Sir Winston talks his new single ‘Perfectly Numb Remix’
We sit down with Australian born, New York based artist Sir Winston who recently dropped the scintillating ‘Perfectly Numb Remix’ on his Playup label. We discuss the inspiration behind the track, the different scenes between New York and Australia and more…
Hi! Please to have you here. What have been your highlights?
It’s been an epic summer. I played a fun party in The French Alps a couple of weeks ago – that was killer. Currently I’m on the road in Europe, loving the Mediterranean summer.
Tell us about your latest track and the inspiration behind it?
I wrote Perfectly Numb in Paris last year. It’s about being at that point of no return – you’re committed – it can’t be undone – so ride it out and enjoy. It’s on the EP I’m dropping soon called “démons à combattre”. There is a French theme to it. The EP is a throwback to the Bloghaus era, but I like remixing my own tracks and doing versions that work in my DJ set. So, we decided to bust out a remix and make it really different.
Are you a gearhead? What are your favourite studio toys?
I’m not really a gearhead – but I do love my guitars and amps. The Sir Winston music that I’ve released has mostly been made at Transmitter Studios in Greenpoint Brooklyn New York. It’s a studio owned and run by Abe Seiferth who has co-produced and mixed it all with me. It’s a dope set up and I love it. There is a huge collection of vintage synths including the Roland SH 101 and Juno 106. We record real bass and guitars directly through The Culture Vulture pre amp compressor. We use the Moog Matriarch for a lot of bass synth sound. My favourite toy on the latest EP was the Make Noise Strega made by Alessandro Cortini from Nine Inch Nails – really cool for super weird eerie shit. That features a lot on the EP and the remixes. I also try to have as many real organic parts as possible in the tracks. Lots of real percussion, shakers and tambourines, cowbells, clapping, clicking, slapping.
What artists have inspired your musical journey?
I fell in love with music at a really early age and knew I wanted it to be my life. I discovered The Beatles and The Stones and Bob Dylan, and from there Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd and The Doors. All the classic rock. But when I discovered Lou Reed and The Velvet Underground it was a real shift. I then got into more eclectic music and bands like The Cure, Jane’s Addiction and The Flaming Lips, and harder bands too like TOOL, Ministry, Nirvana, Nine Inch Nails – all the 90’s bands. And then I started clubbing and partying and really got into Chemical Brothers and Aphex Twin, Prodigy, Underworld, Basement Jaxx and Fatboy Slim. And then another shift when I discovered two particular tracks, “Crispy Bacon” by Laurent Garnier & “Little Black Spiders” by Armand Van Helden. These tracks and these artists really inspired me and sent me on a new trajectory.
Why the change from Australia to New York?
I first moved to the USA when I was really young – 19. I’ve had lots of different music projects in the States and lived and toured all over. More recently it’s been to work with Abe at Transmitter Studios – I really love the studio and the music that we’re making under Sir Winston.
How do the two scenes differ?
Australia has a wicked dance & club scene, especially in Melbourne with killer clubs and they run all night. The dance scene is a huge part of the city and it’s very diverse and unrestricted. The city embraces it – clubbing is part of the fabric of Melbourne. Over summer there are loads of festivals with new ones popping up all the time. Proper weekenders and cool smaller ones too.
New York is a different situation. There is always a lot going on in New York and for all kinds of music. Always big artists playing and big events. There’s not as many festivals and the club scene is more concentrated – it’s more about venues and events. The new Brooklyn Mirage venue is amazing. Lots happening around it.
What has been your favourite venue to play in?
I love playing outside, festival & beach vibes. I played on the beach in my hometown Melbourne Australia over summer last year – it was a super-hot day and the vibe was wicked.
What do you do outside of the studio and the booth to relax?
I’ve put a lot into the merch for Sir Winston – it’s a sustainable fashion brand and it keeps me really busy with pop ups and shoots etc. I’m a little art obsessed – I go to a lot of galleries and viewings at auction houses. Visual art relaxes me. I get lost in art.
What music do you listen to outside of dance? What are your favourite artists and genres?
I listen to so much dance, but I have my go to genres for different moods and songs I know will pick me up for whatever reason – bands like Jane’s Addiction and The Flaming Lips. I still listen to a lot of the stuff I loved as a kid as well, like The Velvet Underground, The Cure, The Beatles and The Stones. I like a lot of Bloghaus era music too. I’m in rediscover mode a bit lately. Been listening to MGMT and The Strokes, LCD Soundsystem. I saw Placebo perform the other night outside a 17th century villa in Italy – they were awesome.
Anywhere you have hopes of visiting / playing? What would be your dream gig?
I’d love to play Glastonbury. I watched a lot of it this year. It just looked so epic. Love to play it.
What advice would you give for younger producers setting up their own label?
Throw epic parties.
And what has the rest of 2023 got in store for Sir Winston?
I’m working on the release and remixes. Currently in Europe DJing and back in the studio soon. Putting a lot of time into the DJ set – I want it to be really special.
Sir Winston’s Beatport – https://www.beatport.com/artist/sir-winston/1121868
Sir Winston’s Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/sirwinston.official/?hl=en-gb
