The Journey to SHELTER
The Journey , made up of Tom Evans & Jacob Malmo are no newcomers to the House and Techno scene and together they have become known for their ‘melodic techno and progressive house’ sets and praised for “keeping dance floor hearts full”. Their rising profile has seen them score a slot on the lineup of a brand new event for Melbourne, SHELTER. SHELTER is set to take place at the Seaworks Precinct in a purpose renovated building, which will hopefully be the home of many more SHELTER’s to come. We took the opportunity to speak to The Journey lads about the opportunity of playing SHELTER, what ticket holders can expect from their set and who they would most like to collab with off the SHELTER line-up.
Thank you for taking the time to answer some questions for Music Festivals Australia/Music Kingdom Australia
No worries at all. Thanks for having us.
You have been announced as one of the Artists to perform at SHELTER, happening in Sydney and Melbourne this April, are you excited to be a part of what is set to become a long-standing event?
Very excited thank you. It's been a long 2 years with lots of lockdowns and restrictions, especially in Melbourne and to be back playing these large scale events is bloody exciting.
“We will be playing music on the bigger side of our catalogue so that’s always fun to mix it up and showcase our diversity.”
How do you prepare yourselves for an event like SHELTER?
I guess multiple factors come into play. We generally look at our set time, where we are positioned between some artists and respect the flow of the event whilst still maintaining what we want to do also. We will be playing music on the bigger side of our catalogue so that’s always fun to mix it up and showcase our diversity.
What can we expect from your upcoming performance at this event?
Big sounds, tension and great flow.
Apart from your own, which set are you most looking forward to seeing play at SHELTER?
It's hard to go past UMEK. He is such a don in the techno world and has been at the top of his game for so long now. Also it will be great to see Rory throw down. He has had a great 12 months with signing music to Carl Cox’s label which we are excited to see him showcase. He always brings a lot of energy to the decks which is nice to see.
“We have always been a fan of UMEK so to jump in the studio with him would be pretty amazing”
If you could collaborate with any artist from the SHELTER line-up, who would it be and why?
We have always been a fan of UMEK so to jump in the studio with him would be pretty amazing.
What are the best and worst parts of being on a multi artist bill? Do egos ever get in the way?
Depends where you are in the world but it's always really nice to connect with like minded artists. We couldn’t say there is a bad part of it but if there’s ever a crazy ego involved it’s pretty easy to walk away from that and just do your own thing and not get sucked up in it all.
SHELTER is set to deliver a new type of audience and atmosphere than we are used to at a festival event. Are you excited to be able to share your music with people who may not be familiar with The Journey?
Always.. It's great to expand our reach to people who may not have seen us play before. We always make sure we bring our A game to every gig we do, so we hope that people enjoy that and want to experience it again in the future.
“We are really looking forward to seeing what the new venue looks and sounds like”
SHELTER is taking place at the purposely renovated building in the Seaworks Precinct. Does having a dedicated space help make a difference in being able to produce the best sound you can create as opposed to a multi-functional space?
Great sound enhances the experience exponentially. We are really looking forward to seeing what the new venue looks and sounds like.
Do you enjoy playing festivals and being a part of that festival scene and atmosphere?
There is definitely a different dynamic to playing Festivals. Generally you are a little more removed from the crowd than an intimate club but it's always much more of a spectacle. It's great to look out and see so many different faces and emotions.
Small intimate club style gigs and big park/stadium events are obviously quite different in the energy and audiences, which is easier to engage in with great crowd participation? Which do you prefer? Clubs or Stadiums?
Haha well we guess we almost answered that above. It’s totally different and we like them both in their own right. It’s easier to get a big crowd reaction from a festival show as you are showcased really central and on a large stage generally whereas at a club show, the booth may be in a corner of the club and you're playing to lots of different moods. Club shows for us are generally longer in set times and gives us more range to express ourselves musically.
“Our music is never super aggressive and quite gentle on the ear whilst still maintaining grit and emotion at the same time”
You are described as ‘melodic techno and progressive house’ and known for “keeping dance floor hearts full” is that and accurate assessment? Is that how you describe your sound?
We always like to keep the energy high in our set’s with lots of momentum and drive in our music. Our music is never super aggressive and quite gentle on the ear whilst still maintaining grit and emotion at the same time. It is very hard to describe our sound as we do play quite a diverse range of music.
The Journey completed its first European tour in 2018, with borders lifting and travel restrictions easing. Are there plans to get back overseas anytime soon?
You better believe it. We will be heading off to Europe at the start of June for 4 months and have lots of shows already confirmed so watch this space for a tour announcement.
You have shared the stage with some massive names and played at some of the most infamous events. What’s been the highlight in your career so far personally? And why?
It is hard to go past some crazy shows at Sisyphos in Berlin, Sunset on Saturday on the Market Stage at Rainbow Serpent Festival or The Forum in Melbourne. All of them really bucket list shows and we hope we can continue to tick off more in the future.
Who in your crew or team deserves a shout out but never gets one? And what is it they do that keeps your world turning?
Our agent Mike does a lot of work on the ground ensuring everything runs smoothly, he also puts up with our differences in opinions a great deal, so full marks for that. And of course the lovely ladies in our lives, Our partners Amy and Sabine and Mother's dearest, Kaz and Caz who are a constant pillar of support for us.
What’s next for The Journey in 2022? What can fans look forward to?
We have a collaboration with Pantheon coming out soon on his label titled “Interfonic” titled “Run” and has been in the works for a few years now. It’s a little different for us both but was conceived in a time where there were no dancefloors and we feel it really reflects that. We hope that it connects with people the way it has for us.
We also have a remix for our good friend from Berlin “Bebetta”, another remix on Flow Music and some other projects that we can’t say too much about just yet.
Interview by Michelle Symes
March 2022