MYRNE Talks SoundCloud Love Letters, Signing To Mad Decent And Asia’s Electronic Music Scene

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MYRNE Talks SoundCloud Love Letters, Signing To Mad Decent And Asia’s Electronic Music Scene

If you’re yet to discover MYRNE then you really need to check yourself because this guy is seriously one to watch.

Hailing from Singapore, MYRNE has been doing a lot of big things in the short amount of time he has been on the scene, and it all makes sense when you give an ear to some of his music.

We caught up with MYRNE ahead of his current Aus tour and chatted about a bunch of different stuff. Signing to MAD DECENT was one of those things, his friendship with Enschway was another and we also tapped into the current landscape of dance music in Asia.

Check it out below, and be sure to catch him while he is in town, peep the tour dates here.

Stoney Roads: First up, big congratulations are in order for signing to Mad Decent. Big ups. Have you always been a fan of the label?

MYRNE: They’ve been around for a long time and done a lot for the culture. I chanced upon the video for Rusko’s ‘Woo Boost’ and I fell in love with the weirdness of it all. The Dillon Francis ‘Westside’ EP came around the same time and I got excited finding this whole new world of music – I couldn’t name another label that’d take chances on records like that. I knew they were doing something right from that point.

SR: In signing to them you also simultaneously became their first signee based in Asia. How does that make you feel?

M: Asia definitely doesn’t get enough love in the global dance scene. We’re on the backend of a lot of electronic movements, really due to how diverse we are as a continent. We speak hundreds of different languages just in Southeast Asia – it’s hard to find something everyone can relate to. The Mad Decent release gave me confidence that I was doing something right & that it doesn’t matter where you’re from.

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SR: It goes without saying that in mainstream electronic music there’s definitely a higher population of artists coming out of America and Europe. Do you think this has made it easier or harder to build your own career coming out of Singapore? 

M: It’s easier in the sense you have a lot of headspace. In Asia I’m not pressured to constantly release; I don’t have to constantly compare myself to artists around me. It’s only slightly harder in the sense that I can’t hang out with my URL music friends as easily.

SR: We see you’re pretty tight with local dudes like Enschway – how’d these relationships start?

M: We connected while we were working on Daruma (our collective/label), and we only met in real life when I played at World Bar several months later. Prior to that he kept sending me unanswered love letters on Soundcloud.

SR: You’ve worked alongside some pretty huge producers like Gramatik, Dirty Chocolate and Graves. What’s the biggest lesson you’ve learnt over that period of time?

M: Collaborating is a crazy experience made easy with the internet and computers. You don’t have to be in the studio together, or the same timezone. It’s an amazing way to grow as a producer. The biggest takeaway was learning how to appreciate different workflows and that there aren’t any right or wrong methods in music.

SR: While for the past few years it’s remained a relatively new sound, trap is now anything but new. What do you think producers will have to do to keep it sounding fresh?

M: There are a lot of homies out there constantly pushing the envelope – people just have to know where to dig. Electric Mantis, Medasin, Sober Rob, Juelz, Dabow, Promnite, Krane, Rickyxsan, QUIX, Ramzoid, Mr. Carmack. They’re all fit to be branded genres in their own right. I think what’s important is never to be afraid of creating – e.g. cutting a demo because it isn’t ‘clubby’ or ‘anthemy’ enough, etc. I used to make music so big DJs would play them. Now I just make music for myself.

SR: Would you say you have as big an audience at home in Singapore as you do overseas? Why do you think that is?

M: I think the crowds here in Singapore are really supportive of what I do and that’s why I have at least five or six hometown shows a year. It’s natural that my music is more accessible here and it’s easier to connect with local listeners first. Having said that, Soundcloud and Spotify have made my music accessible to listeners all over the world, and I still think audiences overseas are generally more excited to catch guest DJs live, just because you won’t know when the next time you’ll be able to see them is.

SR: You’re also in Australia for your first tour over here this week, what are you most excited about for the upcoming shows?

M: Australia has one of the best crowds in the world, because everyone is more concerned with having fun than looking good or flexing their wealth in the club. Energy here is crazy and I have the freedom togo edgier in my sets.……..Also excited to be the first DJ that tours Australia without taking selfies with kangaroos.

SR: Finally, you’re following 420 people on Soundcloud – is that on purpose?

M: ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

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