Mugasha Aux

One of the strongest contenders for this year’s DJ Mag Top 100 poll is Australia’s tyDi. At a young age, he has developed a reputation for being both a fantastic live performer and producer. He has performed at the world’s biggest dance festivals over the past year and finally released his album Look Closer after 3 years. His remixes for Nadia Ali, Markus Schulz and Rank 1 are notable favourites, and although we here at Radio KUL have always been big fans of “Is It Cold,” “Somehow,” and “You Walk Away,” it was his earlier release “Fool” that caught our initial attention. Despite his impossible schedule, we catch Australia’s #1 DJ, Tyson Illingworth aka tyDi for a quick salvo of questions.

tyDi

How did the mix for Ministry of Sound come about? What inspired you to pick the tracks?
I was very lucky to be asked by Ministry of Sound to mix my own CD for them, they approached me last year and said they would love me to do a mix. The tracks were a mixture of new tunes and also the older ones from the last 12 months that I have played at my big shows like Sensation and Trance Energy.

We love “You Walk Away” so much! What was it like working with Audrey Gallagher?
Working with Audrey is fantastic! She is a brilliant vocalist with a very unique voice and I knew she would sound great in my style of music. We are working on a few new projects now.

When will your debut album, Look Closer be released? Has anyone heard it yet and what has the initial response been?
Look Closer was released a few months ago, the album is doing extremely well. In Australia it debuted at #2 in the independent dance charts so I am very happy with its success. I could not have imagined a better response!

What’s your favourite track on the album and why?
My favorite song is probably the title track ‘Look Closer’, it is so different to all my other songs and it really holds a lot of emotion for me. I am very happy with the way that the track displays the concept of ‘tension and release’… the ‘verse’ sections hold tension and then it is released nicely in the chorus parts. This song took me 4 hours to write!

What do you think will surprise listeners when they listen to Look Closer?
The big surprise of my album is that it is nothing like my club sets, it is an insight into my production and it follows no rules. My album is very different to what I think my fans expected.

The DJ Mag Top 100 polls is a good time to reflect on the year has been. How has the last fiscal been for you and what accomplishments will you remember this last 1 year?
The last year has been the best year of my life, I have so many amazing experiences to remember. From playing massive shows in Amsterdam, Malaysia and Australia and also releasing my biggest productions yet – this year has been fantastic!

Tell us about the trance scene Down Under. Have you become an Australian icon for dance music and how do you carry this flag on your tours around the world?
The Australian dance scene is very big. I am lucky enough to be playing around the country every weekend at clubs and festivals and I am very proud to be from here. I think that Australians are always ready to party and to generally have a good time, I hope that when I play internationally I am able to show the rest of the world just how happy and relaxed we are – life is great!

Describe the tyDi sound in 3 words if you can!
Fun. Emotional. Epic.

Great remix for Nadia Ali’s “Fine Print.” How do you decide what to do with a track when you get asked to remix it?
The first thing that I think about is if I actually believe I can bring something new to the song and if it is a song that inspires me to remix it. There is no use remixing a song unless you can improve on it or take it into a new direction that shows a hybrid of the original and your own artistic ideas / style. My remix of ‘Fine Print’ was influenced a lot by my original production ‘You Walk Away’…. I used similar ideas that seemed to mould in very well with the Fine Print original. Nadia’s voice is amazing and was very fun to play around with.

Which DJ or producer do you really feel inspired by at the moment?
I have always been a big fan of BT!

What do you do when you’re not making music?
Swimming, beach, parties, movies, friends, red wine and anything exciting!

If you could attribute your success to one particular person, who would it be?
I could not pin it down to one person except God.

We have to ask whether there’s a special person in your life right now?
There are many special people in my life, without them I would be nothing.

What would you do if you could travel in time?
I would love to see the dinosaurs, I wish there is some way I could get up close to a T-Rex without it eating me!

What’s on your iPod currently?
Sigur Ros – A very good band, beautiful music!

We hear you’ll be coming to Kuala Lumpur soon! Are the dates and places confirmed?
Yes the dates are confirmed for October 31 – venue TBC.

A quick message to all your fans reading this!
Thank you SO MUCH to all my fans in Kuala Lumpur, it was an absolute pleasure to play for you earlier this year and I am so so so excited to come back again! I love you!!

Catch an exclusive guestmix by tyDi on Radio KUL 101 with Simon Lee and Alvin. The first hour will be mixed by Simon Lee and Alvin, followed by an hour long mix by tyDi. Available Friday, 28th August 2009 onwards, right here on Mugasha.

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