I had a great opportunity to interview DJ tyDi at the Euphoria Music Festival, in Austin,Texas last weekend. By the way, it is pronounced ‘tidy’ folks, not ‘tye-die’
tyDi’s last album got great reviews, went to the top of the Dance charts in the UK, Australia, and Canada (#4 Dance in the US), and it is definitely regarded as having some breadth. tyDi’s attitude in interviews is cool. He can take a stupid question and give a good answer, and he’s relatable without being fake. One interviewer pointed out that she’d never interviewed a DJ before, which makes me think his media reach is pretty good. In another interview he said that he’s playing about 200 nights a year, which is about as much as anyone outside the most diligent guys and women out there. The most anyone’s doing is about 250 but 200 is damn good for a 25-year-old. On Twitter he expressed an interest in doing something ‘darker’, which I think is great, but darker doesn’t necessarily mean deeper (he referred to Trentemoller, who’s a legend).
Euphoria Music Festival | Austin, Texas | April 26, 2014 at 11PM
FestPop
We are backstage at the Euphoria Music Festival in Austin, TX. With TyDi, how are you doing today?
TyDi
Yeah I’m good thanks. I just walked offstage, the crowd was fun. Now I’m just chilling.
FestPop
How do you like Texas?
TyDi
I like Texas a lot. Every time I come here the crowd is very energetic. They’re into my music and yes the night sure was fantastic. I’m very thankful for every who came out.
FestPop
You’ve been to Austin several times, correct?
TyDi
Yeah, yeah. I’ve been here a few times before this show, but this is the first festival I’ve done in Austin.
FestPop
Awesome, that’s great to hear. So as far as festivals go, what festivals had just been the highlights for you? Something that might have been your favorite.
TyDi
It’s hard to say. I did a festival in Jamaica called EDX. That was really awesome. Sensation was 45,000 people. I’ve done TomorrowLand in Belgium and Tomorrow World in Atlanta. ULTRA in Argentina and Global Gathering in the UK. And also Cream Fields UK and God’s Kitchen in Poland. So these are all big festivals.
FestPop
That’s a heck of a resume you got there. Those are just premier festivals. I guess as being from – I mean not from the United States – what do you think of the United States festivals and what kind of things can they improve on?
TyDi
The US festivals are huge, I live here now and I absolutely love it. The coolest festival I’ve done in America was ‘Paradiso’ which was about two hours out form Seattle. That was an incredible party, something like 30,000 people outdoors in a beautiful landscape. Words can’t describe. I’d say America does festivals right.
FestPop
You are from Australia..right?
TyDi
Yep! I used to live in Australia. That’s where I was born and I used to fly every month to America to do shows. Now that I live here, I just love it, man. The people in America go crazy. What I really like the most is that they don’t care about sub-genres. The crowds, they just care about everything EDM and a lot of Djs give me shit for that because I sometimes label myself as EDM. The reason I do is because I write everything from orchestral to indie folk, country songs crossed with dance, then I did a whole album of chill out and house and progressive. So I don’t really like to label myself under a genre. America really embraces that. America just embraces good music, party music and they don’t care about genres. Where as other countries are a little bit snobby about genres, you know?
FestPop
First festival you went to.
TyDi
It was called ‘Two Tribes’, a very small festival back in Australia when dance music was at it’s infancy. I snuck in with my friends because I was only 16. That was probably the first time I totally fell in love with dance music.
FestPop
What labels are you with now?
TyDi
I release music on ‘Robbin’s Entertainment’ and also my own label ‘Global Soundsystem’, I’m published with Rondor / Universal music.
FestPop
What festival would you love to play at that you haven’t played?
TyDi
EDC Las Vegas. I haven’t done EDC yet and it looks like pure insanity.
FestPop
Who would you have wanted to collaborate with?
TyDi
I’m really lucky because all the people I’ve wanted to collaborate with when I was younger, I’m working with now. Dashboard Confessional, BT…etc. .Before I was a DJ I was a drummer in a rock band. That’s why I’ve got the Blink tattoo in my wrist here. I was fully into that whole EMO punk scene before I was a DJ. And now I’m working with Dashboard Confessional, The Ready Set, the lead singer form Spill Canvas. I’m in talks with The Used and a much of other bands that I used to (and still do) follow. My favourite band of all time is The Used, they are the highest on my wish list.
FestPop
Get out of here.
TyDi
Yeah not kidding at all! I used to listen to Dashboard Confessional religiously when I was 15, making out with girls in cars to his music haha! So it’s crazy to be working with them now.
FestPop
So being in Hollywood..have been tapped by any movie Directors?
TyDi
I’m writing a lot of music for different things right now. I’m doing work with the guys from Transformers and I’m always taking meetings about producing music for various films. It’s kind of my side goal besides DJ-ing.
FestPop
Whats your educational background?
TyDi
Well after high school I went on to do a bachelor’s degree in Music & technology.
FestPop
Do you get to attend many parties and performances besides the ones you are involved in?
TyDi
I play 150+ shows a year so I’m always in clubs and touring, the time that I do have off is usually spent back in LA in the studio or having some ‘me time’ 😉
FestPop
How well-versed are you in Deep House? Have you performed any sets in that style this year?
TyDi
I LOVE deep house but I don’t really play too much in my sets. I’m more progressive house and a bit of tech, lots of vocals and huge melodies. Deep house is something I listen to in my time off.
FestPop
Do you have final say over your bookings?
TyDi
I do get final say over all aspects of my career if I want it but these days I really trust my team. I’ve set up a really good group of people around my music career who know what I like and don’t like – I let them just book the tours and if any crazy things come up they’ll ask me before locking it down. I like to let them do that stuff so I can focus on staying creative.
FestPop
Is there any reason you’d turn down a gig or try to cancel one for a better opportunity?
#tyDi #DVBBS #Euphoria (tyDi’s INSTAGRAM)
TyDi
Not really, if a show is contracted that I am obligated to do it. Sometimes we get multiple booking requests on the same night and if that happens my guys just choose the best show.
FestPop
Do you choose nearly all the tracks you play or do you have to collaborate closely with your label?
TyDi
I choose everything, nobody but me has a say in what I play at my shows.
FestPop
Have you read any interesting books on business, marketing, social media, or the music industry?
TyDi
Not really, I leave the business and marketing to my team. I like to read about science in my own time.
CLOSE
As the night continued backstage at Euphoria we bonded with tyDi and he was so gracious he shared this unreleased track entitled The Prestige. Much respect tyDi!
tyDi Official Website http://www.tydi.com/site/
Interview By Aaron Austin
FestPop EDM Staff Writer &
Lead Software Developer
