Thankyou City Think EDM Should Be Sexy

Thankyou City are Brent and Scott Mirams; a brother DJ duo from Melbourne. Our research didn't turn up an acronym for that, so we're christening them as DJBs—no hard feelings if that doesn't take off. Other than being the recipients of an awesome new nickname, they also just took out the People's Choice Award of the recent Budweiser Music Awards. We assume that's the formal name for the Most Handjobs Award.

THUMP: Your voices sound so similar, this could get confusing.

Brent: We were actually conjoined when we were born but we had to get separated because we had a really large studio and we couldn't reach the keyboard.

Beyond the brothers stuff, which I get, what made you join forces musically?

Scott: We grew up together, spent a lot of time together, and had instruments laying around the house. We used them in the same vicinity and eventually started a duo.

Brent: When we had music that people kind of started to like we thought we should get together. Scott already had DJ experience, and I was too scared to do it on my own. But if anything went wrong I could blame Scotty.

So your whole enterprise was born out of deflecting personal humiliation? 

Scott: We didn't really get along that well when we were young. I was a drummer and into bands, and Brett was getting into the electronic stuff and I was like, "Nah that's shit you're wasting your time". Then I started using some of his equipment, and thought, "Actually this is alright."

Why were you initially anti EDM? 

Brent: Probably our older brother, he used to go to raves and stuff like that.

Scott: We were too young, but I remember looking at these early 90s flyers and just being mesmerised, thinking what the hell is this crazy shit? He was super secretive and would never tell us anything that was going on, which just brought up more intrigue.

Thankyou City should really be a trio then, where is your brother?

Brent: He's got no idea, he just went to a couple of raves I think.

Which one of you is going to be taken in by fame first and ditch this for solo glory?

Scott: That would be me I'd say.

Brent: Sometimes when we're playing music live together he'll nudge me towards the corner of the stage, or set my gear up really far behind the speakers while he stands in the middle by himself.

So Scott craves the spotlight. 

Brent: Scotty makes sure we have a mirror on stage now as part of our typical rider.

Scott: Point of the story: I don't like to look at the dancefloor. I just like to look at myself while I'm playing.

Do you guys have other behind the decks etiquette to ease the brotherly tension?

Brent: Scotty and I have a good flow happening and do the set-up pretty fast now, considering the gear we use. We just get into the zone together, where we just know what has to happen.

Scott: It's good because when one of us passes out before the set, the other has it covered.

That's what family is for. You guys have a pretty polite stage name and just won an award based on everyone liking you, but something must make you mad?

Scott: I like it when there's people on the dancefloor, as opposed to not on the dancefloor.

That's your peeve, people not dancing?

Brent: Sort of just standing there is a little unusual, considering there's really loud music. That's disheartening.

Scott: But if that's the case, it's Brett's fault. Is this gonna be one of those interviews, where you interview us and then just take the piss out of us?

I don't usually do those. Is that a request?

Scott: I think we want one of those.

Honestly it would be easier than doing a proper write-up. Your sound doesn't really strike me as the archetypal big room EDM, I get more of an ambient electronica vibe that you could quilt to.

Brett: Are you talking about Daft Punk or us?

Lashed. It's just that you've won a People's Choice Award which leads you to assume the music has a mass appeal, like something you'd hear on mainstream radio.

Brent: Nah I think that's right, our sound is a lot more downtempo. We try and make it real groovy, social and friendly. Something that's good for the babes to get up and dance to. Nothing too banging like most of the stuff you hear on the radio now.

Not sounds to stomp the floor and pump your fist to.

Brent: Yeah like what you hear at 9AM on the radio, where they're playing 133 bpm trance.

It's for all the housewives in spin class?

Brent: Oh you're right!

Scott: I think our sound is a lot like how you described it. Some tracks we try to keep real sexy and summery and other tracks we like to make wonky and twisted and a bit strange. Anything around 118-124 bpm, it's a nice grooving/shaking area you can play at any time of the day.

I like it.

Scott: How many quilts have you made since hearing it?

It's a lengthy process, I'd have to raid your entire Soundcloud before anything actually eventuated. Has winning the award rattled the cage a bit?

Scott: Yeah, just with a bit of media coverage and stuff which is always good. We've always been pretty underground in Melbourne so it's a good chance to get some of that exposure—which I suppose we don't really care about very much but it's always going to be a help.

Brett: Lots of bookings are coming since we won that award. So hopefully more keep rolling in and we make the best music possible, which we can definitely do now especially thanks to the DJ Warehouse and Budweiser comp with all the money.

Scotty: We basically have no reason to stop us from making the mad beats.