NZ’s Ethan Baldey Takes Out 2022 Monstercat Mix Contest

Ethan Baldey (aka Baldie) was crowned Champion of this year’s Monstercat Mix Contest, an online annual event providing music creatives the opportunity to showcase their talent on a global stage.

The aspiring DJ hit a double, being the first ever finalist from Aotearoa New Zealand and the first winner outside of North America to take the title.  Baldey was one of eight finalists put through their paces by completing six challenges judged on creativity, originality, mixing ability and genre balance.

On hearing the good news, Baldey said “I found out on my break at work.  I didn’t want to know anything about it until I got home, but I had accidentally left the Wi-Fi on my phone so it was the first thing I saw when I picked it up. I immediately called my best friend and my parents, but by the time I had talked with them about it my break was over and I had to go back to work!”

“The contest was tough.  All the other finalists were so incredibly talented and had their own unique style, I really felt like I had to pull out all the stops to even stand a chance against them.  This was my fourth attempt and the first music-related contest I’ve ever won, so I’m super stoked to have something this big be my first win.”

Born and raised in Whakatane, Baldey attended Whakatane High School and recently graduated from Massey with a Bachelor of Commercial Music majoring in Technology.  The talented 21-year old plays alto sax, flute, drums, bass and a ‘spot’ of trombone.

“My parents were always super supportive and encouraged music lessons as a child.  I had some great teachers along the way, including Alison Derbyshire who taught me the fundamentals of music, and Chris Slabbert who introduced me to Acid Xpress which was the first software I ever used to mess around with audio in a digital space.”

When he’s not working, Baldey fills his spare time honing his keys skills, producing original and remix music tracks and DJing at various events.

Baldey would encourage others to give the contest a go.  “It would be especially cool to see more representation from Aotearoa among these sorts of international contests, I know we’ve got the talent down here.”

The contest episodes and Baldey’s winning entry can be found on most major streaming platforms.