Set Mo may just be the hardest working producers in Aus dance music

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Set Mo may just be the hardest working producers in Aus dance music

Aussie exports Set Mo have gone above and beyond in cementing their name in Aus music history over the past few years, levelling up from club circuit regulars to something of a national treasure off the back of a some huge release that have all raked in millions of streams across the board. The momentum never seems to slow down for these lads, and their new release plan for 2018 is a clear reflection of that.

The local duo – who finally joined forces a few years back after being solo DJs for nearly a decade –  have kicked off #SetMoTAM (Track A Month) which, as you might have guessed, sees them releasing new music on the first Friday of each month. Now into their fourth instalment of the series, Set Mo have tied the releases into a stacked, nationwide tour made up of a whopping 24 dates in just over 2-months.

We caught up with the guys from Set Mo this week to talk shop, and to seek help getting our head around this monster monthly music plan they have kicked off in 2018.

Stoney Roads: Hey guys! What a way to start the year – you guys have been smashing out tours, festivals and of course your #SetMoTAM (Track A Month). How do you manage to stay on top of everything? Any tips of the trade?

Set Mo: We’ve definitely been trying to figure this one out ourselves for the first part of the year. We’re both creatures of habit during the week so we’re in the studio Tue – Friday generally working on music as well as having dedicated sessions for going over new music or any extras that might pop up (like this cheeky interview). One thing that is key to not burning out is keeping your body and mind healthy when not on the road. We both regularly exercise, meditate and eat healthily so we’re in peak condition to smash burgers and tequilas come game time on the weekend.

SR: Speaking of TAM, what can we expect for the coming month’s tracks? Can you drop any hints?

SM: In short you can expect a real mixed bag. There’s a wide range of styles and tempos as we spent much of the last 12-18 months really experimenting with our songwriting and production. Some are more tradition song structures like you have heard from us in the past as well as some more club oriented tracks like our After Dark EP. Then there’s also some that will totally surprise you as they’re unlike anything we’ve released before. Our hottest tip would be to follow us on Spotify so you cop each track as it drops to hear it for yourself 😉

SR: How long have you both been DJing? Has your music changed much over the years?

SM: We’ve both been DJing individually for about 10 years each and have been playing together as Set Mo for the past 6 of those. There’s definitely been a shift in the music we’ve played out as we both started playing electro house in the Ed Banger/Bang Gang days before we’d even met. We both have always had a strong affinity with house since our youth and that’s always come through in our productions and DJ sets for the majority of our DJ careers.

SR: Your stamina sessions had a lot of exposure – where did you get the concept behind these four hour sets?

I think we came up with the idea after a trip to Europe, which included a week in Ibiza for the closing parties, and we loved the extended sets and themed parties that are kind of the norm over there. Having DJ’d for so long we really wanted the opportunity to do that ourselves to some home crowds and so the Stamina Session was born and we had a hell of a time touring it around the country.

SR: Do you think DJing/Producing is a lane you want to exclusively stay in or do you have dreams to move into the live space at anytime in the future?

SM: We absolutely love DJing and will continue to do that well into the future but there are definitely plans for a live show. There are so many different versions of “live” these days we’re just figuring out what the best look and feel is for us and all the music we’re putting out this year.

SR: Being producers/DJs, do you prefer to spend time in a studio or out song hunting?

SM: We love both and it’s hard to pick one to be honest but probably studio time if we had to pick. It’s always a great feeling when you drop an absolute stomper that lights up a dancefloor but it’s an even better feeling when that track is one you’ve made.

SR: With your Track A Month concept is quite unique, what made you decide to do something as bold and challenging as this?

SM: We got to the end of last year and were sitting on so much music that we’re deeply proud of and is quite varied. We wanted to take the listener on a musical journey similar to the journey we went on when writing these songs. We were lucky enough to write in Berlin, London, Amsterdam and across Australia and having recently started our own label we were able to bend the traditional structure of a body of work to achieve this goal, hence the track a month.

SR: We understand you have shared a line-up with Claptone in the past. How are you feeling about playing alongside him again?

SM: We’re stoked, we last played with him at Harbourlife at the end of last year which was a really special gig for us having been attendees of that festival for many years prior. We can’t wait to give it a good nudge in the recently renovated and iconic Roundhouse.

SR: What are 5 songs that you have rotation at the moment?

SM: Here are 5 stompers for you:

So Serious – Illyus & Barrientos

Disorder – Man Without A Clue

Commotion – Vanilla Ace

Havwest – Danny Howard

Unity – Set Mo 😉

SR: Who are some up and coming artists you are keeping an eye on?

SM: Ooh, always hard to pick favourites but we’re both feeling Two Another, High Høøps and Icarus at the moment.

SR: Finally, we are so excited to have you play at Claptone’s mystical masked ball. What are you planning on wearing?

SM: We can’t give everything away, you’ll just have to buy a ticket and head on down to find out!

Listen to Set Mo’s latest cut ‘Near’ featuring Asta below, and catch the boys supporting Claptone in Sydney on his nationwide Masquerade Tour kicking off in next month.

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