Queensland’s sunny Gold Coast continues to unearth its hidden treasures, the latest being DJ Raye Antonelli. This relatively unknown was first thrust into the disco glow in the 2007 inthemix50 when he took out the #4 position in Queensland’s Top 5. He’s regularly found behind the decks at Gold Coast’s Platinum Nightclub as well as his coveted residency at Onelove, but he remains a relative unknown outside his home state. But that’s set to change with his triumph in this year’s inthemix50, scoring a place in the national top 10. Add to this his contribution to the new Ministry of Sound Clubber’s Guide to Spring, and we should be hearing a lot more about him very soon.

But it hasn’t been an overnight success for this dark horse. Growing up in an Italian family in Sydney, Raye confesses his only musical background to be like that of every other Australian kid – playing on the recorder in year 7. In his early teens he developed a love of hip hop, but, he credits his older brother as the one who was proved instrumental in turning Raye towards dance. “He introduced me to dance music,” Raye reminisces. “He would go these warehouse parties and tell me about them. He would also play on decks. I followed in his shadow, wanting to do what he was doing. I got into dance via the rave scene – first hardcore and then proper techno. I began collecting discs, DJing as a hobby on the side. It’s just that I ended up lucky in that my weekend hobby progressed to a full time job.”

Coming to the Gold Coast to study a Bachelor of Business at Griffith University, Raye was quickly initiated into the decadence of the Gold Coast. Working his way through university and establishing his business skills, he finally took on his residency at Platinum Nightclub. “It’s definitely a great club,” he says. “Loyalty is important. You have to make a sacrifice when you want certain things to work.” From there on in he worked his way up through the ranks, performing in many of the finest (and some not so fine) clubs along the east coast, but it was his residency at Onelove that really cemented his reputation. Dabbling in tech, disco and big-room electro, Raye refuses to erect boundaries around his style. “If you start to pigeonhole, you start to limit yourself as a DJ,” he asserts. “Dance music is too restrictive on its genres. Sydney and Melbourne don’t seem to have it happen there so much these days. But dance is definitely becoming more mainstream, like it’s today’s pop music. Look at guys like The Presets for the BMW ad and featuring on commercial radio… that’s more the norm now. It’s really hard to keep up with genres – so I just play dance music where you just dance. I stay true to what I do. The key is versatility to what you play”

When asked on his opinion of his skyrocketing ranking in the inthemix, Raye is candid. ”It’s a great gauge of where you stand with the kids who see you every weekend. The poll is really good – everyone is realistically represented,” he notes. “But there are plenty of artists out there who’s position doesn’t reflect on their talents. For example, one of my favourite Queensland DJs is Phuzion. I’ve looked up to him for ages yet he never gets the recognition. He works three turntables like you wouldn’t believe. He doesn’t work with what I do, but I appreciate what he does. There are so many great DJs – Habebe, Baby Gee and The Staffords – they definitely deserve to be where they are. Queensland is really lucky. But at the end of the day, people make a sacrifice playing their music – and that’s the reward. Sure, inthemix50 is a key to how I progress. But really, I’m a quiet achiever. I don’t talk myself up. I don’t make myself bigger than what I am. I just do what I do. The last 12 months especially, I’ve been sticking to the same thing.”

The inthemix50 most definitely counts as the most visible measure of his success, but the other recent big win is his induction into the Ministry. “*Tim McGee* listened to my music a few months ago and was impressed with what I was about,” Raye recalls. “He was interested in bringing someone new on board at the time. Career wise, it’s such a surreal experience. When I first started out, MOS was something to aspire to, not something you expect. I feel like I’m dreaming – it’s definitely been a massive step. The good thing with Ministry is it’s a big company, so there are few issues with licensing.” Operating from a Mac computer and working with Abelton, Raye says the experience was a positive one. “I hope to do a few more in the future. But there are plenty of headaches and grey hairs to come with it too.” Delving into the process, Raye says he had a list of sixty tunes, working it down to forty and then to twenty. “It was like a puzzle, a variety of sounds to piece together. I really needed to find a balance to the tunes.” Reflecting on the completed mix, Raye says he’s proud of the finished result. With the tour now in ful lswing, Raye is looking forward to “getting to places I’ve never been to before; playing in parties in a different frame as the feature, and do what I wanna do rather than warming up or finishing off the floor.”

This dark horse is certainly expanding into new territory. It’ll be his perseverance and focus that ensures his path, but it’ll be his original approach to the music and his sly sense of humour that’ll keep him behind the decks – and possibly transform him into a household name.

Catch Raye Antonelli at the remaining Clubber’s Guide To Spring tour dates…

Fri 26 Sep – Syrup, Hobart – Groove Terminator
Sat 27 Sep – Platinum, Gold Coast – Groove Terminator & Raye Antonelli
Thu 2 Oct – Discovery, Darwin – Groove Terminator & Raye Antonelli
Fri 3 Oct – Vegas Mode, Perth – Groove Terminator & Raye Antonelli
Sat 4 Oct – HQ, Adelaide – Groove Terminator & Raye Antonelli