![CHATOOR - Exclusive Guest Mix + Interview [Trap/Hip Hop]](https://ekm.co/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Chatoor-21-scaled.jpg "CHATOOR - Exclusive Guest Mix + Interview [Trap/Hip Hop]")
What a treat we have for you today! We had the opportunity to have a talk with up and coming Bass music producer CHATOOR from Australia who recently delivered an outstanding remix for BAER’s Bitch Mode. Get to know the man behind so many Festival Trap anthems and make sure to check out the exclusive guest mix he dropped for us right below the interview!
1- How did it all start for you? How did you end up producing and Djing?
I was always a fan of hip-hop music growing up. I’d spend hours in the library at school during my free periods just lurking on rap genius. When I got to college I decided to make a bit of a meme/joke album for this guy I knew. Downloaded Magix Music Maker off Steam and started playing around with loops. It ended up sticking in a massive way and from there I’ve just worked my butt off for six years to start making the kind of music I like to listen to. I used to want to make films so it’s definitely not something I expected.
2- Who is your biggest inspiration / influence? And why?
Artists like Lit Lords and GRAVEDGR are my immediate artistic inspirations. They really play within super strict parameters in terms of the sounds that they use but the creativity behind how they use rawtrap and hardstyle elements is genius.
3- What is your dream label to release music on?
I’ve always wanted to drop on Heavyweight Records. Their line-up is sick and they tend to release quality over quantity. [DJ] Carnage has so far left me on seen but I’m hoping to change that one day.
4- What kind of sound are you looking to focus on in the near future?
Like most artists, I’d love to get into more songwriting stuff. I have a track with my friend BAER that’s been sitting in my projects folder for ages. I’d also like to work with more rappers. I’m starting to get more connected in that area but to do what Whipped Cream is doing right now, working with A-list rappers on EDM tracks; that’d be the dream for me.
In terms of sound design and production, I’ve done well to use that screech preset for Sandman in like every song I’ve dropped since. Screeches are super versatile in terms of layering with other sounds and people know me by that sound so I reckon it’ll always be in the toolkit. Definitely want to get into more experimental stuff like ATLiens and Runnit.
5- What do you personally consider to be the incisive moments in your artistic career?
I didn’t have a career before Hybrid Trap took me on. They literally changed my life in less than a year and I never thought I’d ever have a song with 15k+ streams on Spotify. I owe a lot to them for that. Sandman is definitely the track that caught people’s attention and that makes me so proud and happy looking back. I had a lot of people, including some loved ones, telling me I’d never have any success in music so it felt good to prove them wrong.
6- What single night out has been the most memorable for you? As a DJ? As an attendee?
I had a big rage to NGHTMRE, Slander, Valentino Khan, Whipped Cream and YehMe2 when they came to Melbourne. Party Favor and Lunice are definitely in my top 3 live performances.
In terms of memorable nights out though, I wanna shout out Gravez for being super real. I’ve had bad experiences meeting idols in the past but my friend chased him down after his gig in Melbourne and made me show him my music. He propped his DJ controller up literally in the gutter and chatted to me and my friend for like 10 minutes. By far the most humble artist I’ve ever had the pleasure of meeting and it left an impression on me that I’ll never forget.
7- What do you usually start with when preparing for a set?
I actually don’t DJ live. I’ve never really had the motivation or focus to put down the MIDI keyboard and pick up the turntables but when I’m preparing a mix in the DAW, I like to start with something funny and unique, usually from my childhood. For my Death of CHATOOR mix it was a dramatic intro leading into the theme tune to Eastenders. I tried to do something with S Club 7 for my EKM guest mix but it didn’t really fit the flow and I wanted to keep this one tight.
8- What is one mistake you see a lot of up and coming producers/DJs making? / What advice would you give to aspiring producers/Djs?
As music production is becoming such a saturated industry, a lot of companies are becoming pretty predatory when it comes to plugins, services, VSTs, etc. I’ve been guilty of over investing in plugins that promise to make me the next Skrillex, only to tinker with them once and never again. My advice to upcoming producers is to make sure your songs are in key, get Ableton and a Splice subscription and get stuck into the basics and build from there.
9- Where do you think the EDM/Trap/Bass scene is headed in Australia? One year from now? Five years from now?
Melbourne has NO SCENE. Literally every EDM act skips Melbourne every time because no one here likes it. I get dunked on so much for liking and pushing Bass music. I know there’s a lot popping off in Sydney and props to those acts for breaking through and getting set up there. I’m so out of touch because of where I live though.
10- If you could eternally be stuck in one year’s music scene, which year would it be?
I’m not really an old-head when it comes to music. It’d have been cool to be making what I’m making now back in the days of when artists like Flume were just coming up in Australia. I remember not being into EDM initially and pretending to like him to impress this girl in my math class. Also, Soundcloud would have also been a way better platform to release on back then.
11- If you could collaborate with one music producer (alive or dead), who would it be?
That’s probably the hardest question to answer. I want to collaborate with so many producers, from big to small. STUCA and NXSTY would probably be up there; I’d love to do a festival track with Party Favor too.
12- What is your opinion regarding the difference between old school DJing where everything was restricted to vinyl and modern DJing where most tracks are never put on any physical medium before or after release?
Not much to say on the specifics of DJing for me but I have a decent vinyl collection as well as spending my life on Soundcloud. I reckon both have a place in contemporary music, even if I don’t really touch my records anymore.
13– What is one track that never gets old for you no matter how many times you hear/play it?
Weird answer but Aquafina by Falcons with Goldlink and Chaz French. IDK what it is about that track but every time it comes up at the gym on a playlist or my likes, I’ll just let it run because I’m not tired of it after countless years. Goldlink was my Spotify artist of the decade though so no surprises there.
14– What’s coming up in terms of projects on the horizon?
I’ve got an EP coming up with Hybrid Trap at the end of March, as well as a spot on a compilation album from [emengy]. I’m backed up on collabs but I’m slowly working through them, with a few I’m waiting to release. Hoping to work with more people and more labels this year so if anyone knows anyone in the scene, hit ya boi up!
Tracklist:
- CHATOOR – Break It Down
- PZL – Tamale
- CHATOOR – Be Like Me (feat. Gee Smiff)
- TYNAN – Interdimensional (feat. Rouxx)
- CHATOOR – Meet Them All (feat. Milano The Don)
- CHATOOR – Lost Touch (feat. Atak One)
- VRG – The Pit
- DUMSK – Masonry
- Badrapper – Pressure
- Lil Skies – Red Roses (TYNAN & Benzi Flip)
- BAER – Bitch Mode [CHATOOR Remix]
- CHATOOR – Ramen
- Apashe – Good News
- Sullivan King & YOOKiE – Go Down
- Apashe – Distance (feat. Geoffroy)
Stream the Guest Mix on Soundcloud below and grab the FREE DOWNLOAD HERE.
More about CHATOOR:
Born in the UK and currently living in Melbourne, Australia, CHATOOR
is a bass/future music project by electronic music artist Daniel
Chatoor.
Mixing influences of modern pop, heavy trap and
dubstep, CHATOOR’s tracks range from soulfully melodic to
ear-splittingly loud and aggressive.
