WAVE RACER
Written for a print story in ACCLAIM magazine 32 – ‘The Team Players Issue’, published in 2014
Photography: Mastu
Words: MJB
Wave Racer is Tom Purcell, a 22-year-old producer who’s fast making a name for himself both in Australia and abroad. He quickly caught the attention of musical comrades thanks to his heavy-hitting future bass tracks and feel-good club remixes, subsequently landing himself a deal with independent label Future Classic. With nods of encouragement from the likes of Skrillex and labelmates Flume and Flight Facilities, it looks like he is gearing up for a fast track to the finish line – but Wave Racer insists that he’s just here to enjoy the ride.
I hear the words ‘futuristic’, ‘computers’ and ‘video games’ referred to endlessly when describing your music. Are these just buzzwords? How are they relevant to your sound?
It’s more about nostalgia than it is about video games. I played a lot of video games as a kid, so I don’t think it necessarily has a direct influence – just a nostalgic subconscious influence. I get my inspiration from listening to music on the internet. Influences from all over the globe have helped me develop a sound that is unique. I guess people say it is futuristic but I don’t really know what ‘futuristic’ is actually supposed to sound like.
Things have been moving really quickly for you. How did find the transition from bedroom production to reworking your music for a performance environment?
Because I was just doing everything on my laptop in my bedroom and being used to that environment, translating that to playing in front of thousands of people at big festivals was pretty insane for me. I didn’t actually know how to do it. I kind of got thrown into the deep end, I just had to roll with it and do it in front of thousands of people and hope for the best.
How has working with Astral People and Future Classic affected your professional career? How critical is it for an artist to work with a good team?
I used to think that nobody really needed management, but that was really naïve of me. My manager is the hardest-working guy I’ve ever known. I wouldn’t be able to do this without him. Same deal with Future Classic. The fact that they have been able to support me through releasing my music and building a brand around me – it’s been super helpful in allowing people to get access to my music. I get to make music and just spend my time focusing on things as a musician, and they handle the business side. They are professionals and they know what they are doing, whereas I know nothing about business so I’d probably fuck everything up.
What about your crew? Is there anyone that you collaborate with often?
Basenji and I were making music in a duo together, but now he is doing his own thing and it’s going really well for him. We’re much more focused on our individual projects now. Cosmo’s Midnight are really good friends of mine. We send each other demos, and give each other feedback all the time. We help each other get our songs perfect through mixing, mastering and generally getting things polished. We act like a second set of ears for each other.
A lot of artists start out playing support for bigger acts to build profile. Now that you are embarking on your first headline tour – are you finding that there is a lot of pressure on you? You’re solely responsible for the show if it sells out, or if it bombs. Is that daunting?
A little bit. It’s all pretty new to me but so far the tour has been amazing. I’ve had such a responsive crowd. I was in Brisbane the other night and turned up to the club I was playing at and saw this gigantic queue around the corner, with hundreds of people trying to get in. I’ve never seen that before, especially in a city that isn’t even my hometown. It was amazing, I don’t know it’s a weird feeling when that kind of thing happens, but I love it.
What is waiting at the finish line for Wave Racer?
Usually, people ask me what is next on the horizon, but it’s interesting to consider the end goal. I’m not sure if there is an end goal because I guess there was never a goal to start with. People tell me that my music makes them happy. If I can just keep making people happy with my music, keep playing shows, and keep people interested then I’ll just keep doing this as long as I can.
