Auckland’s LMC Teams Up with Villette for a Smoky Track of Understated Trap

Unbeknownst to many, New Zealand's electronic music scene is being led by a new generation of producers. For Slo:Wave—a collective of self-made producers and musicians bred from the New Zealand underground—influences come in many different forms, led by the alienation of their hometowns and the support of tight-knit communities.

Led by Auckland-based producer LMC, known largely as the co-founder of Slo:Wave, community has become the driving force for music: musicians from different backgrounds now party together and their mutual interests are celebrated. Catching up with the producer, 'Sideway Love (Ft. Villette)' is the latest single to roll out from the collective, bringing together the warm vocals of local creative Villette.

Noisey: You've mentioned in passing that producing can be pretty lonely. How is Slo:Wave,changing the New Zealand electronic music scene?
LMC: Our goal with Slo:Wave is to bring the scene together as apposed to trying to change it. Slo:Wave started as a bunch of producers online who shared a love for bass music. It just made sense for us to work together. Most of the Slo:Wave roster and artists we work with are in New Zealand now too, so we try link up with the people we work with online. It's cool to have a mutual interest that can bring people from different backgrounds together—it's something we try and do whilst creating our Slo:Wave line-ups too. We like to bring a mixer of new artists and established ones, each with their own friend groups and followings that can help the community connect.

So building a community is important?
Very. Basically we just want other people out there making beats on their laptops to know that there's a dope music scene in New Zealand right now and there are people out there willing to support them. Its something you don't have to do on your own anymore. Support and vibes.

How did the track come about?
The beat came together when I was down about a high school friend who passed away. I don't usually write when I'm down… it was cool to be able to express myself through this one. I then sent the song to Villette because I knew she would lay some fire over it. It was a natural process.

There's a lot of organic sounds that resonate around Villette's vocals. Do you feel her lyrics brought it all together?
I feel like the lyrics weren't what brought the song together… it was more that they caught the vibe of the production. Shout-outs Villette on that one.

Is there something isolating about growing up in New Zealand?
The strangest thing is having to explain where NZ is to my overseas friends.

That would be strange. Do you think this has left an impression on your producing?
I guess so, it's made me reach out and work with a lot of artists online. A lot of the people I've met over the Internet have ended up being my homies in real life.

Alongside these people, what are you hoping to get out of 2017?
Find that balance between making music and still being able to pay the rent on time.