Having toured Australia back in 2012 alongside “Battle for Middle You” producer Julio Bashmore, T.Williams is on shores once again to kill it on an expansive club tour with a very special day party in Sydney this Saturday the 19th of April at a yet to be announced secret location.

Last Thursday night, we caught up for a chin wag while he was en route to his DJ residency at BBC Radio 1 HQ to talk about his last time in Australia saving Julio’s set, the new live show (and album), what place drugs has in the dance scene and much much more!

SR: Do do you have any plans once you have landed?

TW: Funnily enough it’s my birthday while i’m in Sydney. So I got to do something!! I got a lot of time in Sydney, I spend 4 days in Sydney during the week with my days off so maybe we can think of something that could be cool to do.

SR: Yeah man that would be cool! So, the word ‘versatile’ has become synonymous with your productions as you slip and slide between grime, general bass tracks and your more recent house output. How has this benefited you over the years?

TW: It’s benefited me because I have a real true understanding of where the genres have come from, so in terms of the roots of the music house, garage, bass itself and being young and being a raver, and being a real geek with buying records and all the rest of it! Retrospectively, people that are here now go back and look at Youtube clips and do digging like that, where as for me, i’ve had it since the day it came around, so that’s been a big benefit seeing genres grow.

SR: So based on that vibe, back in 2011 you were quoted as saying “You have to be an engineer these days because your tracks can’t be 50/50 when they’re played out in the club.” – Do you think that advice has become standard over the years?

TW: The techniques that young producers are learning from day one, just to make there music sound as good as someone else is basically engineering techniques. When I was coming into the game, you could go to the studio and have the engineer there. Now you have to be that person who does all of it and to be honest it’s becoming more and more true and more and more natural now!

SR: The last time we saw you in Australia, you were playing with Julio Bashmore and were securely behind the ones and twos. What ever came of your live show? Can we expect it in Australia for this tour?

TW: The live show will be something that comes around when the new album is ready!

SR: Do you have a timeline on when you would like to get the album out there?

TW: To be clear, I’m currently working on the new album now!

SR: Are you working closely with anyone closely, like Julio Bashmore on the album?

TW: No, to be fair, I’ve been working with the same people / singers that i’ve been working with already like Tendai, Tala, Himal, Alix, these are all people who have been working with and will feature on my album.

SR: What impact, direct or other have drugs had on the history of dance and electronic music and it’s place today?

TW: I s’pose it’s got a massive place in dance music to be fair, I mean i’ve never taken drugs in my life so I don’t know how it affects people in terms of how the enjoyment of music goes down, but if i’d play somewhere where there were no alcohol, drugs not nothing, the atmosphere is a little different, do you know what I mean? They receive the music a little differently, not that that is a bad thing!

SR: Do you feel like between sets that you play where you have drank and you haven’t, there is a difference to get the vibe of the room?

TW: If i’ve had a drink or two, like, I have a ritual where i have a shot of brandy and cognac and i’m good to go and I might not have a drink again the whole night. When I don’t drink, it’s not detrimental to my set.

I think even that set I played in Sydney in 2012, I don’t think i even had a drink that night because it was quite a stressful night to be fair until I actually came off the set, because i was meant to leave an hour after my set to fly to the UK. But because the night was so stressful, the promoter paid for an extra 2 nights for me to stay in Sydney.

SR: That’s pretty lucky! I remember Julio Bashmore was having issues with his set once you had finished?

TW: He was having issues with his set and I basically sorted it all out for him! (said jokingly) Saved his set for him!

SR: As a producer who lives off his work, what advice can you give aspiring music makers?

TW: Just don’t ever give up!!

SR: My biggest influence has been

TW: Garage

SR: My first ever tape i ever bought was

TW: CJ Lewis – Sweet for my sweet

SR: My guilty music pleasure is?

TW: Justin Bieber – confident. I’m actually probably going to get killed for this.. But it has Chance The Rapper on it!!

SR: No, no, honesty is much appreciated! (haha)

Catch T.Williams this long weekend at a secret day party feat Stoney Roads DJs – tickets here!