INTERVIEW: Nebula
The future is looking bright with Nebula….
During last year’s lockdown, there wasn’t a lot to be joyful about. Not only was the physical world dissipating into chaos, but the unfettered flow of information through social media led to a global epistemic breakdown. Between connecting 5G with COVID and Bill Gates conspiracy theories, shit got wild quickly. Fake news became the news, and everyone became an expert on everything. Da fuck: Who could you trust?! The only thing that kept us sane was [ Get ready, here comes the segue-way ] the pure unadulterated expression of Soundcloud music.
Enter Nebula (Billy and Harrison), promoters extraordinaire for Neurocrank (more on that later) and DJs responsible for sets that inspire newcomers to buy turntables. Not only that, but the well-loved 'Sandringham boys' are true gentlemen of the scene. But we digress, we’re here for the music, and the Nebula sound is compelling. It has firm roots in the halcyon days of progressive and tech-house, and as they told us via email, it's a sound they naturally gravitated towards: 'It probably started when we heard our favourite DJs playing the older stuff. We were more drawn to the music made during the 90s and early 2000s. We like the simplicity of music produced during this time – it's crispness'.
And with the internet, there has never been a better present to appreciate the past: it's a crate digger's delight, a point not lost on Nebula. 'It's always fun using platforms like Discogs to scroll back in time through genres, labels and artists to see where things began. For both of us, the sounds that came first often impress us more than the contemporary takes in some genres.’ If you listen to their online mixes, however, you will find that they don’t dabble exclusively in retro motifs: it’s just a launchpad from which they can spin a rich tapestry of sounds. That indifferent approach to fads makes their club nights highly inclusive too, which, in turn, has created fertile ground for new talent to thrive in. 'We are focused on creating safe spaces, encouraging everyone to have fun and enjoy the music. We aim to showcase local artists who we feel don't always get the recognition they deserve.'
The focus on local talent is the same energy injected into the Neurocrank series.
The proliferation of music podcasts during COVID has been real. There’s been a virtual smorgasbord of new music to devour, but not many were tastier than Neurocrank. With a strong focus on locals, sprinkled with the odd international, the series focuses on the more interesting, moodier fringes of dance music with, of course, a healthy nod to the old-school. It’s a brand conceived by Chris Jackson (Allure), who recruited Nebula to the Neurocrank cause - and as the duo explains, it’s a collaboration borne out of common interest: ‘Chris approached us to come on board after we kept running into each other at various clubs and events. A common obsession was quickly realized, and our journey with Neurocrank began. It really is an expression of our shared love for dance music - with the aim, of course, to create events showcasing the diverse Naarm talent we have on offer.’ That common obsession includes the foundational sounds of yesteryear alongside the more experimental productions of today; and with the likes of Guy Contact, Simon TK and Tywi mixing past Neurocrank editions, to name a few, we’ve all benefited from their fateful meetings.
The Old-school revival
With the increased popularity of acts like Papa Smurf (ICYMI check our interview with him) and an influx of ‘Classics’ nights, the renaissance is real, even modern dance music production is borrowing heavily from that period too. Nebula has well-informed opinions on why this might be: 'People are constantly doing new spins on old things; most trends are cyclical. Also, the amount of music available online might contribute to this renewed interest in old-school sounds. Because of the internet, anyone can discover and listen to so many genres in a single day.' And being a two-headed hydra, Nebula get full value out of that last point: they meld their separate tastes to create an exciting new product. For Harrison, this means tech-house pioneering labels like Oblong, ('It captures the late 90s and early 2000s UK sounds I love. It's fun and playful and it's exactly what I love about tech-house.'), while Billy leans towards the prog trance stylings of labels like Scotland's Zazoo Recordings and its subsidiary Red' n' Raw. ('For me, a lot of trance-derived genres tend to get a bit silly sometimes. I feel like this label, whilst still having the euphoria and drive, never gets too ridiculous or over the top'). In their DJ sets, this manifests as a winsome combination that's consistently engaging without ever being too esoteric.
This appetite for throwback sounds seems particularly voracious amongst Melbourne artists - the outlines of a local scene rapidly crystallising. It’s a vibrant community:
’We’re lucky to have so much local talent, producers and DJs, sharing this sound with everyone: Allure, DJ Life, Solar Suite, Explicit Joy, Fibre Optixxx, and Hannah D are just a few. We feel really fortunate to call these people our biggest influences and also our friends.’
However, it’s not some parochially contained sound. Arguably, the most prominent scene comes from North America: ’There’s a massive scene in Canada that excites us: D Tiffany, Maara, NAFF, Dust World, Planet Euphoric, Big Zen.’ And even though COVID has hampered some touring progress, our local acts are finding favour with the global cognoscenti. ’Yeah, it’s been exciting to see the Melbourne sound gaining traction and recognition internationally. Groups like Earth Dog and people like Adam Pits are reaching out and collaborating with our emerging producers. The way people produce here seems much more DIY and organic, which is refreshing for listeners.’
Lockdown Care
Recently, they’ve taken their first tentative steps into the Dark Arts of Music Production. Being surrounded with so much talent, it was always a matter of time before they (neuro) crank up their computers to produce. Harrison started tinkering under the moniker Al Dente, while Billy started his journey recently under Harrison’s watchful eye. ‘For both of us, the lockdown was a really good opportunity to focus on producing. We’ve been so lucky to have a supportive group of friends like Fibre Optixx, who have been generous with production advice. Hopefully, there will be some Nebula collaborations soon’. Talking about lockdowns, how did the duo fare with the last year? More importantly, how did they maintain a healthy mental profile? ‘We were fortunate to have music during that time. It was something that kept both of us occupied and motivated. At the time, we were both working at the same café, so we were lucky to have opportunities to share tracks and have conversations about the music we were finding and loving. It also meant we could refocus our time concentrating on Neurocrank and putting together the mix series. Having Neuro and music to focus on really helped alleviate some of the anxiety that was going on in everyone’s minds during that time.’
No doubt, Nebula (and Neurocrank) are joining their talented peers to represent Naarm globally in a post-COVID world. Melbourne has always had an excellent track record of birthing world-class talent - and that reputation seems well and truly in safe hands. 🙌🏾