INTERVIEWS
How Australia Helped Shape Chris Stussy’s Career
Ahead of appearances at Beyond The Valley & Wildlands Festival, the Dutch DJ & producer shares what Australia has meant to him over the years.
Mixmag ANZ is a media partner of Beyond The Valley & Wildlands Festival.
While large-scale international tours are a near-weekly regularity across Australia and Aotearoa/New Zealand’s major cities, few artists have developed a relationship with overseas punters quite like Chris Stussy.
The Dutch producer and DJ has been coming to Australia since 2018, a ritual he’s embraced on a near-yearly basis, rather than just another long-haul obligation. What began as a career-defining leap is now one of his most trusted tours, and an opportunity for him to touch base with a crowd that helped make him who he is.
This year, Chris Stussy’s visit to Australia sees him in headline position at Beyond The Valley and Wildlands festivals, in and around the NYE period alongside a show at Naarm’s Pica warehouse, with Australia’s summer as his consistent backdrop.
Ahead of those appearances, we sat down with Stussy to talk about what most excites him for his near-yearly return, and the state of dance as 2025 draws to a close.
Q: Chris, thanks so much for your time. You’re returning to Australia, but it hasn’t been long at all! What excites you most about coming back?
CS: Travelling 24 hours down under is always a commitment, so every trip feels special. We plan these tours almost a year ahead, block out 2–3 weeks, and make sure we have time actually to enjoy the cities we’re in. Australia has always welcomed me so warmly, so coming back never feels like “just another tour.”
Q: Australia has become a must-do stop for you. Why do you think somewhere so far away has become such a crucial spot for you & your music?
CS: Ever since 2018, when I went to Australia for the first time, I’ve come back yearly. It was my first international tour and brought me a lot. I felt this was opening many doors for me as an artist, and I could do what I wanted since I started playing out more and more abroad.
Q: What have you come to learn about Australian crowds as you’ve continued to return here?
CS: The Australian crowd is very on it. The number of messages I always get asking when I’m back makes me feel really appreciated by everyone. They see you make the effort coming all the way and show that energy on the dancefloor. It might be far away, but they know their stuff and know my music - released and unreleased. They are definitely engaging a lot.
Q: I was reading an old interview where you referred to the crowd at a gig for S.A.S.H as being “educated”. What does that mean in the context of a dancefloor?
CS: Educated for me means they understand you are listening to a DJ and don't necessarily see the show as a ‘concert’ where you might expect all the big tracks from someone; be open-minded and let the DJ take you by surprise on a proper journey through sound. I feel I can do that if I play longer than 1 hour, of course. In a 3-hour set, you could really bring a broader spectrum to the table. That’s when I enjoy playing the most.
Q: How do you plan for that kind of crowd versus a crowd back at home in Europe?
CS: I prepare the same for every show, bring new music, and have a playlist for each one. I don’t really prepare differently; the only difference is the venue/club you play vs.
An open-air festival stage. You bring warehouse-type tunes to the club and have these summer vibe tracks to the festival stage. But the rest is relatively easy for me.
Q: There’s this real convergence of many genres happening right now. I first became aware of your work when you were in a bit more of a minimal zone, but that’s now converged with tech house, and house music elements are becoming more prominent in that, too. Why do you think that is happening right now?
CS: At the start of my career, I was the warm-up DJ, so I was making stuff that suited that era of my career. It progressed to becoming a headliner at a show, and then you make more peak-time music that could work in a club or at a festival. But I’d just like to make music more in line with how I am feeling, not focused on where it is supposed to be played.
I still play more minimal stuff; I just combine it more with a broader range of house music in its purest form. Garage, breakbeats, tech house, it’s all boxes, and I just like to call it house, which is what I play.
Sometimes a bit harder, sometimes more euphoric, it all depends on the crowd, the party and the place. There’s a time and place for everything.
Q: How do you think that, in the massive behemoth that is dance music, sounds can stand out when everything is also becoming so homogenised?
CS: Consistency is what will stand out. You can have one big record and then not have any follow-up music, and you will be forgotten quicker, since the sound travels way faster than it did back in the day. Showing up, learning from mistakes, and taking risks are what have always helped me move forward.
Doing what my own mind tells me to do, just following my ears, really and doing what you like. Not making stuff because you have to, but because you want to. You have to really love what you do because there are so many producers at the moment at a very high level, but it takes a few years to really get that signature sound defined.
Q: Dance music has never been bigger. Do you think the bubble will ever burst?
CS: Music will keep growing. I don’t like to speculate too much about what could happen, but I just enjoy the moment we are in. I feel it’s a 10-year cycle that keeps repeating, and you see sounds coming back and then slowly moving away again. It keeps everyone interested, and there is plenty of choice for people to enjoy.
Q: I was reading an interview with DJ Mag where you said that for that reason, you live in the moment. “We’re all in this now, and it can be over in two years,” you said. How does that outlook affect how you pace your career?
CS: It doesn’t affect me at all, to be honest. I still enjoy what I do every day; it doesn’t feel like work for me. I do try to invest my time in stuff that is useful for me, as travelling takes up a lot of my time. I have to be very mindful with sessions for the studio, friends and family.
Q: It’s in some ways the burden of an artist to feel pressured to ‘evolve’. Is there any The direction you hope to ‘evolve’ in, in the future?
CS: I plan to become a better producer every day. I am trying lots of new things lately, and I am really enjoying these moments of making something different. It doesn’t mean I am going to change my sound; I would just like to show my versatility as a producer. The same goes for my DJ sets; I always like to improve and keep pushing myself to bring something new to the table.
Q: You’re set to be here for NYE, playing the likes of Wildlands in Meanjin/Brisbane, Boorloo/Perth, Beyond The Valley and a show at Pica in early January. How do you balance celebrating a new year with doing a job & working?
CS: In all honesty, I don’t really celebrate a new year. And what I said earlier, it doesn’t feel like work, so it’s pretty easy for me, actually. I just enjoy the moment of being with your loved ones and having a little moment together, and from that point, life just goes on, really.
Q: What do you think the energy at that time brings to a dancefloor that you don’t find at other times of the year? How does that influence how you yourself perform?
CS: It’s a pretty hyped moment, I am not a big fan of it, but mostly I feel everyone is there with super fresh energy and new standards into the new year.
Q: Generally speaking, Australia often looks to Europe as inspiration for its own scenes. Do you think that’s warranted, or in your experience of Australia, is there plenty here to celebrate?
CS: Every country has its own charm. And so has Australia. I love it over here! The scene is fresh and alive, and I can’t wait to be back at the end of the year and rock all these shows!
Q: Have you got any advice for new producers, specifically in Australia?
CS: Just do your own thing, send your music to like-minded people / your friends that are honest with you, that aren’t afraid to tell you something needs to improve. I am still learning myself after 13 years of producing, and I love it. You should always be open to learn something, and I feel like we can learn something every single day.
-
Beyond The Valley takes place in the Barunah Plains from Sunday, December 28, 2025, to Thursday, January 1, 2026.
Wildlands Festival takes place in Meanjin/Brisbane on Thursday, January 1, at the Brisbane Showgrounds, and in Boorloo/Perth on Saturday, January 3, at Arena Joondalup.
Chris Stussy’s headline show at Pica Warehouse takes place on Friday, January 9.
