The year 2020 we are finishing with a gorgeous present from kidnapper Iain Mac – “Stockholm Syndrome Au”. If you haven’t fallen in love with this guy yet, after listening the mix he prepared for Quixotical Records the situation will change!
“Stockholm Syndrome Au” music taste does not leave indifferent! So please prepare to be kidnapped and enjoy the one-hour musical story!
Stockholm Syndrome is a DJ/producer based in Melbourne. Originally hailing from Edinburgh, Iain Mac (aka Pyz) has been DJing and promoting for over 2 decades.
Stockholm Syndrome’s style is extremely varied and unapologetic, it can’t be neatly wrapped up into a single genre. He is drawn to dark, moody techno, the raw energy of Mex-tech and the electric sounds of. Since his debut at Section 8 in Melbourne, he has gone on to clock up an impressive gig list DJing at many of the city’s iconic venues including Revolver Upstairs, New Guernica, The Liberty Social, Boney and The Mercat.
Stockholm Syndrome continues to keep himself busy gigging around Melbourne, curating his monthly podcast ‘Hostage Radio’ and putting on his own ‘Cognitive Dissidence’ parties and ‘Tilt Shift’ events. On top of this he has been focusing producing and remixing with a number of EP’s & Remixes set to drop with labels such as Nein, Melomana, Controlla, Veneno & PlayPal Music.
Thank you, for accepting the invitation to record a mix and answer some questions for our Quixotical Mix series!
1. Stockholm Syndrome…ok, which one of you was the kidnapper and which one – hostage (laughing) Truly said, amazing and memorable title for a project! How you guys got together and why you have chosen this name?
-> Hahaha, So I guess I would be the kidnapper. After a few short years in captivity, the terms of Brett’s release were successfully negotiated a while back. With regards to the name, I like the idea of the audience being held, hostage. Not everyone in the audience will like what you’re doing at all times, but throughout the performance, they would begin to love it.. Like Stockholm Syndrome 😉
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2. People also can notice that “AU” letters are added to the project name at some social and streaming platforms? why is that?
-> So I didn’t do much research when I picked the name. Au is also at the end of most web sites here in Australia, you know like blablabla.com.au. so added the Au to identify myself from the other Stockholm Syndrome acts.
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3. The sound you produce is pretty dark, wide, and mixed but solid and specific at the same time. Where the inspiration comes from?
-> Aw man, where doesn’t it come from hahaha, Pretty much everywhere! I’m a massive metal fan, I also love 80’s EBM, Goth, Synth Pop and New Romantic sounds. Truth be told I originally started as a Hip Hop Dj. Used to be obsessed with Scratching & beat juggling, then heard Dj’s like Claud Young, Dave Clarke, Jeff Mills and converted to Techno. I was also massively influenced by Electro in 2000/2001 with the likes of Dj Hell’s Gigolo, The Hacker’s Goodlife and Kiko’s Hot Banana label’s.
Here’s an ongoing playlist I’ve been building during lockdown to aid my cooking escapades. It’s also become our generic playlist at home. I’m hoping that some of it influences my next musical creations.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4AYyPIVDHAN1WqHXw0VzX0?si=KQls_B_rQVujWJ8qbM8tMw
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4. Recently your fans have learned about a new collab project Man Syndrome. How serious is it? is it temporary? and do you have plans for more collab projects with different artists?
-> Yeah, I’ve been collaborating with a lot of people over the last 3/4 years. I think a lot of this work is coming out soon 2021. Years ago I read an interview with Serj Tankian where he said “Doing the same thing with the same people over time is artistically redundant” This has always stuck with me, so I make an effort to reach out and work with as many different people as I can. I’ve learned so much from collaborating like this and so far it has all flowed pretty well, so will definitely be doing more in the future.
In terms of Man Syndrome, there is definitely more to come. We have another EP ready to go and plan to write new material in the future. We both need to clear a few things off our list’s before we begin the 3rd EP.
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5. 2020 was a harsh year for most artist and producers. How has this year affected Stockholm Syndrome?
-> It’s been extremely hectic. Back in March I played my last gig in support of Curses at Revolver Upstairs. Flew to Switzerland the next day only to get evacuated 3 days later as the Virus exploded in Europe. I was booked to play at Alfresco Festival and some other shows in the UK / Europe in May, like a mini-tour, but had to cancel it all.
When Lockdowns hit, my day job was cut back to minimal hrs. So I focused 100% on music stuff, pretty much treated producing like my day job. I would get up at the time of my normal work alarm and hit the studio. I think Melbourne had almost 6 months of restrictions. It was so long. Im lucky to have built up a reasonable studio set up so I had plenty to keep me occupied while stuck in the house. Also did some 1 on 1 classes with Eric Volta which was awesome as I’ve followed his production tips for a long time.
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6. What should your fans expect from Stockholm Syndrome in 2021?
-> Hopefully quite a lot. Many of the collab’s I’ve been working on should be coming out next year. My first track with Lusca will debut on Play Pal Music’s VA Compilation. I’ve just finished work on the final Stockholm Youth track which will be released on Nein around about March. I have my debut on the Mexican label Veneno. The Ep will feature remixes from Funboys, Horreur, Tronik Youth & Umvral.
With my Hostage Radio Series, I have locked in Rodion, Durand & Skelesys for guest mixes to open the year. I will continue to work on my own productions and record dj mixes for various platforms (I have a never-ending list) Hopefully Melbourne stays Virus clear and I can host more events here using my Tilt Shift brand.
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