Aussie producers are still killing it, and I absolutely cannot get enough of what’s more than a steady trickle of absolutely natch electronic music.
I thought I’d flip the script a little with this week’s column (after a few tidbit social commentaries of late) and bring it back to the music with some wonderful new local releases. A few old favourites feature, with the theme of the week very much revolving on the ethereal, the dreamlike and the melodic.
Rings Around Saturn – Erosion Part 2
Rings Around Saturn is Dan White’s most realised moniker, and he’s already one of Australia’s most talented producers. This EP, the follow-up to his beautiful Erosion release from 2015, reflects his precise ear for not only crafting sound but structure, extracting delicate emotion from his beloved hardware. Where ‘Biological’ straddles a buzzing, trance-like pulse, and ‘Aeolian’ is on the tip of melodic, progressive house, the 13-minute ‘Glacial’ is a loose pebble delicately carried along a soft glacial stream, echoing the unwavering melt of seasonal change. This EP is a lasting testament to White’s exquisite ability.
Albrecht La’Brooy – Emissary EP
This Melbourne duo has maintained a gentler bent to its music, which I would hesitate to call house or techno. It’s as much informed by the lush atmospherics of ambient techno and selected field recordings.
Albrecht La’Brooy’s latest is pressed by Night Tide, a collaborative record label between Berlin and Adelaide. The German influence is very apparent, too. Tracks titled after Berlin’s airport and rail transport systems are the perfect accompaniment to travel and distance, with ‘U-Bahn/S-Bahn’ in particular resembling a soft and gradual passing of time. Synths are given space to pleasantly drift and yet are held together by a steady, organic rhythm.
There’s a rather popular YouTube video soundtracked by Tangerine Dream’s dreamy ’80s classic ‘Love On A Real Train’ that uses real footage of a Tokyo train journey to great effect. The essence of this EP is not unlike it.
Francis Inferno Orchestra – Oasis & A Time
Though his nu-disco/edit work was of an excellent standard, FIO sounds like he’s really come into his own with Oasis & A Time. Coated in the Balearic stylings that Aussie producers have warmed to of late, it echoes the melting pot of early ’90s UK vibes. (I promise I’ll stop the Melbourne bias soon.)
Luis CL – It’s Getting Better
Little late on the uptake for this one, but all the same: this is nostalgia done right. ‘It’s Getting Better’ pulls a ghetto groove to catchy vocal sample, while ‘Saturday Again’ evokes the melodic Italian house sound of the early ’90s.
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This week’s playlist
K15 and Henry Wu’s ridiculously groovy, upbeat Boiler Room set as part of London’s classic (and, sadly, closed) Co-Op/Velvet Room club retrospective. This BR crowd doesn’t look like the stereotypical millennial one we’re used to seeing – the vibes are good and the crowd is dancing its arse off. It’s jazzy and funky, in line with the future jazz/broken beat quality of Dego and the 2000 Black family. Following on the Henry Wu connection, his Yussef Kamaal duo with the talented drummer Yussef Dayes laid down a very tight set of jazz-funk at Gilles Peterson’s WorldWide Awards (check the rest of the performances too), which you can also find on YouTube.
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Recommended:
FRIDAY MARCH 31
Kato & Ritual Residents @Club 77
House N Snags Feat. Andy Bird, Nick Reverse @Backyard Opera, Tempe
SATURDAY APRIL 1
DJ HMC, Simon Caldwell, Robbie Lowe @The Jam Gallery
Harvey Sutherland & Bermuda @Secret location TBA
DJ Boring, Human Movement, Pelvis @The Shift Club
SATURDAY APRIL 8
Subb-An & Cezar @Secret car park location
