Digging for Discoveries with Melbourne Producer DEER

DEER is full of surprises. The one-time sponsored skater is also a talented graphic artist and a skilled music producer. His tracks keep us guessing and keep us coming back with their original take on electronic, R&B and club styles. What isn't surprising is we asked DEER to play our recent THUMP party in Melbourne alongside Kirkis, Friendships, and RaRa. It was a signature set of Shazam-proof jams. To start the week off on a path of discovery we asked Tom to share some recent revelations, a few favourite tracks that changed the way he listened to music.

DEER: I've selected five tracks that I find are really progressive. A lot of the tracks that have been exciting me are not really designed for "The Club". I think its refreshing to look outside of what's considered normal for that setting. They aren't structured in a particular way that might seem like a traditional club song with a drop or a chorus, which makes them far more interesting when I play them in that environment. There's a lot of emphasis on melody, how you can craft moods and feelings through multiple chords layered on top of each other and juxtaposing loud parts with soft to create a dynamic sound. As a producer I find these tracks really inspiring.

Cashmere Cat ­- "Adore ft Ariana Grande (MssingNo Remix)"

I have so much love for everyone on this track. The original song by Cashmere Cat is super fun and Ariana's vocals are beautiful. MssingNo's remix takes it to a completely different place. His ability to put such a sad bass line with such a pretty top synth line works sooo well, it makes me cry sometimes.

Strict Face -­ "Hearst Suite Theme"

Strict Face is my new favourite Australian producer. Everything he does is so nice sonically, it takes me to a sweet place in my head. I open my sets with this song sometimes. I enjoy playing stuff that people might be confused or surprised by, sometimes I just want you to listen to a song that I like. You should also check out his ­'Alice (Peace Edit)' track.

Skepta ­- "Nasty"

Grime is so strong at the moment, I feel everyone should know who Skepta is. This track is hard, mean, dirty and full of energy.

K9 -­ "Stress (Prod. Dark0 and Visionist)"

This is my favourite track off K9's extremely over-looked mixtape, 'Mad In The Cut'. Dark0 and Visionist's production work is so spaced and airy, it creates a beautifully dark vibe in contrast with K9's raspy vocals.

Ryuichi Sakamoto -­ 'Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence'

This song isn't new, It was actually released in 1983. I got into Ryuichi Sakamoto when I first heard 'Bibo no Aozora'. He has such a distinct sound to me, even though most of his compositions are only recorded on a piano. The idea of being identifiable as an artist purely through composition excites me, I don't find that in many artists these days.

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