New Music

PREMIERE: Audego – ‘Sleepy’

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If you’re in dire need of some 8 bit colour chroma to get your Thursday morning going, we’ve got you sorted.

Here’s a first look at the brand new video for ‘Sleepy’ from local producer/vocalist duo Audego – former TZU member Shehab Tariq (Paso Bionic) and vocalist Big Fella.

Don’t confuse Big Fella with some kind of skip-hop jaunt though. Under the nom-de-plume, ‘Big Fella’ is Tariq’s wife Caroyln. Together, they make trip-hop, breath-hop, whatever you want to file bedroom music under. Beth Gibbons and Mezzanine-era comparisons are sure to fly, but this duo have more grit. The pair released their debut album Abominable Galaxy last year and have been busy working on the follow up.

Trip-hop gets the comatose rep sometimes, but this clip is far from it. Created by Paul Andrew Rhodes of Negative Films, the concept of the clip was to “capture the mania of insomnia”. There are nods to Special Problem’s zoom-out style, and definitely no shortage of brilliant animation, seizure pixels, fast tracked 8 bit graphics as well as a cameo by Audego – in floating head form.

Audego’s second LP will be out later this year.

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WTH Mapcast // Podcast

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Podcasts are neat little things.

If you’ve been following the last 50 something editions of our global new music round up, Music Alliance Pact (MAP), you’ll understand that trying to digest Puerto Rican hip hop and Icelandic metal-core in one hit is the audio equivalent of drinking a whole gravy boat.

We’ve recruited new guy Robbie Ingrisano to host the WTH Mapcast, a 30min takeaway show of our favourite Music Alliance Pact tracks for the month.

For those 5 years late to the party – the Music Alliance Pact is a global round up of new music from 40 music blogs around the world each month. It’s been running since dear old 2008, when our pals at Scottish blog The Pop Cop invited us in to join. The idea was that each blogger would hand pick a song from the country he/she represented, and the complete collection of free mp3s would then be posted on all the blogs in the pact on the same day. The first ever MAP post took off in October 15th 2008 and five years later, the ‘pact’ has grown to span 40 countries and across blogs such as We Listen For You, The Guardian, Drowned In Sound and more.

There are a huge handful of MAP representatives in the past, posted while most were barely known inside of their own country. Notable MAP alumni include The xx, Ólafur Arnalds, Sleigh Bells, Toro Y Moi and our own Chet Faker, who we sent to glory via MAP back in 2011.

Back to the new guy – Robbie has a background in community radio & network television, did his thesis on Italian TV in the 60’s, jettisons to Europe every summer to eat good stuff and speaks Spanish or something. He’s a worldly kinda guy, so trust his taste in tunes. Mapcast will drops monthly to coincide with the MAP post of the month. The podcast will available as a free download from our new Soundcloud account.

Salud.
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MAPCAST // JULY

MAPCAST // JUNE

 

View previous Music Alliance Pact posts here.

 

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INTRODUCING: Nick Lynar

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Not long ago I returned to Melbourne after spending two years in the UK. Upon returning I noticed two things: a) Australian public transport has not improved at all, and b) Flume is kind of a ‘big deal’.

I’d been following Harley Streten’s progress while I was overseas but didn’t actually realise the magnitude of his profile before getting back onto home soil. Although I listened to the album quite a few times before I left  and while his tracks found their way onto most of the party playlists I made. Maybe I’m going to the wrong parties here but it seems like he’s still a pretty big deal.

‘Sleepless’ is still being flogged on all the Smirnoff swathed iPods around Melbourne. People need to move on. There are plenty of local electronic producers who miss out on all the accolade. I’m pretty stoked I came across about Nick Lynar recently. Lynar is a 25 year old beatsmith from Illawarra, NSW who’s been making tunes out of his bedroom for just over 2 years.

Flume’s soundtrack might feed the masses, but Lynar seeks for more refined tastes, adding depth and melancholy with his slow burning tune ‘Twisted Angles’. The track is a fleeting, moody number driven by a continuous synth loop. Collaborator Rob Taylor’s vocals sound like Luke Steele in glitch mode, which makes this even better. Lynar experiments with a wide range of electronic percussion in this track and he’s definitely worth your attention.

If this track is anything to go by, we can expect to see the local EDM scene further polarised by this guy. He’s apparently releasing an EP soon, so watch this space.

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INTRODUCING: MTNS

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MTNS are buzzing. Or blowing up. Hype’n you might say. But who are they? Well that is all part of the intrigue. They are currently purporting a clever definition-type bio ie MTNS: noun, band etc. If you wanna remain elusive, that’ll do the job. They have just released a video. Featuring mountains. Shot & edited by Theresa Fryer, so we can share that but otherwise let’s just speculate that it’s actually a side project of Last Dinosaurs.

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WATCH: The Trouble With Templeton VS The Jungle Giants

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The Trouble With Templeton have had lots of love on here since Alan’s heart was captured by the folky sounds of Thomas Calder. Originally doing his solo thing he now has a debut record Rookie with TTWT, had a successful North America jaunt and even got picked up for Carson Daly‘s show.

The Jungle Giants have similarly had plenty of joy on here courtesy of our old buddy Alex Watts plug’n them back in 2011. Their LP Learn To Exist is out at the end of the month and follows a bunch of successful singles and the catchy as hell EP She’s A Riot.

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LISTEN: Wintercoats – ‘Everyone Seems To Be In On Something’ (Kyson Remix)

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Kyson is the musical project of Jian Kellett Liewis. Adelaide born, Berlin dwelling. Kyson is a composer/beat-maker who was recently signed to Friends of Friends with a debut due later this year. This remix of the Wintercoats track ‘Everyone Seems To Be In On Something’ adds a heavier beat but retains the spacious melody with fragments of the original vocal. Wintercoats is being remixed more and more and it’s no surprise really, as he is a multi-instrumentalist with exceptional production, which provides a wealth of sound to stretch, layer, and build upon. Check the original EP Heartful on Bandcamp as a ‘name your price’ download.

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LISTEN: Rainbow Chan – ‘Haircut’

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Sydney artist Rainbow Chan‘s debut EP, Long Vacation, has arrived. It’s named after a 1996 Japanese soap that the Chan family watched together after moving from Hong Kong to Australia. Unable to understand the Japanese dialogue, and too young at six to read the Chinese subtitles, it was the the show’s soundtrack that resonated with Chan. In fact, she’s got a thing for all kinds of oriental populism; J Pop, old anime theme songs, Chinese folk music – these influences crop up in one way or another in her music.

Chan recorded Long Vacation in her bedroom closet. Whether that was for acoustics or out of necessity I wouldn’t have a clue, but a girl called Rainbow (yes, that’s her real name) playing harp and sequencing beats in her wardrobe is a fitting image to accompany the skewed pop that she’s created. Made using tape loops, vintage toys (a circuit-bent toy cow is a recent acquisition Chan’s cited), keyboards, music boxes and glockenspiels, Long Vacation matches Chan’s experimental streak with playful organic sounds and a great sense of melody.

‘Haircut’ is the second single from the EP. According to Chan, it’s “a tongue-in-cheek song about that old cliche, the post break-up haircut”. The point is pretty much summed up with the line ‘I don’t need you anymore, honey – I got a haircut today’. Featuring a detuned harp, programmed beats, what sounds like a kid’s keyboard and a bunch of sample-based sequences along the way, the song is basically a showcase of everything that’s good about Rainbow Chan. She can sing, too, and her voice is on full display in the gorgeous, multi-tracked chorus.

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Chan is already working on a follow-up album, and she’s got plans to start a noise pop band with her sister. A tour taking in capital cities around Australia and New Zealand has been scheduled for August.

Be sure to catch her on these dates:

Thursday 8th August – Lambda, Brisbane QLD

Saturday 10th August – Ghost Ships, Adelaide VIC

Friday 16th August – Civic Underground, Sydney NSW with Moon Holiday & Black Vanilla

Thursday 22nd August – Boney, Melbourne VIC with Sui Zhen

Saturday 24th August – The Front, Canberra ACT

Friday 30th August – Cassette Nine, Auckland NZ

Saturday 31st August – Mighty Mighty, Wellington NZ

 

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