Defining house and disco with pure advocacy, Husky holds acclaim in his craft, eliminating electronic music boundaries with signature originals to collaborative efforts. Straight out of the studio, Sydney’s well-accomplished producer and DJ serves an emotive dish of soulful, deep and core house hues while also delving into deeper lounge and disco sounds.
Across his labels Random Soul Recordings and Bobbin’ Head Music, there is an undeniable aura, conveying a creative pipeline recognized from his hometown to the heights of the Himalayas.
Despite a hectic road in house music, Husky always brings his studio drive on tour, having played shows in Russia, Bulgaria, Amsterdam, London, Hong Kong, the electronic music hub of Ibiza and across the USA, while also bolting down refined showcase events at ADE and Miami Music Week. With years of music at the forefront and an industry-respected persona, his name hasn’t been shy in the booth, taking the reigns alongside Boy George, Miguel Migs, Sonny Fodera and Defected pioneer Simon Dunmore.
With aims to shake up dance floors globally, Husky speaks the language and love of house music, with his studio work continuing to live while embracing its core truths for the road ahead.
Time for a chat with the master himself. Enjoy
Conenct with Husky on Soundcloud | Instagram | Facebook
Hey Husky, thanks for sitting down with us today- how are you and what are you up to right now?
Pleasure! Thanks for having me. It’s about 11 pm, so just wrapping up the day in my studio here in Sydney.
We are aware you currently live in Australia- have you always lived that side? If not, was there a reason you moved there? What is the music scene like in your area?
I have always lived in Sydney, but have been lucky enough to travel around a bit, spending a lot of time in Europe, Asia and the USA. At the moment the scene in Australia is very healthy. Loads of talent is popping up here, and we have a huge festival scene here, which locks in the worlds biggest acts every year. Plenty to be inspired by!
Can you tell us a bit about where your passion for music came from?
Hard to pinpoint really, but perhaps it could be linked to my parents and their social activity with their friends. It always involved music, and I was exposed to a broad mix from classical, 50s, 60s, 70s disco and soft rock like the Police. I generally found music with soul the most appealing though and this shone through to me as a young DJ when I first started collecting records in the early 2000s.
I generally found music with soul the most appealing though and this shone through to me as a young DJ when I first started collecting records in the early 2000s.
Your single “Only One Way” came out on 23 August, can you tell us the inspiration behind the track?
It’s a project I started with Brazen back in 2018 which actually started with a completely different track. I had a 90s inspired house track which needed a topline so I sent it over to Brazen to write and track to. We bounced this idea around a few times but the soulful vocals just weren’t sounding right on the track I originally had. So, I started a new track from scratch around her vocals and focused on making something that I would want to listen to in a club as a dancer and a DJ. I wanted something more soulful with a bit of dance floor oomph in the drums and bass. Think it worked out. 🙂
Do you have any other releases planned for 2019?
Well, I am actually working on my second album, but that won’t be ready until 2020 I think. I am also working on a new release for Miguel Migs label, Salted Music, and I expect to have that wrapped up in the next 2 months.
Along with another single for Vicious Recordings here in Australia, and some more releases on my label Bobbin Head Music.
Oh, and some new releases with my alias, Random Soul. We have records lined up on Phoenix Recordings, Salted Music and our label Random Soul Recordings.
When you first began your career in music, did you have any goals? Have you since reached those and if so, have new ones taken their place and what are they?
Yes! I think it’s important to have goals in this industry for sure. I have achieved most of my goals I originally set out when I first started, but like anything in life, things change and so do priorities. I always wanted to be a “touring” DJ and travel the world playing gigs. I have been very lucky to play in places like the UK, Russia, Spain, Amsterdam, USA, Singapore, Bali, and Bulgaria, and still want to keep exploring and playing to fresh clubs. I have always wanted to work with Defected records on a few releases so that’s still a dream to fulfil, but at the moment I am just enjoying exploring my creativity and doing my best to make music that stands the test of time.
At the moment I am just enjoying exploring my creativity and doing my best to make music that stands the test of time.
We read that you first started out doing a residency at The Home Club in Sydney. How did that opportunity arise and what advice can you offer to DJs and artists also looking to also get a residency?
I was originally playing back to back with my friend Yogi as he was booked down there. I then found myself filling in a few sets and all of a sudden I was added to the regular guys rotating at Home Bar. I would also just hang out and listen to other DJ’s play, meeting them and picking up on new styles of DJing and of course, new records. I think this kind of ritual is essential for a new DJ. You can’t learn everything from YouTube videos and by being in your bedroom. You need to see what it’s like to move a crowd playing music that they DON’T know. I loved seeing this skill in local DJ’s here in Sydney and it’s something I always do my best to achieve. I also loved the journey a warm-up DJ would take you on. This appears to be a dying art form with a lot of younger DJ’s just picking up the latest club bangers and playing the same set at 9 pm that they would at 3 am which is NOT ok.
If you had to choose, what is the best thing about working in music and what can be the most testing?
I think people make the industry. I have some lifelong friends around the world that I may have originally connected with over Facebook or a chat room on a music page. This sense of community and genuine love for the music often brings out the best in people and I have some amazing friends that I have shared many special moments with.
This sense of community and genuine love for the music often brings out the best in people and I have some amazing friends that I have shared many special moments with.
The most testing is the need to be so active on social media, to have a presence now. There seems to be a new gimmick every year and it’s hard to keep up with that when it should be about your skill and your music. period.
Electronic music has taken some interesting twists and turns over the years with a lot of trends coming full circle. What is your opinion on the genre being vastly reinterpreted and the notion that no idea is original?
Music is like fashion, trends come and go. And crowds will change depending on what they are exposed to the most. So I try and stick to my roots and also adapt and explore new sounds myself, as a producer and a DJ. Otherwise, I think it would be boring for everyone if things stayed the same!
As far as nothing being original, we all ‘sample’ in house music. So it would be incredibly rare for any records to be completely original from the first kick drum to the last high hat. However, I am always still excited when I hear something incredible again and again. Even if it is a phase or a fad, when something is standing out from the rest and it’s unique, it still gives me goosebumps. Recently it was Fisher’s ‘losing it’. The record that skyrocketed him to superstardom. Now deemed very ‘commercial’ but when it first dropped it blew me away. It’s simple and edgy, but it encompasses everything I like about groovy house music. Was it ‘original’? Hell no, but it works!
Do you ever feel pressure for your music to remain relevant to current trends? Why so/not?
Of course! It’s a very hard industry to remain ‘relevant’. Especially as you grow older. Without a real ‘hit’ under your belt, you will have to constantly appeal to a changing landscape. Because of this we all get caught up in trying to adapt a little too much to what people might be into at the time.
Without a real ‘hit’ under your belt, you will have to constantly appeal to a changing landscape.
But it’s also what I am into as an individual. I like the current trends of house music, so often play a mixed bag of tech house, soulful house, disco, and old school funky house in my sets. This often trickles through to the studio too, and I find myself making a broad range of music.
However, it will never stray too far from what makes want to dance, straight-up house music.
Thank you!
