Australia’s Night Tales Ready to Make Global Impression [Interview]
Kamaliza Salamba and Aaron Bannie longed for the music world, but it took nearly a decade to find the magic and commoderary needed to transcend that vision. MP3 MAG caught up with the aspiring international producers to detail the journey that got them to America, and how they hope to connect with listeners globally as Night Tales.
The story of Night Tales has been nearly a decade in the making. Aaron Bannie, one half of Night Tales, was born in the U.K., where his love of soccer was eventually eclipsed by his love for all things music. In Ibiza, he learned how to mix and play on vinyl; an eclectic style that led to the birth of his Third Floor project. As he progressed, and developed a love for travel, he would eventually settle across the world in Australia.
Kamaliza Salamba—known for his own Kamaliza project—is an Aussie native, and also had his own career in music prior to Bannie’s arrival. He played in various bands, in addition to his own R&B electronic project.
The guys kept busy for years on these various projects, but they lacked the pop and potential to eclipse the nominal success limited by living in Australia.
“Australia is a very different landscape than America and the rest of the world,” Salamba told MP3 MAG. “It’s quite small [and] opportunity to play shows was limited, but the platform was there.”
America differs vastly from Australia in terms of market size. While America has hundreds of cities and markets to tour and tap into, Australia only has a few. National club tours are small in comparison and can’t support a full time career. Like most musicians Down Under, Bannie and Salamba saw the potential to do just that overseas, but their projects never quite aligned for that trajectory. Until they met each other.
The two initially got connected via a booking agent, and almost immediately began collaborating on a house-infused, singer-songwriter project. With a competent producer alongside him, Salamba was able to focus more on his skills as a vocalist. The two dived into more thematic compositions, and developed a ‘Talking Heads’-like influence that covers a wide range of music. Salamba writes the vocals and melodies, while Bannie provides his own vocals in addition to running drum and trigger pads .
This arrangement gives them the chance to take all original songs and break them down in a totally different experience and energy.
Using their industry connections, the duo struck a 3-single deal with the German label, Majestic Casual. The label has provided a home for curious minds and artists like Edamame and Two Feet, and packed the luster befitting an enigmatic act like Night Tales.
Following the deal, the two went to the studio and quickly wrote their first track, “Move You.” This first sampling put onto the display the representation of human emotion and personal relationships. It’s emotive and ability to resonate is captivating, and embodies a calming sense of introversion and serenity.
“We were quite lucky from the start,” said Salamba. “From our original deal with Majestic Casual, we had a really good organic fanbase.”
The first single would go on to rack up 2.5 million Spotify streams globally. The releases following yielded really good organic traction as well. To the delight of the duo, they discovered they already had a listening audience overseas in America and Europe. Naturally, this lifelong benchmark for success and key to traveling to America came right as the pandemic swiftly took over the globe.
“2020 hit and we couldn’t play any shows,” said Bannie. “So we’re like, ‘Let’s release a song a month and see what happens.’ It’s been really great because we’ve been able to reach new fans and find our sort of core audience.”
Jettisoned at home in their studio, the two reacted by doubling down on their creativity, which helped the pandemic become a “blessing in disguise” for the duo. This commitment to connecting was rewarded as their monthly listeners rose to 150k+ monthly, and their music found its way onto several Spotify Editorial playlists.
To date, Night Tales have released 20 tracks and have since tallied over 8.1 million streams on Spotify and 2 million on Apple Music. This earned them placements in Martin Garrix’s personal Spotify playlist, two no.1 spots on Hype Machine’s popular chart, and plays on BBC Radio.
“We’ve had conversations with big labels and majors,” said Salamba. “They promised the world, but never delivered. That bummed us out, but we were so confident that if we keep making the music we like that the right people would come at the right time.”
In 2021, Night Tales are finally being rewarded for their work. As the American music industry sprung back to life, as did festivals and lineups full of new and exciting acts. Included in the mix of talent and art, Night Tales found its way onto its first lineups and marquees.
We’ve been working so hard towards this moment I honestly feel like we deserve it.
This meant their first festival gig ever, a main stage booking at New York’s famed Electric Zoo, followed by kicking off their first U.S. tour at the Brooklyn Mirage.
“It’s been good to actually be able to perform, which we love outside of writing,” said Salamba. “We love to perform and feel at home doing that.”
With the duo being so dynamic with their live performance, they’re able to switch between DJ sets and full live sets. At their support performance for KSHMR, the duo started the night with the live setup and ended the night with a closing DJ set. The response from fans, the duo says, has been dreamlike, finding an audience that enjoys both dance music and tangible storytelling.
“I think it was just really great to see the reception and how pleased the fans were afterwards,” said Bannie. “They just really loved the music and it’s nice they connected with what we’re doing.”
Night Tales’ sound stands out for its focus on songwriting, chord progressions, and striking lyricism. This project has become a fantastic mix of the producer’s individual styles, a testament to the years of hard work and determination that got both of them to this point. With a new album on the horizon for 2022, Night Tales is set to make a global impression.
“From a production and songwriting standpoint, [Night Tales] has made us much more confident. When you push yourself to those limits, you realize you’re capable of a lot more.”
FOLLOW NIGHT TALES:
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