inthemix | Features | Robbie Lowe & Tim Culbert: Showing their colours

Robbie Lowe and Tim Culbert have certainly cultivated themselves a formidable reputation during their time in the Sydney scene, playing the finest assortment of progressive, deep and tech house. So why not team up together – two heads are better than one yeah? Hence the Colours brand. The subject of several high-profile mixes (check out Robbie’s latest selections in ITM-FM) and themed parties, the latest will be going down in the intimate surroundings of the Bunker this Saturday with support from fellow lovers of quality music Matt Rowan and Sari. ITM talks to the Colour DJs.

Your mixes traverse some pretty wide territory, from piano house to stripped-down tech and everything in between. Is there a music philosophy behind Colour?

Tim: It probably sounds a bit wanky and cliché but our aim with Colour is simply to showcase the music we love. The beauty of a mix CD is that people will listen to it in all situations so it’s important that it carries a groove and keeps people interested. We didn’t want the mixes to just be our 10 biggest club tracks at the time; we wanted a bit of longevity.

Robbie: Yeah definitely – the colourful side of house music. Groove and melody is an important ingredient. Ultimately we are simply putting our favourite music style out there, and each mix dives a little deeper into the record collection. Some of the tracks aren’t necessarily the most recent, just ones that in our opinion that have a long jeopardy stamp of approval. One thing we’ve bared in mind is to give the series longevity. We want the mixes to be enjoyed in the future without sounding dated or dull.

What’s the grand plan for Colour? With Sweetchilli taking a break, do you see yourselves putting on parties with internationals or other guest DJs?

Tim/Robbie: We really owe a lot to the Sweetchilli guys. They are great friends and have been one of the main crews responsible for the growth in the underground scene in Sydney. It can be a pretty thankless job at times, so it’s completely understandable they are taking some time out after nearly 9 years! At the moment we’re focusing on the mixes. Robbie’s latest 3.4 was just released to the Facebook Colour group which recently hit 600 members! Tim’s final mix 4.4 will be released next month. We also have a few dates locked over the next few months at the Bunker, for our Colour parties. The first being July 19th. The sound will be a good reflection of the series.

You’ve been pretty innovative in creating a Facebook group for the mix series. How helpful do you find digital communities in reaching new audiences?

Robie: Really helpful. It’s great for networking and generally puts musically like-minded in the same boat. The downside can be over spamming. It’s the quickest way to turn people off. Facebook is great because it gives the user the option of joining music groups with an invite. If something doesn’t appeal, obviously the user won’t join. It’s given us more opportunity to reach a wider audience – local, national and international.

Tim: Initially our aim was to do a series of 4 mixes and Facebook was the perfect tool to maintain contact with a group of members. We’ve been totally amazed by the success of the group so it was a natural progression to put on some parties. It is an invaluable tool that many people are putting to good use but like anything it is bound to be abused.

Robbie, you recently warmed up for arguably the world’s biggest DJ – Tiesto. How did they respond to your style of music?

Robbie: Really, really good! I was quite surprised and overwhelmed by the response. It exceeded all my expectations – especially the Sunday show! I almost felt like I was playing at a Renaissance event or something of the calibre. Bit of a dream really -playing my sound to a massive audience and seeing a positive response! Tiesto and his manager were very happy with my work as well – that was humbling.

It seems dance music is in a sort of changeover period, with electro winding down and the techno influence not really accessible enough for every dancefloor. What trends do you see on the horizon musically? What’s ‘the next big thing’?

Tim: I’m constantly surprised by what’s popular so I’m not even going to bother taking a guess. Hopefully the ‘next big thing’ will be people playing music they love because they love it.

Robbie: It’s anyone’s guess really! I don’t think anyone knows the answer to this question. To have a crack I would probably say something along the lines of New York deep house sound. I find an influential producer usually spikes genre trends at the time. Dubfire for example – he is producing some great stuff at the moment that sounds quite dark and moody. In return there is a lot of that sound floating around.

Practicality aside what is your ideal location for a party and who’s playing?

Tim: I’m pretty easy to please. Just give me a cool little seaside bar, my closest friends, plenty of cold beer. Danny Howells in control with Terry Francis to come on once the sun goes down… and the Colour DJs to fill in the gaps, of course.

Robbie: I like Tim’s answer. Maybe add a 4-6ft barrelling left-hander out the front of the bar.

What’s the cheesiest record you’ve ever played out without trying to be funny?

Tim: I filled in for a mate on a Mobidisc gig once so you name it, and it was probably played that night.

Robbie: Cold Chisel Shipping Steel.

In all honesty (no pretending you were into Kraftwerk when you were 10), what was the first CD or cassette you bought?

Robbie: I think it may have been Wham.

Tim: Kraftwerk, when I was 10… Oh… To be honest I can’t remember. The first thing I paid for myself would probably have been from Nirvana or The Smashing Pumpkins or Green Day or…

What’s your fave late night snack and/or all night watering hole?

Robbie: I like Milo. About 7 full teaspoons.

Tim: The best late night food location is Ogalo on Liverpool St. It’s open until 5am!

If Colour was immortalised in film like Studio 54, which one of you would be Mike Myers?

Tim: Robbie, definitely Robbie.

Catch the Colours DJs this Saturday this Saturday 19th July at The Bunker ,and Tim Culbert also plays Eat Musik next weekend.