If you’re a raging party animal who enjoys the odd beverage and mid-week looseness, then there’s a strong chance that you’re familiar with L D R U & Yahtzel. Although both producers have gained significant accolades individually, their famed B2B sets have lit up countless dancefloors on the club circuit across the country. Back in March, the two also stepped in the studio together to record ‘The Only One‘, released through the famed Future Classic imprint.
While this relationship was proving successful, L D R U (Drew Carmody) & Yahtzel (Max Armata) did a little thinking at this year’s Splendour In The Grass – deciding to officially fuse forces as Carmada. Since then, they haven’t looked back – unleashing their debut single ‘Maybe‘ to ravenous, rave-hungry audiences and a debut EP named Realise to drop later this year.
Carmada will appear later this year at Stereosonic – we caught up with Drew & Max before this year’s edition of Listen Out in Sydney. See how it went down:
We pick up Drew from Circular Quay as he sails in from international waters aka Manly. We’re running a little late for interviews, so we’re lucky enough to have Jack ‘The Menace’ Bennett’s pimp mobile to whisk us to work. Buckle up, children!
We are joined by Max and commence an interview with THUMP. Of course, it’s over coffee and a few sandwiches, as all good interviews should be.
Snapbacks and sunnies is obviously the uniform for the day. Max reflects on how he and Drew met in Brisbane, and their recent success up the coast at Splendour In The Grass. We shed a couple of reminiscing tears as we quietly reflect on the Outkast reunion and getting hammered in the Moroccan Wine Bar.
Once the interviews are done, it’s time for a little retail therapy. We decide to head to farshun central aka Newtown, but not before we’re joined by the Audiopaxx artist-relations bro and all-round rambunctious party lord himself, Andrew Knowles. With a hairstyle like that, you were born to party.
Max gets a little too excited on the way to Newtown, and so we stop by Allan’s Music to check out some of the instruments and test out everybody’s percussion skills. Can we just take a minute to appreciate Max’s cap? It has a goddamn shaka on it. Praise this cap.
Very rare fact: Drew is actually Slash from Guns N’ Roses in disguise. Here he is shredding on the six-stringer with sunglasses on indoors. No fucks given.
The shaka cap returns. Phew, we got a little worried there for a second.
Now, we finally hit Newtown and hit the op shopping circuit for some second hand gems, including this leather number. This is Drew kindly modelling the official mobster/hoodrat outfit of 2014. If you don’t own of these, your swag radar is probably broken.
Meanwhile, Max looks onto the antics with a tinge of confusion.
Drew finds yet another vintage leather jacket and strikes a full fashion editorial pose for this picture. Shit, is this Life Without Andy or Vogue?
Max with the find of the day – an old crewneck that says ‘SPRING BREAK – SHOW US YOUR JUNK’. Probably the best advice we’ve ever received – and we ate four fortune cookies last week.
We’ve had enough of the vintage stuff, so we head for some sneaker spots nearby. Max decides to go for the ever-popular Adidas ZX Flux. Very lightweight shoe, very athletic aesthetic, very contemporary swag. 10/10, would recommend.
We catch up with Max the next day as he’s about to take the stage at Listen Out. He’s about to participate in an interview with MTV. But wait, is that a shirt with a shaka on it? Worn with the infamous shaka cap? Holy hell, we need to lie down. If your wardrobe contains any garments which don’t have a shaka on it, burn them immediately.
Drew’s questioning why his name isn’t on this pristine laminated sign, but we’re sure that they’ll get adequate signage when they join forces and tackle Stereosonic as the beast that is Carmada.
Max straps a go-pro to his melon for all that sweaty stage footage.
A great moment as Max’s old man gets onstage and hits the play button on the opening track. It must be quite a spectacle to see your son play in front of thousands of screaming fans. Three cheers for cool dads who are down to attend gigs!
As Max is killing it during his set, Drew is taking care of business on the side of stage. Here he is with a semi-rap squat and double shaka hybrid. Also, is that a shirt with palm trees on it? Game over.
Max is getting it done convincingly. While Listen Out is still an infant on the festival scene, it sure doesn’t feel like it as the crowd goes H.A.M in the early afternoon. See that signage in this distance? It’s commanding punters to dance, and they act accordingly well into the night.
And the surprises keep coming. Emerging from the wings, Drew takes centre stage and shares an embrace with Max. This is great. They’ve been known as L D R U & Yahtzel for some time now, and to see them officially fused as Carmada is a very, very exciting prospect for anybody who’s into Australian dance music – or dance music generally, for that matter.
The two obviously share an effortless creative bond, and that’s evident as they drop Carmada’s debut track – the absolute belter that is ‘Maybe’. Vibes aplenty as the crowd roars in approval.
Drew taking the mic, as he does best…
And with that, the set is over. No doubt that Carmada will be performing to even bigger audiences on the colossal Stereosonic tour, and we can’t wait to see them alongside some of the world’s best electronic talent. This is going to be fun.
Final shot of the day with Max’s family, Carmada manager Dom Furber, the video crew from My Media and fellow electronic wizard Just A Gent. A fitting end to a landmark day for the boys – keep two eyes and ears open for Carmada to be tearing down your hometown soon!
