Everyone knows the Gold Coast – home of bleached babes, movie world and parties that just seem to go on forever. But the party capital of Australia isn’t just renowned for its plethora of tourist orientated activities, but its DJs also beginning to make its mark on the global electronic and house music scene, and the Stafford Brothers are one of the many acts that are helping to lead the charge.
“You’ve got quite a different range of clubs – you have some really underground club and you have your big name clubs and commercial venues.” remarks Matt Stafford, who, along with brother innocuously promoting his scene. “The Gold Coast is really happening, its one of the party destinations of Australia obviously, being a tourist destination – there’s plenty on.”
Since having started DJing over seven years ago, the Stafford Brothers have already managed to carve their names into the hallowed halls of most major clubs in Australia , and also manage to somehow fit in multiple residencies throughout different cities and states. “With Platinum, we’ve been residents since it opened two years ago, and residents at family three years and Monastery for longer. We also do One Love in Melbourne and Sydney and we have a residency at Dragonfly in Sydney as well.”
It is the Platinum residency however, that has so far offered them an opportunity to really get themselves heard by a larger mass of fans, by placing them, along with Gold Coast DJ Don Nadi, in charge of their very first CD release. “Basically club platinum has been going for a couple of years, it’s pretty much the best club on the coast, or I think so,” Matt explains, enthusiastically. “It definitely has the best acts coming through, it’s a great room. It’s now diversified into a back room as well – so the CD is made up of two mixes, one being the main room which is the mix we did and the other being the back room, which is what Don Nadi did. It’s the sound of the venue; it’s sort of to promote not only us, but obviously Platinum.”
The Stafford brothers have not only begun to show themselves as major players in the Aussie dance scene, but have also begun to embark upon the production journey, with several singles and an EP already under their wings, they are also not limited to dance music and have produced several sound-scapes for both television as well as major fashion events. As many may underground diehards may scoff, you can hear him virtually shrug his shoulders when the much lamented phrase “commercial” is mentioned in regards to the music that they play and produce. “We’ve got some commercial tunes and we have some underground ones. I guess we’d be regarded more on the commercial side because of the tunes we release and because we play the big rooms, we don’t play so many small clubs.”
His positive outlook in regards to his music extends also to the direction I which Australian artists are taking themselves. “The way I see it, in Australia , it’s fantastic,” he explains. “We travel everywhere. We just got back from the states and we are off to Ibiza and Europe in July august to play the dates there, but anyone that knocks the scene here really hasn’t seen it from the outside – because Australia is doing really well and everyone should be proud of the artists here for doing so well also.”
With the brothers nearing their tour date for over here, and the imminent release of the Platinum album, there’s only one question left: what will they bring with them to the land of sand and light? “Mate, expect a good party,” he laughs. “We are renowned for our antics not so much just behind the turntables… but just as much at the bar! We have a good time,” and it’s an easy thing to tell by his voice that their visit here won’t really be any different.
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