New Zealand’s bass scene has been bubbling as of late with a slew of artists making major noise. The latest on the cusp of breaking out globally is t1r. Based in Auckland, t1r will take you back to the days when SoundCloud was truly something special. With his primary account pushing towards 20,000 followers and housing a mix of banging bootlegs and originals, it’s easy to get lost in his music. From Future remixes to future beats, t1r is proving he’s up next. After landing a spot in our Focus Five feature, we figured it was only right to connect with t1r for a guest mix and interview. The mix is a half hour of slappers including an unreleased ID plus heaters from Mr. Carmack, sumthin sumthin, Sam Gellaitry, Slumberjack + more! The interview digs into how he got into music, the New Zealand music scene, anime and more. From working in cold warehouses, to heating up the scene, he’s come a long way, and he’s just getting started. Listen to the mix below and grab the free download.
How long have you been producing?
I’ve been producing for a minute now, almost 5 years to be exact.
When did you decide you wanted to make music? What prompted the decision?
It was 2011, at the time I was living in Melbourne, Australia working in a cold ass warehouse unsure of where my future was heading. One of my cousins was a DJ at the time, I’d head along with him to all his shows wherever he played in Melbourne, I thought to myself, this is really something I wanted to pursue myself. It clicked with me, I figured out what I wanted to do. I eventually came back to New Zealand in 2012, signed up to DJ & Electronic Music Production which was a course at MAINZ (Music & Audio Institute of New Zealand) and it went onward from there.
There seems to be a ton of talent rising from New Zealand as of late. What’s music scene like there currently? Who should we look out for?
The music scene here is flourishing and better than ever, the best thing about it to is that it’s evergrowing, it’s as though there’s new artists coming through on the weekly basis. So yeah, the scene is alive and well here in New Zealand. But, in saying that, I think artists everyone should keep a look out for are Katana, Jawni, Sugoi, Nekolye, Hyan, 2047, Yancey, Baccyard, Meraki Soul, Ipsy, Sturling, Latu, Loud, there’s too many to name though for real. Also keep a look out for Climate Change (Sparks, Zaya, Tai Ramen etc), a beat collective here, they’re producing crazy music on the regular.
With the Soundcloud strikes fiasco a few years back, the output of bootlegs really died down. You seem to be keeping bootlegs alive. What do you enjoy most about reworking tracks?
I really just enjoy putting my own twist on well known songs, add my flavour to it without out ruining it. The main reason I make bootlegs is to play them at shows.
…the trick is to flip it as much and as hard you can, really twist the s*** outta that song, really make it your own
What’s the secret to not getting them taken down?
Personally, I think the trick is to flip it as much and as hard you can, really twist the s*** outta that song, really make it your own, that’s what my formula is and it seems to have worked for now.
A lot of your song artwork is anime based. Can you tell us a little bit about your interest in anime?
I’m a huge DBZ/DB Super fan, since day one, so it was only fitting that I used select characters as artwork for my tracks. I felt as though the characters suited the tracks. I haven’t mentioned this before, but a few of my tracks on SoundCloud were heavily influenced by DBZ and DB Super, I drew inspiration from those anime as I was binge watching them at the time.
You recently tweeted: “it’s all about growth as an artist, u neva want to stay in the same place.” How have you grown since you started making music? Where are you heading?
I tell you this, I never used to play my own music and talk on the mic at shows. I’m getting used to doing both now. I’ve branched out of New Zealand and just started to play shows overseas to (which I hope to do more of), basically just trying to breakthrough boundaries and grow as an artist. My manager Sarah (Bassment) has undoubtedly played a big part in my growth as an artist, her hard work ethic motivates me and she’s always pointing me in the right direction decision and opportunity wise.
I understand you’re working on an EP. How’s it shaping up? What can you tell us about it?
It’s a work in progress at the moment, still in its building stages but it’s shaping up. I just want to put my best work forward for this and really push my boundaries above and beyond, at the moment I’ve penciled in to release/finish it later this year.
I place Carmack as my favourite music producer of all time, he’s the reason why I continue to pursue music and he influences my music heavily. So to play alongside him was a crazy experience, one I’ll never forget.
You recently got to play b2b with Carmack, what was that like?
That was super surreal, I place Carmack as my favourite music producer of all time, he’s the reason why I continue to pursue music and he influences my music heavily. So to play alongside him was a crazy experience, one I’ll never forget.
What else is on your bucket list?
The goal is to play more shows overseas, explore different cities/countries and experience playing to new crowds, I want go to places like Japan, USA, Europe etc.
Tell us a little bit about the mix. What should listeners expect from it? What was your goal in putting it together?
The mix begins with an unreleased by myself, but other than that, it’s a freestyle mix, I had no set planned in particular. I just vibed with whatever I felt like playing at the time.
Don’t litter, look after one another and spread love and positivity wherever you are throughout the world.
Any final comments or things you’d like people to know?
Don’t litter, look after one another and spread love and positivity wherever you are throughout the world.
Tracklist
I.D. – T1R
Pistol – Otxhello w/ Dilip & Yugi boi
Swagga – Oshi
Long Distance – Sam Gellaitry
Shift – Snowee w/ Babe, Sparks & Zaya
Paper – Sam Gellaitry
Hunnid On The Drop – Montell2099 (Mr. Carmack Remix)
Hype – Dabow
Raf Riley’s Piano – Mr. Carmack
Lobby – UZ & QUIX (Sumthin Sumthin Remix)
Rappers – Mr. Carmack
Yaa – Inimicvs, Three Dog, Wntr, Creepa & Mo Vibez
Get Ur Freek On – Missy Elliot (Mr. Carmack Remix)
Touched – What So Not (Slumberjack Remix)
Tennis Court – Lorde (Flume Remix)
Birth Control – Mr. Carmack
Automatic – Troyboi
U.I. – Anka
Like Kanye – Donovan.
Yeah Right – Vince Staples
Looney – Inimicvs
Can’t Get – Terace & Stace Cadet (T1R Remix)
