Australia’s Next Big Thing, Meet SEMBARI

What first drew you into music?

Growing up, I was introduced to a vast array of artists & genres. I went through a phase of just about every genre – always drawn to sound design & melody/chord relationships above all else. But it wasn’t until Flume hit the scene that I even considered music creation. His music (and the music from the wave of artists he influenced) was what inspired me to explore production. 

Your track “I like it” is absolutely amazing! How did you achieve such a great signature sound in such a short time? Also, what is your creative process like?

Aw thanks! It’s funny though, I don’t feel like I’ve really found any signature sound yet. I’m mainly just trying to explore new sounds, vibes & genres. This one just so happened to turn out very R&B infused.

Almost every track begins as a sound design experiment. Just toying with samples & running them through various plugins until I hear something I like. Then I’ll start building other instruments, layers & drums around that.

Going over your Soundcloud we can tell you love experimenting with new sounds. Can you tell us more about your studio setup and some of your favorite plugins/instruments?

I try to keep my set up pretty simple! Very limited hardware, just a MacBook Pro, a 25” LG screen, Rokit KRK 6’s, Sennheiser HD 600 headphones, a Novation Launchkey 49 & an Apollo Twin Duo interface.

In terms of favourite software;

DAW – Ableton

VST synths – Granulator II, Serum & Synplant

Plugins – FabFilter, Decapitator, Waves, Sausage Fattener, Valhalla Room. 

These are my go-to’s but I love experimenting with new synths & plugins!

Your music sounds very organic and authentic. Do you play any real-life instruments?

Unfortunately not! I definitely wouldn’t consider myself a musician. Everything is either sampled or recorded with other musicians/vocalists.

What are your musical goals for the future?

Purely just to be able to continue writing every day. Over time, I’d love to work with a bunch of different musicians & vocalists as well! Anyone who’s able to support that is a blessing! <3

What are your goals for the coming months? Any upcoming projects we can get excited about?

I haven’t announced it yet, so I guess this could be a cool place to! Just before the New Year I’m going to be launching a “Sembari // Throwaways” project. It’s going to be an outlet for me to share everything else I’m writing – beats, b-sides, throwaways & lots of otherwise unreleased material!

Connect With SEMBARI:

• Twitter
• Instagram
• Facecbook
• Soundcloud