Interview: Lauren Gin

It's been a moment. How has life been treating you?
‍It has been a moment. Life has been great. I'm coming up to three years in Sydney. The impetus of me moving here originally was surfing and I can happily say that I have fulfilled that dream - surfing every day, living at the beach, finding time to meditate and relax and spend time with my friends as I build a life in this city. It's been really lovely and enriching.

How do you find time to keep up with your music and DJing?
‍It's hard - as in, so hard that I don't find the time. How I do manage it is that when something comes up, I just have to go for it. I get a creative rush, I make a song, I just have to seize that moment. Or I get offered an opportunity to play a show, I'll try and seize that if I want to. Where music fits in harmoniously, it works really well.

Last year you did a regional tour with the Peking Duk boys. How were they?
‍They are indeed a laugh. They're your quintessential funny, light-hearted Aussies who just love having a great time, and they always find a way to make an entire crowd levitate. We went to Tasmania and regional New South Wales, so I got to see parts of Australia I probably wouldn't see on a regular basis, and then play shows at night. All the different venues were awesome. All the crowds had their own little regional flair.

My favourite show was in Hobart. The crowd was so energetic, so engaged. And being Kiwi, being new to these places, knowing I don't necessarily have a presence here - it was just awesome to see people react. There was some great reception and they were keen for more, so I'm glad I could deliver a great set for those Aussie locals.

Around the same time you released Without You - more garage, more breakbeat. Was that a deliberate shift?
‍Without You is garage-inspired - by the likes of Sammy Virji and Kiwi legend 33 Below. I just love that garage drum pattern and I wanted to replicate it. There are some trap elements in the song, but primarily it's a garage tune, and I loved playing around with vocal chops. I had so much fun. I'm not necessarily changing my music direction - I'm just exploring different genres and having fun while doing so.

Does DJing inspire you to write, or are they separate things?
‍They're separate, but also related. When I curate a DJ set, I'm choosing songs that I think are going to resonate with the crowd and create a great show - so I'm analysing these songs, listening to the build-up, the drop, everything. That creative direction definitely influences my personal direction. When I go to write music, I'm very much inspired by the songs I've been listening to recently, and often I'll try and emanate something similar. It leads me to exploring new sounds, new ways of producing, new ways of working.

Without You is out now on Spotify. Follow Lauren on Instagram at @laurengin_.

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