Coming together thanks to a “smoke machine and one incredible laser show,” they met while both were DJing on the dance scene in East Sydney. “When Mikey is pissed off, I’m laughing at him and when I am feeling angry Mikey’s voice drops down a few octaves and whispers just the right words to make me feel better.” Ah, the sounds of chemistry. That balance also translates to the studio, “We both know when an idea is solid enough to develop into a song. This sounds stupid but the most important thing for us in the studio is actually finishing tracks.” Knowing when an idea has run its course and pushing forward is also important, “This is why it’s ideal to have someone else that can say ‘move on’ or ‘yep that’s finished’ as opposed to sitting there for days wasting time.”
With all their differences, Mikey and Jordan manage to be on the same wave length. “There is no argument. We both respect each other’s political views and knowledge of the streets.” Even when talk turns to the eternal question of whether Biggie was better than Tupac, they keep it civilised. “It is more of a discussion than an argument. One is not better than the other; arguably they both needed each other to be as iconic as they are.”
Jordan says their genesis as producers is the “same old story,” starting out DJing and “collecting records for a long time.” He also credits the fact that they had “cool parents who exposed us to music at an early age.” Mikey remembers every family camping trip or holiday was a musical experience. “If my dad was driving you would only here John Fogerty and Creedence Clearwater Revival or if mum was driving it would be non-stop Boney M and Bee Gees records.”
Apart from their taste in music, Jordan had a feeling something a lil’ more funky was going on. “Growing up I was sceptical of whether my parents were into swinging because they would always have late night parties and put me to bed real early.” Well it was the 70s after all. To combat this, he says he would always pretend to be asleep and sneak out of his bedroom to listen to the records they were playing. “My favourites would be anything that Michael McDonald was singing on or Chic. My mum would also listen to heaps of random country stuff, which I always found interesting to listen to because those dudes were great storytellers.”
In a short time, the talented tag team has been able to stamp out a unique sound, with anthems like Public Service Announcement. “We don’t go into making a track thinking ‘how do we make ourselves sound different to everyone else’. It is easy to go wrong if you get lost in what other people are doing or expect of you.” Jordan says that artists from all forms of dance music inspire them, “It pushes us to keep relevant as we all know how fickle and how quickly dance music is consumed and then discarded.”
When it comes to Light Year’s live sets, things are still a work in progress. “We actually don’t play live yet, we only DJ so we don’t know what to expect from our live show. Our DJ sets have been getting some solid feedback though.” They are planning to develop the performance element after they wrap up their upcoming tour of the U.S, just in time for the summer festival season back here in Australia. “Ask us that question in 6 months.”
With social media evolving as the barometer for public taste, Jordan believes it “is easily the most cost effective form of promotion,” affirming that “everyone needs that online presence.” Whether utilising Facebook, Twitter, or Soundcloud, “We always find ourselves trying to come up with inventive ways of keeping our fans happy, whether it’s giving tracks away for free or running competitions.” Even with their self-assurance, there is always feedback, both positive and negative, to keep them in check. “The comments are good for ego boosting, but we don’t take it all that seriously, more often than not we have a laugh at what some people say about our music and us. According to some guy on the Erol Alkan forum we sound like a happier version of Hey Today! which made us both crack up.”
If you’re looking for Light Year online you may unknowingly click on an article talking about astronomy. “That happens quite a lot, I guess that’s the downside of having a name like ours,” he jokes. “Many people tell us, the first thing they see is the literal definition of a Light Year when they Google us so in essence we are fighting science. I guess if we went deep into the cosmic disco realm then the astronomy themed music would be perfect.”
Jordan promises the next 6 months will be packed, with multiple releases, including Light Year Remixed, “Some of our favourite artists remixing our 5 Girls EP.” The release includes contributions from Harvard Bass, The Finger Prince, Alex Gopher, Strip Steve and Malente. “Really looking forward to this release because we love all the remixes.” They have also finished a collaboration project with fellow BangGanger The Finger Prince that will be “released soon.” He hints, “Listen closely to some of Tiga’s latest sets you will hear some of those tracks.” Jordan confirms that they also have a collaboration with a “baby faced French gentlemen that we will be trying to finish up when we get back from our tour of the USA.” Adding to that, “Some ‘works in progress’ that are sounding pretty cool.”
