Meet The Musos: Get To Know Kiwi Electronic Duo SACHI

Following their Tomorrowland debut in Belgium last year, Kiwi dance-electronic duo SACHI (aka Nick Chrisp and Will Thomas) are storming back onto the scene with the release of their new single Whole Again.

Marking their very first music of 2023, the DF-worthy track was written with artist and songwriter Aston one rainy day in Sydney in 2022.

The new single follows the story of the end of a great love, how it can leave us feeling disoriented and lost; and how we can move forward through that pain, with SACHI wanting to make a record that lifted the emotional core of the lyric into an energetic dance-pop anthem.

The track debuted live for the first time at Tomorrowland, and the reaction and surge of energy through the crowd encouraged the duo to put out the song as their first release of 2023.

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“We are so psyched to be putting out new music this month, and to lead with a song that saw so many people respond on the dancefloor at Tomorrowland” SACHI said of the fresh track.

“We've been taking our time on the new music, being hermits in the studio, finding the sonics and themes that excite us, and it’s been our best work yet”.

So, what does 2023 bring for SACHI? We asked the duo so you didn’t have to! Check out what they had to say below.

You guys just dropped Whole Again, can you give us an idea of the inspo and meaning behind the track?

Whole Again started with a feeling, some chords that evoked a sense of hope, a grand emotional response from us and Sophie Aston, who we wrote the song with and who sings it.

It’s a heartbreak song, about confusion and instability following a breakdown of love within a relationship - and the internal experience that creates.

The feeling of the production kind of suggests the opposite - its energy and momentum, brash and colourful. We loved that the lyric and the music was like a yin/yang. We do that a lot.

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You performed at Tomorrowland which is HUGE, what was that experience like?

It was huge! The most incredible couple of days, soaking in everything at the festival - the site, the stages and installations, the people from all corners of the globe coming together, and all of the different music that was being played.

Our set was so fun, the crowd was magic, and the stage was stunning. Then we danced the night away after and saw so many other people’s sets.

We can’t wait to go back!

Can you give us the story behind your name?

It’s a funny one! We used to work in landscaping at high school and one of the main grass fertilisers we use was this brand called ‘SACHI’.

We really just loved how the name looked on those bags of mulch and when it came time to come up with a name for our band, it just felt so right.

If your music was a flavour, what would it taste like?

Those pop-rock candies that explode in your mouth.

Who are some of your biggest musical influences and how have they impacted your own sound and style?

We’re inspired by a wide range of sounds from different scenes.

Some of our biggest electronic inspirations are Daft Punk, Chemical Brothers, New Order and Moby to name a few. We love what Fred Again.. is doing at the moment.

We both listen to such different music, so it’s great when we come together in the studio and show each other new stuff that ends up subconsciously effecting our songs.

We take so much inspiration from club and festival culture as a whole, too - I feel like as our show has evolved more and we’ve played to different crowds, we’ve put a more focused intention into what will work in a live space better.

What’s been the biggest moment in your career so far?

It would either be playing Tomorrowland or closing the Rhythm and Vines main stage to 25,000 people. Both incredibly special moments.

Can you share a hilarious or cringe-worthy moment from your early days as artists?

(Laughs) When we started playing in small clubs around Auckland, we were both under 18, so there were a few nights that we were booked to play a club and the bouncers wouldn’t let us in.

What are the top three tracks or artists you’re vibing on rn?

Hugely into what Hamdi is doing right now. Our good friend Montell2099 just dropped an insane record called Need You. We’re loving the new Peggy Gou one, too.

What’s something that fans not might know about you guys?

We’re both naturally blonde.

If you could only listen to one album for the rest of your life, what would it be and why?

Will: Probably that first Flume album, that changed everything for me.

Nick: That’s so difficult, it’d be between Sgt Peppers and Aphex Twin’s Selected Ambient Works 85-92 for me.

What's in the works for SACHI in 2023?

We’re holed up in the studio working on a lot of music at the moment, which will be coming out. We can’t wait to tour and take the songs to people around the world too. Expect a lot from us this year!