FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

Music

Life Lessons with Anna Lunoe

How to make music, trust your instincts, and change your thinking.

Anna Lunoe is heading home. It's been two years since the Australian producer, DJ, broadcaster, singer and general cultural leader left these shores to set up base in Los Angeles. A lot has happened: Anna has played Coachella, Lollapalooza, HARD Day of the Dead, touring constantly. A lot has changed: there have been various releases on labels like Ultra, Future Classic, and Skrillex's NEST, as well as collaborations with artists including Flume and Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs. But much remains the same: Anna Lunoe is still driven by a love of musical innovation and a passion for creativity in all forms. Anna Lunoe is bringing all this back on the upcoming tour, a chance to hear new and exclusive material, and favourites from the past. Speaking of exclusives, Anna Lunoe has kindly provided this remix of "Satisfaction", reworked by Astronomar & Bot, themselves first class producers touring Australia over the next few weeks. It's a melodic jam, destined for peak time club sets, festivals and headphone dance sessions. Stream here, and read below our chat with Anna about making music, trusting your instincts, and life after Coachella.

Advertisement

Anna Lunoe is heading home. It's been two years since the Australian producer, DJ, broadcaster, singer and general cultural leader left these shores to set up base in Los Angeles. A lot has happened: Anna has played Coachella, Lollapalooza, HARD Day of the Dead, touring constantly. A lot has changed: there have been various releases on labels like Ultra, Future Classic, and Skrillex's NEST, as well as collaborations with artists including Flume and Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs. But much remains the same: Anna Lunoe is still driven by a love of musical innovation and a passion for creativity in all forms. Anna Lunoe is bringing all this back on the upcoming tour, a chance to hear new and exclusive material, and favourites from the past. Speaking of exclusives, Anna Lunoe has kindly provided this remix of "Satisfaction", reworked by Astronomar & Bot, themselves first class producers touring Australia over the next few weeks. It's a melodic jam, destined for peak time club sets, festivals and headphone dance sessions. Stream here, and read below our chat with Anna about making music, trusting your instincts, and life after Coachella.

THUMP: It's been a little while! To catch up can you take us through some defining experiences of the past year?
Anna Lunoe: It's been happening over many years, but in the last year through playing my own songs at big festivals and trying to make them all make sense in one set, I understand how my sound works a lot more. I feel 500% better of a DJ than when I played Coachella a year ago. I understand my sound and I am not nervous anymore, because nothing can makes you more nervous than Coachella!

Talking about finding your sound, can you tell us a little about your process of crafting music, and how it's changed over time?
Even though I wrote songs as a teenager with a guitar, I always seemed to approach songwriting as a producer, where I would start a track sketch first and then try to fit the words into the track. Or maybe I was trying to build the track and vocal at same time. That is a lot to think about and would sometimes confuse my process and lead me to deadends. I read this Jack U article recently and Sonny was saying how noone could write on their beats, they had to take a song then kinda remix it ten times instead, and that really made sense to me. By just focussing on writing a cool song I could then build a track around it, and create sonics that suit the messaging of the track better. So that's what I'm trying this time around. We'll see how that goes, but I'm definitely discovering my songwriting this way. I think I have come up with some of my best songs in the last few weeks. My voice is diverse and always changing, and thats ok. It's also good to try to explore one theme or idea at a time and then move on to the next when you feel like you have done that. You can't do everything at once.

In the studio, have there been any breakthroughs you've experienced over the last couple of years as an artist?
When I first started I was producing really slowly and getting really frustrated with mixing drums. I would get so caught up trying to make the drums sound right, or the bassline sound right that I never got any further in the track. I decided to make a song a day. It didnt matter how rough it was, it was more about just commiting to some ideas and running with it. I would write the vocals really quickly and just pump it out on first instinct , no second guessing. I mean, they were pretty terrible most the time, but sometimes I would listen back and really love what I'd done. Then I could go back and make the sounds sound better without worrying if the ideas were good. Some of them are even out! "Up & Down" was released on Fools Gold, and "Empty Girl" I gave away on my Soundcloud. This process gave me a little bit of confidence in my ideas.

Aside from your solo material, there have been some collaborations too, great chances to learn from, and teach others. What have been your experiences here?
I definitely learn little tricks from everyone and I gotta say I get pretty proud when I can teach the boys Ableton shortcuts or something ha. But I loved working with TEED because he really catches raw instinct and knows when things feels honest. Thats a big thing I think. It can be all "wrong" but just be right. As long as it's really you, it's right. That was a game changer.

What can you tell us about the releases that you've got planned for this year?
An EP and some collabs all in the works. My next release will probably be my collaboration with Chris Lake. Its called "Stomper" and I every time I play it I get more and more excited to release it.

Finally, how does it feel to be playing shows in Australia for the first time in a couple of years?
You know, I didn't think about it at the time but leaving my place in the Australian scene to start over in the USA was pretty crazy. At the moment in the US everyone in the industry is kinda jumping on who's big in Australia in case they're the next Flume, but I came over just before that, and for me it was like starting all over again. But I wouldn't change a thing. It forced me to rewire my brain, change my thinking and I kinda feel like a different artist now. I can't wait to take that energy back home and share it with the people and places that helped create it.

Catch Anna Lunoe during her upcoming Australian tour. All dates and ticket information here
29 May - Perth, Mondo, Ginger Club
30 May - Brisbane, Oh Hello
4 June - Wollongong, Waves

5 June - Adelaide, Electric Circus
6 June - Sydney, Chinese Laundry

7 June - Melbourne, Anyway

THUMP: It's been a little while! To catch up can you take us through some defining experiences of the past year?
Anna Lunoe: It's been happening over many years, but in the last year through playing my own songs at big festivals and trying to make them all make sense in one set, I understand how my sound works a lot more. I feel 500% better of a DJ than when I played Coachella a year ago. I understand my sound and I am not nervous anymore, because nothing can makes you more nervous than Coachella!

Talking about finding your sound, can you tell us a little about your process of crafting music, and how it's changed over time?
Even though I wrote songs as a teenager with a guitar, I always seemed to approach songwriting as a producer, where I would start a track sketch first and then try to fit the words into the track. Or maybe I was trying to build the track and vocal at same time. That is a lot to think about and would sometimes confuse my process and lead me to deadends. I read this Jack U article recently and Sonny was saying how noone could write on their beats, they had to take a song then kinda remix it ten times instead, and that really made sense to me. By just focussing on writing a cool song I could then build a track around it, and create sonics that suit the messaging of the track better. So that's what I'm trying this time around. We'll see how that goes, but I'm definitely discovering my songwriting this way. I think I have come up with some of my best songs in the last few weeks. My voice is diverse and always changing, and thats ok. It's also good to try to explore one theme or idea at a time and then move on to the next when you feel like you have done that. You can't do everything at once.

Advertisement

In the studio, have there been any breakthroughs you've experienced over the last couple of years as an artist?
When I first started I was producing really slowly and getting really frustrated with mixing drums. I would get so caught up trying to make the drums sound right, or the bassline sound right that I never got any further in the track. I decided to make a song a day. It didnt matter how rough it was, it was more about just commiting to some ideas and running with it. I would write the vocals really quickly and just pump it out on first instinct , no second guessing. I mean, they were pretty terrible most the time, but sometimes I would listen back and really love what I'd done. Then I could go back and make the sounds sound better without worrying if the ideas were good. Some of them are even out! "Up & Down" was released on Fools Gold, and "Empty Girl" I gave away on my Soundcloud. This process gave me a little bit of confidence in my ideas.

Aside from your solo material, there have been some collaborations too, great chances to learn from, and teach others. What have been your experiences here?
I definitely learn little tricks from everyone and I gotta say I get pretty proud when I can teach the boys Ableton shortcuts or something ha. But I loved working with TEED because he really catches raw instinct and knows when things feels honest. Thats a big thing I think. It can be all "wrong" but just be right. As long as it's really you, it's right. That was a game changer.

Anna Lunoe is heading home. It's been two years since the Australian producer, DJ, broadcaster, singer and general cultural leader left these shores to set up base in Los Angeles. A lot has happened: Anna has played Coachella, Lollapalooza, HARD Day of the Dead, touring constantly. A lot has changed: there have been various releases on labels like Ultra, Future Classic, and Skrillex's NEST, as well as collaborations with artists including Flume and Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs. But much remains the same: Anna Lunoe is still driven by a love of musical innovation and a passion for creativity in all forms. Anna Lunoe is bringing all this back on the upcoming tour, a chance to hear new and exclusive material, and favourites from the past. Speaking of exclusives, Anna Lunoe has kindly provided this remix of "Satisfaction", reworked by Astronomar & Bot, themselves first class producers touring Australia over the next few weeks. It's a melodic jam, destined for peak time club sets, festivals and headphone dance sessions. Stream here, and read below our chat with Anna about making music, trusting your instincts, and life after Coachella.

THUMP: It's been a little while! To catch up can you take us through some defining experiences of the past year?
Anna Lunoe: It's been happening over many years, but in the last year through playing my own songs at big festivals and trying to make them all make sense in one set, I understand how my sound works a lot more. I feel 500% better of a DJ than when I played Coachella a year ago. I understand my sound and I am not nervous anymore, because nothing can makes you more nervous than Coachella!

Talking about finding your sound, can you tell us a little about your process of crafting music, and how it's changed over time?
Even though I wrote songs as a teenager with a guitar, I always seemed to approach songwriting as a producer, where I would start a track sketch first and then try to fit the words into the track. Or maybe I was trying to build the track and vocal at same time. That is a lot to think about and would sometimes confuse my process and lead me to deadends. I read this Jack U article recently and Sonny was saying how noone could write on their beats, they had to take a song then kinda remix it ten times instead, and that really made sense to me. By just focussing on writing a cool song I could then build a track around it, and create sonics that suit the messaging of the track better. So that's what I'm trying this time around. We'll see how that goes, but I'm definitely discovering my songwriting this way. I think I have come up with some of my best songs in the last few weeks. My voice is diverse and always changing, and thats ok. It's also good to try to explore one theme or idea at a time and then move on to the next when you feel like you have done that. You can't do everything at once.

In the studio, have there been any breakthroughs you've experienced over the last couple of years as an artist?
When I first started I was producing really slowly and getting really frustrated with mixing drums. I would get so caught up trying to make the drums sound right, or the bassline sound right that I never got any further in the track. I decided to make a song a day. It didnt matter how rough it was, it was more about just commiting to some ideas and running with it. I would write the vocals really quickly and just pump it out on first instinct , no second guessing. I mean, they were pretty terrible most the time, but sometimes I would listen back and really love what I'd done. Then I could go back and make the sounds sound better without worrying if the ideas were good. Some of them are even out! "Up & Down" was released on Fools Gold, and "Empty Girl" I gave away on my Soundcloud. This process gave me a little bit of confidence in my ideas.

Aside from your solo material, there have been some collaborations too, great chances to learn from, and teach others. What have been your experiences here?
I definitely learn little tricks from everyone and I gotta say I get pretty proud when I can teach the boys Ableton shortcuts or something ha. But I loved working with TEED because he really catches raw instinct and knows when things feels honest. Thats a big thing I think. It can be all "wrong" but just be right. As long as it's really you, it's right. That was a game changer.

What can you tell us about the releases that you've got planned for this year?
An EP and some collabs all in the works. My next release will probably be my collaboration with Chris Lake. Its called "Stomper" and I every time I play it I get more and more excited to release it.

Finally, how does it feel to be playing shows in Australia for the first time in a couple of years?
You know, I didn't think about it at the time but leaving my place in the Australian scene to start over in the USA was pretty crazy. At the moment in the US everyone in the industry is kinda jumping on who's big in Australia in case they're the next Flume, but I came over just before that, and for me it was like starting all over again. But I wouldn't change a thing. It forced me to rewire my brain, change my thinking and I kinda feel like a different artist now. I can't wait to take that energy back home and share it with the people and places that helped create it.

Catch Anna Lunoe during her upcoming Australian tour. All dates and ticket information here
29 May - Perth, Mondo, Ginger Club
30 May - Brisbane, Oh Hello
4 June - Wollongong, Waves

5 June - Adelaide, Electric Circus
6 June - Sydney, Chinese Laundry

7 June - Melbourne, Anyway

What can you tell us about the releases that you've got planned for this year?
An EP and some collabs all in the works. My next release will probably be my collaboration with Chris Lake. Its called "Stomper" and I every time I play it I get more and more excited to release it.

Finally, how does it feel to be playing shows in Australia for the first time in a couple of years?
You know, I didn't think about it at the time but leaving my place in the Australian scene to start over in the USA was pretty crazy. At the moment in the US everyone in the industry is kinda jumping on who's big in Australia in case they're the next Flume, but I came over just before that, and for me it was like starting all over again. But I wouldn't change a thing. It forced me to rewire my brain, change my thinking and I kinda feel like a different artist now. I can't wait to take that energy back home and share it with the people and places that helped create it.

Catch Anna Lunoe during her upcoming Australian tour. All dates and ticket information here
29 May - Perth, Mondo, Ginger Club
30 May - Brisbane, Oh Hello 4 June - Wollongong, Waves
5 June - Adelaide, Electric Circus 6 June - Sydney, Chinese Laundry 7 June - Melbourne, Anyway