What do you mean “on the same level?"

The same level of thought process, not the same level of music type. He wanted to be the best. He wanted to do the best he could possibly do, and that’s the same I want to do. I have a lot of music which is heavily influenced by Michael Jackson. Certain people say that my groove or type of bounce in tracks is quite unique. I’ve been inspired by that from Michael Jackson’s 80s hits and 70s tracks. “Don’t Stop 'Til You Get Enough” has a certain groove to it. I’ve used those kinds of vibes and elements in my music to create grooves.

I know from other interviews that you make a lot of your music standing in your kitchen. I wonder if it makes a difference that you produce standing up instead of sitting down.

That’s a huge part of it. That is a huge, huge part of it. When I’m making beats, I’m in my kitchen standing up and dancing, literally keeping the groove for myself. So, if it feels right within my body, then that’s what I want. So, the music is an extension of me.

Awesome. Do you have any upcoming projects you want to tell everyone about?

I’ve got a lot more music releases to come. I’m getting back in the studio after the tour, because it’s so hard to work on music when you’re on tour. I find that I need to be in my own space. I will also be working on the album, that’s for sure. It’s something that I’ve wanted to do for a little while. I’ve done a lot of single releases on Soundcloud, but I want to have an actual body of work, so that’s something I’m looking forward to. I’m doing the Mantra tour in Australia, with other DJ sets in between. So yeah, just expect more music from me.

After our interview, we got to talk a bit more about his DJ setup and equipment. Apparently he made the move from the Traktor S4 to the Traktor S8 because his bass would be so loud that it would bump the jog wheels on his S4 and stop the music mid-set. As a Traktor guy myself, I thought that was pretty hilarious, and is a problem I haven’t seen anyone complain about yet. Maybe nobody is pushing bass like TroyBoi.

His set was as excellent as promised, with really bouncy fun beats throughout the show, and for once, I got to hear a set with some trap that sounds like trap, not this dubstep hybrid stuff that has been going around lately. He played a lot more than just trap though, with a lot of variety, but all very groovy stuff. He even threw in a Michael Jackson remix to pay tribute to his idol. People really got into it, between the heads who just consistently nodded at the back of the room to the wild dance floor up front, everyone was having a good time. The dancers certainly added a lot to the show, coming out in front of the audience at times, and performing acrobatics on a hoop suspended from the ceiling at others.

If you have a chance to see TroyBoi on the remainder of his tour in a city near you, I strongly recommend that you go. For anyone who loves trap or bass music in general, it’s well worth the price of admission to see this rising star perform his music.

Photos by Sam Lawrence for Bullet Music