Arky Waters talks about his powerful, immensely produced new album “Holdin’ On”
One of the most exciting names in the Australian electronic music scene Arky Waters, shares a potent and vbrant new album. Holdin’ On, the debut LP from Sydney producer, is a proper wallop of southern hemisphere bass..
Out now via Mammal Sounds Records, the album arrives after a year of carefully placed singles that each stood up on their own terms — “Holdin’ On” featuring MAMI, “Ay Papi,” “UGETME?”, “OMG” and others — but together reveal something considerably more ambitious than a highlights reel. This is a record with genuine architecture, one that moves between raw dancefloor energy and intricate sound design without ever losing the thread connecting them. That thread, it turns out, is joy — the specific, physical, late-night kind that only really exists in a room full of people who’ve given themselves over entirely to the music.
Bass music sits at the heart of Holdin’ On, and Arky has spoken about it being the genre that first pulled him into electronic music properly — the moment he realised you weren’t just arranging sounds but shaping frequencies themselves. That shift in thinking is audible throughout the record, which carries the restless curiosity of someone who discovered something that changed how they hear everything.
We caught up with Arky ahead of his album launch show at Unholy Playhouse in Sydney on July 18th to talk process, bass music, and what it actually sounds like to document a life lived inside the city’s underground scene.
Holdin’ On feels like a real coming-of-age moment for you — you’ve described it as a journal entry, a snapshot of where you’re at right now. Looking back at it now it’s done, does it still feel that personal, or does it start to take on a life of its own once it’s out in the world?
I think if anything it feels more personal, like I’m representing my story and now I have to back it. It does feel distant in a sense though given some of these songs were made 2 years ago. I feel like I’m in a very different place now, but hearing the songs definitely take me back.
Bass music is obviously at the heart of this record, but you’ve talked about it being the thing that got you into electronic music in the first place — what was that initial moment like? What did you hear that made you think, okay, this is it?
My friend showed me some bass music but I didn’t really understand it. Hearing it on festival speakers really changed everything for me. I had never heard anything like it. The way the subs shook the floor, it gave me a really visceral reaction. It was the first time I really resonated with electronic music. It was like engineered punk/metal energy in EDM form.
Talk to us a bit about Sydney.. Australia in general seems to be one of the major players in electronic music right now?
To me Sydney is in another golden age of music/art. I feel like as a city we really take in sounds and reinterpret it in the way that makes sense to us. The best part is it’s not just electronic music, every genre is doing its thing. And I feel like we’re all consuming each other’s music as well. It’s a really special time and there’s so much talent around us!
You mentioned that bass music completely changed the way you think about music technology — that idea of shaping frequencies rather than just sounds. Can you walk us through what that actually means in practice when you’re sitting down to make a track?
In synthesis there’s sometimes an option to construct a sound’s harmonics artificially – it gives you a lot of control on how a note will sound. These days instead of just choosing the notes or constructing the riff of a bassline, I’m literally building this sound from scratch and letting it do its thing. It’s essentially more time spent on sound design compared to playing and composing.
Talk us through your production setup — what does your studio actually look like, and what are the tools you keep coming back to when you’re building something out?
I actually don’t work out of a studio anymore – I started to find it really fatiguing. I find in a really structured space it causes me to think in a really structured way. These days, I just produce straight from my laptop just using the inbuilt speakers. There’s not one external instrument involved. It feels spontaneous and I can move where I want around the house. My ears aren’t getting blasted either. My studio is literally just a DJ practice room now!
“Take a Trip” with LX came together quick, Do you find that your best work tends to happen quickly like that, or is it more of a slow-burn process most of the time?
I feel like all the best ideas come out within the hour. But the slow burn is in the fine-tuning.I find it’s always worth it to spend a long time on a track to make sure the details are there and it stands the test of time.
You went from working largely on your own to this much more collaborative, community-driven approach on this album — what did that open up for you creatively that you couldn’t access when it was just you in a room?
It literally opens up everything. You learn so much working with other people, and it’s just nice to connect and share music together. You share resources as well which are invaluable when they’re coming via word of mouth.
You’re launching the album with a live show at Unholy Playhouse on July 18th — can fans expect anything unique?
The venue itself is so fresh, the city hasn’t had anything like it ever.
Without giving too much away, does what comes next feel like a continuation of where Holdin’ On left off, or are you already pulling in a different direction?
I feel like we’re building off the sounds in the last album for sure, but we’ll see what happens!
Connect with Arky Waters: instagram
