Yelo editor Penny Brand sat down with Australian EDM pioneer Julian Hamilton – of The Presets – ahead of his duo’s national tour. They will perform with Crooked Colours and Haiku Hands at The Station, on the Sunshine Coast, July 5. Tickets (all ages): https://www.moshtix.com.au/v2/event/winter-one-derland.
Yelo: If you could remix any non-EDM Australian song which one would it be?
Julian: Gosh, that’s a good question. When we first started we would actually set up our synths and drum kit in the studio – in the lounge room – and we actually would do weird synth covers of like AC/DC and Midnight Oil, and kind of old rock songs.
Yelo: That would be so fun!
Julian: Yeah and we’d do like weird futuristic synth versions of them. And that was kind of the origin of The Presets. We loved that feel of that rock music, but we wanted it to sound more – futuristic.
Yelo: And Australian?
Julian: Yeah that’s right. Songs like ‘Power and the Passion’, Midnight Oil, or like ‘Back in Black’, AC/DC. We’d do like weird synth covers of them. And that was kind of the beginnings of the band.
Yelo: Oh cool, that sounds fun. I wish I was a flatmate of yours.
Julian: (Laughs) I’m not sure, but there were a few upset neighbours along the way I can tell you.
Full interview with Australian EDM pioneers
You’ll have to listen to the full version of our interview to hear Julian’s guilty pleasure song!
Connecting as uni mates before they were famous
The Presets first took shape when Julian met Kim Moyes at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music in 2003.
The pair were quickly recognised for their ability to fuse elements of dance music with an energy more akin to rock’n’roll. After signing with Modular Recordings, the act released two EPs and an album, “Beams”, in 2005.
In 2008, they released their chart-topping album, “Apocalypso” – which included breakout song “My People” – selling in excess of Triple Platinum sales in Australia.
Setting new standards for dance music in Australia, The Presets went on to win five ARIA awards (and two ARIA Artisan Awards); including Album of the Year, as well as a triple j J award and FBI award for Album of The Year.
Kim and Julian also shared the coveted Songwriter of The Year Award at the 2009 APRA Awards.
The classically-trained force has since been recognised at music festivals worldwide including; Glastonbury, Coachella, SXSW, Exit, Melt and Splendour In The Grass.
More recently, a collaborative recording with Golden Features, led by the euphoric single “Paradise”, became triple j’s most-played song after its release in 2019. The song also chartered in the youth radio’s Hottest 100 the same year.
The Presets kicked of 2022 with their club-primed single “You Belong”, which not only featured in the soundtrack they created for Sydney’s famous midnight fireworks, but quickly became the most-played song on triple j for the month of its release.
Winter One-Derland @ The Station
Don’t miss seeing The Presets at the Winter One-Derland at The Station, on the Sunshine Coast, with Crooked Colours and Haiku Hands.
Pulse DJs Luvo and Holly Harben will also perform, as well as locals Emily Rink and Isla Ivy.
There will be food trucks, licensed bars and winter activities for everyone, even the kids.
Tickets (all ages): https://www.moshtix.com.au/v2/event/winter-one-derland.
