Vancouver Sleep Clinic is heading to Manila next week to send fans into a trance at Karpos Live Mix 2.1 with multi-instrumentalist Tom Misch and supporting act Nathan & Mercury. The Australian electronic-pop indie artist broke away from his label earlier this year and has since dropped new music with the two-phase EP Therapy, which as the title of his offerings suggests, helped him through dark times and lowered motivations.

Ahead of the upcoming concert, Bandwagon caught up with the 'Closure' songwriter to talk about lending his music to TV shows, the three songs that saved him, and what kind of advice he'd share with aspiring musicians.

How did you get your start in lending your music to TV shows?

I’ve always loved the idea of making music with film or visual ideas, so it came very naturally to me to make a cinematic style of music that would fit well in TV shows!

After all you've been through to get Therapy out, what advice would you share with aspiring musicians who feel their only shot at success would be through a label?

I think it’s important to consider what you need out of a label! In 2018 the music industry has changed completely from what it would have been pre-internet, and it’s now more possible for your music to reach people without a full label or distribution team. There’s still reasons to sign to a label but it’s definitely not as deal-breaking as it would have been in the past!

What are three songs that saved you?

Sigur Ros - 'Glosoli,' This Will Destroy You - 'Burial on the Paradiso Banks,' Bon Iver - 'Holocene.'

Aside from your first Manila show, you're set to embark on an Asian tour which also includes stops in China, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Korea. Have you listened to any music from this part of the world? What are your thoughts on music coming out of Asia?

I am so so so excited! It’s a part of the world I haven’t really explored a whole lot, but I can’t wait to get over there and play music for the first time. To be honest, I don’t have a whole lot of knowledge about the music scene over in these places so it will be interesting! I love the food and the people there so I am sure we will have a great time.

Tom Misch and Vancouver Sleep Clinic are slated to appear at Karpos Live Mix 2.1 at Vertis Tent on August 23 (Thursday). Tickets are available for PHP 3,050 (Early Bird) and PHP 3,850 (Regular) at the Karpos Live website.