Adelaide native Tink has put in work as a local DJ since age eighteen; now three years later she’s finding a national audience with her production skills.

Tink’s track ‘HUNIDN1’ was first picked up by Sydney’s FBi Radio in November last year, before quickly finding its way into the hands of presenters at RRR in Melbourne and the Australian youth broadcaster Triple J. She soon joined Nina Las Vegas on Adelaide’s leg of the NLV Presents club tour, alongside a swag of other upcoming talent in dance music.

On the day before Tink’s debut Sydney show at The World Bar, I walked into Stoney Roads’ new offices in Surry Hills for an interview with the talented bass music producer. Before we could sit down and chat though, Stoney bosses Wow and Ubbs put Adelaide in its place by brutally defeating Tink and her manager Sean in a game of foozball. Taking advantage of this humiliation, I peer pressured Tink into rapping a Kanye West song in the middle of our interview (as you do) and it was quite the giggle. Scroll on for that as well as some I-promise-this-is-an-actual-legitimate-interview question and answer stuff.

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Sandro Dallarmi (Stoney Roads): I interviewed you about 4 months ago, and a fair bit has changed since then – getting picked up by Triple J etc – but before we get into that, I really wanna know…do you have any creepy fans? Have you had any moments?

Tink: [Laughs] Have I had any moments? Well this is a common occurrence – when people come up to you and talk to you like you’ve known each other for years, but actually you’ve met them out once and you’ve been a little bit, y’know, slizzard or whatever. They’re acting like they’re your best friend and you’re like “hey you, I really don’t remember your name”. I haven’t really had anything super crazy…yet. But no actually I get so stoked when people say “I can’t wait to see Tink” and everything, especially interstate people. I get so amped off it.

S: Yeah I’m sure there would’ve been a bit of that at the NLV Presents show. How was that by the way?

T: Amazing. It was next level. Seeing Tkay [Maidza] especially – man she can spit. Just seeing a girl rocking it, I love it, it’s great! Also seeing Adelaide acts – local artists like Motez – really give it their all was inspiring. It’s humbling too. For Nina [Las Vegas] to put together parties like that and support Australian music, it’s just really nice to be a part of.

S: Absolutely, I’m really excited about what she’s doing. Did you do her proud with your set on the night?

T: Look I pretty much just twerked [laughs] that’s pretty much what I do most of the time, there’s not much DJing involved. No no I like to go between genres heaps. I have some set sounds that I really would like to play, but then I kind of put in random hip hop songs like [Jay Z & Linkin Park’s] ‘Numb/Encore’ and just random shit. I dunno I guess I just amp off the crowd and party with them. It’s all a party for me, there’s no business at all.

S: Have you been chucking some new tracks in your sets? I hear there’s some new stuff in the works.

T: Oh yeah I’m actually gonna be playing some new stuff tomorrow night, I can’t wait. I’m working on a track that’s very much a Major Lazer feel. That’s the alley I’m going down – the sort of ‘twerk’ thing around a hundred BPM.

S: Well we know you like the ‘HUNIDN1’. Do you have some sort of personal vendetta against vowels and grammar though?

T: I think everyone else has a problem with that [laughs].

S: I’ve heard it pronounced as ‘Houdini One’ on radio before.

T: I know! Exactly. I mean Dom Alessio [of Triple J’s Home & Hosed] was emailing me and saying “I’m not exactly sure how to say it” and every time I’ve listened to him, he says “hunnid-neh-wun”, it’s so funny.

S: It’s even gotten to the point where people think you must be into that so they’ve started spelling ‘Tink’  with a capital K at the end.

T: [Whirls round and points at manager Sean] That’s your fault!

Sean: [Laughs] that is so not my fault!

T: It was his fault okay, it was his fault. He sent an email and he accidentally – who even writes with a capital at the end of a name?

Sean: It’s not actually a thing, but a press release went out saying that Tink was playing that Nina Las Vegas show, and for some reason somebody-

S: -You.

Sean: [Laughs] it was a hundred per cent not me! But somebody along the chain  had accidentally capitalised the K. It’s all fixed up now though.

S: People apparently think you’re a rapper too?

T: Really?

S: There’s a rapper called Tink isn’t there?

T: Oh yeah! Yeah. That’s really hard to compete with because I get messages from American people being like “hey, yo wassup” and I’m like “clearly I do not look anything like this rapper Tink. I’m literally the polar opposite”.

S: You do make rap beats though, so you could kinda take advantage of this situation.

T: Hmm that’s true. I mean I can spit, you know.

S: With that attitude you could pass for the other Tink right now.

T: Thank you. I’m the ivory to her ebony. You give me a Kanye West song and I can do it.

…aaand here comes the funny bit.

S: So obviously you’re not going to do that on the EP.

T: No, no, no. I’ll leave that to Tkay, that’s her kind of thing. Maybe I mean if she wants, whatever.

S: Is this actually a thing that’s happening?

T: I would love to collaborate with her. I think we should make it happen. Hope you’re listening Tkay. You know.

S: What is this “you know” thing?

T: Look I’m just getting ghetto right now. You just made me rap Kanye West, how could I not be ghetto.

Sean:  Tink’s never not ghetto. Just a fun fact for the interview – she refers to Samuel L. Jackson as ‘That Snakes On A Plane Motherfucker’.

T: I couldn’t remember his name!

S: I don’t know if we can add anything more to this interview.

T: This has gone off the rails.

S: Can you at least tell me if there are going to be some off-the-rails antics at World Bar [as I write this now, I can tell you that there definitely were].

T: Oh my gosh. There always is, there is always something that happens. I dunno, I’ve always wanted to crowdsurf. I don’t know how that’s going to go because I’ve never been to World Bar, so who knows. Who knows! Poppin’ bottles.

S: Y’know what I think that’s enough. We’re done here.

T: We’re done with the rapping so we’re fine for the interview.

S: Yep that’s totally fine.

T: [Laughs] oh my gosh, this is totally my first proper interview. How embarassing.

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Tink is 1 of 4 autumn resident DJs on FBi Radio.

Stream her first mix here.