Talks Thongs

In the world of ghetto funk and banging party breaks, few do it better than Adam ‘A. Skillz’ Mills.

Can we kick off the interview by being cheeky and asking when THE HELL can we expect a full-length, solo artist release from you?

It’s coming out same time as it always has been … SOON! But seriously the whole concept of releasing music has changed a fair bit. There’s a lot to say about just giving tracks away now days, BUT yes, I am planning on releasing my album next year. I have gathered some very talented vocalists who the general public won’t know and some collabs with some familiar names too.

There was a huge difference in sound, tempo and vibe between ‘Tricka Technology’, your hugely popular collab with Krafty Kuts, and your following solo releases. What is A. Skillz’ true sound?

My heart is in the funk/ feel good hip hip/ party breaks. ‘Tricka Technology’  was the best representation of my sound at the time, but at the time, that’s all I WAS doing, ‘making it!’ I wasn’t playing any significant gigs apart from at my local pub or earlier warm-ups for other DJs. After a few years playing more headline sets, I started needing my tracks to really bang! I couldn’t always play funky hip hop beats all night, but still love that sound and tempo so I just started injecting a bit more bite in my production to try and keep the energy of the night going.

Over the years you’ve spent a decent chunk of time in Australia – how many trips now?

I’m not sure how many times I’ve been over, this is maybe my sixth trip. I love the Australian way, you guys are so laidback — I don’t think I’ve met a stressed out Australian ... I still smile when you Aussies talk about ‘thongs’ — first time they were mentioned was a weird conversation until I realised we were talking about what us Brits refer to as ‘flip flops’.

A. Skillz plays Blah Blah Blah at the South Bank Cultural Forecourt Dec 28. adicts.com.au