Paces

Artist Bio

• January 2017 – Paces released a song called ‘Savage feat NYNE’ which has been his most successful song to date. It’s had 5.5million spotify streams so far.
• October 2014 – Paces / Tkay Maidza – Switch Lanes
  – Triple j Hottest 100 2015
  – 2 million Spotify, 300k Soundcloud, 500k Youtube streams
  – Top 50 iTunes charts
• Februaury 2015 – Paces / Kučka – Nothing’s Forever
  – High rotation triple j, spot plays on Nova & Hit FM Network
  – 1.8 million Spotify, 260k Soundcloud, 100k Youtube streams
  – Top 10 iTunes electronic charts
• February 2016 – Paces / Jess Kent – 1993 (No Chill)
  – High rotation triple j, Nova & Hit FM Network
  – 750k Spotify, 60k Soundcloud, 60k Youtube streams
  – Top 10 iTunes electronic charts
• March 2016 – Paces / Various – Vacation LP
  – #2 iTunes electronic charts debut
  – #10 iTunes overall chart debut

Paces is U.S. born, Gold Coast resident, Mikey Perry. Following Paces first official release in 2013 Perry has quickly risen to the top of the Australian producer scene.

Paces kicked off 2015 in typical swag-lord style, waltzing into triple j’s Hottest 100 at number 100 with his Tkay Maidza collaboration, Switch Lanes. This was quickly followed up by his hit single Nothing’s Forever, which featured vocals from Perth artist Kučka.

Nothing’s Forever hit the top of the iTunes Dance charts after being added to full rotation on triple j in Australia & George FM in NZ.

Off the back of this success, Paces hit the road with a sold out single tour and was tapped for official remixes for Years & Years, Tinashe, Alison Wonderland and Hermitude.

Now Paces is back with his latest release ‘Vacation’. Vacation is a 13-track journey through Paces’ world of tropical beats and forward thinking pop.

Paces has worked with a plethora of Australian and international talent on his debut LP, with vocals coming from as far as Brazil (‘Cafuçu’ featuring Bonde do Rolê), Baltimore (‘Work Me Out’ featuring Rye Rye) and Canada (‘Payday’ featuring Maurice Moore).

Closer to home, Paces has tapped local vocalists such as Reija Lee, Esther Sparkes and Sydney’s Oliver Tank to make Vacation a showcase of some of Australia’s brightest upcoming talent.

The closing track on Vacation also features a surprise appearance from one of Australia’s best loved singers, with Guy Sebastian lending his vocals to ‘Desert’.

It’s a departure from Sebastian’s usual sound that will surprise many with its pitched down vocals and co-written by Sparkadia’s Alexander Burnett.

WEBSITE: http://www.pacesmusic.com/

FACEBOOK: www.facebook.com/PacesMusic

SPOTIFY: Click here

SOUNDCLOUD: https://soundcloud.com/pacesmusic

INSTAGRAM: https://www.instagram.com/pacesmusic

TWITTER: www.twitter.com/PacesMusic

YOUTUBE: www.youtube.com/PACESMUSIC

PHOTO CREDITS

Image top left – Kenny Smith
Image top right – Lady Drewniak

Interview with Mikey Perry

What inspired you to want to work in the field you do now? 

I’ve always been passionate about music and art, but at some point my interest in music overtook everything else. From then on I’ve just been obsessed.

What music related activities did you participate in whilst you were at school to build your career and who inspired you through your schooling years to explore your passion for music?

When I was at school I was convinced I was going to be a graphic artist (which actually did come true for a while) so I didn’t really take music too seriously. I played guitar and always enjoyed that, but more as a hobby than a career path.

Once you completed school, what were the steps you took to pursue your profession?

My first step toward becoming a music producer was when I started DJing. A friend and I went halves in a set of turntables and threw parties at my place every weekend until gradually we figured out how to DJ.

Then we began getting booked to play real shows and tours.

Eventually I became interested in actually making the music rather than just playing other people’s, so I learned music production via some lessons from friends, and plenty of YouTube tutorials (this learning process never stops – I’m just about to enrol in a Berklee online course).

Nowdays I have a whole team of people who help my career – a manager, booking agent, publicist, a record label that I’m signed to, a publisher, and a bunch of other people that I work with at shows like guest singers, photographers, dancers etc.

What was the best piece of advice you received to encourage you to pursue your career goals?

Find your own sound. It’s ok to copy your heroes when you’re starting out – that’s a great way to learn – but as soon as you’ve got a basic grasp on things you should start experimenting.

You’ll never stand out if you’re just making knock-offs of your favourite tracks.

What have been some of the highlights of your career journey so far? 

Playing Splendour was a massive highlight. I put on a full stage show with visuals, dancers, confetti, plus guest vocalists Tkay Maidza and Guy Sebastian.

The crowd was amazing and everything went right. It was my favourite show ever and was just so much fun.

Some young people who are passionate about music, sound production etc., don’t pursue a career after school in this area, as they are concerned they won’t have a secure job. What advice can you offer young people who are thinking about pursing a career in this industry? 

It’s a valid concern. It took me a long time to get to the point of earning a basic income. There’s no job security, holiday pay, superannuation etc. and you have to be extremely self-motivated.

There’s no one to tell you to work harder etc., so you have to treat it like a regular job. I get up early every morning and work on music from 9-5, plus all the touring.

There was a few years of overlap when I still had a regular job as a graphic artist, and was playing shows every week and spending all my spare time on music.

Gradually the music started to take off and I quit my day job when I could juuuuust scrape by on my music income.

From that point, everything got better because I had so much more time to spend on music.

So I’d say a good approach is to keep your day job while you’re getting established as a musician.

There is a saying that ‘if you find a job you love, you’ll never work a day in your life’. What do you find to be personally fulfilling about your career in music? 

Making music is my favourite thing to do. If it wasn’t my job I would still be doing it on my days off, so it’s a huge blessing to be able to earn a living from it.

I look forward to Mondays because I know I’ll be waking up at home, walking my dog and spending the whole day writing music. The freedom is also great.

If I’m ahead on my work and I feel like having lunch with my dad, I can just leave and do that. It’s rewarding in so many ways.

Keeping in mind that careers are constructed over your lifetime, what are your career goals and plans for the future?

Some of my next goals include: securing an American booking agent and touring America, releasing another album, keep pushing my live shows to become bigger stage productions, and to continue learning more music theory (hence enrolling in that online course).

Any other comments or advice you can offer young people considering a career in your profession?

You need a good team. None of your favourite artists are doing it on their own.

If you’re ready to start doing more gigs, it’s time to get a booking agent.

If you’re ready to start releasing music on a label, it’s time to get a manager.

I collaborate with other producers, singers and songwriters on my tracks. And when it comes to my career it’s a group effort between my manager, booking agent, publicist and myself.

There’s so much that goes on behind the scenes, which is where a good team will really help.

Also, don’t be discouraged if you put out a song and it doesn’t become a massive hit. I’ve released plenty of songs that have flopped and I’m sure I’ll continue to.

The trick is to just always be working on the next thing and to think of the big picture, as opposed to everything riding on your next release.

If you’ve got any specific questions, feel free to ask me at: contact@pacesmusic.com I get a lot of emails but I’ll definitely hit you back when I can. Good luck! 🙂