Godlands is bass music's next big star

Header photo by Dave Court.

When listing Godlands' accomplishments thus far, it's hard to believe how early on in her career she is. Over the past year, she's supported names like Baauer, Alison Wonderland and Shockone (with more to come in 2018), has played festivals like Party In The Paddock (and is the unmissable act of the upcoming, Excision-headlined Touch Bass festival tour), and has unleashed an onslaught of incredible singles and mixes – with no signs of slowing down. Her latest single, Pleasures, is the quickly rising Adelaide producer's best one yet, sweeping us off our feet with a rolling bass line, quick-firing percussion, and a relentless energy that pulses through the thick layers of bass in a way comparable to the now internationally loved Perth duo Slumberjack.

She's been named one of Australian electronic's next-gen time and time again, and with Pleasures, this seems more certain than ever. In a time when many of Australia's most prominent bass names are now whipping up crowds overseas (Alison Wonderland, What So Not and Slumberjack, for example), Godlands is staying put and filling in the gap with her beefy, bass-heavy productions, something which she'll no doubt showcase as she tours the country over the next few months in support of the single. Get to know the Adelaide musician, her early experiences with music, and what she has planned for us across 2018 below, and dive into the relentless storm of Pleasure while you're at it:

Hey Godlands, thanks for chatting with us quickly. First of all, just for context, what were your early experiences with music (whether it’s through family, yourself etc.) and how did you get into music production?

My family was a strong sporting family. We enjoyed music, but it was never considered a career path for anyone – well, until me. I was a kid that wanted to try everything but never really stuck to it. I tried my hand piano, guitar and drums - drumming I had the most fun with and stuck for that the longest. When I proposed I wanted to start DJing my brother said: “Oh just another thing you’ll give up on.” So I made it my mission to stick with it and I’m glad I did because here I am ha! After four years of DJing, I knew I wanted to do more and that’s when I started studying music production.

Pleasures is your latest track – can you tell us about the process of writing and producing the single?

With a lot of my music I always start with the percussion, I find that the easiest part when writing a song. It gives me the foundation of the drop so I can easily build the harmony/lead from there.

It comes ahead of a massive tour which includes both headline shows and festivals like Touch Bass. Does the live show dynamic change depending on what type of show you’re performing? How so?

To be honest, I treat every show the same; I want to make an impression on the audience. I mean, they took the time to come out to see me, so I make sure I give them something to remember :)

What can people expect from a Godlands show?

Heaps of energy! I honestly just want to get rowdy with everyone and make sure everyone is getting hype and having a great time. I just get so excited to see everyone going nuts, that’s why I love being on stage and DJing.

One of your big loves aside from music is fashion, correct? You’ve spent a bit of time recently really defining your aesthetic – how do you feel a strong aesthetic or branding can help an artist like yourself? Is branding and aesthetics important to give artists a unique edge in 2018?

I feel, especially these days, that having a strong brand or aesthetic is largely a part of any artist. Sometimes it actually overrides the music aspect, but I want to keep it at a distance. I like what I like and I want to share it and engage people through it, but I still want my music to be at the forefront. I just see a lot of bass artists have that same super dark imagery but I just don’t feel like that's me and I didn’t want to express a new brand but it not really be me.

You’ve been dubbed as one of the ‘next-gen’ of Australian bass music, which has me interested in where you see the genre heading in the next few years. Where do you think Australian bass/trap music will be years down the track? Is there anyone we should be keeping an eye on in particular – from here or abroad?

I think the scene is building reasonably fast; there are a lot of young producers out there making some amazing music from their bedrooms and sharing it with the world which is awesome to see. I think trap and bass music is really coming to light in the pop scene as well. Artists like Diplo, What So Not, Alison Wonderland are all breaking through to the more commercial side of radio (without really being commercial pop) and educating people on the scene which really helps up and comers.

We’re only a few months into 2018 and it’s already been massive for you – headline shows, festival tours, singles and so on. What can we expect from you across the rest of the year?

My main focus this year is releasing music and collaborating with vocalists. I want to show that I’m not a one trick pony so potentially floating into hip-hop production as well, so watch this space!

Tour Dates:

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