EDMinsider Interviews DJ/Producer TyDi + Full ASOT 550 Kiev Set

Recently joining the star studded EDM artists along with Armin van Buuren for the prestigious A State of Trance 550 celebrations, TyDi ripped up the Kiev stage, proving his stellar talents for the world to hear through the global broadcast. The Australian DJ produced has been dropping bombs in every set he spins, and introducing new releases such as his collaboration with Tania Zygar entitled Half Light, his uplifting remix of Allure feat. JES – Show Me The Way, and a new premiere collaboration with Richard Durand, Loose Unit. No stranger to the trance scene, TyDi has been tearing up the trance scene since 2006 with original tracks, collaborations, and remixes with some of the biggest talents in EDM. From Kiev to Los Angeles, we were lucky enough to catch up with the DJ/Producer before his recent gig at the spacious EDM venue, Exchange LA, where were able to learn more about what makes TyDi tick! Read on, learn more, and don’t forget to check out our full review of TyDi with Andy Moore from Exchange: here.

EDMinsider 1. Can you tell us a bit about your musical roots and the influences that drew you to make electronic music?

TyDi: I grew up in a small beach place called the Sunshine Coast in Australia. For as long as I can remember I’ve always been into music, and when I first heard electronic music I was obsessed, I knew it would engulf my future. I studied music all through school and went on to complete a music degree at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music. I also learned to play drums and piano. Although I’ve written styles outside of electronic music, like rock, movie scores and orchestral, my love has truly been for electronic music. I love the hybrid of synthetic elements with organic recordings, my passion is for music that is surreal, it has to take the listener to another place.

EDMinsider 2. How did your relationship with Armada Music and AVA Recordings first come about?

TyDi: Back when I was 15 I was sending my productions to various record labels, one day Armada took an interest in my song ‘Meet me in Kyoto’ which Markus Schulz put onto one of his compilations. I also had big support from Andy Moor who I became good friends with over the years. My relationship with Armada grew with every song I produced for them, eventually I had the support from Armin and all the other big guns in the dance music world. So it was a gradual progression, I’m 24 now but it’s taken me 9 years to get to where I am now.

EDMinsider 3. In 2009, you launched your own weekly worldwide radio show titled “Global Soundsystem.” What sets apart your radio mixes from your DJ sets?

TyDi: Global Soundsystem is a radio broadcast so it’s less about the dance floor and more about the listening experience. My DJ sets are tilted more towards the tougher edge of progressive music, they are designed to get people up and going crazy. Whereas Global Soundsystem is an outlet for me to play anything and everything that I want to show people. There’s no rules to GSS, it’s a very diverse radio show and I’m extremely happy with it’s worldwide expansion over the years. Also in a DJ set I tend to play the biggest songs that I have my hands on, tunes that I’ve tried and tested, in GSS I’m playing the absolute latest, songs that are not even released yet.

EDMinsider 4. Last year you released a line of t-shirts. What inspired you to start this line and how did you go about selecting the various designs?

TyDi: It’s actually a fully fashion label, clothes for guys and girls. I teamed up with a good friend of mine Andrzej Pytel from Poland who has amazing experience in the international fashion world. He’d been designing clothes for me to wear on stage for 5 years, so it felt right to collaborate and launch our own brand.

EDMinsider 5. In addition to launching a t-shirt line you also released Shooting Stars, which incorporated experimentation with different genres and sounds that are at the focal point of the record. Do think the exploration of music is an important showcase for the industry?

TyDi: Absolutely! Shooting Stars is a very diverse album, it explores a wide range of genres, ideas and emotions, it gets super experimental in parts too. All of this is important for me, as an artist I like to challenge myself and show people what goes on in that crazy head of mine.

EDMinsider 6. With the countless amount of synths out there, do you think composition weighs more over sound selection? Or is it the knowledge and combination of the two that brings out something truly enigmatic?

TyDi: It’s all important, for me the best songs show intellectual ability, they are well thought out and have a level of creativity that stands out. I want my works to be intelligent, cutting edge, unique, powerful and entertaining. Sound selection can mean anything, synth presets, samples… it doesn’t matter how you do it, as long as the finished piece is better than the sum of its parts, it has to be a work of art.

EDMinsider 7. You just performed alongside several other top artists at ASOT 550 in Kiev, Ukraine. Can you tell us a bit more about that experience?

TyDi: What can I say? it was crazy! I played to 12,000 music lovers in a stadium in Ukraine, the energy was amazing and the production was top notch. I had a great time, large scale shows like those are a total rush.

EDMinsider 8. What tracks do you use in your DJ sets that you know will make the crowd “Act Crazy” and which ones make your radio listeners just wanna dance?

TyDi: Generally the songs that send my crowds the craziest are the ones people all know me for, the biggest songs on my album. Tunes like Acting Crazy, Greater Heights, Vanilla…etc.

EDMinsider 9. One of your newer vocal singles, “The Moment It Breaks” with Tania Zygar has been getting a great response through EDM charts. What inspires you to create such story-driven vocal tracks?

TyDi: Love music that tells a story, I’m also very big on lyrics with strong personal meaning. I draw inspiration from everywhere, every song I write always means something to me… but it might have a totally different meaning for my listeners.

EDMinsider 10. At age 24, you have a lot already accomplished, from a chart-topping album to a position on DJ Mag’s top 100. What can we expect from you in the rest of 2012? Are there any additional upcoming singles, remixes or collaborations on the way?

TyDi: There’s a new Global Soundsystem mix album coming out in June, I’m also working on my third studio album. I have an amazing song coming out soon that I wrote with BT, it’s called ‘Catch Me’… so there’s a lot to look forward to!

Article by: Mark Luzzi

Listen now to the TyDi A State of Trance 550 Kiev set!