LISTS
Willaris. K shares the playlist that got him through recording his latest record
With the release of 'Everything Is As It Should Be' still very visible in the rear view, the artist shares a vulnerable list of tracks that pushed him through it.
Willaris. K (he/him) is an artist whose name has been forever burned into the pixels of any Australian screen. Since 2018, his work has been both a reflection and an ever-morphing evolution of electronic music both at home and abroad.
He leapt out of the gates as a frontrunner for an entirely new generation of Australian producers. With the release of his second full length record ‘Everything Is As It Should Be’ in the last month, Willaris. K has demonstrated that time has taught him how to communicate his emotions with music even more effectively.
When your music is so emotionally driven, where do you find comfort when you may not yet know what you’re trying to say?
Willaris. K has put together a playlist of inspiration, tracks to unwind to in the process and ones that got him through some of its hurdles, to give us an idea of what his creative process really sounds like.
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3 TRACKS THAT INSPIRED ‘EVERYTHING AS IT SHOULD BE’
HUDSON MOHAWKE - ‘LONELY DAYS’
This song embodies the feeling I’m chasing while making music. The feeling of acceptance when things aren’t going right (which relates directly to the album title). The back half of the album is leaning heavily on this feeling. “shit’s fucked but it’s gonna be alright” type feeling.
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AGAINST ALL LOGIC - ‘PENNY’
Against All Logic and Nicolas Jaar always gets me excited to make music. Weird/freaky production always does. Something about starting an idea and experimenting with new production techniques rather than trying to write a song always leads you to new places sonically. Gets you out of your usual habits. Making a full idea, exporting it, then sampling that for a whole new idea, making weird effects chains, etcetera.
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BEN FROST - ‘THEORY OF MACHINES’
Similar notes to above. This song makes me want to sprint through a wall.
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3 TRACKS FOR DOWNTIME
THE DURUTTI COLUMN - ‘OTIS’
Flogged this song while I was making the album. Love that repetitive guitar percussive thing just on loop while he lets the guitar rip around it. Beautiful stuff. Reminds me of being with my family.
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DAINE - ‘NEW GROUND’
Went back through my Spotify top songs 2022 when I was making the album and this was way up there. Such a sick song. That guitar drop around 1 min is hectic (pretty sure it’s Lonelyspeck?).
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SEEKAE ‘JOHN DUNCAN’
My go to plane song. Put it on loop and pass out. Seekae are my favourite band. Hope they return someday.
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2 PIVOTAL SONGS FOR DIFFICULT PERIODS
HAAi - ‘HEAD ABOVE THE PARAKEETS’
Beautiful song, beautiful production. Love everything about it. That hopeful feeling.
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SALEM - ‘KING KNIGHT’
I gravitate toward more ‘g up’ type tracks in difficult periods. I’m not one to marinate in sadness. More trying to find a way out, and this track is one of them.
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‘Everything As It Should Be’ is available on all streaming platforms and available for purchase via Bandcamp.
Jack Colquhoun is Mixmag ANZ’s Managing Editor, find him on Instagram.
