mike callander

Mike Callander started DJing in 2001, and since then has been recognised as one of Australia’s most diverse and yet consistent selectors. He continues to open and close for countless touring artists in Australia and at various destinations across the world, but more importantly has helmed critical residencies at home in Melbourne clubbing institutions such as Honkytonks, for which he also compiled and recorded The Last Dance mix CD released globally in 2007, and more recently at Revolver, where his weekly Friday night offering continues into its ninth year. 

In 2008 Mike co-founded Haul Music and began releasing ambitious avant-garde techno productions, including a long-player “Antarctica” and subsequent remix album, from which his tracks found their way on to mix CDs such as Dave Seaman’s Renaissance Masters, and into the crates of various tastemakers, and surprisingly even onto morning television. A decade later and he is equally at home producing pure dance floor bangers: a recent collaboration with The Presets’ entitled “Until The Dark” was the closing track of their top-5 album Hi Viz, and the energetic final track in their festival live shows.   

In 2012, alongside accomplished sound designer Davide Carbone, Mike co-founded School of Synthesis, an educational facility that offers high-end hands-on training to music producers and DJs. His work at SOS led him to become an Ableton Certified Trainer, one of only 250 people in the world endorsed by the company to demonstrate their software. Since 2016 Mike expanded his educational focus to include sessional lecturing, mentoring and technology classes at The University of Melbourne’s Bachelor of Music in Interactive Composition, where he is currently completing his Masters Research into the bridge between Techno DJing and studio practice. 

In 2016 and 2017 Mike’s production skills took him across Australia and the world for more than 30 shows with The Avalanches. This chart-topping Australian band is one of many to engage Mike’s live-show programming skills to take their project from the studio onto stages such as Glastonbury, Roskilde, Rock Werchter, BBK Live and Fuji Rock. More recently his work with the band has expanded to include production work on tracks for their third album.

At the other end of the performance spectrum, Mike is equally at home performing solo improvised electronic sets in sweaty nightclubs, or alongside T-Rek and Honeysmack as The Broken Acid Experiment.

Beyond 2019 Mike is more inspired for DJing and live performance than ever, but has an additional focus: Zero Percent, the production team he formed with Kim Moyes (of The Presets) and their new record label Here To Hell, distributed globally by Kompakt. Zero Percent has thus far turned out genre-smashing remixes for The Drones, The Avalanches and The Jezabels, and is fast developing a reputation for sweaty, energetic performances at their Here To Hell label nights.

AGENT
James Ware: james@watartists.com