Here at Cosmic, we seem to be a popular work destination for artists and musicians. We are blessed to have many talented people in our ranks doing incredible things around New Zealand. Patella is one of them. We can't stop seeing their name, from record release parties to morning people to some of New Zealand's biggest NY festivals. Patella is making beats and moving feet all over. Patella is both a producer, a DJ, and one of Cosmic Christchurch's staff members. We catch up with Patella about their music history and what they have coming up soon.

First of all, Patella! How are you? Tell us about all of your recent events and how you think they have gone. Any highlights or Low lights?

"I'm really good!
My recent highlights would have to be my set for the Twominds record release party. This was an all-original set, so I played all music that I had produced; this was such a vibe. Also, at the Sugar and spice 'All Queens" gig, all the sets that night were awesome, and I had a really fun set - I was really locked into the groove. The big highlight, though, would have to be Morning People because there was such amazing energy; I played a faster BPM than I have ever played before. I played up to 155bpm, which is pretty fast for a house DJ.
Lowlights... yeah, there was one... I recently played a private gig for an organisation. I think I got to play 7 tunes, and then I just took requests. I just felt a bit awkward in that situation. I think they just wanted someone to action their Spotify playlist, not because they knew what I actually do or wanted to hear the music I had to share."

So we know you are not only a DJ but also currently making music. Do you have any plans or a release? What are you cooking up in that space?

So I've got three tracks reserved for Twominds records, and I've just sent Liam another 20 others to look through this morning. I don't have a definite date, but they will come out shortly.
I've got a couple of others in the pipeline, including an EP sitting for "Kind of Green" and a single and remix for 'Ray's Records'. All record labels I've worked with are NZ owned and operated.
There's also another VA release on a brand new label set to be vinyl only, which I'm stoked to be doing with good friend and collaborator Jordan Harvey, AKA Harvo.
I think there will be a couple self-releases in there as well, so there is plenty to keep an eye out for!

Tell us briefly how you got into this space. Was it something you shifted towards because of family, or did you find music in some other way?

I had left school at 15, worked in the trades for years, then like 6 years ago, my mate bought a controller and one day bought it into the lounge and asked me to jam out with him.
After that, I caught an absolute bug: when you're doing a transition, you get a dopamine hit - which, being neuro-divergent, I'm usually quite low on, so I just started chasing that dopamine.
After jamming at home for a while, I had my first gig with notion touring. Then once I was in that space, it felt like something I really wanted to do; it really aligned with me as a person.
And music producing, I knew, was the next step in the process. Yes, you can make a living just being a DJ, but as for longevity as an artist creating your own content for sets works really well, you know?

How would you describe your come-up? Was there anything you found challenging? What would you tell people who want to pursue production or Djing?

The come-up has been a process, not something that happened immediately. Still, it happened because of actions and being involved in a community.
I found that the more I am involved with dance music, like who is playing and promoting and networking with these people has greatly helped me get to where I am.
So for anyone wanting to get into that space, I would say, if you want to be visible, you have to put into the community, go to the events, and give voice to other artists. Like anything, you must put a lot of time into it.
A lot of the time, you don't see all the stuff that goes into the background. All the countless hours practising your mixing, finding tunes, and trying to make more significant moments within the music.


FOLLOW PATELLA:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/patellanz/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PatellaNZ
Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/patella_nz
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/1Fwpfp1lr9h49tE7Ba...