I just want to write another record that's as good or better than the one I've already made. That's my main goal, to follow up stronger than before.
— Flume
My parents used to play me this album when I couldn't go to sleep. It was called 'Deep Forest.' I think it was a self-titled record. It's actually still one of my favorite albums of all time.
I like bangers and really testosterone-fueled stuff.
To me, skin is alien and kind of weird; it weirds me out. It's strange, but it's also really intimate and personal; it's living, organic. That's how I want the music to sound; I want it to feel alien and strange, but also like it's got a heartbeat, like it's got a soul, like it's not made by a robot.
I don't think I can name any names or anything, but this is what I've wanted to do for a long time: to have Flume as my creative outlet and to work on the biggest songs in the world, like pop, and come up with the idea and send it off.
Probably the No. 1 most important thing in my music is not to sound like anyone else. It is hard in this day and age.
With Spotify, I think people are discovering a lot of artists they might not discover otherwise.
I was delivering papers when I was, like, 10 or 11, and I'd always daydream about being an artist as a full-time thing.
I get bored of music really easily, so I always try and make music that makes sense, but then it's just a little bit wrong.
Imperfection is perfection.
I just want to try writing for other people 'cause it's quite exciting.
The thing I find frustrating about rock music is, how different can you make an acoustic drum kit sound, an electric guitar and vocals?
Sydney's beautiful, the weather's great, and the air's fresh and clean, but it doesn't have the scene and the amount of likeminded people. At home, things are very comfortable, but I feel like putting myself out there a bit.
For me, one of the downfalls of electronic music is that it can feel a little soulless or robotic.
This life and this job and this position that I'm put in, it forces you to grow up quick. I definitely got dropped in the deep end.
In the dressing room, we've just made it really Zen: low lighting, lots of candles, and fresh, healthy food.
I always regret leaving home if I don't get at least four or five surfs in the week before I leave. I try to be in the water as much as possible before leaving, and it's the one thing I miss massively.
To me it's all about textures, and that's the side of music that I'm finding really exciting. I feel like it's one of the only parts of music that mankind hasn't fully discovered yet.
There was this cereal, and it had a special promotion with a CD inside the box that had a really simple music-making program on it. I got it, and that opened my mind to being able to make music on a computer and seeing all the different layers.
I want to keep Flume kind of experimental, weird, melodic, pretty.
I used to never feel pressure to be creative; it's always just been a fun thing. And then suddenly, it's my job, and people are asking, 'Where's the record?'
I've never worked with huge pop acts, I mightn't like it, but it's something I've always wanted to try.
I think it would be nice to see more of an open culture to different music.
There's a lot of creativity in the industry, but I don't necessarily think that the most creative DJs or producers are always the biggest ones.
I think Sydney has so much natural beauty; it's just a beautiful city.
It was a difficult second record. I had moments where I couldn't write; had moments where I was writing lots. It was just a massive learning process for me.
The goal was always to do something that felt human but was 100 percent electronic.
It's always the first 10,000 SoundCloud listens; that was definitely a big moment, seeing the online stuff grow and crowds grow.
The music I was making for people not to dance to was the one they were dancing to.
Along with 'Free,' where I sing quite a bit, there are additional songs on 'Skin' where you can hear my voice in the background - lots of 'oohs' and 'aahs.' But more often than not, I use my vocals to prompt other rappers and singers to feel calmer, better, bolder.
Honestly, production when you first start can be difficult to wrap your head around.
Making sounds that literally no one has ever heard before because the software and the technology's never been there, and pairing that with great songwriting, then that's what's exciting for me. That's what I wanna do.
I was an avid Pokemon card collector.
Often, when I work with a vocalist, I like to focus on the melodies first.
I did a few DJ gigs at empty clubs, sort of as a warm-up set before Flume was a thing. I did one when I got big enough, and I had five friends come down, and they were the only ones dancing. That was one of my earliest ones. I was super nervous.
Once I'm in a situation where I can not do anything for three years and go off the map, I'll focus more on writing. Right now, I want to just make Flume awesome... and big.
I could do another tour, make a record that's very similar, do similar venues. Or I could make a different record, do different venues, and grow. It's exciting to take it to new places, but it's never been my intent to be the biggest thing in the world. That's not what my drive is. I want to make what I want to make, and make a living off it.
I struggled with the pressure of having the successful record after the first record. Second album syndrome. I'm living proof; it's very real.
I've been having meetings with people, just everywhere in the world, and it's like, 'Hey, really love you to work with me, send me some ideas.' That's the crazy part.
I've been listening to a lot of music by Arca.
I had an idea when I was 18 or 19 to start tutoring people, like the way that people get tutored in saxophone or guitar, but for production. I really enjoyed it, but I don't have time for that any more.
I think the thing that L.A. had on Sydney is an awesome music scene, especially for what I do.
I never expected to make a lot of money from music.
I'd like to actually work with a lot of other people, and whether it's someone who is completely unknown who I love and think is a talent, maybe I'll work with them, or, like, maybe I'll work with some of the biggest pop stars and write music for them.
I think at first the Flume project really started out as an online thing. I used Facebook and SoundCloud, and I think we got lucky because it felt like a bit of a golden age of those social media platforms. So I managed to create quite a solid fan base online.
I don't think I make dance music. It's not even 4/4. And it's slow.
I want to make music that is completely electronic but doesn't feel it.
I definitely wanted the second record to be a much more grandiose thing. I wanted to push myself and make a big statement.
I feel like the first record was really finding my feet, figuring out what music I wanted to make... Now that I've done that, I feel like I've got a much clearer idea of what I want to sound like and what I want to discover. It's exciting.
I've grown up by the beach all my life, and I almost get anxiety if I haven't been swimming for a couple weeks or a month. It kind of builds up, so I try and get out as much as possible.
