Off The Record

So, how about that Sydney Festival lineup? Goddamn killer. There is some major electronic talent gracing the bill, including a double headline show featuring Tim Hecker and Ben Frost, alongside Leon Vynehall, Nightmares on Wax, Oneman and Omar Souleyman. Don’t sleep on getting tickets.

Our mates over at Future Classic and BBE have joined forces to throw the Christmas party to end all Christmas parties, featuring performances from international acts Lido, SOPHIE, Nadus and QT (alongside local legends HWLS and Uv Boi). It goes down on Saturday December 20 at The Metro Theatre.

Here’s something I never thought I’d say: I really want to go to Adelaide next year. As part of the 2015 Adelaide Festival, Unsound (which began in Krakow then expanded to New York and now Australia) is returning for a second year and it legitimately has the best electronic lineup I’ve ever seen on our shores. Led by Detroit super group Model 500, it also features performances from Hieroglyphic Being, Vatican Shadow, Fushitsusha (featuring legendary front man Keiji Haino), Shackleton, Mika Vainio, Forest Swords, Container, The Bug, Evian Christ, Lawrence English, Atom TM and Robin Fox. Model 500 is exclusive to the festival, but I’m told the rest of them will be making their way to Sydney in March. Keep an eye out.

Bloody Astral People, hey? The best thing to happen to Sydney since the Opera House opened in 1973. In case you missed it, they’ve just announced Summer Dance – a series of Sunday daytime parties taking place at the National Art School, and the lineup is next level. Featuring two of my all-time favourite dons from Detroit (Moodymann and Omar-S), the parties kick off with the Ukrainian deep house demigod Vakula and throughout the summer will also feature disco debonairs Mister Saturday Night, garage legend DJ Ez, hip hop honcho House Shoes and a bunch of esteemed local selectors. Real talk: these will be the best parties of the summer. Head to summer-dance.com.au for more details.

Tour rumours: I’m told that ghetto house luminary Kolombo will be dropping by our shores in late-summer, as will be Phantasy Sound maverick Daniel Avery and founder/AR of the Life and Death record label DJ Tennis. Dates to be announced soon.

The next selector for the lauded fabric mix series has been revealed as the legendary Prosumer. I won’t list his accolades, as I did that in last week’s column, but fabric 79 will feature cuts from the ilk of Chez Damier, Linkwood and Tuff City Kids, and Australia’s very own Francis Inferno Orchestra. It drops on Monday December 8 through fabric Records. Catch a taste at his free Sydney show next month, too.

Best releases this week: my lord, can Recondite do no wrong? He’s just dropped he’s latest full-length album Iffy (on Innervisions) and it’s a glorious record of moody acidic techno. Other highlights include Shinichi Atobe’s Butterfly Effect (on Demdike Stare), Manni Dee’s Dreams, Fears & Idols (on Osiris Music), 2562’s The New Today (on When In Doubt) and Talker’s Hari (on Downwards).