Sauce

So what makes a good mixtape? It was a question asked in the classic High Fidelity, and it was one I decided to throw at DJ Rush ahead of his Lonnies set next month. And really, given the time he’s spent perfecting them both in this country and in Los Angeles, I really can’t think of anyone more qualified. Can you?

So I understand you moved to the US, and spent several years working there. What prompted you to do this?
The main reason I went to America was to really take that extra step. I mean, I could have stayed in Australia, and tried to make some big moves here, but I really wanted to take it to the next level and go over to America and really form a lot of good relationships over there with people, and try to get my foot in the door over there. Obviously LA’s the… that’s where I spend most of my time, in LA, and that’s the place to be. That’s where Hollywood is, and a lot of artists go there to record, and I had some good connections over there. So, I called up everyone I knew, got in touch with anyone and everyone I’d ever met in the scene. Then I went over there and tried to make things happen. So that’s the reason I went there, just to really take that extra step forward, and try and be the Australian guy that makes it big in America.

So would you say you’ve accomplished… how much of that goal would you say you’ve accomplished at the moment?
I mean, like I accomplished a lot more than I expected. But there’s still so much to accomplish over there because… at first I thought coming from Australia was going to be a disadvantage. But being Australian over in America was the best thing that I could have been, because everyone, yeah, they love Australians over there. So everyone kinda wanted to help me out, and… just having an Australian accent was a great advantage, and so I really got my foot into a lot of doors over there, and I accomplished a lot… coming from Australia. But in terms of from an American perspective, I’ve still got a long way to go. But I’m pretty happy I think, how things have turned out so far.

So is this the first time you’ve been back to Australia since you moved over?
No, this is actually the second time. I went over to America at the beginning of 2006 – I spent a few months over there, and then I came back and spent a little bit of time in Sydney, promoting my first mixtape. And then I went back over there … and spent a couple of months over there. Now I’m back here, promoting the second mixtape that I’ve brought out.

What are some of the most important qualities of a good mixtape?
Well, definitely, in America, a good mixtape is all about having exclusive music – brand new music that no one’s heard before, and getting some well-known artists, and also showing off some fresh new talent. That’s what I’m really trying to do with my mixtapes; using the American artists and connections I’ve made over there, but also showing off some Australian talent. On this mixtape, I’m using American producers with Australian artists, and vice-versa. I’ve got some Australian producers with some American artists … I’m just really trying to chop it up. In Australia, I’m trying to show some of the American talent that I’ve met over there, and in America I’m trying to show some of the Australian talent over here. I’m really trying to make that crossover.

The American talent that you’ve worked with, what sets them apart from the Australian ones? Do they have different ways of working? Do they smell worse, or whatever?
Well obviously, in America, when you say you do music, they assume that you do it full-time … I guess it seems like more of a hobby over here. So in America, a lot of the guys work on music full-time, and they’ve got access to better studios and a lot more artists. Everything’s kind of at their fingertips. Not saying that Australia hasn’t got a lot of good equipment or artists or anything like that. I guess that, over in America, they can focus on their music a lot more, whereas people in Australia … they do their music, but they’ve also got a day job. So they’re trying to squeeze their music in whenever they can. So I guess, with the American artists … I guess … I mean, Australian artists take it really seriously as well, but, I guess, [Americans] have got that hope – or they know – that it’s going to do well, whereas in Australia, we’re sort of fingers-crossed that it might do well.

And just for fun, which do you reckon do smell worse – Americans or Australians? [Laughs]
Ah … Oh, look … I don’t know how to answer that – I’ve got to support the home country, and say that Australians smell pretty good; we’ve got a good range of fragrances out here. Maybe the Americans have been eating a bit too much fast food over there, so they probably smell a bit worse! [Laughs]

DJ Rush plays Lonnies with MC Omar Musa on Friday the 5th of October.

Listen to an MP3 of the full interview Below