Chit Chat with Alicia
Earlier this week, Tamara caught up with Alicia, one of the latest additions to the Thick as Thieves Agency roster. With an illustrious career spanning nearly 15 years, Alicia has firmly established herself as a respected figure within the vibrant Melbourne music scene. Her mixtape series gained a cult following amassing over 11 million plays and still inciting nostalgia today. Some other key highlights include being voted 3 x years ‘In the Mix’ top 50 DJ and her first release charted #1 on the Beatport minimal/deep tech charts.
It's with Thick as Thieves that Alicia presents her rebrand, and just quietly, it's immaculate!
T: Are you able to tell some of our readers who maybe are a little bit younger, about how you first discovered electronic music/DJing/?
A: I grew up in Gippsland so pretty isolated away from the clubbing and music scene, but I used to listen to ministry of sound and onelove compilation cds religiously. I got a fake id and started venturing down to the city on the Vline on the weekends to go to Famous nightclub because they used to headline internationals from those same cds almost weekly. I fell head over heels in love with the dance scene instantly. I loved the energy, the people, the music and would find myself trying to soak up as much music across as many different places as I could. I remember watching djs like boogs, Lewie day and Kiti just to name a few, and just being completely captivated, so i got my own set up and spent every free moment I had on them it became an obsession. I eventually started putting out mixes and running parties both of which had a really huge response, and the rest is history.
T: The infamous KEESHTAPE massed over 11 million plays, which is WILD! It was such a staple for me growing up, as I imagine it was for the other 10,599,999 listeners. Did you expect it to be so iconic in shaping the sound of that time?
A: Not in a million years. I was super young when I started that mixtape series maybe like 19 or something, so really I was just having fun with it but at the same time just trying all I could to get my foot in the door and be able to play out to crowds and not just at home in my bedroom. I owe alot to those mixes and all the people who got behind them, because without that I don’t think I would have been blessed with the opportunities or career that followed.
T: I actually had to have a little bit of a search to try and find them, seems to be a bit of a trend with alot of mixes from that time. Gone are the days where all you really needed was a banging soundcloud profile and USB. How do you feel about the rise of needing to be on and actively posting on every social media platform possible these days?
A: I think social media in general is a double-edged sword. On one hand it’s great for making you more accessible and able to reach people you otherwise couldn’t. The downside though, is that too much importance can get placed on superficial things like likes and followers etc which can be really discouraging and distracting at times. These are the times we’re living in though and we have to be able to evolve, grow and adapt or fall behind I guess.
T: Speaking about evolving and growing, tell us about your ‘rebirth’ into the music industry? What was it that made you come back?
A: To be completely honest one of the main reasons for originally taking a hiatus from djing was because I felt burnt out. I had been djing consistently since I was super young and found my name was deeply associated with a sound I didn’t connect with anymore. This made it quite hard to evolve musically and I think true authenticity is needed to truly enjoy what we do, and do it well. I took a few years off to study, build a separate career and kind of just grow as person which I’m really grateful for. The love and passion never really left though and eventually the itch got the better of me, I decided to give it one last shot, rebranded and started playing the music that I love and resonate with and the response and support has been overwhelming and really heartwarming.
T: It's awesome to have you back in the music scene, and even better that it's with Thick as Thieves. You know that by joining our Agency, you’re automatically signed up for a marathon next year right?
A: Yep and look it’s not going to be pretty because I’m a terrible runner, so thanks for the reminder to start training asap haha.
Quick as thieves is such an amazing initiative for a great cause though and I couldn’t be more happy to get involved
T: Feeeeeels, Looking through the rest of 2023 and into Summer 2024, what are some things you are particularly excited for? Gigs, personal time, travels, etc…?
A: This summer is stacked with a lot really cool gigs but a few highlights for me are supporting Trancewax at revolver and faithless at Riva in Jan. XTSS at Howler on Boxing Day is another one I’m really looking forward to – this party is being run by xpress audio, tilt shift and supernature, all three run really cool parties with immaculate vibes and a focus on showcasing music and artists from the indie dance/dark disco/italo and wider realms so I'm excited for this collaborative effort.
I'm also absolutely stoked to be playing at a certain major Melbourne festival this summer, I can’t announce yet until the full lineup is dropped but il be sure to post on socials as soon as we get the green light 🥳
Catch Alicia at Thick as Thieves ft. Trance Wax & Papa Smurf this Sunday night at Revolver from 3:00am and at Thick as Thieves x Poof Doof ft. Faithless at Riviera January 6th.
For any bookings... Email mike@thickasthieves.com.au