'Give Me a Break' / DAWS and Parry Talks [Interview]
Eora podcast and label Parry Talks delivers Parry Talks Alumni VA Vol. 2, another sensational and completely charity focused compilation. We sat down with Parry Tritsiniotis and one of Naarm’s favourite DJs and producers DAWS to talk about her contribution to the release, ‘Give Me a Break’.
‘Give Me a Break’, in the true spirit of house music, wants to free us from our thoughts and direct us to our bodies—as Frankie Knuckle’s famous Chicago House anthem ‘Move Your Body’ says, “Lost in house music, is where I wanna be, it’s gonna set you free”. In our chat, DAWS said, “we've all been at home for about the past two years, undergoing a lot of self-reflection and growth—now it's time to just head out. Sure, take what you have learnt, but also just have fun! It's okay to just have some drinks or hang out with your friends, dance and have no thoughts—just feel it”.
Like the first volume, 100% of the proceeds from this compilation will go to a First Nations focused charity—this time it is Smugglers of Light Foundation which assists in helping young Indigenous people hone their musical and artistic skills.
This track is not about choosing the educational documentary over reality TV or going on a morning run instead of sleeping in because you feel you should, it is about letting your hair down and cutting yourself some slack—because after the past two years you deserve to! DAWS, armed with her orange (non-user-friendly) groovebox, and her intimate knowledge and appreciation for house music has put together a track sure to become the anthem for all Eora and Naarm day parties this festive season. Let these housey 808 and 909 sounds wash over you and do what they do best—help you leave your worries at the door, reconnect to the rhythm in your body and your lightness on the dancefloor.
Was it always part of the plan to grow the Parry Talks project into a label or was that something that just developed as you as you went along?
Parry: I knew I was going to do an interview series and that it was going to be in a podcast format—eventually, I just had to bite the bullet and start. As time went on, the brand seemed to be growing quickly and I started to feel like I could be doing more. I was having a lot of conversations around that time about how the project could give back to the traditional owners of the land, but the podcast wasn’t really making a lot of money. I have a record label background and I figured that a simple Bandcamp charity release might be a good idea—some kind of community infused project. I had no vision of Parry Talks just being an interview series, I guess it was inevitable from the start that it was always going include some form of community organisation.
It's always incredible to see something like this. This compilation feels like a bit of a pivot away from the first one—did you give the artists a brief to follow or is it all contributor led?
Parry: I like keeping the compilations quite internal, not in a gatekeeper way, but at this stage the releases are basically just comprised of mutual friends or close friends. It’s a big thing to ask people for music without much financial reward on their end, but on the other side of that, it is nice to be able to give friends the opportunity to contribute to a niche electronic music space and give back to the community as well. So, I didn't really think about the project on a sonic level or a branding level, it is very much driven by whoever is willing to donate their time. Even if the songs sound quite different sonically, thematically they still fit really nicely.
Is there any particular reason you chose Smugglers of Light as the charity organisation to donate to?
Parry: Once all the songs were locked in, we had a little poll where we asked the artists which First Nation charities they were into at the time. I think three out of the four said Smuggles of Light and that worked out well because it's a national charity too.
How did you come to be involved DAWS?
DAWS: I think Parry heard about me through my lovely partner Jennifer Loveless. They did an interview together sometime last year—I had the pleasure of getting to know Parry through that. He hit me up on the old DM and we exchanged a few emails, and I was like yeah, this sounds great! I was super stoked to be on board with this because obviously Volume I was such a huge success with some great artists, so I felt super flattered to be included.
I really like your track being at the end, it feels so different from any of the tracks that have gone before it on either compilation. I've played it about 100 times over the last few days and I think I’ll never get tired of it—I would love to know about the process, how do you get the elements so crisp?
DAWS: I'm glad that you were able to listen to it 100 times and not get sick of it—that's a huge win for me. In terms of crispiness, I think just using a mix of analog gear with modern software—a lot of the crispiness comes from how warm sounding the analog stuff is. I love using a bit of saturation and OTT—Ableton users will know OTT very well I'm sure. Ninajirachi, who did the mixing also did an incredible job of mixing down the track, there are a lot of elements going on, but she managed to keep the highs crispy and make it all fit together and sound like a club track.
When you're talking about the equipment you used is that like a Roland 909 or something?
DAWS: I mean, if you can afford a 909 these days, or an 808, then that is a huge flex. The samples on the groovebox that I used are from the 909 and 808, but an actual unit itself is like $3000 to $5,000 to buy these days—amazing because when they first came out they were only a few 100 dollars. Hopefully, my groovebox will go up in value, but at the same time, I am never going to sell it because it's just so cute and silly and it's bright orange. And a lot of people don't like it because it's really non-user-friendly, but I think as a gem—I'm happy to put in the work to make it work.
I was reading somewhere that 909s really flopped initially, and lots of them ended up in second-hand stores. Apparently the up-and-coming producers who didn’t have much money at the time were purchasing them and it wasn’t until their tracks blew up later that the 909 became such a big sound or something along those lines?
DAWS: Yeah, they were initially designed to be an accompaniment for live musicians, like if you didn’t have a drummer, and you wanted to play your piano, or your jazz guitar or your saxophone, you could just use this hardware. I'm trying to imagine a booming 909 kick with a pianist—there were some crazy sounds going on at that time.
Do you feel like we need more of this kind of music right now? Do you feel like DJs and producers are trying to stay clear of anything too wintery or lock down-sounding?
DAWS: I think there's definitely a time and place for all sorts of genres. There's always room for squelchy, modular techno, or some really dark sounding club tracks. But I think since going out, in the post-lockdown world, people just go off if there's like a vocal sample or the song has some really uplifting drums. I think everyone’s energy is pretty depleted, but people are ready to party too. So, I think tracks like this will see success because they're more palatable for a party in a club setting. People seem ready to eat it up and go.
Parry: Definitely. I think generally and historically, Sydney has this knack for a more downtempo, balearic sort of vibe, just because there aren't that many club venues here. Parties are very context and nature inspired here—in Sydney you're way more likely to go to a day party or a rooftop party than go out for a club night. But now in terms of the music being released and the type of parties being thrown, warehouse spaces have become so cherished and loved and necessary, because as I said there aren’t that many licensed venues for promoters and DJs to work with. So, on one hand, the super hardcore, heavy all-night warehouse parties, are really going to benefit the scene now out of lockdown, but the balearic, fun, super uplifting, house tracks, like Natalie’s (DAWS) song have always been the trend here—it will be interesting to see how both play out. Hopefully, our compilation plays into that with the cross-city element too—see some cross-pollinating, and crossing of those vibes and energies.
It feels like this release couldn't have come at a more perfect time. I know the tracks were ready in July, was it a conscious effort to hold off a little bit on the release?
Parry: Definitely. We were sitting on this release for a while because the world just felt a bit hectic. The last compilation came out like peak COVID lockdowns last year and I didn’t hear those tracks played out at house parties until like six months after the release. Whereas I was out on the weekend last week and people were spinning these tracks. Obviously raising the money is the highlight but seeing them out in a live environment is so incredibly special.
DAWS who are some people working house music who really inspire you and is there any particular reason you feel so drawn to this genre?
DAWS: Yeah, definitely. I’ve been listening to house music every day for as long as I can remember. I think for a few of us, growing up, we were probably influenced by the electronic tracks that were popular at the time—I definitely remember making my mum make duplicate recordings for Eiffel 65 – Blue. I used to watch that video on repeat, I was like, four or five but that was my little taster into dance and electronic music. Then growing up as a teenager, I used to love stuff like Daft Punk and Basement Jaxx and stuff like that, and obviously Kylie Minogue, can't forget Queen Kylie! Once browsing the internet for music became more of a thing, I was able to discover things like the whole Chicago and Detroit house music scene, and that opened the whole world of music to me, and it was exactly what I was looking for, that deep house sound and even the more club-specific house tracks came out of that time too. Some artists these days who I find super exciting and influential are people like Bok Bok, Eris Drew, DJ Koze, and KG. So yeah, I definitely enjoy listening and playing house music—it's what I live and breathe. That doesn't mean I don't like going to a big heaving, techno rave in Melbourne too, because that is what’s very hot here.
There is always something for you in Naarm, no matter what kind of mood you are in isn’t there. And what are you listening to at the moment and feeling inspired by Parry?
Parry: Not to get too sentimental, but I think it's a simple answer—everyone has been speaking about it, and everyone should be speaking about it because the Moktar EP changed everything. I see myself in it so much, I came from a full Greek background and felt very disjointed from what people call indie music in Australia. But my idea of Australian music has changed so much after this Moktar EP. I just think it's so special for me to see those worlds and those tones being recognised because Egyptian music and Greek music tone-wise can be quite similar. I think it's such an incredible reflection of where Australian music, and not just dance music, can go. Appreciating Australian multicultural culture can literally change lives and something like this is so powerful. I think he's the most special act in Australia right now and he should be.
Would either of you mind speaking to what this track makes you think about, or perhaps the kind of context you would hope to see it played in?
Parry: There are some very dark tones on the top half of this EP, in a good way, but it can feel a bit eerie and quite intense. Ending it, like you already said, on this euphoric happy note, is amazing! When DAWS sent it through, I thought, wow, this is so perfect! Even seeing it get rinsed last week at a house party in the afternoon while drinking mimosas—it was just magic. It felt like the perfect context, and yeah, you just killed it DAWS.
DAWS: That is so nice, thank you! For me, for some reason, the imagery in my head is of this little alien and they're at a party on like another planet—so maybe like your little green alien on Mars or something. But the actual feeling to describe it, I'd say it is just about having fun. We've all been at home for about the past two years undergoing a lot of self-reflection and growth—now it's time to just head out. Sure, take with you what you’ve learnt, but also just have fun, it's okay to just have some drinks or hang out with your friends, dance, and have no thoughts and just feel it. I think this song for me definitely has a big root in those spiritual or emotional realms—it’s about spending time in that area that is just about the feeling and lightness and the fun of it.
The sun is setting, we’re enjoying a mimosa, it all feels so wholesome. So, what is next for the label, have you got any parties coming up?
Parry: We're moving very quickly onto the next compilation; those conversations have already started. Parties are a big part of my plans for this year, but it is about trying to throw the right parties in the right spaces with the right people—I'd rather be patient on it than force it. So yeah, I think patience with the parties, but going full throttle with interviews and release, and then once it all falls into place perfectly then go with the parties 100% this year.
Stay up to date with DAWS on Instagram and SoundCloud.
Words by Jack Long (@patrick.di_henning)
Photos by Georgia R Haynes (@georgiarhaynes)
Artwork by Katy Chantharasy (@cheekbone.mag)
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