Bag Raiders are an Australian electronic band founded in 2006 by Jack Glass and Chris Stracey. They play keyboards, drums, and act as vocalists, producers, and remixers, with Stracey additionally playing guitar, violin and piano. They also write and produce other artists’ work. In 2009, they were rated at number 11 on the Inthemix poll of Australia’s top 50 DJs. In October 2010, they issued their self-titled debut album, which peaked at number 7 on the ARIA Albums Chart and received a J Award album of the year nomination. The album’s song “Shooting Stars” renewed the band’s popularity seven years after its release, when it began being used as part of a popular Internet meme.
Bag Raiders current top 3 tunes are?
1. Cassian – Don’t Go
2. Veno – Groove I Like
3. Mylo – Otto’s Journey
There is rumours flying around some tunes are coming from the Bag Raiders very soon. Care to tell us more? Any collaborations? Remixes?
Everything you hear, it’s true. Haha yes, keep your eyes open there’s a lot of new music coming in the next 6 months :slightly_smiling_face:
If you could change one thing on your rider right now what would it be?
Worldwide Bintang
If you could change one thing in the world right now what would it be?
I would tell everyone to slowwwww dowwwwwwn
If you could change your name from the Bag Raiders what would it be ?
Haha that’s a tricky one. Bag Raiders has been our name for more than 10 years now so I think we’re stuck with it!
If you could come to Bali and perform at Ulu Cliff House on Saturday Sept 22 what won’t you forget?
We love Bali and Indonesia in general so we can’t wait. It’s the day before my Birthday too so some extra special celebration will be in order!
Whereabouts are you guys from? Where did you go to school and what were some of your early childhood memories that you look back on now and think music was always going to be my career path and my passion?
We’re both from Sydney and we went to the same school there. We grew up both playing in the school orchestra and singing in the choir. There was a “Music tech” room which had a computer with pro tools on it. I remember this was my first introduction to making music with computers. I think the two of us were among a total of maybe 4 people in the school that ever used that room. We were in there a lot. I remember being obsessed with it because I was listening to a lot of beat based music at the time and was trying to teach myself how to make beats. There was no youtube back then haha.
What were the first records you ever purchased with you own money? How does that influence what we can hear in your DJ sets nowadays?
Probably De La Soul or Nirvana, something like that.. Vinyl it may have been Midnight Starr “Midas Touch” or Tyrone Brunsons’ “The Smurf”. I don’t remember the last time I played those groups in a set though, but I suppose everything leading up to this moment has arrived at the present so i’m sure in some way shape or form, those records have turned me in to the person who plays what I play in DJ sets today.
On the subject of record labels are you signed exclusively to work with specific labels or with each release do you try and target the right home for each release?
Yes we’re currently signed to Universal.
In the studio what are you producing with? Any go to analogue gear of plugins that you just cant do without in the production process besides your DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) ?
We use Ableton. We have a collection of synthesizers old and new, things like Roland Jupiter 8, Korg Ms20, Roland 101, Acces Virus, a bit of Eurorack Modular stuff and some drum machines. Also use software synths a lot. Whatever’s good for the job really, but there is something really fun about playing things you can touch and turn outside of your laptop. It inspires exploration a bit more for me.
Any pictures of your studio?
Not on me man. (***Can try get some in the next day or something if that’s not too late***)
How have you seen production change over the past few years with technology and workflow? What have been some game changers in your ears and eyes?
Past few years have seemed the same to me, but if you’re comparing to say 10 years ago, it seems like there’s a LOT more people making electronic music now because really all you need is a laptop and you can go from nothing to published music ready for streaming all inside your backpack. One game changing thing has been the rise of sample packs. Sample packs are awesome for instant inspiration etc. More often than not I am using them for things like one shot drum sounds. I try to stay away from loops because i’d rather make my own. If I do use them I usually edit them/reverse/pitch them so they’re different and more “mine” in some way. My only beef with sample packs is that everybody has access to the same thing, so if you use something unaltered, there’s the chance that your music will sound the same as theirs. To me, they’re partly to blame for a lot of “same sounding” music coming out these days.
https://soundcloud.com/bagraiders/beat-me-to-the-punch
Before each show how do you prepare for your DJ sets?
Generally, have a beer, whack a few tunes in a new playlist, say a few namaste’s and i’m ready to roll.
How about shopping for new tunes? Is it a weekly thing?
I don’t do this religiously, it’s more before a run of gigs or if i’m listening to a lot of dance music. A lot of the time i’m not listening to party music.
How do you balance your sets with some Bag Raiders classics and the latest party stompers?
Just like that! Our DJ sets have always been a smorgasbord of the old and the new. The classics, the groovers, the shakers and the movers. The rompers, the stompers, bangers and clangers. If we like it we play it.