A-Tonez Interview

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Coming up on 13 years in the business, DJ and Producer A-Tonez has a lot of accomplishments under his belt. With a Ministry Of Sound release in the works and a recent signing to Soapbox Artist Agency, we caught up with A-Tonez and chatted all about his extraordinary whirlwind career.

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Hi Anthony. How are you?
Hey guys, I’m absolutely amazing. I’m 2 coffees in and feeling good.

Where in the world are you currently?
Currently sitting with 3 seats to myself on a plane somewhere between Australia and & New Zealand.

You’ve recently joined Soapbox. How over the moon are you about that? How does it feel?
Yeah I’m absolutely loosing it. It is such an honor to join such a credible roster with so manly quality Australian acts. Not to mention so many good friends of mine work for the label, or are signed to it so I guess you could say it feels like a massive family.

How would you describe the Sydney music scene? What do you love about it?
The Sydney scene is very diverse with successful weekly parties ranging from Minimal and Techno through the House genres and a very healthy Electro scene. As with many scenes, there is always a shift of crowds and the mass taste, which I think is really healthy. Change is always good, sometimes it may not seem it but if everything just stayed the same all the time I think we would get bored pretty quickly. Obviously the new lockout laws have shaken things up a fair bit, but I feel like most people are adapting and doing the best they can with what we have been dealt.

You stand out because of your superior showmanship. What can we expect from seeing A-Tonez perform?
The first thing I guess anyone would say you would expect to see is me never stop smiling or moving. It’s just something that has come very natural to me over the years while performing. I’m always having such a great time on stage and I like the crowd to see that but also I think it’s very important to not come across fake, as people will see straight through that. I would like to think it’s infectious and in turn means the partygoers enjoy themselves more. Oh yeah, you might see some scratching in there too.

You’ve been in the business for 13 years now. What would you say your biggest personal achievement has been?
Wow I wouldn’t even know where to start. “ALL OF IT” I would think from a personal level. I feel so gracious to be a part of and be respected in the scene the way I am. I also have to pinch myself that I get to wake up each morning… or afternoon and know that this is now my career.

What do you particularly love about producing?
Producing is something I got into at a later point of me DJing, as when I started getting into DJing back in 2000 at the age of 12 I actually didn’t even know what a producer was. Now I really do enjoy just kicking back in a studio or even just like right now on a plane and be able to throw down some ideas. I’m a big believer of working with other people in the studio, so I aim to do that as much as possible as that way you will never stop learning.

You’ve held residencies at some of the best clubs in the country. Which has been your favourite and why?
I have been very blessed in this regard; I feel like a parent trying to pick their favorite kid right now. I definitely have to give credit to Chinese Laundry as that has been my home for the last 5 years in Sydney and has really been the grounding to my career but in the last 6 months I’ve had the pleasure of playing some of the biggest rooms in the country such as Pacha and Home in Sydney, The Met in Brisbane and Villa in Perth. These clubs hold around 2k-3k people, so playing to rooms like that with full-scale production is just an awesome feeling!

You have an outstanding list of acts you’ve supported. Is there anyone that you would absolutely love to add to that list?
This is another one of those picking kids moments. I’ve been so lucky to get to support/work and meet with so many of my idols. As far as adding to that list I could probably sit here all day running off names, especially as I have my finger in a few different genre pies but on that note I’ll give 3 names:
High Contrast
Pendulum
Fatboy Slim

Do you ever get nervous opening for huge acts?
I still get nervous almost every time I play. I love that feeling though, it’s what keeps me on my toes. When warming up, there is so much thinking and time that goes into those sets, as it is arguably the most important set of the night. If you get a warm-up wrong there’s a good chance you will never warm up a major act again. In saying that, they are probably my favorite of sets to play as you have a room full of genuine fans into the styles similar to that artist as well as the room to stretch your legs a bit and play some more obscure records (as long as they fit the style).

Tell us a bit about the Ministry of Sound release you have coming up.
I was recently asked to mix the next Ministry Of Sound “On The Download” digital compilation for the label, which showcases some of the biggest records at the moment from guys like Peking Duk, Joel Fletcher, Tommy Trash Showtek, Bloody Beetroots and heaps more. The mix goes for just over an hour and shows to people that I’m not just a bass head and that I do really enjoy playing bigger commercially viable records. It’s released early June so keep an eye on iTunes.

What can fans expect from A-Tonez in the future?
Fans can expect lots more touring, as right now I don’t think I have a free weekend until August and definitely a load more productions. There is some new remixes coming out and I’ve got a few originals being finalized at the moment and some collabs, which I’m really excited about. There are no signs of slowing down anytime soon that’s for sure!

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