Wave Racer facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Wave Racer
Wave Racer in 2021
Background information
Birth name	Thomas Michael Purcell
Born	(1992-04-26) 26 April 1992 (age 33)
Origin	Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
Genres	Future bass Alternative, Electronic
Occupation(s)	Musician Music Producer Song-writer
Instruments	Digital audio workstation Electric Guitar, Synthesiser, Vocals
Years active	2013–present
Labels	Future Classic PIAS, Astral People Recordings

Thomas Michael Purcell, known as Wave Racer, is an Australian musician and music producer. He also plays several instruments. His stage name, "Wave Racer," comes from the fun Nintendo 64 game Wave Race 64.

Wave Racer released his first two songs, "Rock U Tonite" and "Stoopid," in 2013. That same year, he joined Future Classic, an Australian record label. This label also works with other electronic artists like Cashmere Cat and Flume.

His first collection of songs, called an EP, was released in 2015. It was named "Flash Drive" and included a song with Lido. In 2021, he released his first full-length album, To Stop From Falling Off The Earth.

Wave Racer has performed at big music events in the United States, like Ultra Music Festival. He also toured with Mad Decent's Block Party and supported Chromeo. In Australia, he has played at popular festivals such as Splendour In The Grass and Falls Festival. He also toured with Disclosure in 2014 and Porter Robinson in 2015.

About Wave Racer

Thomas Purcell was born in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, on April 26, 1992. He started making electronic dance music as part of a duo called "Pablo J & The Lobsterettes." They played disco house music.

Purcell has said that artists like Cashmere Cat and Hudson Mohawke greatly influenced his music. People often describe his style as "future bass." This is a type of electronic music with a bouncy, energetic sound.

In 2014, he released a single song called "Streamers." It was described as a "tropical, glitchy tune." It mixed sounds from trap and futuristic indie-dance music.

In 2015, he released "Flash Drive" (featuring B▲BY) and "World Record" (featuring Lido). These songs were part of his "Flash Drive" EP. The EP had four tracks and came out on October 15, 2015. The song "Flash Drive" was even featured in the 2016 racing video game Forza Horizon 3.

On April 24, 2021, Wave Racer performed live at Porter Robinson's online festival, Secret Sky. He played his own music with a live band. Later that year, on August 6, 2021, he appeared on Triple J's "Like A Version." He performed a cover of "It's Not Living (If It's Not With You)" by The 1975. He also played his own song, "Look Up To Yourself."

On October 29, 2021, Wave Racer released his first full album, To Stop From Falling Off The Earth. It was released through Astral People Recordings and PIAS. The album has 11 songs. For the first time, Purcell sang his own lyrics on the album. He also used a lot of electric guitar and synthesizers. The album received good reviews from music magazines like NME and Rolling Stone Australia. The French electronic musician Madeon also praised the album.

Awards and Recognition

Wave Racer has been recognized for his music. In 2013, he was nominated for a J Award. This award was for "Unearthed Artist of the Year."

In 2015, he won an FBi SMAC (Sydney's Music Arts & Culture) Award. He received this award for "Best Producer."

In 2025, he was nominated for Mix Engineer of the Year. This nomination was from the Music Producer & Engineers' Guild of Australia (MPEG) Awards.

Music Releases

Wave Racer has released several albums, EPs, and singles. He has also created many remixes for other artists.

Studio Albums

EPs

Singles

Remixes

2013

• Flight Facilities featuring Mickey Green – "Stand Still (Wave Racer Remix)"
• Panama – "Always (Wave Racer Remix)"
• DCUP featuring Mereki – "Don't Be Shy (Wave Racer Remix)"
• Cosmo's Midnight – "The Dofflin (Wave Racer Remix)"
• Ghost Town DJ's – "My Boo (Wave Racer Remix)"

2014

• Foster The People – "Best Friend (Wave Racer Remix)"
• Ryan Hemsworth – "Ryan Must Be Destroyed (Wave Racer Remix)"

2015

• Duke Dumont – "The Giver (Reprise) (Wave Racer Remix)"
• Snakehips featuring Chance The Rapper & Tinashe – "All My Friends (Wave Racer Remix)"

2016

• Flume featuring Kai – "Never Be like You (Wave Racer Remix)"

2017

• Tkay Maidza featuring Killer Mike – "Carry On (Wave Racer Remix)"

2023

• Ninajirachi – Wayside (Wave Racer Remix)

Covers

2021

• "Seventeen" – cover of No Rome
• "It's Not Living (If It's Not With You)" – cover of The 1975 (performed live for Triple J's "Like A Version")