INTERVIEWS
Checking in: 1tbsp's 'Hotel Living'
Coinciding with the release of his latest EP, Mixmag ANZ sat down with 1tbsp for a moment of reflection about momentum, artistic identity and the industry’s growing demand for authenticity.
It’s been difficult to ignore the rise to prominence of 1tsbp. The Meanjin/Brisbane-born, Gadigal Land/Sydney-based producer captured everyone’s attention in 2024 with the release of ‘megacity1000’, a full-length record that juxtaposed big reggaeton productions with light, bright, and sparkling pop bangers. A follow-up to another album released the year prior, ‘Mosquito Love’, 1tbsp found himself in interviews, with loads of radio play and several tours across Australia and the globe.
The DJ and producer is no stranger to this, however. Before he was 1tbsp, producer Maxwell Byrne was already a Grammy Award Nominee, for his work on BAYNK’s 2022 album ‘ADOLESCENCE’, and had already had a very successful career as a musician under the moniker Golden Vessel.
Max is clearly an artist with plenty to say, and without much fear of figuring it out. It’s rare that producers release such large projects so close to one another, and even rarer when they sound as polished and refined as 1tbsp’s latest EP, ‘Hotel Living’.
This time a 6-track EP, ‘Hotel Living’ is a testament to the growing attention that the 1tbsp has had across a variety of musical scenes. Features from the likes of returning vocalist cherry chola, Purient, Meth Math, DJ ADHD and MC Pânico keep the EP feeling fresh and impressively cohesive with so many genres and sounds to cover.
With ‘Hotel Living’ having just been released last week, Mixmag ANZ sat down with 1tbsp for a moment of reflection on momentum, artistic identity, and the industry’s growing demand for authenticity.
Q: ‘megacity1000’ only came out mid/late last year, and yet you’re back with a 6-track release. How do you keep up that kind of momentum?
1tbsp: Haha it’s definitely felt a bit like i’m chasing my tail, I only keep just making the deadlines. But I felt like I had some more songs in me after that album so just kept making stuff, and here we are.
Q: ‘Rush (Missing Out On Me)’ is your second collaboration with cherry chola & your first with Purient. What has it been like working with such established vocalists while still making music that feels true to the 1tbsp project?
1tbsp: I love working with Cherry, she’s such a fast writer and down to try anything. And with Purient, we just worked over email! I actually sampled an Acopia vocal on an idea I made and sent it to her, and then she wrote a new vocal part over the instrumental, and then I replaced the instrumental. So we ended up with something completely different but it was an interesting way to work. And we’re meeting each other for the first time at the Brisbane show!
Q: Both ‘Hotel Living’ and ‘megacity1000’ have such clear visual identities. What is it like to bring your music to life across illustrations and visuals?
1tbsp: I think it’s my favourite part! And the concept always appears about halfway through making the project. I have some very talented friends that I share the ideas with and then I get back their interpretation of it too which really helps build the worlds.
Q: I’ve seen at the shows for this tour that you set up a ‘hand-drawn’ looking castle as the stage. Can you provide some details on how you conceived this and why that kind of aesthetic has found its way into your actual shows?
1tbsp: Yeah, I commissioned my friend Vissy Hoffie to make it two years ago for a party I threw in Brisbane. It’s a bit of a pain to set up, so am using it only for select shows, but we had it at the Sydney show in Machine Hall because it’s such a beautiful space with big white walls. It’s so nice to have something big and tangible that mirrors the visual aspects of the project.
Q: The music you’ve released over the last year exhibits a wide range of sounds, yet remains true to the predominantly upbeat tone of the project. What kind of throughline are you aiming for in your music, and particularly in ‘Hotel Living’?
1tbsp: I think the throughline is hopefully making music that works well in the club but is also very listenable outside of that setting and is very hooky. I love vocals and melody.
Q: sumoclic has remained a constant for you since 2020. Why is putting music out on your own label so important to you?
1tbsp: I think the main reason I love doing things through sumoclic is how quick and easy it is. There’s no one to give an unwanted opinion on what I should be doing, or making me do excessive social media plans, and that suits the quick output of the music. Also it’s great to own my own masters and make a living off of that.
Q: Your music is a quirky, off-kilter alternative to a lot of the more ‘serious’ electronic music being produced in Australia right now. Has that counterpoint been intentional?
1tbsp: Yeah I think a goal of the project is to exist in nice-ness or cute-ness. Mietze Conte and my friends in Vienna have been a big influence on me as a lot of them kind of exist in the same space too. And I think it translate at the shows, as they’re a lot of fun and the people that come are lovely.
Q: Through your collabs with cherry chola, MC Pânico, and across much of the percussion in your music, there’s a consistent homage & interpretation of reggaeton going on. Why do you keep coming back to that energy?
1tbsp: Ah I just love it so much! The way it makes people move is so infectious. And Spanish/Portuguese sounds so good in this style of music. It’s always so funny when people find out I’m from Brisbane.
Q: 1tbsp has been getting a lot of your attention for the last few years. Has there been a conscious effort to leave Golden Vessel behind, or do you plan to return to that project at some point? To that end, where does the decision to start from the beginning on a project come from?
1tbsp: I think i’ve retired the live show for Golden Vessel, but am still making music for it atm, as well as some projects in the narrative film space that i’m close to sharing. With starting 1tbsp, it just felt like it would be too cluttered on Golden Vessel to have these opposing styles, and i made that first 1tbsp EP just for fun. I didn’t expect to be focusing so much on it as I am now.
Q: I was recently listening to your mix on Killian’s FBi Radio show M5, which I read was made up of tracks that inspire not only 1tbsp but Golden Vessel too. I found it interesting to contrast that with your 2023 Triple J Mix Up mix, which is far far housier & dancey. Could you explain how artists like Broadcast or Adrianne Lanker are visible within the music you make or how you make it?
1tbsp: Yeah that M5 mix was fun for me, i’ve never been able to share that part of my taste in that way before. I don’t listen to so much dance music outside of DJing or digging, so this year i’ve been trying to find ways to incorporate more of my other tastes into mixing. Recently at 1tbsp shows i’ve snuck in some Dean Blunt, Bar Italia, Neon Indian & CCFX in between the reggaeton and techno.
Q: You’ve just started the tour for ‘Hotel Living’, which includes some shows in Aotearoa/New Zealand. What are you most excited about in taking this release into the real world?
1tbsp: Unexpectedly this EP is really upbeat, it wasn’t really the plan. But all the songs are already really fun to play in the set, once people know them as well I think it’ll be extra special.
Q: What do you think that shows can provide for you as an artist, particularly when your music is so headphone-friendly?
1tbsp: I think in DJing I’m often playing a year ahead of where my production is at, finding interesting combinations and then trying to interpret those at home on Ableton. So there’s that aspect, and since the music is headphone-friendly it’s so helpful to see how to make that music still work in a club context. As well as building an audience, travelling, earning money, having fun etc etc
Q: What do you hope for the future of your music & as an artist?
1tbsp: It’s been fun & interesting to see this project start to really connect with people, i’m excited to be on the ride and to see where it goes.
Q: Is there anything you hope for, for ANZ’s music scenes more broadly?
1tbsp: I just moved to Sydney and have been really inspired by the beautiful scene here that seems to be rebuilding post lockout laws. Even though I’m in dance music haha, I wouldn’t mind things to swing back a little from every festival being so DJ focused now - I like variety.
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Jack Colquhoun is Mixmag ANZ's Managing Editor, find him on Instagram.
