In our latest artist feature we spoke to Brisbane’s own X CLUB. on their earliest inspirations, the scene in Brisbane, and their latest release on KETTAMA’s G-Town label.
A rave revolution has been sweeping the Australian music scene for the last few years now producing some of the best DJs and producers to ever do it including Sleep D, Mall Grab, Roza Terenzi to name a few, and Brisbane’s own X CLUB. are a certainly strong addition to that list.
Brisbane may not be as well known as Syndey or Melbourne for its electronic music scene but it’s existence remains nonetheless. As far back as 1979 an underground electronic music scene bubbled within the city, away from limelight of its sister cities producing a unique environment in which many of the cities local scenes intertwined in one form or another.
Following the footsteps of Brisbane techno pioneers such as Boxcar, Sphere and Ande Foster, X CLUB.’s production style seems to be a DIY mash up of many different styles including high tempo, hard hitting techno that also fuses elements of 2000’s trance, 90’s inspired rave, hardcore and jungle style breakbeats that make it hard to put in any one particular box.
Interview & words: Callum Martinez
Hey guys, thanks for taking the time to speak to us. Where did you guys meet?
Thanks for having us!
We both met through DJ residencies we had at a couple of nightclubs in Brisbane. A couple of mutual friends put us in touch with each other, where we started to collaborate and make music together.
What were some of your earliest inspirations musically?
We both have really varied music tastes & inspirations, although when we were younger some of our first exposures to dance music came from Ministry of Sound and other CD compilations. As time has progressed, we have drawn inspiration from a wide range of music, including everything from Hip-Hop, to Jazz, to techno. We both love to collect vinyl, through digging over the past few years we began to build a love for the sounds of 90’s techno and rave music, which plays a heavy influence over our sound as X CLUB.
When and what made you decide that electronic music was what you wanted to do?
We’ve both had an interest in creating music since our early teens. As soon as we came across softwares that allowed us to create & explore electronic music, such as Logic & FL Studio, there was no turning back really. We both listened to a lot of dance music throughout high school, this is definitely where our passion for this side of music developed.
What is the scene like in Brisbane? Are there any artists or events that we should know about?
Brisbane has an unreal community within its electronic music scene. It’s not as big of a city as Sydney or Melbourne, although the music scene in Brisbane thrives just as much as these cities. There are countless amazing artists & event crews pushing great underground music here in Brisbane.
Some fantastic electronic artists here we’d recommend checking out are; Mutant Joe, Lithe, ITI, Axon Growth Factor, Squidgenini, Personal Growth, St4cey4101, Fatshaudi. There are also countless crews here throwing amazing events and parties, if you’re ever in Brisbane, a couple we’d recommend checking out are; A Love Supreme, BTHC, Cyber, Southbound, Shandy, and we also throw shows ourselves under the name GRID.
What’s the story behind your latest EP Now or Never on KETTAMA’s G-Town Records, and what was the workflow like between the two of you whilst making the record?
The four songs on this EP came together at really different times across the past 2 years. The first track we wrote was ‘Elevation (Journey Mix)’, which we wrote just before playing a show with Evan (Kettama) here in Brisbane, in early 2020. Evan heard us play the track and spoke to us about a label he was starting. Since then, we stayed in touch and kept sending over demos and eventually the EP was made.
What are 3 tracks that define X CLUB.?
Three tracks that have definitely impacted our approach to music are; ‘Tessela – Hackney Parrot (10_ton_mix)’, ‘Len Faki – BX 3’ and ‘Pilo – Collider’.
What’s your favourite party memory?
There are far too many to pick a favourite, although if we had to name a highlight, it would definitely be hearing Hackney Parrot by Tessela for the first time at Tresor, in Berlin at 4am.
If you could work with any artist in the world, who would it be?
That’s a really tough choice, although working with Burial would be a dream.
What’s next for X CLUB.?
We are constantly working on new music, so expect much more following our EP with G-TOWN. As soon as the borders open back up here in Australia, we are keen to get out playing some shows outside of the country, keep your eyes and ears peeled!
You can support X CLUB. by pre-ordering their latest EP here.
