No Sleep 'Til Cybertron

Optimus Gryme (real name Charlie Brown) has been carving his niche in the NZ electronic scene for more than a decade, tackling a variety of genres and styles that have ultimately led him to where he is today. He's the first to admit that he hasn't always been on the forefront of all things beats related.

Before he became a producer himself he dabbled in some nearby neighborhoods, but didn't really always fit in.

“I DJed hip hop for about six years before delving into drum and bass. I also formed a rap group when I was fifteen. There were three of us in the group and we sucked big time,” he laughs.

Even when he did take the plunge and started making his own music, he was in no hurry to rush into getting it out there, preferring to wait until he knew he was ready for the world to hear it. “I made music consistently for seven years and had made over 400 beats before I sent them to anybody,” he says. “I knew the sound I wanted and I wanted to wait 'til I got it before I sent the beats around. Too many people send tunes to producers and labels after they've been writing for a few weeks. I've had people send me the very first tune they've made and say, 'What do you reckon?' Geez, it's your first tune and you've been making beats for two days – what do ya think I reckon?!”

The self-taught producer says that he learnt everything he knew messing about in the studio, and it's this informal training that has no doubt shaped the unique, dark sounds he's producing. He handles all the elements of production himself, right down to the engineering and tech side of things, which he says is common in New Zealand. He's pretty sure his Polynesian tribal roots have influenced his love of heavy beats, and have contributed to his sound in a subconscious way, admitting he was always surrounded by music growing up.

“A lot of my family could pick up a guitar and play, so there was always a gat in the house. I would always sit around our stereo and play 45s when I was a kid, then tapes when I got older. For years I would sleep with the radio on, which was awesome because I'd wake up in the middle of the night when a song I liked came on then drift off to sleep listening to it. I feel a lot of music got engraved into my soul by doing that.”

“I always knew I would make and play music. When I was fourteen years old I setup a stereo in the corner of my garage. I pretended the garage was full of people and they were all dancing to my DJing. I didn't have any DJ gear or anything, I just pretended to mix and scratch,” he laughs again. “It's funny because it would have only taken twenty people to fill the room!”

Despite the growing recognition his music is receiving and the opportunities that are opening up for him, Charlie still has his feet on the ground.

“I'm just gonna keep making music,” he says straight out. “I will make music until I can't make music anymore. I don't have any goals like 'I wanna be famous' or 'I wanna make a platinum record and be number one on the charts'. None of that matters to me. I literally just wanna make quality music – music that touches people. As long as I can do that, I'm happy!”

Optimus Gryme will be playing the following shows:

Friday 16 November - Coniston Lane, Brisbane QLD