Saviour of Sound Tydi

Internationally renowned DJ, producer, songwriter and SOL REPUBLIC ambassador, also known as a Saviour of Sound, tyDi, is excited to announce the release of his latest album ReDefined, which is available for download from the iTunes store Now. ReDefined builds upon tyDi’s critically acclaimed 2013 release, ‘Hotel Rooms’, and his 2011 smash album ‘Shooting Stars’, promising to deliver even bigger and bolder sounds.
Last time we spoke you were releasing the album Hotel Rooms. Up next is ReDefined, what can we expect from the new album?
ReDefined is my new studio album that represents more of the sound my fans have been expecting from me. My last real studio album was ‘Shooting Stars’ in 2011 which was very eclectic but still within the realm of ‘EDM’. Since 2011 I have been working with artists all over the world to make ‘Redefined’ and it’s finally ready! I wouldn’t compare it at all to ‘Hotel Rooms’; that one was a side project of all my non-edm work… basically everything from ambient, to orchestral and film score type music. Redefined returns to the side of me that you’d hear at my shows. I wrote and went through about 300 songs to narrow it down to the final 20 that made it on Redefined, so I can guarantee you that it’s strong… not a single filler.
You’ve been doing a lot of gigs in North America & Asia. What’s been your favourite gig so far in 2014 and why?
Probably ‘Paradiso’ festival which is about 2 hours out from Seattle, I played MainStage to 50,000 people in open air. Such an incredible feeling!
What upcoming shows are you looking forward to the most?
Wow it’s too hard to say, I’m booked out until the end of the year all over the world. I’m in love with so many of the places I’ll be visiting! It’ll be great to play in NYC again, also Seattle and San Francisco are hot spots for me. Beach gigs are awesome too, Hawaii, Ibiza… all of that kicks ass!
What makes you decide to play a particular record during one of your sets? Is there a criteria other than pure subjectivity, for selecting what to play at a gig?
It’s all about how I feel and how I interpret the vibe of the audience. I don’t like DJ sets that stay in one place. Too many people just play an hour of bangers, it’s constant intensity with no room to breathe. My shows are all about contrast, I use moments of calm and emotion to make room for the explosive tracks. Instead of thinking of individual songs I approach my show like one long journey, each group of songs being chapters with peaks and troughs. Waves..
What are currently your main challenges as a DJ? What is it about DJing, compared to, say, producing your own music that makes it interesting for you?
DJing and producing are two completely different arts, barely comparable. Being a good DJ requires knowledge of crowd reactions and how to control it with song selection, but it doesn’t necessarily require musical knowledge. DJing is about using songs in an improvised structure to give a crowd an experience. Being a writer / producer for me is about being a musician, knowing music, understanding chords, harmonies, counter melodies, songwriting and of course putting it together to create a song that didn’t exist before. I’d like to see more producers with knowledge of music theory.
What do you personally consider to be the most intelligent decisions of your artistic career?
To study music, learn the importance of songwriting and get really geeky with the technology. Knowing music is knowing a language, when you can speak that language properly you can create songs that change lives. Not just throwing a beat together that makes people dance, I mean songs that you’ll remember 20 years from now. That’s was my goal with ‘ReDefined’.
Last time we talked you were spending most of your time in LA, you’ve travelled a lot now, what is your favourite location to chill out and top location to party?
I live full time in LA, so that’s my top chill spot. I don’t go out much in LA, I hang with friends and go to bars at most. The weekends are just so crazy, it’s actually hard to get time off. If I have a few days I’ll sneak off to a beach somewhere 🙂
Tell us about the work you’ve been doing with SOL REPUBLIC
The SOL REPUBLIC team are passionate about quality, not just selling a product, they want to be involved with the musicians who are doing things differently. That’s why I love the brand. We have some awesome custom tyDi headphones and something cool coming for the new album 😉
What have you been up to back in Australia? How has life changed for you when you get back home?
Besides the touring I’ve been spending time on the Sunshine Coast with my family. I don’t get to see them much anymore with all this touring so it’s great to just kick back with them. I left all my friends and family behind when I moved to LA, it’s going to be hard to leave again next week.
What’s next for tyDi?
REDEFINED – this album is my best work yet. I’m insanely excited to find out how fans react to it. Then lots of touring!!
In our last interview you didn’t disclose the details of where the name tyDi came from, any chance you’d let that one go today?
It’s secret 😉