Contributing Writer
Chandler Sinclair is a DJ/producer currently based in North Carolina. With sets across the US as well as a debut release on Diskull’s Groovy Bone Records, it’s safe to say that this new-school house artist is beginning to make a significant impact on his scene. He continues to make a mark with a new single, ‘WANT U’, produced alongside NV on LUCATI’s Kolme Records. Chandler sat down with us to discuss his achievements thus far…
Hey Chandler! Thanks for chatting to Music Is 4 Lovers, how’s your year going so far?
Thanks for taking time to chat with me! My years going pretty well I’d say, I’ve played a lot less shows than I did last year, but I’ve been putting a lot more time into producing and more of the “behind the scenes” stuff.
Tell us about how you got into House music, DJing and production.
As far as House music, the earliest memories I have are watching a lot of Daft Punk music videos on Youtube and it kind of just spiralled from there. As far as DJing and production, I grew up playing the violin and double bass, I also became borderline obsessed with Guitar Hero at the age of 7; I’ve always felt that games such as this had a large impact on me musically as a kid.
While still playing the violin and Guitar Hero in middle school, I began to see Youtube videos of people performing on the Novation Launchpad; eventually (after months of begging) I convinced my mom to get me a Novation Launchpad-S and Ableton Live intro. I downloaded other people’s project files just to play them, and the thought of producing seemed very far out for my 13 year old brain, so I eventually shelved Ableton and the Launchpad-S.
At the age of 18 I bought my first DJ controller, taught myself how to mix and was able to play at a few fraternity parties. People always came up to me asking if I made the songs I was playing and the answer was always no, but I always wanted it to be yes. My cousin was producing tracks in FL. Naturally, I began producing in FL Studio for about 1.5-2 years, until I switched back to Ableton Live. I immediately felt right at home and was familiar with the software, I was also being taught how to produce by my mentor, Lucas Abend aka SNUGS. After DJing & Producing for almost 6 years now, I’ve had time to hone my craft and develop my own sound and I hope it resonates with others in some way.
Next month, you’re linking up with NV for a new release on Kolme Records, ‘WANT U”. We’d love to know more about this record and the collaborative process behind it
NV and I met over TikTok because we both were fans of each other’s music. He told me he had an idea for a track but wanted me to pump up the drums, bass and overall energy. He sent me a vocal and some chords and I got to work; we eventually chatted in Discord and ironed out the track. I ended up playing direct support for LUCATI shortly afterwards, he was a super genuine guy. I asked him if I could send him some music and he said of course and (jokingly) that if it wasn’t good we couldn’t be friends. As you can probably tell by now, he ended up liking the track.
Who are your top 3 artists right now and why?
My top 3 Artists right now have to be Max Dean, Kolter & Johnny Yukon. Max Dean has some great sets I’m constantly throwing on. I’ve also been loving his catalogue of music, I’m always listening to his track ‘Free NRG’ with DMosto, it always gets the vibes going. He really has mastered the “less is more” style and I’m envious. Kolter is a legend when it comes to Minimal, his track ‘DX7 Together’ is constantly being played on night-time drives for me. Johnny Yukon really has his own vibe, and I feel he came up as more of a rapper but now has evolved into a full-on artist who produces and sings on all of his own tracks. I’ve recently been working on an edit of his track ‘All Night’.
As an artist based in North-Carolina, could you give our readers an insight into your local underground scene?
North Carolina has pretty big decent scenes in Charlotte and Raleigh, and a solid scene here in Wilmington where I’m based. There’s NC based event organizers like House Vibrations, Soundwavves, & Groove Lab (just to name a few) putting together shows and helping to grow the community. The main issue I see within the scene here in NC, is that DJs who don’t produce are often categorized the same as ones that do. After putting in thousands of hours into producing, it just feels unfair to myself and others. Besides this,, the scene is very intimate here in NC, even LUCATI said the crowd in Wilmington was better than 80% of crowds he’s played for.
What’s the number one goal you’re aiming to achieve in the next few years?
My number one goal for the next few years is to be able to travel and play shows all over the world after building both a solid reputation and catalogue of music.
Do you have anything planned for summer that you can share with us?
This summer I’ll be playing direct support for FREAK ON on July 5th, I’m playing B2B with my homie and fellow producer/DJ NO STATIC. We’ll also be doing a boat party in Carolina Beach that Sunday, July 7th. I’ve also got some tracks/edits/remixes that I’m working on getting out, but will definitely get played in my sets in the meantime.
Follow Chandler Sinclair: Instagram – Soundcloud
