Otherwise, plenty has been happening for the youngster who says Skrillex was a major inspiration – as were zombies. “I’ve been doing lots and lots of amazing shows, remixes, collaborations and things – I’ve also been preparing for tours and also working on my Follow EP that I will be releasing in the near future though the label Never Say Die. There are actually quite a lot of exciting things going on at the moment. The EP I’m actually really, really excited about to be honest – I hope everyone else is too!
“I was actually approached initially by Tommy (SKisM) who co-owns the label via Soundcloud oddly enough! We organised a meet up, talked over everything and with the already crazy reputation that they had, I was super excited about the thought of becoming part of the family. The label itself is totally amazing. There is an incredible team behind it as well. They really helped me go from being a nobody, to having worldwide recognition in under a year!”
Some people have even suggested he is the successor – the prodigy – to the massive legacy that became the Skrillex movement. And he is humbled by the thought to be sure: “I think that the big man of course hugely influences my sound as he’s the reason I wanted in on the whole electronic dance music scene! I also think you’d be insane not to feel on his sound and vibe – but you will be hearing a different side to me with upcoming releases.”
In short, the lad started on music by engineering bands and acoustic artists for about three years until more recently, when he began undergraduate studies at the ACM in Guildford where his housemates suggested he try making some electronic music. “So I did,” he laughs, “and for some reason it all took off very quickly!”
Indeed, the DJ thing came as part and parcel. “I had never been a DJ in my life until after I was signed by Never Say Die. I was given one week to learn how to DJ for my first show which was at Ministry of Sound in London – and this is also one of the main reasons I am a Traktor user!”
Musically, his sound is a mash up of dubstep, electro, glitch and grime – what it is that appeals to him about those genres he has no idea. Nor does he drink – or anything else – rather the clean freak, but his sound is anything but. In fact, ‘dirty’ is about the best way to describe it. “Yes, it’s all true,” he admits. “I have no idea really! I guess certain areas of all these styles appealed to my musical tastes – so I thought why not mash them together? I do like zombie films and games too, so that will have had some form of influence behind it.”
In all, setting the bar even higher this year will be Zomboy’s biggest challenge but he feels he’s up for it. “I think I will be venturing into new territories and genres to really diversify along with the move in the current bass music scene. The schedule for shows and tours is looking pretty much full for the next five months. I’ve got tours shortly for New Zealand, Canada and some big dates across the USA.”
Finally, Zomboy is excited about getting down to Australia but claims he is terrible in hot weather, so he’ll be doing anything that involves hiding from the sun. “I kid, I’m gonna do whatever I can to make this a memorable tour, not just for myself, but for you public. As with all my shows, expect a lot of energy, new and big heavy tunes and a whole lot of dancing from myself! I’m currently rocking the Kontrol S4 but slowly moving towards CDJs to control Traktor. I can’t wait to get down there!” Amen.
BY RK
Zomboy [UK] plays at Brown Alley alongside SKisM [UK], TC [UK] and more on Friday April 13.
