Reading The Label

In 2012 Nick Thayer unleashed his Like Boom EP via OWSLA, old chum and sometime Perth MC N'fa featuring prominently. “It was very organic,” Thayer says of his hooking up with Sonny Moore. The Californian simply e-mailed him. “He'd heard this tune of mine, a tune that I'd done with DJ Yoda called Toot It Up, and he really liked it. He was playing it in all of his sets.” Chuffed, Thayer sent him some other material. When Moore passed through Melbourne, the two met for drinks. “He said, 'You should do an EP for my label.' I said, 'I didn't know you had a label.' He said, 'Yeah, we haven't actually started yet, but we found this 18-year-old kid called Porter Robinson, and Kill The Noise is gonna do an EP, and we'd love you to be a part.'” Thayer applauds Moore's openness, and genuineness, OWSLA also home to the folktronica Hundred Waters. “He just loves music.” And Thayer has more coming on OWSLA shortly. “I've got another 15 tracks that I've finished writing. We're just about to figure out the best way to release those through the label.”

Thayer, born in the UK, played guitar in funk rock outfits before switching to DJing (there was less internecine drama). He debuted as a producer in 2004 with Theme One on Sydney's Breaking Point. Thayer and mate Bass Kleph tweaked the Drumattic Twins' Feelin' Kinda Strange for Finger Lickin', winning a Breakspoll 'Best Remix' award. The Plump DJs invited him to DJ at Fabric. Three years ago Thayer presented an album, Just Let It Go, on Aquasky's Passenger Records. But, similarly to Moore, he's now focussing on EPs, joking that only Daft Punk can still viably market dance LPs.

Thayer's sound, while consistently funky, is increasingly hybridised. “I do what I do – and I let myself be influenced by whatever music's exciting me at the time. One thing that I always try to keep in mind is a phrase somebody once told me: 'Be malleable but not mutable – let yourself be influenced by, but not swayed by, current trends'. There's no need to suddenly [be like], Oh, everybody's doing trap – I'd better go and make some trap music. But there's no reason why you shouldn't go, Oh, trap music's really cool – how can I incorporate that idea of space and bounce and groove into what I'm doing?” Thayer credits Moore with advancing EDM's “cross-pollination”. “He was one of the first people who really made it generally accepted to write stuff and play stuff across the board.”

Moore produced buddy A$AP Rocky's Wild For The Night. Thayer, who remixed Sub Focus's OWSLA single Falling Down, likewise favours “organic” collabs, not those cynically engineered for YouTube hits. He's worked with The Crystal Method and Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee on upcoming tunes.

These days Thayer rarely DJs in his hometown, though he maintains his association with local institution Revolver, being in demand abroad. Last year he completed two epic tours of North America, first supporting Robinson and Zedd. Such experiences have been “eye-opening”, and exhilarating, with 1000-plus partygoers even on week nights. “I guess the people who are coming to these shows would have been maybe nine- or ten-years-old when I first started DJing!” Thayer was reminded of why he began DJing: like Moore, he loves “sharing music”. He just played Ultra Music Festival.

Mind, Thayer isn't about to quit the North Melbourne base he shares with his ballerina wife Juliet Burnett and their pet rabbits, rationalising that the world is smaller and travel easy. He enjoys poker games with pals in downtime. Nevertheless, Thayer is amped to be heading Japan 4 at his old haunt Ambar. “I love playing in Perth. It's certainly a place that, ever since the first time I played there, I've felt a very special connection with.”