The Gold Coast is famous for a stretch of white sand covering 40km of some of the best surf west of the Pacific. At the center of this Surfers Paradise, a clubbing culture has emerged from the humble beginnings of a few resident vinyl slingers, cocktail lounges and back door venues. Ten years on and two brothers (there from the very start) have covered every corner of the planet dishing up deliciously wicked house grooves to the masses. From Miami to Ibiza, Whistler to Warsaw, The Stafford Brothers are the fastest growing phenomenon in Australian dance music. With all that said and done, have they forgotten where they come from? Never.
“We’ve been doing this for 10 years. Now that we have a TV show we get a lot of attention from new fans that think we are new to the scene. I’m proud of where we have come from and while it’s great touring overseas all the time, there’s always a special love for Australia.” - Matt Stafford.
In fact, when an opportunity presented itself for the Stafford Brothers to become co-owners of Platinum Nightclub (The Gold Coast’s premium dance venue), the boys didn’t hesitate and since have been providing world-class artists in their hometown, no matter where they may be touring across the globe.
As producers, the story began in 2006 when they came screaming onto Nightlife TV screens across Australia thanks to a low budget film clip. ‘More than a Feeling’ was more than just another cheesy cover song. While of course the tune bares no resemblance to the progressed and evolving sound of SB’s latest works, it captured the attitude that the boys have became famous for.
Over fifty Stafford Brothers releases are now available on heavyweight labels such as Ministry of Sound, Toolroom, Defected, Central Station, Armada, We Play and many more. In 2009, ‘Wherever’ (vs Hoxton Whores and featuring Frank Stafford on vocals) was their first single to garner high chart positions going straight to #2 on the Aria Club Chart. The track stayed in the charts so long it earned a place respectively in the Top 50 Club tracks of 2009, coming it at an impressive #17.
Since the success of ‘Wherever’ a string of releases have followed including collaborations with Tom Neville, Jean Elan, Jason Herd, Dabruck & Klein and a forthcoming release (with ‘Tommy Trash’) has earned the attention of Roger Sanchez as a ‘Stealth’ selection for the European Summer of 2011.
As for DJ performances, the Stafford Brothers have entered a league of their own, regarded as the ultimate fun loving, party starting, anything goes champions of the stage. In 2010 they were announced as the official support act for The Prodigy on their Australian stadium tour and shortly after were announced to be headlining the 2011 Future Music Festival alongside The Chemical Brothers and Ke$ha. But the mother of all achievements came in the form of the visual kind when Australia’s biggest cable network Fox8 announced the premier of ‘The Stafford Brothers’, their very own reality TV show.
In January 2011, hundreds of thousands of viewers tuned in as Australian dance music was taken to a new level. Camera crews followed Matt, Chris, family and management across Europe as they ventured into the heavyweight leagues of Ibiza and beyond. As the show’s ratings continued to hike each week, so did the realization that The Stafford Brothers are a dominant force on the move. The last episode of Season One aired to record numbers, and in that same week the boys boarded a plane for LA embarking on a 35-date world tour, which saw the guys on the road for 80 days. Hold onto your seats people, actually F#$k it! - get out of them completely, because the Stafford Brothers are coming to a dance-floor near you...
What happens on tour, no longer stays on tour.