We catch up with Millù, Melbourne DJ and selector of all things eclectic; think left-field electronics, ambient, psychedelia, kraut and beyond.
With regular slots on Triple R and Skylab Radio, and having played the likes of Inner Varnika, Golden Plains, Strawberry Fields, Hopkins Creek and Club D’erange, she has quickly become renowned for her unique sound and ability to work any dance floor with her deep cache of esoteric gems.
You have an amazing catalogue of obscure and arcane tracks, spanning releases old and new. We can hear this on your regular slot on Sklyab Radio Dischord and now (a new show, in it’s fourth week currently) Full Circle on Triple R. Can you tell us a little more about where your love for psychedelia, kraut and downtempo etc. originally stemmed from? And how does each show differ/ does each show offer a different vibe?
I think, fairly obviously, when you try to think about musical influence, you try to throw your mind back to the earliest music you can remember listening to - and for me, I grew up listening to a lot of blues and jazz at home - records played firstly by my Dad and then later my older brother. Whilst I wasn’t conscious of it for a long time in my teenage years, that influence has definitely resonated in small ways in the way I appreciate music - and the way I DJ - today: from jazz, a willingness to abandon or challenge convention; and a love of the grit of the blues. When I listen back to sets of mine that have been recorded I love when I can hear these little elements bubbling up in unexpected ways, in new forms - and more often than not I realise that it has happened subconsciously.
Full Circle, artwork by Sam Donaldson.
When I first started DJing (4 years ago now) I played a lot of jazz, and a lot of psych rock and guitar music - I already had these records in my collection and I was playing warm-up sets at bars and day parties around Melbourne, so musically it made sense. Nowadays (for the most part) I only get to play that stuff on the radio - and my slot on Skylab Radio is the perfect outlet for that - Dischord provides an opportunity for me to play the weirder stuff in my collection that I can’t quite find a place for on the dancefloor.
This year I’ve been gifted the honour of a weekly show on Melbourne’s Triple R - a station that I’ve been involved with in various forms since I was at university. I’m so excited about it - still can’t quite believe it’s happening! The show is called Full Circle and it’s geared much more towards the electronic. It’s still early days, but the aim is to explore as many of the genres and sub-genres of ‘electronic music’ as possible, not necessarily dance music. I’ll also be having guests on the show - all kinds of people who have something to say about the way we produce, consume, govern and engage with the music we love.
Did you start playing out, or did you start behind the radio booth? How was making the transition to playing for or from a live audience?
I started out DJing in the radio booth - I studied Media at university and in turn was presented the opportunity to host some shows on Triple R. I started out with the graveyard slot - four hours solo in the studio working my way through all kinds of genres, and getting a feel for what it meant to have ‘flow’ and how to make nice transitions without having a clue how to beat match.
I was also hosting parties at this time with a couple of friends - running illegal raves in the bushland on Melbourne’s outer fringe, and meeting lots of DJs who I’d admired from afar for a long time. Those parties got a bit out of hand at times, but it was such an incredible experience and I think really formative for me as a DJ - all of a sudden I went from this kid on the dancefloor to being in the booth with some of my ‘idols’ - watching how it was all done.
One day I was doing a fill at Triple R for a dub show, and I got a message from a friend who ran these wild parties down by the Merri Creek called Prana. He said he’d loved the show and asked if I wanted to open for the next party, and the next thing I knew I was playing every record I owned on a Funktion 1 system at a party I’d never even dreamt about getting to play at myself. It all happened pretty quickly after that and I learnt literally everything I know now on the job. And I’m still learning!
“Those parties got a bit out of hand at times, but it was such an incredible experience and I think really formative for me as a DJ - all of a sudden I went from this kid on the dance floor to being in the booth with some of my ‘idols’ - watching how it was all done. ”
Can you tell us a little about this beauty of a mix you’ve made for H&S?
Apart from live sets that have been recorded, I don’t have too much in the way of party sets online - I always fall back into making home listeners. This mix is much more dance floor oriented - and I had a lot of fun putting it together. It’s got tracks from lots of friends here in Australia - from Melbourne and from Sydney. There’s so much amazing music coming out of Australia at the moment, I feel like we are really having a moment. There are so many new producers experimenting with their own sounds, new labels cropping up, and so much support within the community.
One thing that really ran home how strong this community is was watching the way people responded to the bushfires that ravaged the east coast of Australia this summer. There were releases coming out left right and centre - mostly digital releases on bandcamp - to raise funds for bushfire relief initiatives. It was overwhelming to see how our little dance community could come together and use our network and talent to such positive effect. Some of the songs in this mix were taken from these releases - DJ Life’s Skyrider from this compilation, and Hugh B’s SYNC 2 from this one.
”One thing that really ran home how strong this community is was watching the way people responded to the bushfires that ravaged the east coast of Australia this summer. There were releases coming out left right and centre.”
As well as your regular shows, what else is on the cards for Millù for 2020?
I’m really focusing now on the Triple R show - I think it’s going to take a bit of work getting used to putting together two hours of new music every week - and having something worthwhile to say about each track! I’m excited for how much it’s going to force me to learn more about the music I love. I’ve been playing around with producing some of my own music over the past year or so - but it’s still very early days. I’m a perfectionist, so it’s not been easy! I’m looking forward to spending some more time in the studio after the summer - it’s always a hectic time of the year with gigs and other commitments.