From our guest interviewer.
Australian artist Templé, real name Ben Smith, is about to drop his ‘Who You Are EP’ on his home label Templé Musiq. The EP has a remix by the king of nu-disco, Prins Thomas, but these two are not strangers, as Ben has previously released on the revered Internasjonal. Ben DJ’s around Adelaide and is involved in the programming at the world-renowned ‘Sugar’. We thought it would be a good idea to chat with him on the week of his release. Here we asked him to help us put together a DJ’s guide to Adelaide.
I’m based in Adelaide, and I love it here. We don’t like to share about it much, because life is so easy here and we know when people come to visit, they want to generally want to stay. Its culture is rich, it is actually world-renowned for its wine. Growing up here I was exposed to a bunch of great wine and where there’s wine there’s food, and where there’s wine and food there’s music. So, I guess it’s not surprising that I would end up working in one of these three areas.
In some ways, Adelaide never changes and that’s what’s beautiful about it. People that grow up here, leave to live in other cities and come back, and report things are still exactly the same. I guess somehow that knowledge is settling. Although it does come with its pitfalls. It means promoting a show is impossible, because nobody buys presale tickets, due to things rarely selling out. And you have to be incredibly self-motivated to get anything done here because you can always “leave it till tomorrow”.
In saying that there have been some amazing changes in the food and small bar culture over the past decade. Some real-world class venues and food are now on offer, matching our renowned wine exports.
I would say the majority of my identity comes from Adelaide, if I’m honest with myself, at least musically. I have been inspired by so many musicians that have come out of Adelaide, that have really shaped my identity or at least what I saw was possible for myself. Notably, HMC (aka Late Nite Tuff Guy), the Carter Bros, Surahn, Luke Million, Motez, Electric Fields, Inkswel, Gratts, I mean fk Sia is from Adelaide and she’s about as big as you get really.
What is your favourite place to sit and watch the world go by in Adelaide?
It’s this spot called Windy Point. I live up in the Adelaide hills and I often drive past here on my way home. Also, any touring DJ that I’ve been showing around Adelaide, I’ve taken here and it’s a place where you get to see the full city from the hills to the sea and it’s just really beautiful.
Photograph by (Mark Piovesan)
What is your favourite music venue and why?
Ancient World – they just have the wildest programming, the community that goes there is like one big family and it’s the most inclusive and welcoming venue I’ve ever been in.
(Photograph by Sia Duff)
What is your top tip for a good dinner?
Udaberri, LongPlay Bistro, and/or Niña – I had potentially the best meal of my life at Niña.
Photograph by Tabitha Lawless
What is your favourite bar and why do you like it?
Udaberri along with being a dinner spot, is also a small bar. When they opened the bar, I was asked to play on Saturday nights. I would play from 7pm to 2am and I really got to stretch out musically and play whatever I wanted. Starting with jazz, often finding a way to techno. It would usually end up with the craziest of dancefloors, with a maximum of 40 people in this tiny area behind the decks that were on top of the bar. It was wild.
So whenever I go back there I have such fond memories and I played there for years, so it just feels like a home away from home.
What is the best club where you are?
Sugar – it’s an institution. I cut my teeth here, witnessed some of the world’s best DJs, and another place I am very fortunate to call a home away from home.
Tell us your tip for the best record shop?
(Transition Records)
Transition Records is another institution and Closer Closer Closer is fast becoming one. Both of these stores have proper heads at the helm and they are also the most lovely people with incredible taste in music.
(Closer Closer Closer)
What is the thing you like to do most in your city when time permits?
My wife and I have just had a little dude, who’s 16 months and running all over the shop. So at the moment time never permits haha, but I have been exploring a bunch of parks and I’m pretty sure playgrounds (of which there are many) are in my near future…
What do you think is the most interesting fact about Adelaide?
There are three pretty cool ones…
Our local milk drink, called Farmers Union Iced Coffee is one of only a handful of places that outsells Coke in the world.
It is the only freely settled place in Australia during England’s colonization. The rest of Australia was settled by convicts.
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia, where potentially the beginning of life on earth started. Amongst The Flinders Ranges, the oldest fossils ever to be discovered were found in 1946 and they date back 600 million years. Along with this Australia’s First Nations people have been cited as the oldest remaining culture still currently alive after 65,000 years. Not that they are treated like that, but that’s a whole other story.
Templé website
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Templé on Spotify
Templé on Apple Music
Templé on Soundcloud
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