mix. I usually find that not even half way through the mix I will have heard a track that will motivate and inspire me to write something new. Another good idea that helps to motivate me write new stuff is going through new sample packs that I have bought and listening to all the things contained in it. Sometimes it can be a cool sample or loop that really gets the creative juices flowing and then it all organically stems from there.
WWD: What’s the single best thing about a career as a DJ and producer?
As cliche as it sounds, i just like writing music that people enjoy.
WWD: And the worst?
All positives over here mate.
WWD: Aside from yourself, one artist do you think is going to have a big year in 2020?
My friend Jesse Bligh is a very talented producer who I think is going to make a big mark next year.
WWD: What’s next for Needs No Sleep? Any big plans up your sleeve?
I’m just going to keep writing and releasing more quality music and hopefully the amount of people who enjoy what I do gets to grow.
WWD: Finally, we’ve got one day and night raving in Australia… where should we be going, and why?
Circus Nightclub & Mr Chans Fridays – Home of tech house in Melbourne.
Needs No Sleep and SWOOP – Big Tings is out now: Here