The Newy upstart has opened for the likes of X Coast, Aloka and X Club as well…
It’s a busy time for Newcastle native, Claire O’Brien. The rising DJ has fast become a staple on dance floors across Newy and Sydney, carving out a distinct corner of the techno and breaks scenes for herself. It’s all pretty impressive when you consider she only started DJing two years ago, the COVID-induced lockdowns prompting her, like many others, to try her hand at DJing. Now, after racking up an extensive resumè that includes a Rinse FM mix, opening for Mall Grab and playing Lost Sundays in Sydney, she’s putting pedal to the metal for what’s set to be her biggest year yet.
We caught up with Claire amongst her hectic schedule to get the drop on her DJ career, opening for the likes of Mall Grab and Steel City’s dance scene. Check it below.
When did you start DJing?
I remember being in year 6 and religiously only listening to Daft Punk for a full year and recognising at that age that this type of music didn’t develop structurally in the same way that a normal pop or rock song would, which is all I had been exposed to up to this point. I remember being drawn to the repetitive nature of the songs, and how the different elements would enter the track in a slow, staggered and methodical way. I think around this age is when I gained more autonomy over what I was listening to.
Then, I picked up mixing around mid-2021. I had just turned 18 and was starting to go to events and club nights, and I very quickly realised that partying to Top-40 hits wasn’t really for me. DJing was never something that I was particularly interested in. Even when I started to pick it up and fell in love with it it was not something I ever thought I’d be regularly doing, Rather, I thought it’d just be a hobby.
My partner at the time was really keen to pick it up, so we just started learning together. And I don’t think I would’ve touched mixing for a while if he hadn’t pushed the idea to me. It was in the peak of the COVID-19 lockdown which was a better time than any to pick up a new skill. But once we started learning together, it just went from there.
What were some of the early tracks you were mixing?
I started out playing some commercial tech house kind of stuff with popular vocal samples. I hadn’t dived too deep into electronic music yet. I didn’t know a lot about different genres or styles or just how many there were, I didn’t know too much about DJing either, to be really transparent. I think it’s been really special that my love and knowledge of dance music and the community have been developing in parallel with my DJing.
I have so much to learn and step into still, and that is all really exciting for me. So yeah, I started playing music that is very different to what I am playing now. It’s cool to look back to that and see how much my taste has changed and probably will change again.
Were there any early songs you were mixing as a beginner DJ that you cringe at looking back on?
Absolutely! Music taste inevitably evolves over time. I have started listening to dance and electronic music (all music, for that matter) more actively since I began to DJing. I have always loved music, and I think everyone has a natural affinity for it. I love how different this relationship can be for everyone. I’m sure I can speak for lots of people when I say that my preferences sonically are constantly changing through exposure to new music by attending shows, buying entire collections and releases, from more profound listening also through friends who share the music they enjoy with me.
Pushing myself into spaces to learn more from other artists and people has also given me a better understanding of the type of sounds I gravitate towards. At the moment, I’m drawn to sounds inspired by natural landscapes, ambient trance textures, broken beats, bass-heavy rhythms, soft vocal samples, IDM and the more abstract shades of dance music. I think there is something really intriguing about working with something digital, taking it and manipulating it to sound alive or fill it with elements that somehow feel organic. The humanising elements of electronic music are what I am drawn to the most and what I enjoy playing the most – for the moment, at least.
You play a lot of breaks and techno now. When did you get into that stream of music?
I have touched on it a little bit already but I feel like I have a stronger sense and confidence in what I engage with musically. I try to listen to as much as possible. I think there are certain elements of a track that I enjoy universally and are timeless, that traverse through genres, a kind of intangible groove that some songs just have and make you want to pull a stank face. I love the deep, squishy, heavy and chuggier stuff that can be a little more unpredictable. Electro, IDM, DNB, techno and breaks are all super fun. Anything with really sick energy that I feel like I can dance to is really enjoyable to play for obvious reasons.
I really love to blend percussive and experimental rhythms that have both hard and soft. In terms of exploring genres, attending lots of different shows and listening to mixes, seeing people play music I’d never heard before and being like, “This is so sick” definitely inspires you to search for more of a particular sound or explore something new that you might have been familiar with but not have had a keen interest in before. Every listening experience is so different from the last, and you pick up on different things you might not have had last time. Or you might have a particularly good experience in a space with a certain kind of music, and all of a sudden you’re in love.
Do you remember your first gig?
My first gig… I just started playing at lots of house parties. I think when I started DJing I was like 20, so I was playing a lot of 21sts. Anything I could play at, I’d play. I was just keen to learn and do it. Pubs, clubs, business launches, corporate events, weddings, and gallery openings. Just whatever. But house parties were definitely my first experiences playing outside of my bedroom.
Have there been any gigs you’ve played that have been especially memorable since you started DJing?
I am so grateful to be playing as consistently as I am with some incredible artists – it is really tough to isolate any of them as a stand-out. I get nervous and excited before a show, so a lot of my attachment to the emotions and memories surrounding a lot of my gigs are very sentimental and exhilarating. The shows I have enjoyed playing at the most early on have been very intimate; shows in the park or in local spaces, sharing line-ups with mates and local artists I look up to a lot, where I have been able to be with my community and enjoy quality moments with my friends.
I feel very comfortable in these realms, and it allowed me to move through many of my sets in a very explorative way as someone still trying to grasp exactly what I was doing. Also, having the people closest to me, seeing how excited I get about music and playing for others, and then observing me grow musically and within those spaces first-hand means a lot to me.
These days you’re on quite a lot of bills, supporting the likes of Aloka and X Club to name a few. When did things start getting more serious for you on the DJ front?
Definitely last year. The scene in Newcastle is quite small, so as things were starting to open up with COVID it felt like I was getting noticed and being booked for things more, which was really exciting and I feel so lucky to have been considered by people in the community.
Then, the Steel City Dance Discs crew hit me up to do a mix for them on Rinse FM, and that mix ended up circulating. That mix was received well and was discovered by a few promoters and other DJs. It got me booked for Lost Sundays as well, which I’ve played a couple of times now. It’s funny to think that people can just like your music and what you put out there. It’s like putting playlists together for people. A love language of sorts.
Given that everything has begun to blow up so quickly for you, have you been able to stop and take it all in or are you just putting pedal to the metal right now?
Things have been picking up for me a lot more over the last few months, I wouldn’t say that I am ‘blowing up’ or anything like that. Although I never thought I would have played some of the shows that I have been recently, and the trajectory I am on is exciting, it has been very surreal. I am constantly trying to learn, listen and take whatever I can onboard as a DJ. I also have some friends that are incredible DJs/producers and unreal people that I consider my mentors.
It can be very easy to feel like you are not doing enough to be on top of everything and I often get a bit of imposter syndrome, which I think is completely normal. I am just trying to not take myself too seriously and stay integral to what feels right to me sonically and creatively. I am so stoked to be playing a diverse range of music I enjoy and having fun with the most incredible people!
For anyone from Newy or just any Aussie dance fan in general, Steel City Dance Discs is pretty treasured. So what was it like when they reached out to you?
Pretty surreal. They have done heaps for the dance music community both in Newcastle and globally as well, especially when it comes to taking things over to London. Mall Grab is huge. And everything S.C.D.D. is putting out is so inspiring and diverse. When they reached out to me to do that mix, I was pretty dazed, and then they had me on for their Last Ride Records with Speed and Steel City Dance Discs crossover event in Newcastle that happened in December last year.
That show was a hardcore/techno event…It was an amazing party. It was awesome to see people who appreciate what seems like two very polarising sides of music come together and froth over the one show, for me the more diverse and inclusive music events are the better. I’m super grateful that they reached out to me for that one. It was pretty surreal, for lack of a better word. Playing on the same lineup as Mall Grab was crazy. Grateful. Surprised. Shocked. All of it [laughs]. Everyone killed it, all the bands and all of the DJs too!
What was the energy like at that party? There must have been a lot of Newy pride in the room.
It was really fun. It was really awesome to see people from two completely different extremes of music coming together to support one big show, just to see so many fans of both genres and so many friends. The nature of Newcastle is that it’s quite small and pretty tight-knit. So, it’s always good to just be playing for familiar faces. It’s like going to one big house party sometimes and seeing all your friends.
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Can you elaborate a bit on the Newy scene for someone from the big smoke of Sydney?
Sydney is still very new to me, so I’m hesitant to make any comparisons. Although Newcastle has a very tight-knit community because it is a lot smaller than somewhere like Sydney and is certainly noticeable. Everyone is so eager to show support for one another. You are always seeing familiar faces at all of the shows across various disciplines; art exhibitions, business launches, live music gigs, surf/skate films, electronic shows etc.
Something unique about Newcastle is that there is a lot of crossover between friendship and community groups – meaning you get to know almost everyone! This is great because it elevates the audience’s experience when you view the artists personally. I find it easy to feel inspired and safe on the dance floor or crowd spaces in Newy (yeww!). Although Newcastle also has a very strong pub scene that supports a wide variety of music, I would like to see some clubs not discriminate between genres and cater towards the more specific sides of dance music that I am more into.
Although, this has a lot to do with the nature of popular music. In saying that, there are lots of people and venues that are doing a lot (and have been for a while) for the underground dance music scene in Newcastle, such as 404, Palace and Selfness; these collectives have all been instrumental for my time in the dance music community in Newcastle.
Australia’s dance scene is pretty on fire right now. Are there any producers or DJs you’re particularly vibing? Any you’d be keen to share a line-up with?
There are so many Australian producers that are inspiring to me, a lot of Australian producers are at the forefront of dance music globally in many ways. It is difficult to only name a few: Roza Terenzi, Assembler Code, Maara, Loïcc, Reptant and IN2STELLAR are all massive ones for me, just off the top of my head. They are all killing it at their respective thangs. Sharing a line-up with all or any would be such a dream.
You must’ve done the Sydney to Newy trip a million times. Does it ever get exhausting? Or does the excitement of driving to a gig you’re DJing at keep you going?
It’s all really fun and exciting for me. It’s pretty exhausting at times for sure. DJing is not my only work, so having to work on top of this, especially with full-time uni finding that balance is tricky. I think most people pursuing creative disciplines always have their thumbs in many pies, I’m definitely not the only one doing it. Lots of commuting and lots of really long nights can be really draining. Most of the time I go down to shows by myself as well, as it’s become a bit hard to get friends to take time away from their work or social commitments in Newcastle.
So, it’s nice being able to show up in all of these uncomfortable and different spaces as my authentic self, being able to move and flow through a space freely without the anxiety of wondering if someone else is enjoying themselves too is softening to the experience of being in a new environment. I’m pretty lucky I’ve got friends in Sydney as well, so I just stay at their place when I head down. But yeah, it’s cool to get out of Newcastle every now and then.
What do you listen to to stay awake on those mammoth drives?
To be honest, I listen to lots of non-electronic music while I’m driving. I love to sing a lot in the car, especially to country music [laughs]. It’s nice to listen to stuff that’s not just electronic or dance music from time to time, I enjoy keeping things diverse.
I do have some mix series that I enjoy though: Anamix, hue & saturation, Selfness mix series, Bleus, Daisychain, the Butter Sessions mixes, Bizarro, Origin Tapes, Passing Notes, and Pure Space… there are loads! I listen to a lot of domestic radio stations too.
You mentioned you’re a big country music fan. Do you have any go-to artists from that genre?
I grew up in a semi-rural zone, but I didn’t actually start listening to the stereotyped genres of music you would assume until I was in my later teens. Before that, I listened to heaps of Dad-type music: the Gorillaz, Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Metallica, Midnight Oil, Men At Work and so on. When I got a bit older, I started to listen to a lot of RnB and Hip Hop. At the moment, I listen to a mix of rock-folky-country-post punky stuff and I guess, what you could technically label as “alternate” music.
I’ve never been super perfect with genres, in all honesty, but some of my favourite artists that are always on heavy rotation are Dean Blunt, Fontaines D.C. Lucinda Williams, Kurt Vile, Charley Crocket, John Maus, Molly Nilsson, Spike Fuck, Pink Floyd, Tom Waits, Primal Scream, Cut Worms, Lou Reed, Kevin Morby, Nick 13 (Tiger Army), Cocteau Twins and Darkside… just to name a few!
Can we expect a country music release from Claire O’Brien in the future? Or perhaps some guest vocals on a dance track?
Somewhere in a parallel universe, it’s already happening [laughs]. Nah, I think it’s unlikely, at least for now. I used to perform a bit in bands when I was younger. My roots as a musician are as a vocalist/songwriter. I have a lot of friends in various bands doing some incredible things. I am super happy sitting on the sidelines for now and supporting them all very enthusiastically.
Guest vocals on a dance track are much more likely, and producing my own electronic music at the moment, which is something I am really excited about. There would be a market for country techno for sure, though. I should dip into that. Actually, a “Tennessee Whiskey: Bootleg’ would be pretty hard.
Speaking of moving beyond dance music, lately you’ve been getting out from behind the decks, recently appearing in a Laneway ad for PALS and Better Beer. What was that like?
Really fun and hilarious. I’ve actually done a little bit of work for Pals before with my friend Lewis Dunn and my housemates – just a few little skits, I’m really lucky to just be getting all these call-ups for these jobs I wouldn’t normally get the opportunity to be involved in. I’ve been getting to meet some really amazing people from all over the place as a result.
LWA X PALS X BETTER BEER from lifewithoutandy on Vimeo.
What else do you have coming up?
I can’t believe we are already coming into April – yikes! I am playing with SWIM and Club Angel at Oxford Art Factory on the 7th of April. I have a few shows coming up in Eora/Sydney and Mulubinba/Newcastle, which have yet to be announced so I won’t let on too much but I’ll be around for sure! I have also just begun a residency with Nomad Radio which I am super excited about! The show is called ‘Ode’, and it is an ode to self-expression, dedicated to collaborating with individual(s) from various creative disciplines to share their thoughts on music, life and community.
