Please welcome Sik N Twisted to the storm!
Q1: For the unknowing readers, and soon-to-be fans, what can you tell us about the origin story behind the alias; Sik N Twisted?
A1: It’s quite a funny backstory to my journey with dubstep actually. Up until about 7th grade, I HATED dubstep, and just about all EDM. Then, this kid Luke started getting on the school bus with me, and every single day for about two years he offered me an earphone from his MP3 player, blasting new random dubstep songs. And after 2 years of being force-fed bass music, it was a Mario Theme Remix that finally made me realise just what you can do with dubstep – how you can literally make music from anything. About a year later, a young Sik N Twisted was born!
Q2: You’re from Australia. That excites us! What do you think Australia does better than any other country? In terms of music, and other facets of life.
A2: Honestly, Aussies are killing the dubstep scene right now with names like Leotrix, Marauda, Avance and so many more tearing up the industry. It’s pretty crazy seeing guys I would see around the clubs in Sydney getting these massive records on labels like Never Say Die. So stoked for them.
Q3: Where is your favorite place you have played thus far in your musical career?
A3: My favourite place so far definitely has to be our local club Heyday – huge shout out to Jourdan (Raith) and Joseph. Thanks to them I’ve been able to play alongside some of my absolute idols like Riot Ten, Thieves, Gladez, Hydraulix and so many more. Definitely a huge highlight for me.
https://soundcloud.com/sikntwisted/infinite-summers-sik-n-twisted-remix
Q4: With remixes on your SoundCloud from the likes of Asking Alexandria and Infinite Summers, what can you say is your favorite part about remixing tracks vs. originals?
A4: Honestly, I find it so much easier to write an entire track as a remix in one sitting. I like to start with something to build off, after which ideas just flow. The only difference is if I’ll write a remix and later think “damn, that sounds sick. I kinda wish it was an original”. I’ve definitely started focusing more on original tunes lately, and have plenty sitting up my sleeve!
https://soundcloud.com/sikntwisted/asking-alexandria-alone-in-a-room-sik-n-twisted-remix
Q5: Who has been your biggest inspiration in music? Anyone else outside the realm of music you find inspirational?
A5: Honestly, I’d have to say my biggest inspiration is the entire Disciple Records label. I can’t tell you how long I’ve spend fan-boying over their content, and just about all of their artists. I’d also have to say another huge inspiration for me is Zomboy. I really find a lot of my songs end up with the same dark, twisted vibe and I’d thank that to listening to him on repeat for about the past five years. I got the chance to see Zomboy live here in Sydney in 2019, and I genuinely think I wet my pants. Never been that excited in my life.
Q6: Can you walk us through a day-in-the-life of Sik N Twisted? Sun up to sun down!
A6: A day in the life of Sik N Twisted is spent slaying monsters and possessing earthly creatures to do my bidding… While listening to the “Doom” Soundtrack. Next question!
Q7: You primarily host the sounds of dubstep and trap. Where does this liking come from?
A7: I’d have to refer back to my trusty 7th Grade Pal, Luke, for this one. I don’t think he even knows he turned me into the Sik N Twisted of today. I honestly fell in love with the versatility of dubstep – how an artist can make a song out of literally any sound, and you’re not limited to the use of traditional instruments like in Rock N Roll and “acoustic” genres. You can make sooooo many different sounds, so many different styles, with literally no limit to your creativity; all under the one genre – dubstep. It’s beautiful.
Q8: What can we expect from you in the coming months, if not, years?
A8: Over the next few months you can expect a lot more releases. Maybe some cheeky label releases too, so keep an ear to the ground for that one! Myself and Raith have a track coming out as part of an EP on Play Me Records soon that I’m super excited for, so get excited too!
Q9: What sort of creative process do you call upon when you start a work in progress?
A9: I like to try and start a song from the start – might sound pretty basic, but a lot of artists will start on a drop, and be stuck on where to build from there! I used to suffer from that a lot, so now I’ll establish a theme in the intro (been vibing a lot of dark, traditional indigenous sounds lately), then make my way to a build-up and a drop. When it comes to sound design, Serum and audio resampling are my favourite tools to turn to. It’s amazing how much you can change a sound purely with Ableton’s stock plugins; I’ll like to start off with a sample from Splice, or a Serum patch I’ve made, then throw just about every type of manipulation I can think of at it until it sounds like something completely new. Produce smart, kids!
Q10: Who do you see killing it nowadays? Give them a shoutout!
A10: Definitely have to give the first shout-out to Phunk Bias, who’s been a big mentor of mine for years now. Honestly he’s pushed me to keep pursuing my music, and kept me on track with finding a direction for my sound. Also shout out to my Mexican amigos Snowplay and Demerfyke, and the local boys KRLSN, Scremmett, Pollard, Baraat, Keyz, Pretence and Matt T of course!
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