#ProducersCorner – Thorne Miller

Thorne Miller: Quality over quantity in a disposable era

Your favourite deep house DJ’s favourite producer is one of Pretoria’s best-kept secrets

In an age where successful artistry is often mistaken with social media metrics and volumes of limelight, not taking part in the circus can be as big a statement as any. Thorne Miller, the enigmatic South African producer from Pretoria, is silently leading the charge in a deeply qualitative approach to house music that is far more designed to make you feel and make you smile than it will ever be to climb the charts.

A glance through his discography would be your first hint, as it contains a handful of EPs and several remixes. Once you click play you quickly realise that there is zero fat to trim throughout any of it and that you’ve almost inevitably heard your favourite DJ play his music.

Tracks like his ‘Means Are The End’ remix have been burning parties down across the country for a few years now, and that one, in particular, has become something of a new age anthem. Throughout his catalog, there is a feeling that is distinctly local and soulful but still manages to sound modern. The sound is slower and laidback, but without sacrificing any of its dancefloor appeal. It’s versatile, while also being symbolic of a very specific South African taste. The ability to merge these elements together in an incredibly consistent manner is what separates Thorne from many, if not all, of his contemporaries.

He was raised in Pretoria, a city that has brought the likes of Jullian Gomes, Vinny Da Vinci, Kat La Kat and countless other local house icons to the national stage of house music. Born into a musical family, with several musicians and a music store owning grandfather, he jokes that his family couldn’t handle one more artist in the family. “I was never allowed to play the piano at home, everyone said we already have enough musicians” he laughs. Hip hop was his first love, and to this day he still listens largely to the sounds of the 90s era. His introduction to Ejay during high school would be his first encounter with production, and experimenting with software and loops would become a go-to hobby for him that’s lasted a lifetime.

“Making music and seeing people’s reaction to it, that’s enough for me.”

~ Thorne Miller

While he initially says he went through the sleepless nights to hone his craft he now has a process that fits in with his routine and allows him to create at his own pace. “I usually wake every Saturday morning around 6ish, have my morning coffee & smoke and then sit down until around 2 pm, which is enough time for me to at least get an idea together.” His less-is-more mindset is reflected in his arsenal too, using a laptop and midi keyboard with only occasional help from a mic for sampling. “I used to have tons of synths and other gear but I just found myself getting lost in it. Stripping back helps me keep it focused.” Once he has something coherent done he will often send it to one of his close friends, who he trusts to be brutally honest about the quality of it.

It’s clear that his close friends, many of them DJs themselves, have had a big impact on his journey, and they were the ones who pushed him to take up DJing after school. Originally playing out the styles of electro that dominated the Gauteng soundscape for a brief period in time he would always hold a love for the deeper sides of house music, and often sneak tracks into his sets whenever possible. Seeing Thorne Miller on a lineup these days is something of a rarity, however. “Making music and seeing people’s reaction to it, that’s enough for me. I love the feedback. I see posts and videos of people enjoying my music and that’s where I get my kicks from.”

His friends did have one more significant role to play though, meeting the recently formed Just Move Records label head Mig Madiq out at a night in Jozi in the early 2010s and passing Thorne’s name along. Miller would subsequently send over some tracks via email and so begin the relationship that has significantly helped to define both parties’ sound. “I feel Just Move Records are catering to a certain crowd who want to dig a little deeper. They’re not interested in just pumping out hits. I’m not trying to take over the world, I just do it for the love.” His nearly 20 appearances on the label since are a testament to what can be achieved when visions and philosophies align. This philosophy, in particular, being one to stand out not by competing but walking a road all their own.