Future Past

“My music has '80s type electro sound through a lot of it,” Million begins. “I have a big range of influence, though. I am into a lot of '70s influence, like Pink Floyd, Frank Zappa. It's just all over the place. Then you go to punk, then disco and then the early '80s stuff with synthesisers and other machines. Stuff like Giorgio Moroder started producing. That sort of stuff really appealed to me because I started playing the keyboards and I really liked the sound. That kind of changed where I was going with my music. I guess my music is in the realm of dance music but more hardcore with a little bit of a nod back to that vintage '80s music in there as well.”

Million's humble musical beginnings saw his debut EP, Italo Journey, paying homage to his influences and now even more so with latest single, Midnight.  

“I started playing piano from a young age, taking classical piano lessons. At school I played in the band and that is where I met the other guy from [Million's band] The Swiss. But I've only really been playing seriously in the last three years I reckon. Music has always been there but just kind of bubbling along. It is one of those things that I never really put a lot of focus on but just let develop naturally. Things just kind of fell into place with the release of my first EP and then it all just kind of happened for me and you just kind of roll with it.”

Midnight features a blissful voice Million stumbled upon by chance. He says it had been a struggle to find the right sound for the track so the meeting was extremely timely. “It was a young girl I discovered busking in the mall. I was doing my shopping one day and I heard this voice and I thought she had a fucking great voice. I had to go back and have another listen. I realised that was the voice I was looking for because I tried other people over time but never really got the right vibe.

“I was a bit shy because I didn't want to ask her to come back to my studio when she was only 15 years old. But it worked out and now I am sure she is the only girl at her school that is on national radio. Now I'm planning to produce and co-write an EP of her own stuff. She is just a great talent and she had never had the opportunity to record anything in her life before that.”

Million and audio-visual maestro Ego are joining forces for a couple of exclusive WA shows. “I've been to Perth quite a few times like when I played at Sets On The Beach, which turned out to be a really awesome festival. I've played quite a few club shows over there as well. I've been in Fremantle before with my band The Swiss. I've just been writing a whole stack of new tunes to play over there this time.”