Blake McDonald : Mode Ambassador
Blake is one of those rare characters that makes anyone he encounters feel like they are the only person in the room. Maybe it’s his upbringing in Margaret River, Western Australia where conversations and spending time with people is worth more than screen time - or maybe it’s just Blake’s way of constant learning. Either way, we’re so excited to be able to call Blake McDonald a Mode Advocate.
Blake is a Music Producer and Dj who performs at festivals and clubs around the globe - And then, in the party off-season, he is a surf guide in the Mentawai's. One thing that is true, Blake is always contending with the balance of opposites.
From Nightclubs to Indonesian jungles.
From Heavy dance music to long point breaks on a 9ft single fin…
Balance is a constant in Blake’s life and we are so happy to help along the way.
Our CEO, Jordy sat down with Blake on a rainy afternoon to see what is new with Blake.
Hey, Blake, thanks for taking the time to hang out with us! What’s new in your world?
Currently, I’m writing music for both my projects (Boston Switch & Gets Better). At this stage I’m DJing most weekends, a DJ Instructor at Labsix Mondays & Tuesdays then locked into my studio the rest of the week. My goal is to stock up on a ton of unreleased music for the end of the year.
What go you into music producing, mate?
I actually started as a DJ just for fun but after entering a DJ Comp in 2012 & getting smashed by everybody I fell in love with DJing then went on to perform a ton of clubs & music festivals until about 4-5 years in & I felt I wasn’t gaining much more momentum & had peaked. I reached out to one of the festival owners (James Legge) who said to grow any more I’d have to be a producer & release music so from then on I got stuck into it!
On that, if you could give an aspiring producer or DJ one tip, what would it be?
Education is gold! Whether it be online courses, youtube tutorials, or an actual school like Labsix you can progress so much faster, focus on what you really need to plus create some amazing networking opportunities. Even now I still reach out to established artists for one on one sessions to continue growing & learning. Also, learn to love learning about making music not focusing on the end result otherwise it can become super disheartening which defeats its whole purpose of it.
Can you give us a little insight into what your day typically looks like?
First thing in the morning is I jump on Headspace app & start with some meditation (which I find really difficult but the guided course starts my day perfect). From then I’ll make myself a big fruit, acai, green powder, protein shake followed by a nice double shot espresso. If there are any waves on offer I’ll look for a surf & then either be off to the studio, labsix or just sort music, emails & messages from home. In the afternoon I’ll have lunch & hit my home gym followed by the infrared sauna until I hit my 1,000 calories of daily exercise goal. Then I’ll wind down by cooking dinner, kick back & wind down for the night.
Let’s talk about wellbeing, What is your one non-negotiable when it comes to wellbeing?
Guided Meditation is massive. I find by doing headspace daily I avoid so much stress or anxiety & notice the days I do feel more burnt out are the days I don’t use headspace. Also exercise, I aim for at least 1,000 calories on my apple watch fitness app.
What’s coming up in your world?
I’m banking a ton of music up for summer, basically building a catalog so I can hit the ground running. Also now that travel is back I’ll be heading back over to Mentawai Island to surf guide at Pitstop Hill again later in the year before a big summer of shows & tours.
