Brett Callwood
Talk to Blanke: Genre-bending producer Blanke started his “DJing journey” in his hometown of Canberra, Australia.
“A friend of mine at the time showed me some software that could blend songs together and I just thought that was the coolest thing ever,” he says. “Honestly, I still get such a rush when two songs mix or blend together so seamlessly that they were almost meant to be together! From there, little 17 year old me dived deeper and deeper into mixing, into the club scene, and into EDM generally. I was working in cafes at the time and found a way into the clubs via bartending at the main club in Canberra where I knew I wanted to play. It seemed to be the logical step and it meant that I could harass the lighting guy with mix CD’s every week until they finally put me on the Friday night closing set. Next thing was figuring out how to produce. As a musician my whole life growing up playing Guitar, and being in a family of creatives, it felt like a natural step. It was years until I pulled my first real label release with Ministry of Sound in Australia in 2016, and then came the birth of Blanke. I found my manager around that time, and that’s when I knew that maybe there was some real future in this music thing.”
Blanke says that it’s always difficult to describe his sound.
“Purely because I don’t necessarily sit in a genre, or sound,” he says. “My niche is very personal, in the sense that I just sound like me. I’ve always had a diverse sound, and while I’m actively trying to rein that in, my sound has almost developed to be a bit of everything. I think people are starting to understand and expect that they don’t know what to expect. But whatever it is, it will sound like “Blanke,” and I love that. I never wanted to sit in a genre box. I’m too erratic in what I make to do that and have a fulfilling career. I want to be able to make what I feel, what’s true to me at the time, what’s exciting to me and what people are excited for and not really be questioned for it because it’s “unusual” for me. I released a tear out dubstep tune in December with Kompany and so far this year I’ve released a Drum & Bass Remix for Ray Volpe’s massive tune ‘Laserbeam’ under my ÆON:MODE project, & two slower (yet energetic) melodic records… and that’s just fine! While that’s come with its own challenges (it might not be everyone’s cup of tea), I know in the long run it’ll make sense and it’ll give me legs to continue doing what I love for years on end.”
The artist says that this is an exciting time for electronic music.
“You can never really anticipate what’s going to be next, or who,” he says. “The accessibility of electronic music is bringing more and more creatives into the scene, which means lots of music, as well as lots of fusion and experimentation. New techniques pop out of the floorboards constantly. ‘Rules’ are broken left right and centre. The way we mix/produce our records now is completely different to how we did them 5 years ago, let alone 10! It also means a high demand for artists to stay relevant. So it’s a battle for us to figure out the balance. Do we spend time crafting or do we speed up that process and release more often with potential sacrifices. This can create a sense of competition as well. It’s all very, VERY fast paced. I believe there’s room for everybody though. It’s not like only 5 artists can be big/successful at one time. The scene is big enough for lots of us to thrive. So I believe supporting each other is crucial for us as artists at the moment.”
His latest release is “Talk to You” with Sofia Quinn.
“‘Talk to You,’ out now on Monstercat, has been around for a while now, but actually came together quite quickly,” he says. “It was one of those songs where the first idea was the idea. So I ran with it. While some records can take months, hell, years to complete, with multiple iterations and much hair pulling to find the right sounds, flow, vocal, arrangement, “Talk to You” came together in an instant. My gut feeling said this was the right move so there was no need to really change it or play around with it excessively. And let me tell you, when that happens, it is a wonderful feeling! Sofia told this story so, so beautifully. It’s about loss and yearning. About not wanting to let go even though you know you should. Or about holding on to whatever thread is left. It’s kind of sad, kind of hopeful. It reminds me to cherish what I have when it’s in front of me. It spoke to me in multiple different ways over the time before its release. And I found that perplexing, and unexpected. It reminded me that music is fluid. One may create it with an intention, but that doesn’t mean it will be received that way. We as creators can’t control how our own music will be interpreted. Once it’s out in the world it has the ability to take on its own meaning. So in a way, you never truly know its meaning or the impact it’ll have until you’ve let it go.”
Blanke has plenty planned for the rest of this year.
“2023 is full of festivals, and music releases,” he says. “Lots of fun shows lined up like EDC Las Vegas, Lollapalooza (in Chicago and in Paris) Bonnaroo and Hard Summer are already announced and theres a bunch more still to come. Music wise I’m sitting on a lot and still experimenting with what the future is going to sound like. I’m excited about where it’s all heading and feeling like I’m sitting more and more into my own “sound”. I just finished my first headline tour around the States, and we are already planning the next one and it feels like a really great step forward in the right direction. Feels like I’ve stepped up a level and I’m excited to launch myself into the rest of this year from this new platform.”
Talk to Blanke: Blanke’s “Talk to You” is out now.
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