Chances are you haven’t heard much about Trus’me – but trust us, you’re about to. The UK-born producer and DJ has been spending a lot of time on this side of the world since his debut album, Working Nights, caused a major fuss with its soulful blend of house and techno. Not only that, but his style has been changing ever since.
Coconuts caught up with him before his first gig in Bangkok to talk about his influences and rapidly expanding renown.
Coconuts Bangkok: Tell us about your travels since the first album.
Trus’me: Over the past three years I’ve been spending time in Australia and Singapore, escaping the winter you could say. I needed that break to assess life and everything that comes with turning 30. I’m back in my hometown of Manchester currently but I always have itchy feet. For now it suits me best for my hunger to make new music, which is currently like an addiction. I know Asia is the next step for this traveling circus they call techno and I want to be here and ride the wave from the start.
CB: In your travels, what place has inspired your music the most so far?
TM: I’m more inspired by sound systems and vinyl than I am by places to be honest. People are also my biggest inspiration, I have been blessed to have had influential musicians and artists pass through my life to help me achieve what I have done so far. I’ll never forget how they have sculpted my musical palette and continue to do so as I embark in new territories around the world.
CB: If you had to choose working in the studio or playing for the crowd, which would you say is your favorite? Why?
TM: They are both a perfect marriage it’s very hard for me to choose, it’s like saying which is your favorite child. I love both disciplines deeply and completely the same way. Now the real buzz is when you play a track you have created to a crowd that appreciates your music. Hearing the best reaction in your set to the one tune you made is better than sex.
CB: What has been your most memorable gig to date?
TM: Too many to mention, just too many, as you can imagine. I tell you what, I will tell you the worst gig I have played to date, which was playing substitute for Nina Kraviz at a well-known nightclub in Leeds. Her visa did not come through in time and as we are friends and I lived close by to the venue I agreed to fill in. There were a lot of angry men wanting to rip my head off that night in their frustration of me not being both female and Russian. Hindsight is a wonderful thing.
CB: How do you compare the new album to your past works?
TM: The first LP, Working Nights, was predominantly an exploration into sampling but I did also work with several musicians. My second album, In the Red, was heavily concentrated on working with musicians and the likes of Amp Fiddler and DâM-FunK.
Treat Me Right, the new album, is a journey away from these previous methods and it’s essentially me trapped away on my own with a bunch of gear and a more electro, house and techno approach. As in life, you grow, mature and move in different directions. The challenge is to always hold onto your roots but progress in a structured way. Life should not stand still and neither should music.
Trus’me plays Saturday, March 16 at Grease. Entry is THB400, which includes one drink.
