If there is anything you can expect out of a COPYCATT set, it’s that you’re going to party. The Australian hand grenade is known for taking audiences on wild rides with an energy level that is never lacking. So when we heard he was going to be doing a downtempo set at Submersion, we had some questions.
Phoning Andre Butterworth, AKA COPYCATT, from his new abode in Denver, Colorado, we discussed the massive run he’s been on, the state of the Australian electronic scene, his foray into downtempo, memories from Submersion Festival, and much more.
Maximilian Vanegas: So how often are you going back and forth between Denver and Australia?
Andre Butterworth: I came out for tour then decided it made sense for me to stay here for the duration of my visa, which is three years. I’m going back in a couple weeks to go on tour with Frequent but at the moment it’s just for holidays. It’s about $1,500 and 16-18 hours each way so it’s not something I’m trying to do all the time. But I definitely have moments where I miss Australia and my family.
MV: We’re hearing good and bad news coming out of the Austalian electronic music scene. On one hand, 1,300 venues have closed since COVID. On the other hand, we have artists like yourselves announcing tours plus a rave at a hardware store called Bunnings. What is your opinion on the current state of the scene?
AB: Bunnings always has cool shit going on. That’s so funny to me. But yeah, it’s been interesting. I think COVID had negative side effects on attendance even after all of it ended. One theory I’ve heard is that people who turned 18 during COVID didn’t get initiated into the whole activity of clubbing and seeing music. They just made a habit of doing other stuff on the weekend.
MV: Like streaming and playing video games maybe.
AB: Yeah, the demographic has shifted. They’re not interested in going to live music as much. But what it did do for Australia was it actually boosted the local music scene a bit. During COVID the borders were closed so they couldn’t bring international artists in and had to start sourcing local talent. So it’s been a really mixed effect. The bigger festivals really suffered but smaller festivals, promoters, and artists actually benefited a little bit.
MV: I heard someone propose introducing tax benefits to venue owners as a way to help stimulate the live music scene in Australia. What are some other ways you think could help give the scene a bump?
AB: I never thought about how the government could help but maybe putting money into creative initiatives, particularly in Brisbane, could give a boost to the industry. I’m still trying to figure out what makes a scene grow in the first place, but I’m seeing growth in Brisbane and a few other places back in Australia that I’m excited about. There’s progress that I didn’t think was going to happen.
MV: You mentioned that when you were first making halftime music in Australia, no one really listened to it. How did you stay confident enough to keep doing you despite not having the support of your peers?
AB: It was a really interesting journey. For a long time there wasn’t really anyone who listened to the kind of music that I was into. My motivation, as lame as it sounds, came from seeing my numbers on SoundCloud grow. For a long time, I didn’t really understand the following I had and I went through a period where I got really demotivated and had to distance myself from it all. Between 2019 up until about 2022 I was not interested in broadcasting my music. I just wanted to disassociate from that whole scene. Then my friends were like, “Yo, don’t give up. You have a really decent following out here.” Then when I came out last year I started to realize that people actually know my stuff and appreciate the project. It was awesome.
MV: Now you’re back again, with what sounds like a ton of confidence, staring down the barrel of a massive run. One stop on the tour is Submersion Festival, which you have a very special set planned for. Before we get into that, I’d love to reflect back on last year and that insane kLL sMTH & Friends set that you were a part of. Could you walk me through how that came together?
AB: I remember I was just chilling. I was definitely in chill mode, just drinking or whatever. And then it someone came up to me and was like, “do you want to play the kLL sMTH back to back?” and I was like hell yeah. When I got there, I saw 20 people getting on the stage and thought “oh my God, this is going to be chaos.” But getting on the stage with Aaron (VCTRE), Tom (KEOTA), Bill (Mr. Bill), Carl (Black Carl!) and everyone else was such a family vibe. To share the stage with all these guys that I’d known on the internet and having that moment together was really exciting. It was chaotic and beautiful.
MV: Chaotic and beautiful is a perfect way to describe it. Looking to this year, your presenting something that is on the total opposite end of the spectrum as far as energy and intensity goes – a downtempo set. Can you talk about what your journey into downtempo has looked like and why you’ve chosen Submersion as the place to debut that side of your project?
AB: A big chunk of this set is cuts from this album I’ve been chipping away at since 2017. I’ve always done moody down tempo stuff though. I would say when I started listening to King Krule and started getting into more moody guitar stuff, I knew at some point I would be making this kind of music. I started learning guitar probably around 2016 or 2017 but I hadn’t really fleshed out what I wanted it to sound like because I wanted to make electronic music but I also wanted to funnel in the sounds that I was enjoying at the time.
AB: Then at the beginning of this year, Jesse from the Submersion crew hit me up and was like, “We want you at Submersion again this year, but we want you to do something different. Have you got a downtempo set?” And that’s when I was like, actually, yeah, I’ve got all this guitar stuff. And he was like, “Look, I’m down to just give you the platform to do whatever you want with this. We can facilitate it.” It’s kind of been bubbling for a while but I didn’t really have any plan as to how I was going to work it in. So this opportunity has really been a kick in the ass to think about it a bit more. This will be the first time I actually get on a stage and play guitar for people, which is a little bit scary, but It’ll be an interesting experiment.
MV: How does it feel to work with a festival that empowers you to be so authentic to your project?
AB: I honestly love the Submersion guys. They’re always such a pleasure to work with. You can just tell by the vibe on site and chatting to the staff that everyone was just super relaxed, helpful, and not too stressed. Obviously there are moments where the staff have a lot going on, but there was never a moment where I thought people didn’t want to be there. I think they really curate a genuine, hospitable, and awesome vibe across the board for everyone involved. I had such a good time last year, and it seems like they’re really popping off again. So I love that crew and I’m stoked to play for them again this year.
The stars have certainly aligned for COPYCATT and Submersion will be just one of many highlights inside a breakout year for the Australian hand grenade. Aside from the festival, fans can expect a massive compilation album from Aspire Higher rolling out over the next month featuring one of COPYCATT’s downtempo numbers.
Follow the links below to keep up with everything that COPYCATT and Submersion Festival have going on.
Follow COPYCATT:
Facebook | Instagram | X | SoundCloud
Submersion Festival:
Website | Instagram | X | Facebook
If there is anything you can expect out of a COPYCATT set, it’s that you’re going to party. The Australian hand grenade is known for taking audiences on wild rides with an energy level that is never lacking. So when we heard he was going to be doing a downtempo set at Submersion, we had some questions.
Phoning Andre Butterworth, AKA COPYCATT, from his new abode in Denver, Colorado, we discussed the massive run he’s been on, the state of the Australian electronic scene, his foray into downtempo, memories from Submersion Festival, and much more.
Maximilian Vanegas: So how often are you going back and forth between Denver and Australia?
Andre Butterworth: I came out for tour then decided it made sense for me to stay here for the duration of my visa, which is three years. I’m going back in a couple weeks to go on tour with Frequent but at the moment it’s just for holidays. It’s about $1,500 and 16-18 hours each way so it’s not something I’m trying to do all the time. But I definitely have moments where I miss Australia and my family.
MV: We’re hearing good and bad news coming out of the Austalian electronic music scene. On one hand, 1,300 venues have closed since COVID. On the other hand, we have artists like yourselves announcing tours plus a rave at a hardware store called Bunnings. What is your opinion on the current state of the scene?
AB: Bunnings always has cool shit going on. That’s so funny to me. But yeah, it’s been interesting. I think COVID had negative side effects on attendance even after all of it ended. One theory I’ve heard is that people who turned 18 during COVID didn’t get initiated into the whole activity of clubbing and seeing music. They just made a habit of doing other stuff on the weekend.
MV: Like streaming and playing video games maybe.
AB: Yeah, the demographic has shifted. They’re not interested in going to live music as much. But what it did do for Australia was it actually boosted the local music scene a bit. During COVID the borders were closed so they couldn’t bring international artists in and had to start sourcing local talent. So it’s been a really mixed effect. The bigger festivals really suffered but smaller festivals, promoters, and artists actually benefited a little bit.
MV: I heard someone propose introducing tax benefits to venue owners as a way to help stimulate the live music scene in Australia. What are some other ways you think could help give the scene a bump?
AB: I never thought about how the government could help but maybe putting money into creative initiatives, particularly in Brisbane, could give a boost to the industry. I’m still trying to figure out what makes a scene grow in the first place, but I’m seeing growth in Brisbane and a few other places back in Australia that I’m excited about. There’s progress that I didn’t think was going to happen.
MV: You mentioned that when you were first making halftime music in Australia, no one really listened to it. How did you stay confident enough to keep doing you despite not having the support of your peers?
AB: It was a really interesting journey. For a long time there wasn’t really anyone who listened to the kind of music that I was into. My motivation, as lame as it sounds, came from seeing my numbers on SoundCloud grow. For a long time, I didn’t really understand the following I had and I went through a period where I got really demotivated and had to distance myself from it all. Between 2019 up until about 2022 I was not interested in broadcasting my music. I just wanted to disassociate from that whole scene. Then my friends were like, “Yo, don’t give up. You have a really decent following out here.” Then when I came out last year I started to realize that people actually know my stuff and appreciate the project. It was awesome.
MV: Now you’re back again, with what sounds like a ton of confidence, staring down the barrel of a massive run. One stop on the tour is Submersion Festival, which you have a very special set planned for. Before we get into that, I’d love to reflect back on last year and that insane kLL sMTH & Friends set that you were a part of. Could you walk me through how that came together?
AB: I remember I was just chilling. I was definitely in chill mode, just drinking or whatever. And then it someone came up to me and was like, “do you want to play the kLL sMTH back to back?” and I was like hell yeah. When I got there, I saw 20 people getting on the stage and thought “oh my God, this is going to be chaos.” But getting on the stage with Aaron (VCTRE), Tom (KEOTA), Bill (Mr. Bill), Carl (Black Carl!) and everyone else was such a family vibe. To share the stage with all these guys that I’d known on the internet and having that moment together was really exciting. It was chaotic and beautiful.
MV: Chaotic and beautiful is a perfect way to describe it. Looking to this year, your presenting something that is on the total opposite end of the spectrum as far as energy and intensity goes – a downtempo set. Can you talk about what your journey into downtempo has looked like and why you’ve chosen Submersion as the place to debut that side of your project?
AB: A big chunk of this set is cuts from this album I’ve been chipping away at since 2017. I’ve always done moody down tempo stuff though. I would say when I started listening to King Krule and started getting into more moody guitar stuff, I knew at some point I would be making this kind of music. I started learning guitar probably around 2016 or 2017 but I hadn’t really fleshed out what I wanted it to sound like because I wanted to make electronic music but I also wanted to funnel in the sounds that I was enjoying at the time.
AB: Then at the beginning of this year, Jesse from the Submersion crew hit me up and was like, “We want you at Submersion again this year, but we want you to do something different. Have you got a downtempo set?” And that’s when I was like, actually, yeah, I’ve got all this guitar stuff. And he was like, “Look, I’m down to just give you the platform to do whatever you want with this. We can facilitate it.” It’s kind of been bubbling for a while but I didn’t really have any plan as to how I was going to work it in. So this opportunity has really been a kick in the ass to think about it a bit more. This will be the first time I actually get on a stage and play guitar for people, which is a little bit scary, but It’ll be an interesting experiment.
MV: How does it feel to work with a festival that empowers you to be so authentic to your project?
AB: I honestly love the Submersion guys. They’re always such a pleasure to work with. You can just tell by the vibe on site and chatting to the staff that everyone was just super relaxed, helpful, and not too stressed. Obviously there are moments where the staff have a lot going on, but there was never a moment where I thought people didn’t want to be there. I think they really curate a genuine, hospitable, and awesome vibe across the board for everyone involved. I had such a good time last year, and it seems like they’re really popping off again. So I love that crew and I’m stoked to play for them again this year.
The stars have certainly aligned for COPYCATT and Submersion will be just one of many highlights inside a breakout year for the Australian hand grenade. Aside from the festival, fans can expect a massive compilation album from Aspire Higher rolling out over the next month featuring one of COPYCATT’s downtempo numbers.
Follow the links below to keep up with everything that COPYCATT and Submersion Festival have going on.
Follow COPYCATT:
Facebook | Instagram | X | SoundCloud
Submersion Festival:
Website | Instagram | X | Facebook
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