Interview: Uone

For a galactic gambler like Uone, music and art is an important language designed to cross social and cultural boundaries. He is the global voice of a cosmic deep sound that has seen him transform dance floors from the USA’s Burning Man to the UK’s Glastonbury. In his native Australia, he backs that up with his status as a multi-faceted artist and dedicated industry leader behind various projects geared towards strengthening the scene. His meticulous resume is highlighted by releases via Balance Music, Sol Selectas, Stil Vor Talent and his own Beat & Path imprint. Now on the cusp of a new remix for Desert Dwellers and Dreaming Awake Records, we catch up with Uone for an exclusive interview. Enjoy!

Hi Uone, thanks for joining us. What is your current mood and what was the last piece of music you listened to?

Dear Progressive Astronauts, thanks for taking the time to catch up. My current mood is pure frustration with our governments here in Australia. We are experiencing the longest & strictest lockdowns in the world. The last piece of music I listened to is from the 1986 movie called Crocodile Dundee. The soundtrack was from Peter Best and has been keeping me sane. I’ve probably seen Crocodile Dundee 1 & 2 over 50 times.

What are your plans for the coming week?

Finalizing the Nukreative, Out Of Sorts, Beacon Bloom & Thankyou City EP’s we having coming out in the next months on our label Beat & Path. Also slowly working away on my next solo album called Phantom Whistler.

Can you name five tracks that were important in your musical development and why they are so significant for you?

The Doors – The End (Original Version) This taught me the art of storytelling & ways to create drama into a song.

PQM – You Are Sleeping (Original Mix) - PQM has been without the biggest influence on my music I would listen to this track on repeat on the school bus. May PQM Rest In Peace.

RUN DMC – Its Like That – This song taught me how to pump up a party and make people dance. I’ve always admired the pure street level gangsta attitude of RUN DMC and wanted to bring this into my music.

Depeche Mode – Only When I Loose Myself (Lexicon Avenue Bootleg)- This track taught me the art of a creating a good bootleg. My vinyl copy of this has been played so many times the sound it beginning to wear out.

Minilogue – Hitchhikers Choice – The pure genius & original sound design of quirky bleepy melodies & shuffle percussions inspired me.

I think for a lot of artists music allows you to write a sketch of your own personal universe in a way; your travels, life experiences etc. Is this something which is true of yourself? Where does inspiration come from?

Before Wuhan Virus outbreak in late 2019 I was traveling all over the world for close to 12years and relying heavily for inspiration from places I would visit & the cultures I was exposed to. But recently I have been diving deep back into my roots living in the rural country side. I was a professional horse rider & cattlemen in my early teenage years so getting back to my cowboy heritage has been a massive influence recently.

Electronic music always seems to have a good footing in Australia. Who from your home country inspired you the most when you first discovered the music and how has the scene changed there over the years?

Electronic music bands likes Infusion, NuBreed & DJ Phil K plus a label called Balance Music are the reason I love electronic music so much early in my career. Melbourne in particular has always been at the forefront underground dance music, we have been totally blissed over the years to a thriving scene. With the introduction of social media electronic dance music has excelled now to the point where you can make a living out of doing something you are passionate about.

Who are some up and coming Australian artists to look out for?

There is an artist called Moontide from Byron Bay, NuKreative brings the best melodic organic house sounds & for some deep chug you cannot go past The Oddness.

What are your favourite venues to play in Australia and why?

I’m sucker for an open air pop up or warehouse space (The Industrique Warehoue in the North of Melbourne is ideal for this), and Killing Time Bar in Melbourne for those up close and personal sets. The sound in both these venues is phenomenal.

Looking back over your discography, what would say was a pivotal point in your career? Is there a release that stands out which really helped establish you?

I think my Horsing Around track on Katermukke was pivotal moment because in 2015 when a GoPro falls of a drone into a Burning Man dancefloor it was Horsing Around that was playing. It made headlines!! Check it out here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ldE2k-KXWow

You have a new remix out this week for Desert Dwellers and Dreaming Awake Records, what attracted you to the project and how did you approach the remix?

Its always a challenge when tackling a remix of a classic track from one of your favorite artists. But for this remix I tried to stay true to the original vibe whilst incorporating what’s happening in my everyday surroundings. I am totally obsessed with why we are here on planet earth, where we have come from and where we are going. I decided to sample Morpheus the fictional character in the Matrix movie to represent my thoughts and challenge the listener to really think why we are here.

What does your set-up look like? Do you favor physical gear over digital? And what studio tools featured heavily in the writing of the Desert Dwellers remix?

Since the Wuhan virus outbreak I had to move out of my studio space & pack up all my outboard gear. I’ve been collecting vintage synths for over 10years. In my collection (or in storage) is a Juno-106, Jupitar-6, Roland 909, Dave Smith PolyEvolver, Nord Stage 3 Piano, MS-20, DX-7, Moog Little Phatty, Moog Minotaur. Juno-106 combined with Output’s Movement VST featured heavily in this remix.

Generally speaking, do you find it more difficult to come up with original tracks than remixing a track from another artist?

Some of your past productions have a unique crossover appeal. How much of an influence does music outside of the electronic spectrum have on you? I have a huge love of cinematic & TV soundtracks and draw a lot of inspiration from them. So, I would say music outside the electronic spectrum influences me the most.

Talk to us about your label Beat & Path, how would you describe its output to someone who hasn’t heard any of your releases before? What advice would have for an artist hoping to sign their music to Beat & Path?

Beat & Path specializes in deep, organic vibrations with a signature electronic edge. From homegrown dusty desert twangs to inspiring sounds from throughout the world, the label aims to take you on it’s own unique journey through electronic soundscapes from an angle that you may have never seen. For any artist trying to sign be sure you’ve solidly checked out a catalogue of music before blindly sending links. A personal message about the vision of inspiration about the music always helps.

There’s this saying ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover’, however how important is artwork for you and the music you release on your label?

Our artwork gives the listener a visual interpretation of the music. I am blessed to be surrounded by some extremely talented visual & graphic designers so Beat & Path always strives to inspire our followers through the artwork. It acts as a window into the music.

What has the last year and a half been like for you? Have you focused more time on making music? And has the pandemic affected your creative spirit in any way?

The last year and half has been extremely hard, everything I was working towards came crashing to a holt. I lost my Ranch-O-Relaxo studio & creative hub, its been one of the coldest & wettest Australia winters. Right now all I have is a pair of Barefoots speakers in my girl friends parents garage. So I’ve lost all inspiration for music but its slowly starting to return thanks to people like Treavor Moontribe & Amani from the Desert Dwellers. They have reached out 3 times to inviting me to work with them. Thanks guys means a lot.

What is the current state of the pandemic in Australia?

Complete lockdowns, no gigs, no road map out for the music industry, the whole thing has become some political chest match between government officials. Completely Irrational Decisions are being made and society is splitting. I’ve been forced to postpone our festival called CHI WOW WAH TOWN to 2022, this was the one thing keeping me sane knowing that we could dance free again.

The problem of mental health is complex and nuanced, and it is an issue to which those working in electronic music are especially susceptible. It can be deeply rewarding but it is also competitive, fast-paced, unpredictable and hedonistic. Talk a bit about the pressures of what you do that fans may not be totally aware of.

Trying to be original and fresh in electronic music can be daunting. I try not to focus on what others are doing and find inspiration from my roots and life experiences. This way whatever content comes out creatively is pure & original

In your opinion, what’s the biggest risk you’ve taken and what made you do it?

13 years ago I decided to give the music industry a full time go. I remember at the time talking with many people about following your dreams & exploring every chance that comes along. Finding something your passionate about in life and trying to make a living out of it the hardest and most rewarding endeavors you’ll ever take on.

What is one thing, physical or non-physical, that you want more than anything else in the world?

World Peace and for Progressive Astronaut fans to listen to my new remix of Desert Dwellers and let me know what you honestly think.

Who would you like to be abducted by aliens?

Depends on which alien species.

Current five favourite tracks?

Stavroz - Stoque [Moodfamily]
Red Axes - Sticks &. Stones_feat__Adi_Bronicki_Original_Mix [Dark Entries]
ROBAG WRUHME - QUOKKA SUPRA [ Tulpa Ovi Records]
Trentemoller - No One Quite Like You feat. Tricky (Original Mix) [ IN MY ROOM RECORDS]
Banda Giom – zlobr/zHate (Lonely Boy Black & White Mix)

What is your favourite food?

Hot chocolate souffle with espresso ice cream.

Iphone or Android?

Iphone

Apart from music, what makes you happiest?

Playing music to my 2 year old daughter Zia and watching her groove out brings great joy to me.

What does the remainder of 2021 hold for you? Anything you can share with us?

I will slowly keep chipping away at my new album called ‘Phantom Whistler’ and I have some remixes for Mojo Filter and Flow & Zeo I have to finish. Plus exploring the DJENERATES NFT music community.

Uone's Desert Dwellers remix is available for pre-order now via Dreaming Awake: https://bit.ly/3hOu40n