Living Large

Last year Matt and Chris Stafford transplanted from the Gold Coast to Los Angeles, determined to conquer the US. They have already signed to the urban Cash Money Records and aired Hello, featuring Christina Milian and Lil Wayne, a track that went double platinum here. But this December the Staffords will return home for Stereosonic, and with such a behemoth line-up they could ironically get lost.

The Staffords, originally from New Zealand, have been active as DJ/producers since at least the mid-2000s. Early, they covered Boston's hoary More Than A Feeling. They'd disseminate music through labels as varied as Toolroom, Defected and Armada. In 2011 the Staffords were voted Australia's number one DJs at the annual inthemix Awards – and they won for the third consecutive time this year.

The brothers tapped into a whole new audience with two seasons of The Stafford Brothers on Fox8 – and, Chris says freely, their involvement was always more about strategy than any lofty ambition of educating the masses about DJ culture. “It definitely opened us up to other markets because, if we're in the airport or something, parents were coming up to us; a lot of the time they wouldn't be in the clubs because they've got little kids. But I found that we got a lot more kids who can't actually go out clubbing hitting us on Facebook and Twitter. So I think it's great.”

Signing to Cash Money was a coup. Bryan 'Birdman' Williams' label is home to hip hop superstars Lil Wayne, Drake and Nicki Minaj (via Weezy's Young Money imprint). Milian, who was Ashanti's rival at Def Jam and enjoyed a hit in 2004's Dip It Low, is recording a comeback album for them. Cash Money has also taken on Limp Bizkit. But what the label was missing was an EDM act. “They've got a huge reach and that sort of pop/hip hop market and, just as a label, they're a huge influence in the scene in America,” Chris extols.

“We're planning an EP at the moment. We're looking at two new singles, both with features from Cash Money,” Chris continues. The duo have stopped prepping a long canvassed 'artist' album, now in favour of releasing tracks that can be “bundled” into an LP later. “Dance music moves so quickly, you've got to be ahead of the game, so singles and EPs are the way to go at the moment.”

Dance music has never been bigger Stateside. Some worry that the bubble may burst, but not the Staffords. “It's just the start in America. We're playing in Milwaukee and Cincinnati and all these different places, so it's definitely spreading in America.”