Tom Piper Interview

From his performances in the hottest clubs in Australia courtesy of Ministry of Sound, to his social media prominence, Tom Piper is one of the biggest DJs and producers in the southern hemisphere. Whether he’s behind the decks, in the studio or kicking ass on Playstation, Tom Piper has perfected working hard with playing hard, and is most certainly one you need to witness live when he comes to Chinese Laundry this May.

Hi Tom, how are you?
Hey yo. I’m good. Hope you’re well.

We’re good, thanks! What have you been up to this week?
Well, it’s been a combo of studio action and Playstation so far [Laughs]. Been finishing a remix and couple of originals in between playing ‘Infamous’.

You’re playing at Chinese Laundry in May, what makes the venue perfect for your set?
Laundry is always a vibe. Crowd is mad up for it, sound system is wicked and well, I guess they are the two most important things for me. Gonna be sick.

Will you be playing tracks from your mix of Electro House Sessions 7 with Dave Winnel for Ministry of Sound?
Some of the tunes off there for sure, but it won’t be the majority of my set. Gonna be dropping/testing a few new originals and remixes – perfect testing ground!!!

Besides Chinese Laundry, where else do you enjoy hitting up in Oz?
Ahh there isn’t really anywhere I don’t like playing, otherwise I wouldn’t really do the gig. Everywhere is pretty much vibe. Pardon the vanilla answer.

As the European summer rears its head, will you be doing any travelling?
I don’t think so this year, I might randomly go over for some Spanish vibes if something comes up last minute, but otherwise I’ll def be heading over in Euro autumn.

In terms of new material, you’ve given fans a taste of ‘Rip Up The Riddim’; what has the reaction been like?
Oh yep, that’s the latest club action from me, everyone’s been pretty vibed up on it so far. And sounds great on the floor which is most important! When I do tunes like this I try to keep it playable as for clubs, but different enough so it does just sound like 100 other tunes.

How would you describe the track? (You can’t say fresh!)
[Laughs] Ok. Well, first up it’s not really a timeless classic, it’s a solid club jam that’s perfect for many dance floors at the moment. Hooky leads, big kick, lots of energy and some hype vox. Pretty simple formula, but it works and it sounds like me still. Got a few straight up club vibes like this coming out in between other things I’m doing.

Do you road test music during your sets to get ideas on how it works?
100%. As soon as I have a version of a tune that’s finished enough to play, I’ll be dropping it every chance/revision. It’s pretty much perfect because when I’m writing the club stuff I’m pretty much writing them to play in my sets, so road testing is def the vibe! If anyone out there is writing club tunes and doesn’t have gigs to play them at, they should def get mates to test, especially from a structure & energy level point of view.

You did a stint on Ministry of Sound Radio; were you as comfortable doing live broadcasting as you are on a stage and will you make a return to the airwaves?
Yeah mad fun, really enjoy the radio vibes. I’m sure I’ll be doing another weekly thing again soon. It’s been great to have a little breather though and now I’ve started doing my podcast and a few monthly guest spots.

You’ve got tonnes of character, you’re one of the only artists with a catchphrase and you’re very active on social media; is this all part of the Tom Piper DJ experience?
[Laughs] I guess so, but I mean literally it’s just me. Not really like a set plan. What you’re getting is the pure Piper vibe freshness.

So, what makes someone fresh?
Fuck that’s a hard question, I’m just going to pass… Can’t give away secrets, well not that one anyway.

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever bought?
I bought a robot dog in Japan, weirdest and possibly the biggest waste of money. Only time it is ever used is when someone comes to the studio and says “WTF is that?” – it is pretty cool to be fair but…

When you’re not in your studio or in a club, what do you get up to?
Playstation, sick restaurants & movies (especially world movies because like you get a sick story but also get to see new cultures, locations and usually only the good ones ever leave their country of origin and get localised)

What’s the best party you’ve ever been to?
Ummmmmmmmm fuck I dunno, I guess all the good ones I can’t fully remember… I know that’s a cop out answer sorry [Laughs].

Haha. That’s ok. So tell us instead: which three songs would you blend into each other to make a banging club tune?
Daft Punk – Phoenix

Jammin – Go DJ

The theme from War Of The Worlds (the old school LP one – not from the movie)

I can picture that in my head working somehow!

Thanks, Tom!
Thanks, guys!!!