One of the latest additions to Kill The Noise’s Slow Roast label, DJ/producer Brillz is venturing from LA to Australia for his first headline tour. He spoke to TOM KITSON about what the term ‘twonk’ means ahead of his visit to re-open Ambar this Friday, February 21.
Making a name for himself in trap and EDM, Brillz is a self-described late bloomer despite having a deep love of party-starting music.
“In January 2012 I was saying that I really wanted to start a project and guys were asking me why I waited so long to do it,” he says. “I really like how I can create something that can be immediately shared with other people through Soundcloud and social media; there’s no filter and the drive to create is something I was born with I think.
“What’s really driven me with the Brillz project is how connected we all are through the internet, so I can get my stuff out there right away and interact with people, which is really exciting.”
While strongly influenced by artists like Kill The Noise and Bro Safari, Brillz still brings his own distinctive ideology along.
“The biggest influence I’ve had so far is Kill The Noise, who’s a good friend of mine,” he explains. “He put out my first record Twonk on his label Slow Roast and they were the first guys to give me exposure. I’m really grateful for that and the chance to learn from him and see the way he goes about his music.”
His synth-driven, drop-laden beats exemplify the self-coined term ‘twonk’, the title of his first album and a vibe continued on his latest remix album, Retwonked.
“The term ‘twonk’ is about creativity, energy, quirkiness and you can’t quite put a finger on it,” he says. “I think it’s a fun, high energy idea that anyone can identify for themselves.”
Utilising internet and software capabilities, Brillz and many producers now work within minimal confinements and are taking a simplified, unorthodox production approach.
“I produce a lot on the road as my set up is 90 per cent laptop-based, and I’ll usually do my own mastering on tracks,” he says. “I found out some tunes I really liked had just been mixed and bounced straight out of Ableton then released, so sometimes I’ll take that approach too.”
Hip hop tune OG Bobby Johnson by Que and Tomsize’s remix of Raveology by DVBBS & VINAI are two tunes he’s loving to play out and hear in sets of late; further exploring the hip hop and dance music collision.
“If I was on the same lineup as guys like Bro Safari, Baauer and Flosstradamus I’d have no songs to play,” he says. “But they all say just go ahead and play those songs, which I think sums up the vibe of the music and how we’re all keen to help each other out.”
Brillz plays Ambar this Friday, February 21. Tickets available at the door.
