Late 2015 saw the emergence of an event organiser, new music collective, and creative brand of ‘KONTRAST’ , “an appeal of Electronica and Techno, ridding of the repetitive assonance”, with club nights at OneSixOne, Revolver Upstairs, New Guernica, Brown Alley and My Aeon (to name a few), and a mini mix podcast series gaining momentum throughout Melbourne and nation wide.
Sandra Sundelin aka Sundelin, originating from Sweden and moving to Australia, is an electronic artist and industrial designer, who studied her engineering internship at KORG Japan. Sundelin is also a Senior Author for Whonos, Team Member of Stable Music, Melbourne and a co-host of ‘Node’, the weekly show on TRNSMT.TV.
Already having supported names such as KiNK, Spencer Parker, Jay Lumen, DJ Tennis, DJ Deep, Randomer, Steve Bug, Stimming, Robert Babicz, Mosca, Hobo, La Fleur, Ben Pearce, Roman Poncet/Traumer and many more.
Mix of the Week - Space 92
Mix of the Week - Max CooperWhat was ‘the track’ and ‘the place’ that made you decide this is what you want to do?
The place was at my old student club in Luleå, Sweden – where I started DJing. It was a lot different from what I do now, but that’s where I got my first kick from playing a track that everyone instantaneously started cheering to and the vibe was amazing. I can’t fully recall what the track was, and to be honest I don’t think I’d like to tell because it was probably something very cheesy and NOT techno at all (haha).
How did you become connected with Stable Music?
After a couple of years in the music industry, I’ve been lucky enough to meet and get to know several people who run events, performers, DJs and producers that are a influential in the scene. I became friends with Kevin Karlberg who is the head of Stable Music, during the first Piknic Electronik season, where I was involved as a promoter, music blogger and interviewing the headliners for the shows.
Tell us some more about your event brand ‘KONTRAST’
We love to support local talent; Melbourne and Australia have so many – both up-and-comers, and veterans – that deserve a proper spotlight and accreditation. Apart from that we want to connect the sonic and visual senses to create extraordinary experiences. The sounds we want to push are underground, experimental and groovy techno.
Do you think it’s hard to stand out in Melbourne with so many successful acts?
It’s definitely tough competition with so many people wanting to DJ today, not just in Melbourne, but also around the globe. As with anything, you have to somehow have your unique vibe to stand out, but also networking and knowing the right people is a big part of it too. I believe that as long as what you do comes from the heart, it will shine through and that will always reward you back.
Tell us more about your residency at Revolver and how important it is to have a residency in the city of Melbourne?
I’ve been a resident at Revolver Upstairs for 2 years now and I always love to play there. I normally do the early morning set for Revolver Fridays run by Mike Callander. Playing from 5am, I usually have a pretty good crowd to work with. The challenge is to keep everyone staying up until dawn.
The importance of a residency in your city is that you really get to know a certain local crowd, what they want and how they react. This is difficult if you are performing at different venues and events where the expectations can vary a lot.
Recently you supported Terry Francis (Fabric – London), for his recent tour to Australia. How was that event?
It was a great night run by Trust, who booked the Fabric veteran Terry Francis down to play upstairs at Boney. I love this venue, and you can get a nice dark and mysterious vibe upstairs that suits house and techno well. Terry ended up playing 6.5 hours straight, which was amazing! His style of DJing was inspiring, as he worked the intensity of the songs, keeping the performance interesting throughout the duration of the set.
What are your 5 hot-spots to head out to in Melbourne for people who love Techno?
When it comes to choosing a venue for techno in Melbourne, it is also very much depending on the night and the crew organising the event. There aren’t many places that play techno throughout the whole weekend. But below are what would be the best bets for good techno in Melbourne. My Aeon, Boney, Revolver Upstairs, Brown Alley and Lounge
However, there are many more venues that would do techno – I recommend finding your favourite techno collectives, and follow them where they go!
With your Studio equipment increasing, can you please tell us more about what hardware or instrument that you would love to produce with, and sometime down the track own?
There are many nice pieces of hardware and instruments out there that I’d love to be able to play on. I would have to say that the next 2 things on my wish list would probably be a Korg Minilouge, or to start a Eurorack modular system (I’d love to build some modules of my own too), and either a Push 2 or a Novation Circuit for better workflow. I also need to buy a bigger soundcard at some stage!
What angle do you take with production – types of instruments, any cultural influences?
I am still trying to figure out my sound, and being a perfectionist isn’t always helping! I have been doing a lot ‘in the box’, but have slowly gathered a bit more hardware to be able to be more tactile and intuitive while producing. My set up is still very small; I am using a Moog Minitaur, Tanzbar Lite and Novation LaunchPad Mini and LaunchKey Mini. Normally I get going on my drum machine, to set the percussion’s and beat patterns that I like. Then I get playing with the bass on the moog, and I record everything in several takes. Later on, I start chopping samples and arrange it all out into a track. I wish I could have a more straightforward workflow where I would just play and record straight up. This is something I aim to work towards.
You’re playing a special set at Slyfox, Sydney on Saturday 16th June. Are you excited about playing interstate? And what have you got in mind for the show?
This will be my second gig in Sydney, so I am very excited! I am very keen to start playing interstate more, and even outside the Australian borders eventually. I have heard good things about Slyfox, so I am looking forward to get to know the crowd there.
Tracklisting
1. Radiance (Original Mix) – Cryptik
2. Behind The Sun (Re-Kon Dub) – Ø [Phase]
3. Small Format (Original Mix) – Ron Costa
4. Psycholka (Original Mix) – Wolfgang Voigt
5. Submerge (Original Mix) – Andre Galluzzi
6. FlashCrash (Dubspeeka Remix) – AFFKT feat Sutja Gutierrez
7. On Hold (Original mix) – Pepote
8. Casino (Trev’dub) – Trevino
9. Dream Confusion (Original Mix) – TKNO
10. Ologram (Original mix) – Danny Daze, rHr.
11. Insomnia (Original Mix) – Z.I.P.P.O
12. Salie (Original Mix) – Regal (ES)
13. Consignia (Truncate Remix) – Truncate, Kamera UK
14. Whispers of Love (Original Mix) – Regal (ES)
15. Quatar (Audio Injection Remix) – Mikael Jonasson
16. Space Programm (Flug Remix) – Simo Lorenz
17. Royal (Original Mix) – Regal (ES)
18. Short Circuit (Original Mix) – Andre Crom
