Running Touch: On the mystery and sticking to his guns
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Running Touch: On the mystery and sticking to his guns

Coined as the best kept secret in Australian music, mysterious producer Running Touch is the 22-year-old artist from Melbourne known for his conscious decision to remain anonymous in the music industry.

“It kind of just evolved organically to be honest. It’s definitely something that I hold quite close to me. It is quite a blessing – not to say that I don’t want to get recognised, but it’s just a very nice breath of fresh air and not worry about what you look like.”
While the man of mystery values the anonymity of his identity, Running Touch explains that all changes when it comes to live performances and offline interactions.

“Physically and show wise it’s a lot less anonymous, and that kind of encourages the idea that if you want to know who I am or you want to introduce yourself – come see me, come meet me. It’s anonymous online, but offline it’s a completely different story. That’s the way it works at the moment, and I’m sure its purpose and use will change in the future.”

Previously coming in as one of the 50 most played artists on triple j Unearthed, creating innovative and intimate electronica experiences at clubs, and even coordinating live sets at the likes of Groovin The Moo and Splendour in the Grass, Running Touch is now set to release his debut EP, A Body Slow, at the end of the month – and he is beyond ready for it.

“There’s actually a few versions of that EP. It’s only taken a while because it was meant to get released last year. The version that it’s at now is completely different to the one from last year – the name and the concept, and a lot of the songs on it – so it’s taking a very long time and because the EP changed, I had to write some new songs for this one.”

Representing the “Australian new electronic sound”, with laid-back, sundrenched tunes, Running Touch is proving to defy the boundaries of dance music by filtering influences from his first musical project, punk-rock band Ocean Grove – a band to which he says prepared the musician for what to expect.

“Being in that and experiencing that really geared me up with the necessary tools to kind of go ahead and brace myself for what I can expect and what you can be treated like when you start, and I think something that influences me more than anything is experimenting and kind of trying to filter like more experimental hardcore music from them [Ocean Grove] into this and that’s why there’s some soft songs, some dance songs, and trying to be a bit more daring than just have the same songs throughout the EP.”

Self-admittingly a very private person and performing as a one-man band playing guitar, drums, piano, launch pad, curating lyrics, singing and even rapping, Running Touch has his sights set on following through with his multiple projects, beginning with the release of this long-awaited EP.

“It’s [the EP] has been the bane of my existence in a sense for the last year, but my goal for this year is to kind of stick to my guns in terms of prioritisation and being smart about what I’m using my time for and being able to follow through with things I do. That’s my goal for this year – to stick to that kind of mentality.”

When & Where: UNO Danceclub, Geelong – April 21

Check out the event via Facebook.

Written by Talia Rinaldo