The latest gift from Queensland to the global Dance arena is tyDi. The supreme efforts of this prodigious DJ are illuminating the stage, as his rising star soars to impressive heights. With a residency at Family under his 19 year old belt, supported such heady names as Paul Van Dyk, Christopher Lawrence, Jumping Jack and BeXta among many other elite internationals and national DJs, amazing performances before mass crowds at Big Day Out, Slinky, Godkitchen, Adventj*h and Mayhem, and several original productions and remixes recently signed and released, this musical genius looks set to take on the world.

tyDi has achieved an incredible amount of success this year, proclaiming “2006 has been the best year”. And indeed, for his intense labours appear to have been conscientiously rewarded. 2006 saw tyDi take out Number 12 in the inthemix technics Top 50 National DJ Poll, and Number 3 for Queensland. “That was so good,” tyDi tells me, his green eyes shining. “I couldn’t believe I got to Number 12 in Australia! I still can’t!” However, while they remain significant achievements, tyDi’s considers the highlight for 2006 was when warming up Family for Paul Van Dyk. “It was awesome,” tyDi declares. “He shook my hand and said ‘I really like your music!’” These inspirational words from tyDi’s protagonist may inspire him but he vows to keep his feet firmly on the ground, determined to hone his craft and perhaps, conquer the world. “Nothing happens if you just sit there,” tyDi tells me emphatically. “Everything happens for a reason and if you put your head down, you will achieve.” “Why are you so driven?” I ask in response, quite taken aback at such self belief so prevalent in one so young. “There’s no point in doing anything if you’re not going to do your best,” tyDi tells me. “That’s not just for music – that’s for life.” “What does music mean to you then?” I ask him curiously. “Everything,” he tells me, his tone quite serious. “I love music so much. They way it can effect you – how those sounds can inspire your body – it’s amazing. If I wasn’t doing my music, I’d still be listening to other people’s music anyway. If you enjoy something so much, why not explore it? Why not get to know something you love so much inside and out?”

I find it very easy to chat with tyDi, though it is somewhat disconcerting that someone so seemingly inexperienced is actually quite knowledgeable and informed. Not many 19 year olds are as eloquent or as focussed. In spite of his immense talents and ambitions, tyDi is far from intimidating, for his guilelessness and consideration is comforting and quite welcoming. It is his words and fierce ambition that belie his youth. To those prone to insecurity and hesitation, tyDi’s self belief and assurance may well be confused with overconfidence. However, it is his refreshing humility and modesty that tempers his words, lightening his self critical demeanour and outlining him as the earnest young gentleman he really is. To chat to tyDi is to exchange ideas with another person without fear of judgement or recrimination. Perhaps this humility and easy acceptance is largely due to his growing years on the Sunshine Coast. tyDi, like all sunshine coasters, enjoyed the golden beaches, especially spear fishing, as the youngest and only son of a conservative family with three older sisters. However, his enthusiasm for music separated him from his school peers. “I suck at sports,” he tells me. “I was a nerd in high school. My music categorised me – it set me apart.” “What do your parents think about your chosen career?” I ask him, curious. “They don’t really understand what it is,” tyDi states. “They never used to like it, but they’ve seen how well I’ve done, so now they can appreciate it a bit more. My dad likes the film scoring part. My mum is supportive. My sisters are awesome – they’re so encouraging and really supportive too. Everyone I know has helped me,” tyDi acknowledges. “I’m motivated by the thought of success and by the people around me.”

Having played drums from a young age, that incredible and undeviating sense of rhythm and timing was established immediately into his musical psyche. He claims that he “lip synced” his way through choir, just wanting to be a part of the music. When he was 14 and hanging around his sisters and their friends, they let him play around with their turntables. “I love keyboards. I love piano – I wish I could play it. I love how all those different sounds can come from one instrument. But the decks give me unlimited sounds – including keys. Decks have ALL the options. I really really like electronic,” tyDi proclaims quite forcefully. “I love how you can take timbres from different sounds and chop them up to construct something completely new each time.” I nod, understanding his words. To me, tyDi’s music is extremely precise and responsive. I find his musical applications are balanced between logic and extreme sensitivity. He approaches music with an almost scientific treatment – by studying the different ways music can elicit emotion, and then applying these procedures for his own works, perfecting the methods and the results as he progresses. No doubt, studying at Queensland’s finest musical institution assists greatly in developing this scientific approach and direction. Having been accepted in the Queensland Conservatorium for Bachelor of Music Technology and studying under such lecturers as Dr Paul Draper and Dr Stephen Cronin, tyDi is “not just another DJ”. He is fiercely committed to pursuing his career as a Musician, Composer and DJ/Producer – even if he does tend to fall asleep in class every now and then.

“Uni is only a part of my time,” he explains to me. “I’m on holidays from uni at the moment and I have so much to do – so many tracks to write. I’ve just been in the studio for the last fourteen hours, trying to complete a remix of BeXta’s ‘Nightmare’. Last night, I was writing with (Baby) Gee – we got the first part of a track done.” tyDi fails to mention that he also collaborates with other local well-knowns including Luki and Habebe, as well as working with other luminaries like Jumping Jack. He has, in fact, had a few of his tunes signed to BeXta’s label Mixology, with his original tune, ‘Familiar Streets’, (including the wonderful vocal efforts of Holly Ryan) and a remix by BeXta herself, leading to ‘Familiar Streets’ featuring on Mixology’s latest compilation and culminating as an international release. ‘Familiar Streets’, tyDi points out, is “a relationship song. It’s about going back to someone, or thinking about whether or not to go back to someone. And having it signed and released internationally is awesome.” Another original composition ‘Is It Cold’ also featured on the compilation ‘A Night Of Trance’ where tyDi was obliged to travel to Sydney for the CD launch. “This has been a great year in production for me,” tyDi declares. “2006 has been the best year. But it’s not over yet!” Indeed, for tyDi’s calendar notes performances in Kuala Lumpur and Singapore. “I’m really looking forward to these gigs!” tyDi proclaims. “They will be my first international gigs, and I plan on playing all my favourite tracks and lots of new music – especially my own!”

Such a move will label tyDi as an international DJ – something, he quietly claims, he has diligently worked towards. “Does that mean Brisbane will remain as your base?” I ask, expecting him to perhaps indicate a move to the southern states. I am extremely surprised when tyDi says “Brisbane’s so good, I just can’t see myself living anywhere else but here – unless it’s somewhere overseas. There’s no point. What I want in Australia, I can get by living in Brisbane. Besides, I gotta finish my degree!” tyDi reminds me. “I love the Brisbane scene,” he declares. I came to Brisbane for uni and loads of DJing. And Brisbane has been really good to me. I get great support from everyone. I have a place here. My residency with Family came as a complete surprise,” tyDi informs me. “It was such a good thing to happen. I love everything about Family,” tyDi divulges. “The people are awesome; the sound system is brilliant; they’ve nailed the setup. If I go away – have a gig interstate of something – I really miss Family and look forward to the next time I’m there. But I love playing in other places too,” he reassures me. “Getting off the plane to somewhere new is always exciting. I loved playing in ‘The Rocks’ in Darwin,” tyDi tells me. “It was so much fun. There were a hundred people there, but they really wanted to be there – they were up for the tunes! I’m looking forward to my upcoming gig this Friday night for Sublime at Home,” he reveals. “I love Sydney. And I’ll make sure to get the dance floor rocking!”

“What’s been your biggest obstacle?” I ask him. tyDi pauses thoughtfully at this before finally answering. “There are so many things that are difficult; like just getting through the next track – it’s like climbing up a slippery pole sometimes. It’s not easy. But it’s worth it, I love it that much. I like how you can make music with a computer. Twenty years ago, you had to go to a huge room with massive inbuilt systems to lay down a track on DAT. Now you just need one computer. I also love with the boom in technology that there are more ways to make more noise. I started on vinyl,” tyDi states. “I still love analogue – it covers virtually every frequency range which makes listening to vinyl a sensory experience. It’s warmer; muscled,” he points out. “With digital, there are less frequencies used but you can move with them. But unlike vinyl, you can write a song and then play it on the dance floor that night.” “The DJ Booth or The Studio?” I ask of him for his preference. “I love both in their own way,” tyDi declares. “I love being really creative; like I’m capturing a moment by making a track. Every time I write a tune, I’m trying to make something that I haven’t before – and that’s the fun in it. But I love DJing too – love the crowd, their reactions; watching them react to my tunes especially. I love that anticipation – how I know that when I come to that bass line, the crowd is going to go nuts, and then that rush when they actually do.” “You have a connection with Trance,” I point out, “but do you listen to other genres?” “Sure,” tyDi responds. “See, Trance is highly personal – for me, it’s about connecting to each person in the crowd. The experience of performing is all about the eyes,” tyDi claims, unwittingly acknowledging the voyeur trait in his Gemini spirit. “I’m playing for them. It’s a personal thing. I appreciate the acknowledgement – and I acknowledge them back. But I love Ambient, Electro, Punk, all sorts – some John Butler. I’m not a commercial DJ,” he confirms. “I’m just exclusive,” he shrugs. “If the chance came to make melodic-pop music, I’d give it a go. But I don’t wanna be commercialised. I would love to be loved,” he expresses, “but it’s also cool to have a few people not like what I do too.”

“What do you like to do in your down time?” I ask him. “When not making music?” tyDi asks in response. “I like to get back to the Sunshine Coast. Video Games are the death of me,” he laughs. “You can’t beat me at Tricky on PS2,” he challenges. “I love the music for video games too – and cartoons. The Simpsons and Futurama are great. I love great food like seafood or sushi – any Asian food. I love movies – ‘The Matrix Trilogy’, especially the first one was awesome. But I have so much to do. My general routine includes me writing music most nights. But I get easily distracted. I’m not good at multi-tasking – I have to concentrate on one thing at a time. I could be more productive with my time,” tyDi groans to himself, “but I manage to have plenty of fun.” With upcoming performances also scheduled for The Epic Festival in Byron Bay for New Year’s Eve, BBQ Breaks on New Years Day and Summafieldayz in the new year, tyDi’s star looks set to sparkle indefinitely. With such a full schedule, tyDi obviously must take things one step at a time, something to which he admits is difficult, as he proclaims that patience is not one of his strongest virtues. I find this quite hard to believe, as the tyDi I’ve come to know personally and musically is infinitely kind, overly charming and ever courteous – all the qualities of a composed and stoical character. But then, tyDi does lay high standards, not merely for himself or the person he wants to grow into, but also as the Musician DJ Producer he wishes to become.

2006 has indeed been a momentous year for tyDi. But his determination to follow his craft has set in motion the consequences for a resolute and positive course fixed for stratospheric heights. tyDi is undoubtedly a prodigy and a dilettante in the making. And there is in all likelihood that his name will only continue to shine all the brighter, not just in Australia, but in DJ booths and studios across the world. While his youth currently affirms tyDi as a prodigy, this musical genius will only mature; casting the shadow as Brisbane’s first electronic virtuoso onto the expanse of the Dance globe. tyDi: Musician, DJ/Producer, Composer. And let us not overlook: Inspiration.