AC Slater headlines Deep Hard N Funky

Calling all party people, Auckland’s biggest winter rave is back and bigger than ever. Deep Hard N Funky is taking over the Auckland Town Hall and flipping it into a four-stage, multi-level electronic playground. Expect a stacked lineup of local legends and international heavy-hitters, including headliner AC Slater.

Can you tell us about your journey into becoming a DJ? How did it all start for you?
I started DJing and producing a long time ago when I was a teenager. Buying vinyl records and lugging them around to shows. The world was a very different place, I’m talking pre-internet, and dance music was very much underground in the States. The rave scene was essentially a secret world back then, which is hard to imagine now. So it’s been pretty incredible to watch the rise and evolution of the culture and music over the years into the mainstream.

How has your sound developed from when you first started DJing?
I started out playing hardcore and drum & bass. But over the years, my interests evolved into house, UK Garage, dubstep & grime. This eventually led me to the sound of my label Night Bass, a blend of high-energy house and garage that we brought to the American audience during a time when that didn’t really exist. Through my career, I’m always looking for something fresh and new, with the common thread of good bass and high energy.

How do you typically prepare for a set?
My passion is introducing people to new music, so I have to find at least a few new unreleased songs or demos to try out every time. I love testing new tracks and feeling a crowd’s reaction.

Do you have a specific routine/process or any pre-show rituals?
I like to get to the show and catch a vibe for the venue, the crowd and the crew working on the show. Then get nervous until I hit the stage, where all that anxiety washes away from the excitement of the show.

How does playing down under compare to playing back home?
I have a long history with Australia and New Zealand. I LOVE the scene there and have been fortunate enough to have been through many eras of it. There is an energy and excitement from the crowds there, which is definitely one of a kind. I’ve made some lifelong friendships as well, so it really feels like coming home when I’m there. I haven’t been back down under since 2019, which is crazy. I am beyond excited to return.

Can you tell us how Night Bass started and how it has developed into what it is today?
In 2014, it was the peak of the EDM fever. Dance music was exploding into the mainstream, the term EDM was coined, and a lot of the culture turned to expensive bottle service clubs, DJs doing huge stadium shows, and DJs becoming celebrities. I just couldn’t relate to the majority of the music at that time, so I started my own event in Los Angeles showcasing the music I was into, which was a lot of UK house (called bass house at the time) and garage. Turns out a lot of people were interested in something new. My goal was to build a community of people who loved the music, like the scene I had grown up loving, and it really connected with people. It blew up, and we did a huge US tour with the event that first year. A year later, I launched the record label. And now we’ve been going for over 11 years strong!

What is your most memorable performance and why?
I’ll stick to an Australian experience and say Parklife festival 2010 was definitely one of the most incredible experiences of my life. We’re travelling all around the country with the entire festival line-up of 30+ artists and bands, plus all the event staff. It was such a good group, I got to know people like Jack Beats, the Ed Banger crew, Glitch Mob, Sinden, etc, really well. It was like summer camp for DJs. It was during such an exciting transitional era of dance music, and the crowds were incredible. By the time it was over, I felt like I had become a part of a new family.

How do you balance your regular life with all the madness of being a DJ… IE balancing your time on the decks, producing new tracks & upkeeping your self-promo/marketing?
Well, I am a husband and father of 2, so the challenge of balancing family life and music/work life is a big one. I’m a very present dad, so the amount of time that I used to have to dedicate to my music career has been chopped down. It’s a constant rearranging of our schedules and routines as life changes from month to month, but with the help of my wife and my team, we make it work. When I’m in dad mode, I have to be 100% dad mode. When I’m in work mode, I have to be 100% work mode. Once I figured that out, it made both sides of my life so enjoyable and satisfying. And I may never have a full night's sleep again.

What advice would you give to aspiring DJs?
Be patient.

Practice practice practice. Every song you make doesn’t have to be released.

Focus on yourself, don’t worry about what others are doing.

Find your own unique sound and voice and cultivate it.

Connect with fans. You can’t win everyone over, but really connecting with people is invaluable.

There is no barrier to entry anymore. But the music industry is a very tough place. Ask yourself, “is this really my passion?” Because you’re going to need that true passion for creating music to make it through.

If you could be stuck in one year’s music scene, which year would it be?
Wow, what a question! I guess I’d say 2009 because it was the first time I was ever popping as an artist, and I loved that “blog house” era of fidget house, indie dance and club music. Other than that, I would have loved to experience the UK rave scene in 1992. I think it would be amazing to witness the birth of hardcore, jungle, and so many other genres that were still yet to fully form. It just seems like such an exciting time for dance music culture.

@DJACSLATER

Tickets on sale now at ourhouse.co.nz