Making waves in the bass music scene with her hip-hop-infused productions and hard-hitting trap anthems since first popping onto the scene back in 2018, Godlands used her inability to tour throughout the pandemic as a time to hone her skills as a producer with her GODSP33D EP being a taste of what’s to come from the Adelaide-based talent.
Released during Pride month here in the United States, her 4-track EP celebrates the queer producer’s left-field approach coming equipped with bone-rattling tunes that are both club-ready and festival-friendly.
Godlands shares, “Coming out of the depths of the pandemic to create this EP was something that not only scared me but also challenged me. The momentum of my life and career had significantly changed as did everyones. However, it allowed me to really stop and figure out what I wanted and what type of artist I wanted to be. I had the chance to hone in on my techniques and learn new ones, while focusing on improving myself and my craft. This EP shows a step above what I have produced prior and has a lot more cohesiveness.”
With her GODSP33D EP still in heavy rotation, we took the time to get to know Godlands a little better. Check out our exclusive interview below!
DJ Life Mag: What led you to pursue a path in music?
Godlands: I always felt an affinity to music my whole life. I was a kid that was a master of none when it came to musical instruments. I liked to try a lot of things, guitar, piano, drums. Percussion I became best at and that quickly migrated into wanting to learn to DJ. So the beat matching aspect was a little easier for me.
DJ Life Mag: Who or what introduced you to the world of dance music?
Godlands: The Prodigy and The Bloody Beetroots were the first artists that I can remember where I thought “damn I love this shit”. The BB definitely persuaded me into wanting to become a DJ, especially their film clip ‘Cornelius’ where they were shown in a club going absolutely nuts. I really thought they were underground rockstars and I wanted to be like that.
DJ Life Mag: What made you fall in love with dance music as a whole?
Godlands: The feeling dance music gave me was unbeatable, being in a crowd surrounded by friends and dancing the night away are some of my fondest memories and now I get to do that as a career. It’s what dreams are made of.
DJ Life Mag: Some of the biggest names in electronic dance music are Australians like yourself – is there something in the water in the land down under?
Godlands: It seems so doesn’t it! There’s always something funky down under so I wouldn’t be surprised if it was the water, I mean that, or the animals.
DJ Life Mag: DJing or production – which came first?
Godlands: DJing
DJ Life Mag: What does your studio setup look like these days?
Godlands: It’s pretty simple, just a couple of 8-inch monitors, laptop, Akai midi keyboard, and my UA apollo twin.
DJ Life Mag: What’s your creative process in the studio?
Godlands: Every song is different, sometimes I start with a melody, other times I start with a beat… a lot of times it gets nowhere but at least I gave it a red hot go.
DJ Life Mag: When you have a rough week or hit a wall creatively, how do you get yourself back on track?
Godlands: I literally don’t even look at my computer screen, I have to fully decompress for a week. I like to game or go out with my friends, exercise or literally just do chores around the house – being stuck creatively is really draining and so it’s imperative for any artist to have time away and come back with fresh ears and mind to smash another project out.
DJ Life Mag: How did your hard-hitting collaboration “TELL ME” with Tisoki come together?
Godlands: Tisoki hit me up after I sent him the original song and really wanted to jump on the project. I couldn’t say no and from there it was a super easy back and forth with ideas and refinements.
DJ Life Mag: Tell us a little about your new GODSP33D EP. How does it differ from your previous work?
Godlands: In general my sound has progressed, this EP especially feels a lot more cohesive sonically. I feel like I’ve grown as an artist and ‘GODSP33D’ has been some of my best work yet.
DJ Life Mag: Monstercat has become a staple within the world of electronic dance music; how does it feel to have an EP out on the imprint?
Godlands: I feel so blessed that such an institution such as Monsterat believes in the Godlands project. They’ve been such a huge support in welcoming new artists. I’m truly so humbled to have an incredible team behind me and is definitely a bucket list label to be apart of.
DJ Life Mag: After unveiling your new EP to the world, what’s next for Godlands?
Godlands: I’m happy to announce I’m heading to Europe to play Amnesia in Ibiza and also Tomorrowland. So crazy!
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