Australian DJ, Producer, Audio Engineer, and founding father of file label Sorta Kinda Music Damo Cox is a real sonic maven with an unapologetic captivation for all genres of music. At present residing on the sunny shores of the Gold Coast in Queensland, Damo delivers his tunes straight from the studio to festivals together with Splendour within the Grass in addition to golf equipment & bars from Cairns to Sydney.
His music speaks for itself and his newest EP ‘Wub Me’ is one more gem so as to add to his toolbelt. It’s a unbelievable musical rollercoaster that takes you on a wild journey via the world of home music.
The primary monitor, “Get With Me,” is pure dancefloor magic that gives rumbling bass grooves and seamless sampling that makes this one irresisable. “Deep Wubs,” follows and pans out to be the coolness counterpart. It slows issues down, providing you with an opportunity to catch your breath and get misplaced in its mesmerizing melodies. One factor that Damo Cox but once more proves is his means to create such completely different but cohesive tracks.
We had the prospect to talk with him about his music and this EP. Take pleasure in!
Are you able to share some insights into the inspiration behind the Wub Me EP?
I wrote each at some extent once I was going via a tricky time with my psychological well being. It was a little bit of a curler coaster! There could be some darkish days, and there could be some actually good days. I wished the EP to showcase the sunshine and darkish, so ‘Deep Wubs’ has these darker undertones and a deeper vibe, whereas ‘Get With Me’ is on the lighter aspect, particularly with the bouncy bass line.
Across the time I used to be engaged on “Get With Me” I got here throughout a video breaking down all of the completely different samples Liam Howlett utilized in The Prodigy’s album “Jilted Era” which gave me some concepts to experiment with once I was engaged on the vocals for the monitor. I used to be listening to a good bit of Paul Karkbrenner which I really feel was a little bit of an inspiration behind the deeper vibes that got here out in “Deep Wubs” and the The XX’s monitor “The Intro” was what I used to mannequin the sound design for the synth plucks I used within the monitor.
How would you describe the general vibe and sound of the tracks on the “Wub Me” EP?
I believe the vibe of the EP displays what I used to be going via on the time, with the sunshine and darkish, I suppose you may say. “Get With Me” being the extra membership centered monitor, has a enjoyable, bouncy vibe to it. Whereas “Deep Wubs” has that darker, deeper vibe to it.
Have been there any particular targets or intentions you had in thoughts with this launch?
I’ve been difficult myself to push my sound into completely different genres and actually let the concepts and creativity stream once I’m producing. So this EP was actually about showcasing among the completely different sounds I’ve been creating.
How are you aware when a launch is ‘completed’ and prepared for exporting, are there indicators you search for or sure emotions you get?
Each time I speak to different producers, all of us say the identical factor, that it by no means actually feels “completed”! You may drive your self mad by regularly making tweaks and altering completely different components in a monitor. Being an audio engineer as nicely, I believe that makes it even worse at instances as a result of the usual must be very excessive for me to be proud of it. Giving a monitor the dancefloor check is normally one of the simplest ways to know whether it is completed or not, I believe. ‘Get With Me’, for instance, I really hadn’t meant to ever launch that monitor. However each time I drop it in a set, the folks on the dance flooring like it! So I suppose that’s the final word method of realizing a monitor is prepared.
What was your artistic course of like for this launch? Was it clean and fast or maybe tougher than anticipated?
“Deep Wubs” creatively got here collectively fairly easily, and I really held on to the monitor for some time considering it wasn’t completed as a result of I felt it wanted a vocal to convey all of it collectively, however in the long run I ended up bringing the synth ahead within the combine and making it the characteristic of the monitor.
“Get With Me” was undoubtedly a protracted course of that by no means appeared to finish. I attempted and examined it out so many instances, and dancefloors like it, however for me, there was at all times one thing that felt off. Simply earlier than I performed on the Initiation NYE 2022/23 Pageant, I ended up remodeling among the percussive components within the monitor and testing them out in my set on the pageant, and when it dropped, the vibe from the group was off the chain! So it solely took two years, however I used to be lastly proud of the monitor haha.
Do you favor being within the studio versus on stage, otherwise you don’t have a choice?
These are two fully completely different modes for me. I can disappear into the studio for days, completely immersed in a artistic headspace, barely making contact with humanity, however in a completely blissful place. Being on stage is nearly the polar reverse; it’s a shift in gears the place it’s all about reference to folks via music.
The energies are completely completely different, however you want that in life, proper? Plus, being on stage offers you the chance to truly witness how these introverted hours within the studio have an effect on folks. It’s arms down one of the simplest ways to know whether or not you’ve hit the mark with what you’ve created. Charting and stuff is good, in fact, however the final kick is seeing folks vibing with and responding positively to one thing you’ve created. That’s happiness proper there!
What are some trade or cultural adjustments that stand out from once you began the Damo Cox venture till now?
Since I began out, there have been so many adjustments within the trade. COVID was clearly one thing that flipped the trade fully on its head, which put a pressure on festivals, golf equipment, and venues in the previous couple of years, particularly right here in Australia. Regardless of the downsides, there’s been loads of positives although. I believe it has compelled lots of people to assume in another way about the way in which they placed on their occasions and the completely different areas during which they’re held. Which is cool as a result of I believe there’s an superior underground scene constructing right here in Australia that might put us on the map and make Australia a top-notch music vacation spot over the following few years if it continues to develop on the fee that it’s.
One other factor that has modified through the years I’ve been within the trade is the speed at which music is consumed and the way rapidly types, sounds, and genres develop into the “present sound” one week and inside a number of weeks it’s moved on to one thing else. The trade has at all times cycled via completely different genres and sounds, however within the digital age of music and with how carefully everyone seems to be related, it’s loopy how briskly it strikes now. In a method, it’s unhappy as a result of there’s some actually superb music that’s getting misplaced within the noise due to how briskly paced it’s, then again it’s introducing an increasing number of folks to completely different sounds within the digital music realm.
