by J-Slyde
Right hand man to Substance/Prognosis and generally awesome bloke, Simon Murphy, pulled up stumps and headed off over eight months ago on a trip to the northern reaches of Australia. Some said it was a pilgrimage, others mused that he was chasing love and some just thought he was running from the police. Whatever the reason it was, Murphy has now returned home, and whilst he may be slightly thinner and a little more tanned, his love and passion for music and life in general has never been stronger. J-Slyde caught up with the man to talk about his epic journey and what’s in plan now that he’s back in ‘Burn city.
Disconnected, with little-to-no access to the internet, and thousands of miles away from nightclubs and the music scene you love so much, one might question the reasoning behind your trip. What spurred on the decision to journey so far away from home?
Adventure. I had been working for the same company for over 7 years, going through the motions like a drone and living for the weekends. Things were great but as cliche as it sounds, I knew there must be more out there for me. My fiance had been working contracts as a nurse in remote indigenous communities for almost 3 years. This work and the stories that accompanied it always captured my imagination. Rather than continuously being away from each other for weeks or months at a time, I took a leap of faith, quit my job and headed north looking for adventure. Thankfully the universe stepped up to the plate with some assistance as everything seemed to fall into place. I got a great job working in the community that my partner was stationed and we set up base for the next 8 months. The work was tough but incredibly rewarding. A side of our own country that few see or fully comprehend. As well as working we had a bunch of time to travel, explore, hike etc so we really made the most of our time. Initially I thought I was taking a risk leaving my secure job etc but the gamble paid off in ways I could never have imagined.
So the North of Australia is somewhat of a desolate place full of snakes, crocodiles and other dangerous animals. Manage to get yourself in any hairy predicaments?
Thankfully the only hairy predicament I found myself in was being a full day’s return trip from the closest hairdresser with only a set of blunt clippers and a very patient fiance to tame my fro. In all seriousness though, there are a million and one ways a person can get themselves in some form of danger but a little common sense and preparation should alleviate the majority of these. This city boy’s camping expertise and survival skills extended about as far as a dedicated addiction to doofing and I lived to tell the tale. I saw crocs, snakes, spiders and just about every animal you can think of but these things just made the trip even more special. As someone who has done their fair share of overseas travel, one of the most rewarding parts of this year has been seeing just how amazing our own county is. I implore anyone with even the slightest desire to travel to move Australia up on their list because it has so much to offer.
And did you get a chance to experience much of the local night-life? Any Simon Murphy guest DJ slots at the local pub?
Living 4 1/2 hours from the closest major centre (Katherine) and 8 hours from Darwin meant that the closest thing I got to nightlife or DJing was running a disco for the community at the local primary school. Using a single speaker complete with hideous distortion, a laptop laden with dance-pop-rnb and two strings of fairy lights, these discos were definitely a favourite amongst the local kids with the tracks of choice being Hocus Pocus – Here’s Johnny and Bomfunk MCs – Freestyler (plus some Aqua and LMFAO thrown in for good measure). Besides a few obligatory deck pests, my ‘sets’ (select all – add to playlist – play random) were usually well received. The closest pub was a 90 minute drive on a busted up gravel road so I lived the dry life for the majority of the time I was away. I missed my turntables and my records like crazy but listened to loads of music in my spare time.
Despite the fact you’ve had such limited access to the internet you still managed to grace us with a handful of phenomenal mixes chock-full of new music. Was it hard piecing them together being so disconnected? or do you think it offered you a fresh perspective?
Minimal access to internet was definitely a major inconvenience and meant my tune purchases were limited to a number of huge binges. Having so much time to think, overanalyse and generally self sabotage any mix I started preparing was initially an issue but once I cut the crap and let the music inspire me, the creativity flowed. I definitely got a fresh perspective as I wasn’t buying tunes with particular gigs in mind, I was buying music that resonated with me and started from there. If I hadn’t have had my music with me I would have gone bonkers. For the last 2 months of the time in the community I didn’t even have a TV which increased productivity on the music front tenfold.
You graced Melbourne for a weekend earlier this year with a bit of a whirlwind guest DJ appearance supporting Max Cooper. Did you enjoy being able to support one of your idols?
Loved it. As I never really knew how long I was going to be away for, saying yes or no to gigs back in Melbourne wasn’t easy but I simply couldn’t resist coming back for a show by one of my biggest musical inspirations. It was an offer too good to refuse and I set about making plans to make it possible. 2 days travel time either way and flying out of Melbourne less than 8 hours after the gig finished was totally and completely worth it. Max Cooper is an incredibly talented artist whose music I have been a huge fan of for years so having the chance to play the warm up set was a huge honour. I flew back up north on minimal sleep with a mild hangover and huge smile on my face.
You didn’t have much time to adjust back to Melbourne living. Did you find it hard switching into “nightclub-mode”?
Yes and no. I had been away for 4 months at that stage so hadn’t been anywhere near a club for that whole time but fortunately I had a couple of weeks to prepare and get my mind back on track musically which was a huge help. It’s the chance to play sets like this that drives me to immerse myself in my music with the aim of playing the perfect tunes each time I step up to the decks. Preparation meant the game face was on from the start. Rather than being overwhelmed I was as excited as a kid in a candy store. I had really missed the loud music and party vibe so had a ball.
The contrast would have been amazing. Did it help give you much perspective on the trip?
Walking into a nightclub that had as many people in it as the whole community I was living in was definitely eye opening. Seeing so many happy familiar faces made me feel at home pretty quickly. I feel very lucky for all the opportunities I have had this year. Going back up North straight away was still exciting and I had a bunch of awesome fresh memories to keep me going.
I heard there was an interesting technical issue during Max’s set in which you had to spontaneously fill in for him briefly. Care to fill us in?
This is true. In a blink of an eye I went from dancing stage side to stepping in to play about 5 tunes when minor technical difficulties could have derailed the music completely. Although it wasn’t in extraordinary circumstances, I relished the chance to play some tougher tracks to keep the floor happy. Everything was patched up pretty quickly though and Max came back on to play a bunch more tunes which everyone, including myself, was thrilled about. These things happen, it was all part of the fun.
So you’ve teamed up with Fabel to form the aptly named super-group “Murphy’s Fabel”… what can we expect from your debut set at October’s Prognosis?
Over the years, Fabel and I have always recognised a lot of crossover in our taste in tunes but also a huge amount of variation in what inspires us musically and gets played in our sets. We have played a number of the same events over the years and this has given us a good sense of each other’s musical direction. Our set will be a fusion of our distinct sounds into something a little bit different. We are working towards a set that tells our musical story and will hopefully be playing some of our own material for the first time too. I’m really excited to be working with another DJ who is so passionate and driven when it comes to music.
Is this likely to be a recurring collaboration? and more importantly, can we expect some official Murphy’s Fabel releases?
This will definitely be a recurring collaboration as Fabel and I have been jumping into the studio whenever possible and working on a number of projects. Both of us have different strengths which has helped the creative process flow with some promising results to date. Fabel has classical training on a number of instruments, has travelled the world playing music and has a creative flair that has been further tuned through her years of DJing. I bring to the table a brain hardwired for electronic music in its many forms and OCD tendencies when it comes to sound design (which may in fact be a hindrance haha).
And whilst we’re on the production tip, how have things been progressing in the studio as of late?
I’m not going to lie, it has been a slow process, not due to lack of motivation, moreso a desire to want to learn the intricacies of the software and hardware before diving head first into something that I’m not completely ready to tackle. Now that I’m back in Melbourne and have a network of more advanced and established producers to bounce ideas off, i’m hoping that the pace starts to pick up a bit. With each new element I learn, I get further inspired so i’m excited to get stuck into it in a big way.
We heard you pieced together a bit of a mobile studio that you carted up north during your travels. Can you fill all of us budding producers in on your kit?
Due to space constraints the set up I took with me was verrrry basic. I had my Macbook Pro with Ableton, an M-Audio Axiom 25 Mini, my Beyerdynamic DT-770 Pro headphones and a bunch of random samples collected over the years. Not being able to get more samples and sounds had its drawbacks but in the end it just gave me more time to learn the program and play around with sound. My natural curiosity into experimenting with sounds has meant i’ve kept myself amused with what I have had at my disposal.
Now that you’re back what’s plans for you as far as your music and DJing goes?
My time away has given me a chance to focus on the direction I want to take my music and i’ve come back even more determined to start writing some music and to play tunes to anyone who will listen. We have a great network of extremely talented artists and DJs in Melbourne and a scene that continues to evolve which I love being a part of. My music addiction has taken me this far and I look forward to embracing any opportunities that come my way. Some plans have been made to start a monthly podcast that will be broadcast worldwide so i’ll hopefully get this off the ground soon. Stay tuned.
Having only returned for a few days, the bookings have already started rolling in. Where can we catch you playing?
True that. I’ve been lucky enough to be booked at some of my favourite events over the next couple of months. You can catch me on 3Fold Radio, at Prognosis debuting Murphy’s Fabel, Boris Brejcha High Tech Minimal, Strawberry Fields Festival and Earthcore. The summer silly season is well and truly kicking off early with an abundance of quality shows. In the meantime, people can jump on my Soundcloud.
Annnd to round things off. Your top five survival tips when living in the Australian desert:
- Water. You’ll need A LOT. The outback shows no mercy.
- Crocs. Know your crocs. Freshies are scared of noise and splashing and will generally stay away. Salties will hunt you down and chomp you into bits. Don’t tempt fate.
- Music. Take more than you think you’ll need because internet is scarce and school disco just won’t cut it.
- Explore. It’s a big place and there are so many incredible things to see. Speak to the locals, they’ll tell you what you won’t find in tourist guides.
- Tyres. Cheapies get ripped to shreds and if you have a blow out…. you’re gonna have a bad time.
Interview by J-Slyde
