Winmalee teen Ethan Wright's bedroom is lined with synthesisers, drum machines, a guitar, turntable, laptop, headphones and speakers - everything he needs to create a wall of EDM (electronic dance music) sound.
The Year 10 Nepean High School student loves dropping rhythms, beats and bass lines, mixing, mastering and DJing.
And at just 15, he is already starting to capture attention in the Aussie EDM scene as Leotrix, breaking into Triple Js Unearthed High competition with three tracks. Two soared up the Unearthed charts last week.
Van Dive, a cruisy five-minute journey through uplifting synths, driving bass and beats and a hint of tambourine, rocketed up to second place in the dance category and fourth place overall (all genres) for the week ending July 17.
"A track called Positive Vibes made it onto the site earlier but didn't really set anything off, so I entered Van Dive because my mum thought it was my catchiest track and it went straight up the charts," Ethan said.
"I think it's the sound - it's got a mood to it that's very upbeat, but at the same time it's quite easy to listen to."
His higher energy track called For an Analog, featuring heavy synths and bass lines, sudden up-tempo drops and even a robotic voice urging everyone to "get moving" is also doing well, making it to fourth position in dance and 12th place overall.
It received more than 300 plays within 24 hours of being added to the Unearthed website less than two weeks ago.
The Triple J Unearthed website describes Ethan as an experimental artist of electronic music whose "eclectic sounds lead you from chilled ambient soundscapes to club filling bangers and overall, just pure catchy-ness".
Ethan believes when it comes to electronic music, there's "absolutely no limit" on what you can create.
"When I discovered it, you know, Skrillex and Dubstep, where everything kind of builds up towards a dynamic climax, I knew that's the music I wanted to create," he said.
"I started being really happy with my own music probably about 18 months ago and I've made two albums [Moonsun and Iridescent] since then.
"I try to keep things simple - if I want to create an ambient sounding track, I've got to be in a chilled out mood, otherwise it's just not going to happen."
Ethan also enjoys performing live and recently did gigs at the Mondo precinct in Penrith and Katoomba's Baroque Room during the Winter Magic Festival.
"It was the first time I had the chance to perform some new (unreleased) stuff and people were going nuts, jumping around on the dance floor - that was such a beautiful feeling.
"But I feel there's a lack of under 18 or all-ages live music venues in the Blue Mountains compared to other areas, although Katoomba has a bit more around these days. That makes things difficult."
One thing in his favour as a young muso and DJ is technology.
"Back then [before the internet] you would have had to have a label [recording company] behind you, but now you've got so many online tools and platforms to help you make your own music and reach audiences directly through sites like Bandcamp and Soundcloud.
Buoyed by his breakthrough on Unearthed, Ethan said: "I really hope I can expand from here - it does make me want to go a lot further."
Triple J will announce its Unearthed and Unearthed High competition winners on August 20. For more information, visit www.triplejunearthed.com.
