Born out of a nomadic lifestyle and love for collecting obscure sounds from all around the world, Byron Bay/Melbourne-based multi-instrumentalist and DJ, MOONTIDE is a consummate storyteller, who curates rhythms and lyrical synergies that trace deep currents back to the mountains of the earth.
MOONTIDE’s multi-ethnic collage of sound includes entrancing tribal soundscapes, percussive layers, synthesizers, field recordings, deeply rooted rhythms, and chants. His live sets delve deeply into conceptualized narratives, taking his audience on a transformative, stimulating musical voyage shaped by the different cultures, patterns, sounds, and stories that he has absorbed from across the globe.
MOONTIDE is part of the latest Uone & Western’s ‘The Lone Wranglers – Remix Collection’ to be out June 18th via Beat & Path. Stream and buy here. Here we chat with him about the release, his roots, and his future projects.
Electronic Groove: Hi Louis. Thank you for chatting with us. How have you been holding up? What’s the situation like at the moment in Australia?
MOONTIDE: Lovely to be here with you guys. I’m doing well considering the collective state of the world at this time. I’ve recently moved out of the city and back into nature which has been very nourishing for me, feeling very grateful to be living in such a beautiful place creating art and spending as much time on this beautiful Bundjalung land as possible.
We are really lucky in Australia to be so far away from everything, in terms of the effects here of the current crisis we are doing considerably well. The government offers support and we have a health system that is currently holding up.
Electronic Groove: You’re quite the musical storyteller. What is your relationship with music like? Do you remember your first contact with music?
MOONTIDE: Haha big question… My relationship with music has always been one of companionship. This life journey for me really feels like one of tenderness and feeling all that arises. And music has been the modality that has allowed me to process these experiences and feel them in all that they are. It has served as my closest ally, allowing me to gain more understanding of the emotional body and through that, the world around me.
My first contacts with music were in my home, my parents love music and always had something on. I remember a lot of Eric Clapton, Pink Floyd, and the Buddha Bar mixed CD’s which feel like they have strong influences on the music I write these days.
Electronic Groove: And you’re also somewhat of a nomad, right? How does that connect with your music?
MOONTIDE: Hmm… a very privileged nomad if that’s the right term haha! I’ve spent the past 10 years of my life traveling and in recent times playing music in different countries. This project was always one to document those times as well as the cultures I’ve explored. The past year I’ve spent all my time at home here in Australia which has influenced my music a lot. Environment plays a huge role in my process hence each release moving in a different direction.
Electronic Groove: Even so, given this broad palette of influences you’ve experienced, you still must have some sort of ‘signature sound’, right? How would you describe your music to someone who’s never had a chance of hearing it before?
MOONTIDE: My approach to music is always conceptual and narrative-based. I love playing with different moods and spend more time dreaming up ideas. Then I sit down and write the music on the computer. Once I have a clear concept in my head it seems easy to lay it down. But if I was to describe it I’d say a blend of Textural Electronica and World Music with strong influences from Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East.
Electronic Groove: And right now you’ve got your latest tune out remixing ‘Culture Of Knights’, by Uone & Western out on Beat & Path. What drew you to that particular tune? What did you make of this cinematic outback designed by Uone & Western in ‘The Lone Wranglers’?
MOONTIDE: This was my favorite tune on the record and I was very happy to remix it. The whole album was right up my alley with its deep conceptual storyline, I was really stoked to do a remix.
Electronic Groove: What was the process for this remix like? Did you know straight away which original elements you were going to keep and what to do with them?
MOONTIDE: I did this remix in the summer of 2020 here in Australia. I wrote it with the dancefloor in mind but wanted to keep it stripped back enough that it would work in an intimate setting as well as the festivals. I had a lot of fun playing around with chord progressions and some pretty free-form jams on the Rhodes. I also added some vocals which I don’t do often.
Electronic Groove: How did your relationship with Beat & Path happen? By the way, have you had a chance to listen to the remix album in full? Do you have a favorite one?
MOONTIDE: Yes I’ve heard the album and loved the Desert Dwellers remix of The Last Showdown! Also Marco Tegui’s remix of Culture Of Knights was great, I included it in the mix I did for you guys.
I’d known the guys through a venue in Melbourne called Killing Time which at the time was my 2nd home haha! Later down the track when I started releasing music as Moontide they hit me up for an EP and some tracks for a compilation they were putting together. And since then I’ve played at a lot of events and continue to release music through the label.
“Slow down and practice patience. Removing comparisons to those around you and being present
with really where you are at”
Electronic Groove: What advice would you give to someone starting out as a producer? What is the most important piece of advice you would have like to know about when you first started?
MOONTIDE: Slow down and practice patience. Removing comparisons to those around you and being present with really where you are at. Also spending as much time in the studio with others as you can. Observing others’ process can really aid your growth in the beginning.
Electronic Groove: What’s in store for MOONTIDE for the rest of 2021? What new milestones are you are looking forward to?
MOONTIDE: I was about to announce a winter tour that’s now been put on hold due to some more cases surfacing here. But if Covid allows it, I will finally get to launch my Ensemble show in July at the Chi Wow Wah City showcase. I have put together a 4 piece band with live Percussion, Sax, Guitar, Synths and Vocals. The project is Electronic jazz interpretations of my music heavily influenced by Pink Floyd, Alice Colatrane and others, we are really looking forward to play some shows over the summer which will be announced soon.
I also have my Album “Anima Mundi” ready to go as well as some EP’s to land later in the year.
Electronic Groove: Thank you for sitting down with us! We wish you all the best for the future!
MOONTIDE: Likewise!
Follow MOONTIDE: Soundcloud | Facebook | Instagram | Bandcamp
