Junus Orca | Te Ahi Top 10

Taking out the top spot on this week’s Te Ahi Top 10 was electronic artist Junus Orca, with the ethereal track ‘Never Really Here (Everyday Hurt)’. Released as part of a two-track EP through Christchurch based label Echo Train Records, the track is a dreamy slice of electronica.

We caught up with Junus Orca to chat about the release, his production process and future plans.

Check out the interview below.

You’ve operated under a few aliases before, tell me a little bit about how Junus Orca came to be?

I moved to NZ in 2013 and didn’t know any other musicians at the time so I started making music by myself on the computer. So naturally, it was electronic music. I started putting out I guess what you’d refer to as classically structured songs under a different name. As my love for electronic music grew and I started getting better as a producer, I started experimenting more and started putting random things up on SoundCloud under the name Junus Orca. Then I started heading down a dark tunnel of noise and industrial sounds and Junus Orca just took over. I got weirder and so did the music.

You released ‘Never Really Here (Everyday Hurt)’ as part of a two-track EP through Echo Train, tell me how that collaboration came about?

We became friends just over a year ago, around the time the label was starting. I loved the other releases and was enjoying the resurgence of breaks in music in general and as we hung out more and spoke about music, it just became apparent that we needed to do a release together.

Tell me a little bit more about the track from a production standpoint? How did you go about making it and what software did you use?

I was using my friends Microkorg one afternoon with a basic pad sound. Put into Ableton through a bit crusher, took some highs out to make it sound, added a shit load of reverb, then just a lil distortion to on the remaining highs to make fizz. I played the keys live to click, I just made it up as I played then I then down pitched it. Made a sub-bass loop and break loop and kick loop. Played them out and just faded them in and out really. The bleeping synth in the song which I think may have been a sound that I recorded ages ago. Then I just repitched it to the key of the track then put it through like this randomising beat repeater thing and so it just plays at random times.

I had this old voice memo I made, chucked it in Ableton and it warped itself badly and then slowed it down a lot, and put tuning on it and limited it to one note. Apparently, it sounds like a depressed alien. There you go. That’s a song.

The track is a pretty mellow slice of electronica, tell me a bit more about the inspiration behind it?

This track is really different from my other music and the other track on the release. Even though I make heavy music, I listen to heaps of ambient music as my brain is pretty manic, so I just wanted to make something I could listen to a lot. It puts me in a trance. It’s one of my favourite things I’ve done. I feel like the track embodies a lot of my being. 

The two tracks stand in pretty stark contrast to each other on the EP, was that something you were trying to do?

Not intentionally, the songs just worked together and had similar themes and utilised the same voice memo. So it just felt right 

What’s your favourite venue to play in Christchurch?

I’ve enjoyed playing at FLUX. The crowds are always great and open-minded.

If you had to describe your music in three words, what would they be?

Raw, Disorienting, Alive

What does the rest of 2021 have in store for you?

I have a heap of finished music that I’m gearing up to put out. I’ve also been working on a few exciting collaborations with different artists so some of those will be popping up too. More shows in the works too. Basically growing, learning, healing and putting more sounds out into the universe. 

Check out ‘Never Really Here (Everyday Hurt)’ below.

The Te Ahi Top 10 is our weekly chart as voted by YOU, our audience! Presented live every Thursday 3 – 4pm on RDU 98.5FM. 

To vote for the Te Ahi Top 10 simply download the RDUnited app and click the like icon for a track you love when it’s played on air. The tune with the most likes each week will be crowned the winner! Simple as that.