Your debut album From Sydney With Love is out now via Anjunadeep. Can you take us through the concept behind it?

From Sydney With Love captures fifteen years of my moods and ideas, poured into a roughly hour-long debut album. It's a showcase of my skills as an electronic music producer, paying tribute to Sydney by featuring local artists like Gaz, Sochi, and Seduna. There's more to come, but this body of work is my way of proving my talent and honoring my hometown. It showcases my style, aura, sound and culture. It’s not some carbon copy, it’s serious music. Music that you can get emotional to, music you can dance to, and music that you can drive to.

The opening track, F.A.S.H Attack, is described as cinematic and emotionally charged. What does that track represent for you?

F.A.S.H Attack is incredibly special to me, written during a tough time in the middle of COVID when I was feeling lost and uncertain about the future. I channeled those emotions into what I knew best, writing music, creating a breakbeat track with ethereal, church-like chords weaving in and out, blending a calm, spiritual vibe with heavy drums and bassline-a real juxtaposition. The name F.A.S.H Attack is an ode to a father figure, a psychiatrist who taught me about the four primary moods: fear, anger, sad, and happy. As an ode to Sydney, we featured Seduna, a Sydney vocalist, tied it to my hometown, and her vocals made the track shine.

The album explores a broad range of sounds, from deep house to breakbeat to nostalgic electronica. How do you approach blending these styles?

I know there's breaks and four to the four tracks, so I wanted to mix in, both styles of genre. I think I have a broad range of sounds, but overall my music has its own style to it. From Sydney With Love blends my love for breaks and four-to-the-floor tracks, mixing both genres to show my range. I roll off sixteenths for drums, with added swing, arpeggiators, and synths to create my own sound. I don’t often listen to current electronic music, aside from a few colleagues and friends I believe in. I reckon my sound comes from the lack of current listening and the belief in my own music. People often recognize my tracks, saying, “This sounds like a 08 track”, and I'm thrilled to have a distinct style that still spans a broad range of vibes.

There are some collaborations on the album, like Nathan Ball on I Can’t Hold On and Gaz on Loser’s Pick. How do these collaborations fit into the story of the record?

One standout collaboration on From Sydney With Love is Loser's Pick with my good mate Gaz, who's now in London. For a couple of years in Sydney, I mentored him in music production, something he always wanted to pursue but couldn't fully dive into because of work. During a session, Gaz found this killer vocal sample and a catchy saw-wave bassline riff, laying the foundation for the track. I jumped in, pieced it all together, and polished it into a finished record we're both proud of. We named it “Losers Pick” because at that time we were playing super smash brothers in between writing session, and the loser of the game had to pick the next map. Lol!

I Can't Hold On was a unique track for From Sydney With Love. I produced it as an instrumental, wanting vocals to make the album more accessible, so I reached out to Nathan Ball, a brilliant singer-songwriter. He sent back incredible vocals, which I polished and mixed in Sydney, turning it into a hit single. The title came from a sample and reflected a tough time when my music career felt shaky, capturing that struggle. I'm thrilled with how our global network made this collab happen.

Explorations is inspired by your experience at Anjunadeep’s festival in Dhërmi. How did that moment influence the track?

In 2024, I was super nervous headlining at Splendour on a massive stage backed by a giant super hotel. I brought six of my mates, all comped on the guest list, to help me push through the nerves. I ended up delivering a killer set that got a ton of love from Anjuna fans and online network. After the set, we partied all night into the morning which all my mates and some legendary anjuna artists like Romain, Jody, and Nox. It was a perfect moment, and I haven't looked back since.

Unlike most of my tracks where I start with whatever I'm feeling, Explorations began with a vocal sample from a rock pack about exploring. I built the track around it to capture the uplifting, electro-house vibe of Anjunadeep's biggest festival in Albania, also called Explorations. The hook, come explore with me, and the title reflect the festival's spirit of fun, love, and connection. I meticulously planned this one to blend my style with that classic Anjuna feel, and I'd recommend everyone check out the festival-it's pure joy.

Which track on the album holds the most personal significance for you, and why?

The track I Can't Hold On holds deep significance for me. Its ethereal quality, driven by the haunting I Can't Hold On sample, creates a powerful melancholic energy. During a time of uncertainty about my career and future-when I was considering returning to jobs like garbage collection or casual teaching-this song became an outlet for my emotions, angst, and belief in my music. The title, the sample, and Nathan's vocals all came together to make something truly special.

F.A.S.H Attack is another deeply significant track for me, my second favorite on the album. I wrote it during a tough period in COVID, after struggling with mental health challenges and feeling like I'd fallen off the horse. When I emerged from that angst, I channeled a surge of drive and happiness into this song. The sonics carry that emotional journey, and I hope its energy resonates with listeners, capturing the joy and belief I felt while making it.

Your first headline tour is coming up across Australia. What can fans expect from the live shows?

For the album tour across Australia, fans can look forward to good times, great music, and a fantastic crowd. Our Sydney crew is all about good vibes, and we're building lineups based purely on the talent and curation of music, not popularity or quotas. Expect me to deliver a full two-hour set of my best tracks, performed with heart, alongside a diverse group of talented artists and crew. It's a chance to connect, network, and celebrate music together, so grab your tickets fast-we're aiming to sell out every show! We’re also giving signed vinyls out in Sydney and also Melbourne with our tight crew over there.

Finally, what do you hope listeners take away from From Sydney With Love

From Sydney with Love isn't about pushing a message, agenda or highlighting current issues. My goal was simple: create music that sounds great and brings joy to you, the listener. I pour my heart into making music that connects, hoping it gives you the tingles and lifts your spirits. In a world where mental health struggles, suicides and depression are all too real-something I've seen with friends-this album is just about spreading happiness. That's the heart of it.

From Sydney, with love – Blake.

BLAKE.08 – From Sydney With Love – National Tour

Sun 31 Aug 2025 – Chophouse – Falls Creek
Fri 5 Sep 2025 – New Guernica – Melbourne
Sat 13 Sep 2025 – Nevermind Alley – Adelaide
Fri 19 Sep 2025 – Black Bear Lodge – Brisbane
Sat 20 Sep 2025 – Elsewhere – Gold Coast
Sun 5 Oct 2025 – Civic Underground – Sydney

A Quick Chat with Blake.08