Team Brisk Streamer Of The Week: MrRelax
For our featured streamer of the week this time, we are heading to Melbourne, Australia to catch up with Mr Relax! Read on…
Where are you from and where are you living now?
Born in Melbourne but was a bit of a globetrotter growing up. Moved to QLD at 7 before Germany, QLD, UK, QLD, NSW then UK again before back to Melbourne by 22 where I’ve lived in Victoria since.
How did you come up with your DJ name?
There were a few names I considered before I settled on this. It is associated with my legal name but I’ll leave it at that. There is a pretty COOL story behind the name, but you can spend your channel points to find out. It may cost 30,000 points but no one who redeemed it has been disappointed to date.
What’s your equipment list?
Pioneer XDJ-XZ
2 x Pioneer XDJ-1000MK2
1 x Numark 5000FX Mixer (retired)
2 x Pioneer PLX-500 Turntables
2 x JBL 305P Mk2
Computer (Not sure, I just asked a friend can it stream and play Rekordbox?!)
Where did your musical journey begin?
Apparently I would play my mum’s Billy Joel records before I have a memory. I’ve always loved music, not that I was ever talented enough to play an instrument. When I was about 15/16 I would listen to more Techno and Dance Music (It was all “Techno” to me at that age) and I quite enjoyed it, but it wasn’t very popular. Once I hit 18 I started going to real clubs and fell in love. I’ll never forget the first time I really knew what the club/rave scene was like. Jumping Jack played his opener while this laser stared me down and I was stuck in a laser tunnel. That memory is forever with me.
What made you decide to take up DJing?
A friend of mine had turntables and brought them round to my place in 1998. I played a few times and tried but never got hang of it. Always wanted to get CDJ’s but didn’t have the money. When I returned to Australia in 2002 I found Mixmeister software so I started making my own mix CD’s using a program. One day in 2004 I said as a joke to promoter, yeah book me and I’ll play a Mixmeister mix. He said OK you have a slot but got you have play for real. I went out that week and bought my DJ setup. 2 Numark TTX2, 2 x CDJ200’s and a Numark 5000FX Mixer. Apart from that gig only played to my bedroom wall and had fun doing so!
I stopped playing from about 2010 until 2017 when I moved into new house and while it was building had been buying a few vinyls but realised all the tracks were being released on Digital. Decided to buy my XDJ-1000MK2’s. My Numarks also got water damaged so were not usable. Replaced them with Pioneer PLX-500s (no where near as good).
What are some of your interests/hobbies/passions outside of streaming/DJing?
I love watching and attending sporting events. I’m a big Australian Rules Football fan (AFL) and my team is Richmond. Also support Melbourne Victory, Brisbane Broncos, Chelsea (UK football) and Motorsport such as Formula 1 and Supercars.
When did you start streaming on Twitch?
I started on Twitch a few days before Christmas 2021. I never considered it prior as I was happy playing to my wall. One day I had noticed I had 49 followers despite never considering streaming but then thought, I can get affiliate and have my own emote, so maybe I will stream just achieve that. A fried came round for BBQ and we had been playing all day. Eventually I thought, why not, hit go live on my mobile and rest is history.
Is there anything you really hope to accomplish in your life, whether it be related to music or not?
I’m quite relaxed, as the name suggests. Generally whatever happens I go with the flow. The fact people choose to watch me play tunes is a huge accomplishment, and being asked to join teams and offer me gigs is mind blowing. Never something I thought I’d achieve so I’m already content. My wife (Jadeechad) has just started streaming cooking and watching her achieve her goals is so much more satisfying. She will be a natural and in a few months I’m sure she will have surpassed me and I can’t wait to see her grow.
Who are some of your favourite streamers? Why?
There are so many to name and feel I will miss some out! Obviously Brisk who made me discover Twitch is not just a gaming platform. It was a good 6 months of only watching him before I finally found other music channels. Jimnicricket is probably the best show on Twitch. Then these people have all been massive influences, DJSp33do, Commandman, Danomate, DJBrady, DJC (Raveanywhere), Krystal_Ravegirl, CharDJ, DarkSin, DJ_JTS, DJWeaverOfficial, DJ_Shorty_K, Bored_Ravers, DJ_Kzar and DJBouncy as well as all the Seattle crew. I feel bad as I’m sure there are loads more (sorry!). I love my Global Madness and Throwdown family too, especially TeamStraya (DJ_Skittlez1 and DJFireblade).
What is your favourite genre to play? Why?
Happy Hardcore, while I do love Trance and actually mainly played trance when I first started, the Happy Hardcore community is what I bonded with most on Twitch and my viewers are mainly into as well. It’s just so much fun but I do like a lot of styles.
What are some of the most memorable events you’ve participated in or streamed?
Quite a few. My first raid train was DJ Shorty K’s birthday and I was so nervous streaming to a raid of 30. The Team Brisk raid train for his 50th birthday was also a highlight. There’s been a few charity events too but the highlight was a B2B with Kaylene Scar for Flood relief fundraiser earlier this year. To think I was playing alongside someone as talented as Kaylene Scar made me quite nervous but also excited. The kick-ons was something to remember (or not once a few Shoey‘s were consumed)
What does Team Brisk mean to you?
Team Brisk is such a supportive team and has so much diversity. While I may have preferred genres, I can’t say I’ve ever seen a Team Brisk streamer that I haven’t enjoyed and everyone is so welcoming and supportive of each other. It really is a team. Special shout to Ken Jones who despite not being a streamer is a massive part of the team and does so much for everyone.
What’s your favourite thing about DJing on Twitch?
Being able to do something I love, only to discover it brightens people’s day. When I did my 2nd stream, it was Christmas eve and I had someone message me to thank me for entertaining them and giving them company. That was really the moment I understood streaming wasn’t just about me. While it gives me great satisfaction it also brings so many people from all around the world together to enjoy each others company.
What is a challenge you’ve faced as a DJ/streamer?
I mentioned how nervous I was for my first raid train, then my internet couldn’t handle it. I just bought a new computer and did a stream setting test at about 2am the night before as I was streaming off hotspot. I kept the settings and assumed it would work at 3pm on a Saturday afternoon. When I kept getting a ‘red box of death’ (OBS disconnect status) and not knowing much about how to fix it made it a very stressful moment. Eventually I stopped the stream and ran a ‘wizard test’ and restarted. I now know how to reduce bitrate midstream, so it’s not such an issue these days (phew!).
Do you have any special projects, streams or events you would like to tell us about?
I recently had the opportunity to play a live gig at IRL Melbourne, where Melbourne Twitch streamers played a rooftop party and got to meet so many Twitch people I’ve spoken with for 2 years, but had never met in person. Just prior to the COVID pandemic I got back in to raving and went to Tr!p as a punter. Through Twitch, Darksin (the promoter) discovered that I also DJ and gave me a massive opportunity for my first ever solo club gig. Thanks to streaming I have an exciting opportunity to play interstate DJ at HWFG Warriors at Burdekin in Sydney on Nov 5th alongside one of my favourite DJ’s Nik Fish, who was an icon in the Australian music scene.
Is there anyone you’d like to shout out and/or thank?
Thank you to everyone who has ever tuned in, even just for a second. My mods, who make streaming so much easier. Big thanks to Jadeechad, my extremely supportive wife and also a cooking streamer who is going to be bigger and better than anything I could do musically and makes me so proud! Sasha_303, an awesome mod and raid leader! A big thanks to Brisk, without him live streaming a pre Reconnect party, I wouldn’t even know Twitch had music. A pioneer in the rave scene and the streaming world. I will leave it at that though as there are too many others I will miss and there are so many who have been a huge help. If I thanked everyone, we could be here for another 20 pages!
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21 March 2023 BriskAdmin All News News
