Q&A with Melbourne's Dstnce |
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Hi Dstnce, I hope you’re enjoying your holiday. Thanks for taking time out for this interview.
Hey, not a problem. Thanks for having me on.
For Rappfox readers who aren’t familiar with you, tell us a bit about yourself.
I’m a rapper / producer from Melbourne. And more importantly just a fan of hip hop in general.
You recent release Notes from the Undergound EP, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Dope beats and tight rhymes. Tell me about the inspiration for this EP.
Thanks I’m glad you liked it. I was watching a lot of dark TV shows at the time such as A Handmaid's Tale and Black Mirror and wondering I guess what it would be like if something like that happened to Melbourne.
You talk on some deep and scary topics, what are some things you’re seeing happening in society today that fit within the EP’s concept?
Yeah well, there seems to be a bit of a fascination right now across the world with strong man / dictator type leaders. And it just doesn’t seem too far fetched anymore that something like that could happen here. It feels like just a matter of time.
And also things like the Social Credit system they are rolling out in China at the moment. Shit like that is terrifying to me, and that was the sorta stuff on my mind while I was writing these rhymes.
Hey, not a problem. Thanks for having me on.
For Rappfox readers who aren’t familiar with you, tell us a bit about yourself.
I’m a rapper / producer from Melbourne. And more importantly just a fan of hip hop in general.
You recent release Notes from the Undergound EP, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Dope beats and tight rhymes. Tell me about the inspiration for this EP.
Thanks I’m glad you liked it. I was watching a lot of dark TV shows at the time such as A Handmaid's Tale and Black Mirror and wondering I guess what it would be like if something like that happened to Melbourne.
You talk on some deep and scary topics, what are some things you’re seeing happening in society today that fit within the EP’s concept?
Yeah well, there seems to be a bit of a fascination right now across the world with strong man / dictator type leaders. And it just doesn’t seem too far fetched anymore that something like that could happen here. It feels like just a matter of time.
And also things like the Social Credit system they are rolling out in China at the moment. Shit like that is terrifying to me, and that was the sorta stuff on my mind while I was writing these rhymes.
What was it like creating a concept album versus your previous work? What has been the general response to the EP and it’s subject matter? And what do you want listeners to take from it?
This album is completely different to the type of stuff I do with my group Headlines.
Pretty much the entire EP is in minor key, all the beats are around 75 - 80 bpm and I didn’t write a chorus for any of the tracks. I just wrote rhymes until I ran out of stuff to say and then that was the song, just slow head nod beats and 40 bar verses and that’s it.
Yeah the writing style was different to a regular record. I guess I thought about the project a bit like a movie. Like what sort of scenes do I want to have, what do I want to happen and how would my character react in those scenes, and then just tried to fill it in from there.
The response had been amazing. Radio stations all across the country have been spinning tracks from it. Everything from local community stations like PBS to national stations like [Triple J]. It’s crazy, I honestly can’t believe it. Friends, family, and other rappers in the game have all reached out to say that they were digging it too. So yeah, I couldn’t be happier. It’s been incredible.
You’re a producer and MC and you’ve got some great features on the EP, tell me about the process making the EP.
Well basically I just wanted to give the record everything I had. So I took a month off of work last winter and just immersed myself in the project. I woke up every morning and just started writing. Took a break for a bit and then worked on beats all afternoon. By the end of the month I had 8 or so songs down and just refined it from there.
The track with Aye One featuring on it called Morse Code is my favorite track from the whole record. The beat bumps hard, while we both just deliver quality advice on how to keep on the low from the law. We both had a great time working on it and think it shows.
You’re also one half of the hip hop duo, Headlines with Aye One. Have you two been working on any new music? What other solo work as a producer or MC are you working?
Yeah we have actually. We’ve been writing for the last couple months. And we’ve got a few tracks ready to go at the moment. So you might see something new from us towards the end of the year to early next year. Stay tuned for that.
Thanks again for your time!
Thanks again.
Listen to the Notes From The Underground EP on Spotify here.
And follow on Facebook and Instagram Headlines (Dstnce & Aye One) to stay up to date with their music.
This album is completely different to the type of stuff I do with my group Headlines.
Pretty much the entire EP is in minor key, all the beats are around 75 - 80 bpm and I didn’t write a chorus for any of the tracks. I just wrote rhymes until I ran out of stuff to say and then that was the song, just slow head nod beats and 40 bar verses and that’s it.
Yeah the writing style was different to a regular record. I guess I thought about the project a bit like a movie. Like what sort of scenes do I want to have, what do I want to happen and how would my character react in those scenes, and then just tried to fill it in from there.
The response had been amazing. Radio stations all across the country have been spinning tracks from it. Everything from local community stations like PBS to national stations like [Triple J]. It’s crazy, I honestly can’t believe it. Friends, family, and other rappers in the game have all reached out to say that they were digging it too. So yeah, I couldn’t be happier. It’s been incredible.
You’re a producer and MC and you’ve got some great features on the EP, tell me about the process making the EP.
Well basically I just wanted to give the record everything I had. So I took a month off of work last winter and just immersed myself in the project. I woke up every morning and just started writing. Took a break for a bit and then worked on beats all afternoon. By the end of the month I had 8 or so songs down and just refined it from there.
The track with Aye One featuring on it called Morse Code is my favorite track from the whole record. The beat bumps hard, while we both just deliver quality advice on how to keep on the low from the law. We both had a great time working on it and think it shows.
You’re also one half of the hip hop duo, Headlines with Aye One. Have you two been working on any new music? What other solo work as a producer or MC are you working?
Yeah we have actually. We’ve been writing for the last couple months. And we’ve got a few tracks ready to go at the moment. So you might see something new from us towards the end of the year to early next year. Stay tuned for that.
Thanks again for your time!
Thanks again.
Listen to the Notes From The Underground EP on Spotify here.
And follow on Facebook and Instagram Headlines (Dstnce & Aye One) to stay up to date with their music.