Atch is a EDM producer and songwriter from Melbourne, Australia. His musical style is similar to that of Kygo as they both could fall into the tropical house genre. I recently had the pleasure of taking over the phone with Atch to learn more about him and his music.
Concert Crap: How has COVID been for you?
Atch: Yeah, last year was tough. So I’m in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. So yeah, last year we copped it really badly. I don’t know if you heard of everything happening? It just went nuts here in Melbourne. And we went through the first wave and got through that and can start getting on top of everything. And then bam. Just got out again and might hit us and back into lockdown for an extended period, a very harsh lockdown, which is really tough. I couldn’t go outside for more than an hour. I think it helped that I was put off work at the time. But that was kind of a godsend. We recently went back into lockdown for a couple of weeks. We’re out of that now. But it’s still lingering around Australia. But for the most part we’re pretty good, pretty lucky. If it crops up again, we go into a really short lockdown and then full freedom again.
CC: Did Covid affect you more personally or as an artist?
Atch: I mean, it’s pretty easy, you know, to get caught up and how this suck and I can’t go outside and do the usual things like going to the pub. But for me personally, look, I didn’t know anyone that you know, died from COVID or had COVID or anything like that and all my friends and family are pretty safe. So from that perspective, yeah, very, very fortunate. I just had to ride it out really. But as I said, in terms about music, that was a massive blessing. I had a massive period of work and I was back at home just oscillating so I could really delve in. It skyrocketed myprogress in terms of production and output of music. So that was great.
CC: Do you record all your music at home?
Atch: Yep, so I’ve got my own home setup, which it’s great being a one person band I can just get stuck into it at any point in time. I’ve got everything through my laptop so away I go. It’s crazy that you can do this now with the technology. Just crank out my laptop and put it out to the world.
CC: When did you first start making music?
Atch: Four years ago now I started. I started how any producer probably starts making remixes and checking stuff on SoundCloud. It kind of just went from there. It was a rollercoaster in terms of when I did my first remix and I was just completely absolutely obsessed. I’ve never felt that way with anything, really. But as soon as I started, I got the software on my laptop and as soon as I started writing, I just couldn’t stop at all. Which was crazy. And yeah, I’m almost glad that that obsessive nature got me this far. Four years ago I started.
CC: How did you get that idea to try making a remix? Was there someone who got you started?
Atch: Yeah, so I’ve always been musical. I played in a band throughout school and throughout high school for five, six years. So I always had that component. I always loved songwriting and we did some pretty cool gigs. Then once we broke up, there was just this void of nothing. I stopped everything all together and I have always played guitar, acoustic fingerstyle guitar. Stopped that completely as well. And then, yeah, years went on. I went through uni (university) and did all the, you know, the normal stuff. And yeah I felt this big void, and I heard a song on the radio “Run Up” by Major Lazer.I heard that on the radio station here and from there, I just remember thinking, “Hey, I love this chorus that Nicki Minaj sings on how can I change that? How can I make more dance remixes? And that just sparked it. So I got the software (Abbleton).
CC: After you did the first remix did you instantly start putting out more remixes or was it something you did in private and were not comfortable enough sharing?
Atch: Yeah, it was definitely sheltered. I’m very self conscious in that respect. I hate putting stuff out into the world and overthinking, over critiquing it. Which I think every producer probably goes through at the start. And I think, well, because you start producing, it’s so different to just songwriting sitting there with a guitar. Producing is a whole skill set in itself. So yeah, I had a lot to learn. I knew that, you know, my mixes weren’t great. And they sounded pretty crappy. And so to push that and to be confident with pushing that I was a little bit hesitant, but yeah. I just kept doing a few remixes, just finding random acapellas online and tracking them up.
CC: What made you want to make your own song?
Atch: I don’t know when the turning point was kind of, it’s just a natural progression. I guess from remixes and you just always have that urge to write your own stuff. But again, I guess, lacking the vocals for me, especially coming from a band background, you know, I latch on to the vocals, so not having any vocals. I don’t sing myself, so I was like how do I write my own stuff without lyrics and vocals. It took a while for me to start, but then once I did, yeah, best best decision I ever made.
CC: Did you ever have moments where you were questioning yourself and your music?
Atch: Yeah I think that’s the sad thing that with any passion that people don’t see it out because start anything, you know, whether it’s learning guitar, or producing or anything whatsoever, and they just don’t do it long enough to then be able to look back be like, oh, wow, I just made 1000 beats or songs to get to this point which I think is tragic. I think if people actually A. started what do I love doing then B. I’m going to go hard at this for three, four years and then decide, is that something now I want to continue pursuing. For me, it was just the grind but I always had that general direction of I can get to where I want to go just got to work hard. So I never doubted that for a second. I knew that when I started my stuff, I used to get so frustrated how you know you listen to Kygo, Avicii and my music did not sound like them, but you just gotta put in the hours and it comes slowly. And I’ve still got a long way to go. So you know, another four years, I’m excited to see.
CC: What kind of music did you listen to growing up and did any of it inspire the music you make now?
Atch: My mom was the classic teenager growing up in the 90s was the pop punk blink-182, Green Day and those bands. I learned guitar in grade 7 when I was 13 or so and I just played all those bands and just absolutely loved them. I’ve never really listened to dance or edm music, which I make although mine’s probably more so chill or chiller than that, But I don’t know what drew me to dance music. I just kind of got this urge to want to make it and now I just love it. That’s all I listen to. It’s a big change from what I grew up listening to.
CC: Are there any EDM artists that you draw inspiration from or did you end up gravitating towards your style just by chance?
Atch: No definitely. I mean it’s funny I swear I never listened to dance but there’s one song by Avicii which every producer is going to mention Avicii but he was just insane. His song with Nicky Romero “I Could Be The One” I don’t know where I found it or how I first heard it but I remember then just getting it on my probably an iPod at the time and just cranking it everywhere or when I was traveling around South Africa just playing it continuously and that just sparked something in me it was such a special song. So I definitely drew a lot of inspiration from him but also Kygo who I love now.
CC: How would you describe your music and your sound?
Atch: I actually find that the hardest thing to describe is when someone asks me what do you write? What does it sound like? I could describe it as just kind of chilled out. I always describe the way that I’m a guitarist, I love to add organic instruments that add my own guitar and my bass to my songs and then just add some instruments around that. So it’s more like a guitar feature in my tracks that I kind of pride myself on and love adding that to my mixes. But in terms of sound, it’s kind of hard to put your finger on.
CC: I know you said you have a single coming out in a month or so. If you were to look back at when you first started putting out music to your upcoming song, is there a noticeable difference in your creative process?
Atch: This next single feels like a big step for me because I’ve collaborated with a vocalist and that’s something I never had access to and wasn’t ready to have to either. So I think I had to go through the, you know, two, three years of being terrible and just finding out how to make decent enough songs. I just think it’s just been a slow road in terms of developing and I think my production skills now I’ve gotten to a point where I’m super happy with what I’m able to write and put out and pitch to vocalist and then see them connect as well in a way where they really love what I’m writing is pretty special. So I think that’s the next step now for me. I moved out of that kind of, you know, writing trashy bedroom producing songs. I want to collaborate and meet vocalists from all over the world and just write some pretty special music.
CC: Is this your first time working with a vocalist on a song?
Atch: So once before for my previous single where I just released. Well, start of the year I think it’s now which has gone quickly. Similar thing so yeah, I found a vocalist online, Jackie and that was the first time working with a vocalist in my life. So that was a really cool experience, pretty daunting as well as a whole different side of producing, copying all the vocal layers, and gluing them together to make them sound like one. That was very new to me. So it’s a bit of a challenge but it’s good, it feels like the next step now to kind of push myself on to the commercial scene.
CC: Did you know what kind of vocalist you were looking for going into it?
Atch: Yeah, in a way. The first thing I looked for was just the sound and his voice which I could hear when I found him so I thought yeah, this is perfect. Then we had a Zoom call and met each other and had a chat and kind of the overall direction and vision that I wanted for the track. But then I just like to leave it up to him just to kind of go for it Really. Then he did some vague kind of rough mumble melodies and we could kind of correct the song from there but yeah, I really love just letting him do his thing and not kind of jumping on him. It turned out really well. So he just did his thing and I’m really happy with how it’s come up.
CC: Besides your upcoming single, do you have any other plans for 2021?
Atch: Yeah definitely. I think just trying to put myself out there on as many platforms as possible to build myself up I’d much rather be behind the scenes and you know not be this important on Tik Tok or other platforms but I think as a musician trying to stand out you have to do it.
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Post and by Spencer Bernard
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