Few new artists are able to get me out of the comfort of my apartment to go see a club show early. But Sydney-based, electronic producer Thomas Purcell, better known as Wave Racer, has a bouncy new style of sound – what I’ve officially dubbed “Kangaroo Trap” – that had me clamoring to get through the doors early to catch his first ever Chicago performance. As I moved through the infamous confines of The MID, I excitedly advised everyone I ran into to make sure they caught a bit of Wave Racer’s set, because “this is that new shit!” I told them. And their reactions were all the same – “What the hell is this sound? It’s amazing!” Which is the reaction of just about everyone who listens to the 20-year old Australian producer. Having just been signed to the Future Classic family, which includes the likes of Flight Facilities, Classixx, Jagwar Ma, Touch Sensitive, and Flume, Wave Racer has set himself up for a massive, and very successful, year.

We caught up with Wave Racer after his performance at The MID and had a few minutes to sit and chat backstage about his catchy new sound, the success of his smash remix of Panama’s “Always”, and the current domination of Australian producers. Check it out below.

 
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The Sights and Sounds: What’s going man, how are you doing?

Wave Racer: I’m doing really well. How are you doing?

The Sights and Sounds: I’m doing alright, thanks. So let’s just kick it off. You just got done playing at The MID about ten minutes ago. What did you think of the atmosphere here?

Wave Racer: The atmosphere here was absolutely crazy. To be honest, I wasn’t sure what to expect, because I have never been to Chicago before and I haven’t really played that many show here yet, in the States. So I wasn’t sure what the vibe was going to be like. But I rocked up and the crowd was absolutely amazing. Played my set and they were loving it – they were so responsive and I was super happy with it. Really, really enjoyed it.

The Sights and Sounds: And this is your first time out of Australia, correct?

Wave Racer: Not out of Australia, but the first time touring the States though, definitely. I did one international gig in New Zealand just before I came to the States – that was my first ever international gig. And then yeah, it was straight on to the American tour from that.

The Sights and Sounds: That’s amazing. So how long have you been in the country?

Wave Racer: How many days… It’s been a couple weeks, I think. Actually, less than a couple weeks. About a week and a half I think it’s been.

The Sights and Sounds: What’s your overall take on the United States so far?

Wave Racer: Oh, I love the States, man. I love it here. Yeah, it’s really, really, good.

The Sights and Sounds: So I have to admit, you kind of came out of nowhere on my radar. At least in the perspective of what I like to call ‘the blogosphere’ – the Internet music community. Your remix of “Always” by Panama, I mean, that was really just a smash hit. When you were making it, did you expect the type of feedback that you got from it?

Wave Racer: No, not at all. Actually, that remix was one of the first remixes I ever did. It was actually the first official remix I ever made, and it was really early in the game. It was like, two or three months into my Wave Raver production career. And, so yeah, I had no idea where it was going to go. I didn’t even know if they were going to release it when I was making it. So the fact that they released it, and the fact that I was given the opportunity, and the fact that people loved it when they put it out blew me away. I was never expecting it.

The Sights and Sounds: And then you followed it up with two smash productions afterward with your mix of Flight Facilities’ “Stand Still” and then, more recently, “Streamers”. What’s the feedback been for those tracks?

Wave Racer: The feedback has been amazing. The new single “Streamers” has been just like… again, I didn’t really know how people were going to receive that track because it’s very intense, very colorful, and a little bit over the top – which is kind of what people like from me. I thought it was a little bit too much like that. But the people loved it and they go crazy when I play it, so I love that. And same with the Flight Facilities’ remix. It’s a very colorful kind of sound and whenever I play the first opening chords in that track, people recognize it instantly, which makes me really happy.

“…it’s that combination of sounds that we kind of thrive upon, and that’s how we create.”

The Sights and Sounds: Well I think colorful is a good word to use to describe your music. You’re very trap influenced, and a bit of hip-hop as well, but you also bring a very summery, bouncy feel into your music. I like to label it as ‘Kangaroo Trap’.

Wave Racer: Haha, nice!

The Sights and Sounds: It’s that summery, Australian feel. Where did you get that influence? It’s not quite like any other music we’ve heard before.

Wave Racer: A lot of people ask me that question. The honest answer is I found a combination of sounds just by scrolling through Internet blogs and SoundCloud. So, literally, just the Internet. The fact that I can have access to music from every corner of the globe at my fingertips is really just what helps. I find that the sound that I make is a kind of a combination of many different sounds combined together. It’s not from any particular part of the world or from any particular style of music. It’s kind of an amalgamation of the different sounds that I’ve picked from scrolling through SoundCloud and stuff like that.

The Sights and Sounds: And you can definitely feel that kind of smash up of genres in your music, which is really great. And it brings back the fact that Australia just has an amazing repertoire of artists coming out of it right now. Not only you, but you have guys like upcoming producer Just A Gent, you’ve got Panama, and of course, Flume. What’s in the water in Australia? What are you guys drinking that has Australia at the top of the charts in terms of groundbreaking music over the last couple years?

Wave Racer: To be honest, I don’t really know how to answer that question. Some people seem to think that it could be that Australia is isolated a little bit from the rest of the world, in terms of geography. But then again, I think that can only be semi what it is because of the Internet. Australians consume most of their media and music through the Internet, as opposed to other parts of the world, for example, like the UK or US, where there’s a very tight cultural scene. You have particular parts of the country where certain genres are blossoming in the States and in Europe and things like that. In Australia, we don’t really have that so much. Everything just comes in and we consumer everything we can through the Internet and through what we see from overseas. So I think, again, it’s that combination of sounds that we kind of thrive upon, and that’s how we create. That’s how we do it over there, I guess. Then again, I could be completely wrong. I don’t actually know the answer to that question.

The Sights and Sounds: Well, it’s a good theory at the very best. And now, you know, you’re on the up and up in the music world and we’re very excited to see where you going to go. But if you could write a letter today, and have it delivered to yourself one year ago. What would you write in your letter? What would you tell yourself?

Wave Racer: Man, that’s a good question! That’s a really interesting question. I think that if I had to do that I’d probably let myself know… Because me a year ago was probably super stressed out, super anxious. I’m still a bit like that, but probably more so back then. I’d probably just tell myself to relax and not take shit too seriously. I probably wouldn’t want to tell myself exactly what was going to happen a year from then, because I wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise, or fuck it up for me by telling myself what was going to happen. So I’d probably just be like, “Hey man, just take it easy. Just don’t think about shit too much. Just relax.”

The Sights and Sounds: I think that’s good advice for everybody. Again, great set at The MID and I’m excited for what you have coming next. Any hints about what’s coming up?

Wave Racer: I’ve got a new remix coming out soon. I don’t want to say too much about it. It’s actually been floating around a little bit on the Internet – it was in one of my recent mixtapes.

The Sights and Sounds: Was that the one you did for Diplo & Friends?

Wave Racer: Yeah, the new remix was in that mixtape. So if you heard it, it’s in there. [The remix] is coming out soon and I’m excited to get that one out there.

The Sights and Sounds: Very cool. Thank you very much for hanging out and I hope you have a great rest of your tour. And I hope you enjoy the rest of the United States and everything we have to offer. Take care.

Wave Racer: Thanks, you too.
 

 
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Diplo and Friends Tracklist:

01 Destiny’s Child – Say My Name (Cosmo Midnight Very Rare Bootleg)
02 Basenji – Heirloom
03 813 – Lil Bear
04 Cosmo’s Midnight – The Dofflin (Wave Racer Remix) [FREE]
05 Doshy – Hijacked [SATURATE]
06 Wave Racer – Streamers [FUTURE CLASSIC]
07 August Alsina – Sucka (DJ Sliink & DJ Hoodboi & Trippy Turtle Remix) [FREE]
08 Salva – Drop That B [FRIENDS OF FRIENDS]
09 Mike Posner feat. Big Sean – Top Of The World (Playground Mob Remix) [FREE/RCA (SONY)]
10 Bell Biv DeVoe – Poison (Trippy Turtle Remix) [PILERATS]
11 Deon Custom – Pearls
12 Drippin – Beat It Out The Frame [FREE]
13 Drippy Dolphin – Oooops
14 Cashmere Cat – Pearls [LUCKYME]
15 FS Green – Girls Girls Girls [FREE]
16 Mr. Carmack – Roller (New Look) (Lindsay Lowend Remix) [FREE]
17 Dirty Chocolate – Godz Dilemma [MAW]
18 813 – Floristique [DONKY PITCH]
19 Djemba Djemba – Oh Ok Yeah That’s Cool [JEFFREE’S (MAD DECENT)]
20 Panama – Always (Wave Racer Remix) [FUTURE CLASSIC]
21 Alizzz – That Gurl [JEFFREE’S (MAD DECENT)]
22 Wave Racer – Rock U Tonite [FUTURE CLASSIC]
23 Sable – Master Key [PILERATS]
24 AWE – Park Jam [TERRORHYTHM]
25 Brandy – I Wanna Be Down [ATLANTIC (WARNER)]
26 Flight Facilities feat. Micky Green – Stand Still (Wave Racer Remix) [FUTURE CLASSIC]
27 Salva – Hard Drive [FRIENDS OF FRIENDS]
28 Ryan Hemsworth – Ryan Must Be Destroyed (Wave Racer Remix) [Future Classic & Last Gang]
29 Yheti – Fresh [FREE]
30 S-Type – Sensi Star [LUCKYME]

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