Azren <\/strong>\u2013 Melbourne, Australia <\/p>\n\n\n\n Frankie <\/strong>\u2013 Adelaide, Australia<\/p>\n\n\n\n Azren <\/strong>\u2013 I\u2019m an artist manager\/A&R and one of the founders and creative directors of Analogue Dawn<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Frankie <\/strong>\u2013 I’m a soon-to-be fully qualified graphic designer and photographer and I head up all things creative at Analogue Dawn alongside Azren.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Azren <\/strong>\u2013 I\u2019m slightly erratic when it comes to my music taste; it tends to cover a broad mix of different genres depending on my mood and the time of day. I\u2019m currently jumping between shoegaze, hip-hop, jazz and lots of indie. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Frankie <\/strong>\u2013 My music listening is so all over the place. As of right now, I am listening to lots of jazz, RnB, psych rock and house, but that rotation will most likely change by next week.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Azren <\/strong>\u2013 I\u2019ve been a big fan of Phil Taggart since his days at Radio 1. His new podcast ChillDaBeats is an invaluable source of music discovery for me. I can\u2019t overlook the Spotify algorithm which has introduced me to a number of my current favourites based on previous listening patterns. Frankie is also particularly on the ball when it comes to new music, we\u2019ve got a shared \u2018office\u2019 playlist we\u2019ll both add to which has helped me find heaps of new gems. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Frankie <\/strong>\u2013 Lately I\u2019ve been getting into Bandcamp’s discovery page, it still feels like a really underrated aspect of the site and I\u2019ve discovered some amazing music through it. As Azren mentioned, we have our shared playlist which I often listen to as we both have a collectively diverse taste which tends to keep the music in there feeling quite fresh. Additionally, a lot of friends will send me music and thanks to the Spotify\/Apple Music algorithms, my discoveries will end up snowballing from whatever they suggest to me.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Azren <\/strong>\u2013 Given how closely interwoven it is with work, I\u2019m a stickler for the ease of access advocated by digital streaming, particularly Spotify. I do however love listening to vinyl, which I\u2019ve started collecting way more proactively since last year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Frankie <\/strong>\u2013 As I\u2019m usually working remotely, streaming is the most efficient way for me to consume music, but when I have time to myself at home, vinyl is always my go-to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Azren <\/strong>\u2013 I split most of my listening between the office and when I\u2019m in the car. I\u2019ve got some old B&O speakers, a pair of KRK Rokit 5\u2019s (gross I know), a pair of Nuraphones (great purchase), and a pair of Beyerdynamic DT 770 PRO\u2019s which all serve their various purposes nicely. Listening to music while driving tends to open my mind up to entirely new perspectives. Whether this comes as a reflection of the journey I\u2019m travelling (physically and emotionally), listening to the music on a different set of speakers, or a removal from the monotony of staring at a screen to clear my head, it\u2019s a very introspective and gratifying experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Frankie <\/strong>\u2013 I always find myself driving a lot so listening to music in the car is an essential part of my day. There\u2019s something really relaxing about this process, I view it as a sort of think-tank for when I need to problem-solve in my head. My daily drivers are the bulletproof (\u201cI’m a bedroom producer\u201d) KRK Rokit 5’s connected to my desktop. For vinyl, I use a set of Wharfedale’s speakers with my 90’s Pioneer amp and my Audio Technica turntable; it’s an exceptionally reliable set-up that just works so well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Azren <\/strong>\u2013 I get sent quite a bit of new music through mailing lists and label engines. I also find a lot of new music through podcasts and radio shows like Metropolis with Jason Bentley on KCRW and The Chillest Show on Radio 1. Pitching new music is part of the job so yes, I\u2019m frequently sending music pre-release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Frankie <\/strong>\u2013 When I\u2019m commissioned for artwork or visual assets for a project, the biggest perk is being able to experience an artist\u2019s music pre-release and working with them to unlock a new aspect of their creation through a visual medium. Other than that, Azren sends me a bunch of unreleased music via radio shows or blogs that he\u2019s following. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Azren <\/strong>\u2013 Audio quality is a sacrifice, particularly when I\u2019m privy to the process of how tracks are made and the painstaking quality control that goes into perfecting the mix\/master for it just to be digitally compressed once it reaches DSPs. Ease of access is definitely the biggest benefit to listening digitally and to be fair, I\u2019d much rather a few clicks on an app than downloading and uploading entire catalogues onto an iPod (although, I do miss my 64gb brick). <\/p>\n\n\n\n Frankie <\/strong>\u2013 There are so many ways to share music nowadays, it can become slightly overwhelming to keep track of which songs exist on what platforms. Audio quality is the biggest bottleneck when listening to music digitally. Still, I am looking forward to what Dolby Atoms technology could do for the music industry and the listener experience. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Azren <\/strong>\u2013 Hope I\u2019m not harping on too much about the benefits of Spotify here, but I tend to use the save function quite regularly to keep track of music I\u2019m enjoying. As mentioned, Frankie and I regularly add new music to our shared work playlist which acts as a great resource for cataloguing what we\u2019re both listening to. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Frankie <\/strong>\u2013 I wish I kept better track of what I listen to! Consuming so much new music on a pretty regular basis, I routinely forget about something unless I make a note or download it. Being a pretty visually inclined person, associating the music to the artwork or visuals behind the projects helps me remember the song and the emotions I felt when listening. <\/p>\n\n\n\n “<\/strong>associating the music to the artwork or visuals behind the projects helps me remember the song and the emotions I felt when listening.”<\/p><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n\n\n Azren<\/strong> \u2013 Absolutely, introducing people to new music is always a really rewarding experience and has been the catalyst of many new friendships being formed. I tend to send YouTube links as it\u2019s a fairly universal medium that doesn’t require a subscription. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Frankie <\/strong>\u2013 I find it fun discovering what kinds of music people listen to! I have lots of shared playlists with friends that we keep adding to. I really enjoy sharing music with others and I find music curation to be quite a social experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Azren<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n -My management client Tutara Peak<\/a> recently released the second single taken from his debut EP which is out on Aug 27th -The extremely talented Little Snake<\/a> released his debut album on Brainfeeder a few weeks back and it\u2019s still in my top rotation <\/p>\n\n\n\n -My Dutch management client Zes<\/a> also put out a single recently through our friends at bitbird, ahead of his new EP which drops in September <\/p>\n\n\n\n Frankie<\/strong>:<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m fortunate to be surrounded by very talented friends who each work with different mediums from photography, art, design and fashion. Their drive and work ethic inspires me to push myself and I highly recommend you check their workout.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Oliver White<\/a> (3D Artist \/ Graphic Designer)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Nick Astanei<\/a> (Photographer \/ Graphic Designer)<\/p>\n\n\n\nWhere do you work? What do you do?<\/strong><\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What are you listening to?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How do you discover new music?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What formats do you usually listen to? LP, CD, Cassette, Digital, Streaming Services? Why?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Where do you do most of your music listening?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How do you find and listen to pre-release music?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
What are your frustrations with listening to music digitally? Any benefits?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How do you keep track of everything you are listening to?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Do you tip other people off to new music? How?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Anything you want to \u201cpromote\u201d?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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