INTERVIEW: Obey City

Fleetwood Mac and Steely Dan enthusiast, Brooklyn based OBEY CITY gave me the honour of asking him a couple of questions in anticipation for his upcoming Australian tour.

Most well known for his jams 'That Molly' and 'Down Up', and of course the mans impeccable Wii skills, he just signed to LuckyMe alongside the likes of some of our favourite and most prolific artists of their genre. Taking some time out of his busy schedule of slaying nightclubs with his own special mix of slow jams, bangers and dub; Sam Obey answers some questions for me before I'm off to see him play Boney in Melbourne on Saturday night.

Getting signed to Luckyme is a pretty massive deal in most peoples eyes. When did that happen and how did it come about?

It was a very organic process. I sent tracks over to Machinedrum, whom I had always been a fan of and was living in Brooklyn at the time. He was releasing music through LuckyMe and thought they would enjoy my stuff, so he forwarded it to them. Luckily they did and the rest is history.

Luckyme boasts a legendary roster including, but not limited to, Hudmo, Rustie, Jacques Green and Baauer. Would you say you've drawn any influences from them in the past and if so what's it like to be on the same label as them now?

Yes definitely, specifically Machinedrum (although a lot of it was pre-LuckyMe) and then of course Hudson Mohawke and Rustie. I would throw Mike Slott in there too although his output has slowed down – I remember thinking their sound was unlike anything I had heard before and was extremely exciting. Their whole label is inspiring to be a part of.

Who are the influences we wouldn't expect?

Todd Rundgren? Definitely a lot of smooth music from the 70s and 80s. Steely Dan, Bobby Caldwell, Fleetwood Mac…Michael McDonald.

Any Aussie producers you've been keeping an eye on you might wanna try and check out while you're here?

I’ve traded tunes with Ta-ku out of Perth – I really like a lot of the stuff he’s doing currently. Hoping to meet him when I play over there.

What can we expect from your shows Down Under? Anything special planned?

I’m going to try and play mostly my own material – which is something I’ve shyed away from in the past. So although I’ll be DJing, expect to hear mostly tunes and remixes I’ve produced – with the occasional dub from a friend snuck in of course.

For us Aussies, can you tell us a bit about what the music and nightclub scene is like in Brooklyn?

Brooklyn is just sort of adopting the “nightclub” scene – at least for electronic dance music. A big club called “Output” just opened in Williamsburg and before that it was mostly smaller bars and loft type spaces that hosted dance music. But I think it’s definitely only going to get bigger from here.

How has living in Brooklyn influenced your music?

It’s given me tons of inspiration and freedom to work on music. I think being able to DJ out a lot has influenced my production, at least when I’m trying to make tracks for the dance-floor. Also being able to see so many other great DJs / artists / producers who play out quite often has inspired me. There’s so much talent right now.

Going off your quote, "influenced by my surroundings to influence my surroundings" - Do you think doing international tours is a big source of inspiration for you?

Definitely – so far it has actually given me confidence in my own production because people outside of the states actually seem to connect more with my music than the people where I’m from! But besides that I think it’s inevitable that new experiences will change your perspective and inspire you.

And finally, if dreams were reality and you got to set up your own line up or collaboration, who would it be with?

I think the “dream person” changes every other week – but as a general answer, I’d really be into executive producing an R&B album for someone. It’d almost be better if someone chose for me because I like a challenge.

Check out Obey City's Soundcloud for the songs to listen out for this weekend when he plays Perth on Friday 11th October and Melbourne on Saturday the 12th - and check out the brand new Operatives website while you're at it too.

Words: Taylaa Ayliffe

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