For many people, early adulthood involves plenty of all-nighters in dance clubs and backpacking adventures around the globe. It’s also a time when we’re especially driven to make a mark on the world. In this respect, 22-year-old Sydneysider Thomas Purcell is living a fairly typical existence. With his electronic dance music project Wave Racer, Purcell’s spent the last year travelling around Australia, America and Western Europe, going from one nightclub to the next. On top of this, Wave Racer’s growing popularity suggests Purcell is leaving a strong impression everywhere he roams.
Wave Racer’s journey took flight in early 2013, when the tracks ‘Rock U Tonite’ and ‘Stoopid’ snared him a deal with Sydney label Future Classic. The signing attracted mountains of hype, which intensified with the release of Wave Racer’s follow-up single ‘Streamers’ this February. It wasn’t long until overseas tour opportunities started flooding in, which suited Purcell just fine.
“I’m pretty lucky to be in my position, doing work that I love and travelling the world doing it,” he says. “But at the same time, it does get very exhausting, especially when you’re on the road for two months by yourself. It’s just important for me to keep in the right mindset, because at the end of the day I’m playing music and I’m doing what I love doing.”
Another common attribute for people in their early 20s is the tendency to delay any particularly pressing tasks. There have been no new Wave Racer releases since ‘Streamers’. Having had such a busy year, Purcell’s procrastination is easily forgiven, but he’s recently returned home and started work on a debut EP.
“It’s definitely my number one priority to get the new music out there and make sure it’s good,” Purcell says. “I’m not very good at actually writing in hotel rooms and writing on tour. I’m best at writing when I’m at home and I’m in the right space. So it’s good to be back home doing that.”
Despite his youth and relative inexperience, Wave Racer has become a festival favourite over the last 12 months, appearing at the likes of Falls Festival, Groovin The Moo and Splendour In The Grass. His live shows tend to emphasise bass-heavy grooves and anarchic dubstep manoeuvres. In contrast to this, Purcell is experimenting with some lighter flavours in the studio.
“In the past the stuff I’ve done has been very fun and bouncy, but also got quite a heavy vibe to it,” he says. “The stuff I’m working on now is a little bit slower and a little bit more chilled out. It’s definitely still music you can dance to, but if anything it’s even more chilled out, with maybe more intricate detail at the same time.”
Wave Racer was introduced to the public before Purcell had much time to think about what the project represented, so it’s not surprising he’s still honing his specific style. “In this new piece of work that I’m working on right now, I’m aiming to get a little bit of a different perspective on my music out there,” he says. “I think this EP that I’m making right now is going to show people a little bit more about the sound that I’m capable of creating. I’m still developing as I go, so by no means is it a completely uncovered and defined style that I’m doing right now.”
It’s no secret that the music industry has been going through a fairly crazy time in recent years, with artists getting thrown into the spotlight then cast aside at a click of the fingers. This could certainly be overwhelming, but Purcell keeps a cool head. “I’ve always been of the attitude that if I can put out high-quality music and music that I’m happy with, and I think that other people will enjoy, I don’t really have to do much else apart from that. Even if it’s six months between releases or even longer, I know that if I come out with an end product that is satisfying and exciting for people, then I think it’s not going to be a problem.”
Wave Racer’s mammoth year hasn’t come to a close just yet. He’ll notch up one more triumph by appearing at Sydney’s iconic New Year’s Eve Harbour Party. Although he’s received a warm welcome from many of the world’s greatest cities this year – New York, London, Vancouver and Amsterdam, to name a few – Purcell’s affection for Sydney is unwavering.
“I’ve lived in Sydney my whole life, and I’ve grown up with the developing electronic music scene that has taken over Sydney right now, so it’s cool to be a part of that. Before I was doing the Wave Racer stuff, I was constantly immersed in the Sydney music culture, going out to different club events and going out to see live music as often as I could.”
In addition to the city itself having an influence on his musical journey, Purcell’s been helped along by some of his high-flying contemporaries. “People like Cosmo’s Midnight, who I’m best friends with, and Basenji, who I’ve made music with in the past and is also one of my best friends, those dudes are killing it in the Sydney music scene right now and I don’t think any of us would be in the position that we’re in right now if it weren’t for the whole network of people.”
Catch him atNYE Harbour Party 2014alongsideStafford Brothers, The Potbelleez, Ganz, Wax Motif, Cosmo’s Midnight and more atLuna Park onWednesday December 31, tickets online.
