Interviews

Hell Yeah Recordings are certified experts at finding the highest quality beats. Focused mostly on the Balearic side of life, Marco Gallerani presents this new EP ‘Every Dog’s Hotel’ by Dawn Again.

Dawn Again aka Nick Verwey has been crafting music for the best part of a decade on labels like Houseworx and Enjoyment Division, he operates in a world where danceable grooves are paired with laid-back moods. His lo-fi sound is both sunlit and sunset-ready and is for grown-up crowds who like to get down on rooftops, sandy enclaves, or laidback living rooms.

We wanted to get to know the Melbourne producer a little more.

Thanks for talking to us today. Where are you this moment and how are you spending the day?

Its Sunday morning and I'm sitting on my front step at my home in Collingwood, drinking a peppermint tea.

Where are you from exactly, where were you born? Where are you based these days?

Born in Melbourne, Australia. I lived in NYC for a couple of years but other than that I've been here my whole life.

What do you love about where you are living?

Great culture! Food, music, sport, fashion, people.

How is the health of the music scene in Melbourne? Is still churning out heaps of neo soul and jazz talent?

Absolutely heaving. Tons of neo jazz (check out my friends band, Birdsnake), techno, breaks, house. And not only is everyone is seemingly a DJ, but particularly good DJs. Maybe the only knock on Melbourne at the minute is that a few really influential clubs have closed in the last 5 years, so lacking the variety of top quality venues we once had.

How long have you been making music? What was your first step a musician? Are you a DJ too?

I've been making music since I've been around 13. I stole a copy of Acid Pro off the computers at school. Have been DJing since around the same time.

What came first Djing or production?

I think production, but both were around the same time.

What kind of artists, DJs, genres were you into growing up?

I shared a room with my older brother, Julian. He was really into hip hop and a little bit of techno & trance. So grew up listening to Wu Tang, Warren G, Dr Dre, Jeff Mills, Josh Wink. We used to play this ridiculous pillow fight game to Josh Wink - Dont Laugh.

How did you absorb/ listen to music growing up? Was radio a big deal for you?

Have always listened to music. Radio wasn't as big as for me as the music tv shows like Rage. Rage was a tv show that ran on ABC from about 11pm Friday night to 11am Saturday morning. And they would have guest presenters selecting their favourite film clips. There would be old stuff, newer stuff, new releases. And it would run again the Saturday night.

What was your first production/ release?

An edit of a Marvin Gaye song, on Fingerman’s label Wax Digits

Have you been Djing or performing out much on your local scene?

I play once or twice a weekend in Melbourne. I played Friday night at a really famous 24 hour club called Revolver (the last time I played there I was 19, I’m now 34…). Then last night I played at this unreal little bar/club called Rumblr, which is all vinyl, has a nice sound system, and the crowd is always really fun and down for a dance.

What is your favourite nightspot where you are?

Angel Music Bar or Miscellania.

Who are the artists that you follow right now?

Central, DJ Popup, Maara, Roza Terenzi, Chaos in the CBD, Parsec, Nolga, Silverlining, Janeret, Mirolja, Samuele Di Santis, Command D, Sam Brickell, Headache, Jack J, Khotin, Ramzi.

What is the most recent record/download you purchased?

For downtempo stuff: Ramzi - Malaga Trancehall. For club functional stuff the new Ubiyu release.

Are you a big streamer? What is your platform of choice?

Spotify or Bandcamp

What’s the go-to shop in Melbourne for record purchases?

For house & tech house: Alley Tunes. For more esoteric stuff, Skydiver.

What other great artists should we watch out for from where you are from at the minute?

Haha this is gonna be a long list, but definitely check out them all. Norachi, Retza, Mabel, Dashiel, Sam Brickell, DJ Chrysalis, Birdsnake, Menage, Lush Life, Horatio Luna there heaps more (sorry to any of my mates I’ve missed. If you think you should be on this list, you should, it’s just Sunday morning and I’ve spent more hours DJing this weekend than sleep).

How did you connect with Hell Yeah Records?

I did a remix for an ep Hell Yeah released a few years ago. Check out Kayroy - Imaginary Expeditions EP. Then when I had put together this EP I sent it to them to see if they would be interested and we went from there.

Tell us a little about Pubwave and how it came about?

Melbourne was in lockdown from covid for the best part of 2 years. That meant no going to pubs, friends houses, restaurants etc.

My friend Nick & I were listening to lots of downtempo chill out stuff at that time. He always had a radio show where we would do some awesome monologues and poetry between tracks. We thought it would be a good idea to make some downtempo chill out tunes, with his spoken word over the top talking about missing the pub and wanting a pint in the front bar. I’d do the tunes and he’d do the vocals. Before we made anything we already had called the genre "Pubwave". We tried with the vocals but then never really hit. I kept making the tunes and thought they worked well enough without vocals.

Give us a little round up of your new EP Every Dogs Hotel.

Downtempo, chill out breaks to have a couple pints to…

Such a curious title. What’s it about?

It’s an imaginary pub where everyone is always welcome, the beers are always ice cold, your favourite team is always playing on the tv, the bags are always free, your mates are always there, the steaks are always perfect medium rare, you always have the best seat in the house, the music is always right etc etc etc.

Are there any other musicians or collaborators on this EP that you would like to shout out?

My mate Nick Saw who helped me come up with the idea. Millu, another Melbourne DJ, who’s For Home Use Only set a few years ago was a big inspo for the downtempo tunes. Holly Hunt, who did the beautiful hand painted artwork for the front cover. Marco Gallerani, who made this dream a reality.

What are you working on next that you can share?

I have a few remixes to come out, one for Melbourne band, Birdsnake. I’m always working on new tunes.

When you’re not making great music, what do you like to do to kick back?

Exercise, cooking, movies, futsal, watching sport…

Thank you for your valuable time.

Thanks for having me! Hopefully see you for a pint some time at Every Dog’s Hotel

Check out the latest release from Dawn Again