Melbourne's I'lls have been steadily gaining waves of appreciating with their refined style of electronica, captivating audiences in the live setting and entrancing ears with slick arrangements and production. Their ascension continues with their just-released EP, Can I Go With You To Go Back To My Country, with Melbourne and Sydney launches set for next month. Ahead of the shows, band member Dan Rutman spoke with FBi Click presenter Antonia Gauci, as well as delivering an exclusive mix for THUMP.THUMP: Your music has a hypnotic and therapeutic feeling. What's it like to possess healing powers?
Dan Rutman: Yeah I think that's bound to happen. We are big fans of drone music and the effects it has on people. It's amazing that when you have something static placed right next to something that is building, how much bigger the build feels. I think Hamish really showed me that when we started playing together. He taught me the effect of a high drone.Is writing music a cathartic kinda process for the three of you?
I think 95% of the time, writing is a really painful process. We struggle a lot and it's frustrating. But that 5% really makes it worthwhile. Then once you get out of the studio and start playing for people, that's when it becomes much more rewarding.What sets the Can I Go With You To Go Back To My Country EP apart from your first two records? Do you feel you've refined / moved in a new direction with each release?
The first release was written in 8 weeks and was a very general, overview of the sounds that we love. The second EP was definitely a more refined version of that. This EP is definitely a step closer to what we want the band to sound like. We are getting better at critiquing what we like about music and trying to re-create that.Can you share with us some of the sounds that helped influence the record?
We have been extremely influenced by some of the UK garage sounds of the mid 90s that never really seemed to make it here. There seems to be a big resurgence in Australia for that sound now, which is really exciting.What's been the most notable show you've played so far?
The visual gig we did a month ago. Hamish had made a full 45 minutes worth of visual material and we decided to score some of our songs and original material to it. I think the fact that it could've gone terribly but instead went really smoothly was a really nice feeling.What's with the name of the EP?
It's actually a story of something that happened in Japan to Simon and Hamish. When they brought it to me, I thought it was kind of a stupid name. I really struggled with it. Most notably, it doesn't make grammatical sense and as a result, I had to make sense of it myself. I think it started to force me to make sense of it in my own life and I really liked that it did that to me. So I came around on it a couple weeks later.What've you thrown together for this mix?
This is a UK garage inspired mix that Hamish has put together. We are really into this at the moment. He's put together some of our favourite tracks in a really great way.What's next for you guys?
We'll have some visual headliner shows around the country. Then we'll just keep writing and playing shows I guess.Tracklist:
Nesha - Whats It Gonna Be ( Sticky 2 Step Mix )
The House Crew - Keep The Fire Burning
Crazy Bald Heads - First Born
Oscar Key Sung (Alba Remix) - All I Could Do
Active Minds - Hobson's Choice
B15 project - Girls Like UsI'lls launch their EP at Sydney's Brighton Up Bar on Friday September 11 and Melbourne's Northcote Social Club on Saturday September 12.I'lls on SoundCloud // Facebook // TwitterAntonia Gauci presents THUMP on FBi Click.Want more mixes, interviews and exclusives? Like THUMP on Facebook:
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Dan Rutman: Yeah I think that's bound to happen. We are big fans of drone music and the effects it has on people. It's amazing that when you have something static placed right next to something that is building, how much bigger the build feels. I think Hamish really showed me that when we started playing together. He taught me the effect of a high drone.Is writing music a cathartic kinda process for the three of you?
I think 95% of the time, writing is a really painful process. We struggle a lot and it's frustrating. But that 5% really makes it worthwhile. Then once you get out of the studio and start playing for people, that's when it becomes much more rewarding.What sets the Can I Go With You To Go Back To My Country EP apart from your first two records? Do you feel you've refined / moved in a new direction with each release?
The first release was written in 8 weeks and was a very general, overview of the sounds that we love. The second EP was definitely a more refined version of that. This EP is definitely a step closer to what we want the band to sound like. We are getting better at critiquing what we like about music and trying to re-create that.Can you share with us some of the sounds that helped influence the record?
We have been extremely influenced by some of the UK garage sounds of the mid 90s that never really seemed to make it here. There seems to be a big resurgence in Australia for that sound now, which is really exciting.
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The visual gig we did a month ago. Hamish had made a full 45 minutes worth of visual material and we decided to score some of our songs and original material to it. I think the fact that it could've gone terribly but instead went really smoothly was a really nice feeling.What's with the name of the EP?
It's actually a story of something that happened in Japan to Simon and Hamish. When they brought it to me, I thought it was kind of a stupid name. I really struggled with it. Most notably, it doesn't make grammatical sense and as a result, I had to make sense of it myself. I think it started to force me to make sense of it in my own life and I really liked that it did that to me. So I came around on it a couple weeks later.What've you thrown together for this mix?
This is a UK garage inspired mix that Hamish has put together. We are really into this at the moment. He's put together some of our favourite tracks in a really great way.What's next for you guys?
We'll have some visual headliner shows around the country. Then we'll just keep writing and playing shows I guess.Tracklist:
Nesha - Whats It Gonna Be ( Sticky 2 Step Mix )
The House Crew - Keep The Fire Burning
Crazy Bald Heads - First Born
Oscar Key Sung (Alba Remix) - All I Could Do
Active Minds - Hobson's Choice
B15 project - Girls Like UsI'lls launch their EP at Sydney's Brighton Up Bar on Friday September 11 and Melbourne's Northcote Social Club on Saturday September 12.I'lls on SoundCloud // Facebook // TwitterAntonia Gauci presents THUMP on FBi Click.Want more mixes, interviews and exclusives? Like THUMP on Facebook: