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INTRODUCING: Zaped

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Zaped is the side-project of Brisbane-based producer, Jordan De Pasquale, whose specialty is lush and layered electronica. The Palindromes front man has moved from a live band setting to a more intimate configuration for Zaped – and ‘intimate’ has to be the best descriptor for the music De Pasquale’s making under this new moniker.

‘Paradise’ is his newest single and best creation to date; an ode to the highs of passion and the desire – or the need – to attain a heightened state of pleasure. This is a song thick with atmospherics and a comforting yet exhilarating feeling; one that ascends to lofty peaks then gently places you back in reality.

From the beginning, a stark and beautiful piano loop helps set the tone for what is both a sensual and melancholic affair. Quivering drum samples help shape the opening moments of this meandering, synth-driven track before everything comes together in a peak that’s equal parts delicacy and power. Phenomenal singer Georgia Potter adds enormous amounts of energy and passion with her sublime RnB-influenced vocal.

This melodic composition is a step in the right direction for the producer. In a genre packed with talented contemporaries Zaped has some stiff competition, but with tunes like ‘Paradise’ he should be able to fill a spot in the upper tier nicely.

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PROFILE: Silo Arts & Records

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Silo Arts seems to fit the bill of a label that seems to be dripping in cultural cool. Being a Brisbane-based, outward looking label that’s pegged to Frenchkiss Records, the Silo Arts collective have managed to make a real mark since their start in 2011.

The likes of Rainbow Chan, ƒriendships, and Tincture lead the charge for Silo, creating a niche of young, curated electronic music that reaches beyond domestic ears. Tomorrow, they’ll be staging their unofficial Melbourne Music Week showcase at The Workers’ Club.  

In the lead up to this, we asked label founder Hugh Francis to explain Silo’s deal:

Silo Arts started in 2011 as a little artist collective.  We got a bunch of like minded Brisbane producers together and started doing some shows around town, and hosting some internationals. The exact birthday of Silo Arts is unknown, however it’s roughly September, around Bigsound.  We started in 2011 as a little arts collective, doing gallery shows with a bunch of unknown producers. We were lucky enough to be discovered by the peeps at Frenchkiss when I was working for CMJ in New York City in 2012. Those guys are pretty close to the CMJ crew, and I guess someone mentioned that I was running a small label back home.  They had a listen to our sampler, and sent us a contract within a week.  For me, that’s point where I really got my head in the game – up until then it had been a DIY collective. That’s when we decided to really have a go at this whole label thing….

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sleepmakeswaves – '(hello) cloud mountain' (video)

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Let’s get one thing straight – post rock isn’t elevator music. Sure, some of it’s a little winding & pretentious and there are usually far too many words in post-rock band names (as well as grammatical confusion), but as a style it’s enthralling, interesting and often confronting – when done well.

Thankfully for the Australian post-rock scene, sleepmakeswaves do it well (and in less than 140 characters). (hello) cloud mountain is off their new album, and comes pre-packaged in a beautiful film clip, laden with tidy visual metaphors. It was directed/filmed/edited by Frederick Lloyd, a 20 year old Brit doing amazing things with a camera.  The track itself manages to pull off the epic feel of post-rock without the epic lengths – at just over three minutes, it’s a long step from some other opus’. If I was going to dive into clichés, I’d use words like “sweeping sound-scapes”, “delicate” and “multi-instrumental aural experience, filled with dreams of home and lost love” – but since it’s Tuesday, I’m not going to do that. Instead you get one of the best pieces of post-rock that I’ve ever heard come out of Australia.

If you haven’t listened to much (or any) post-rock, sleepmakeswaves are a great starting point. If you listen to a lot, their new album …and so we destroyed everything is available right now on bandcamp, and well worth the $12-something.

Check out their FB for more details on their (very fast approaching) shows. I know I’ll be there.

Oh and also, if you haven’t already – make the video huge, crank your speakers, and chill. It’s worth it.

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Art Rush – 'The Reasons I've Decided To Die'

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Art Rush – ‘The Reasons I’ve Decided To Die’ (mp3)

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I don’t think anybody is really expecting Sydney’s Art Rush to ever complete his ambitious (and blatantly Sufjan-cribbing) ‘50 albums inspired by 50 suburban shopping centres’ project. Yet it’s this same ambition that creates some intensely interesting music.

Take ‘The Reasons I’ve Decided To Die’, from his latest epic in this fifty-ilogy, Castle Towers. ‘The Reasons…’ is a surprisingly funky slice of stream-of-consciousness lo-fi R n’ B… except that usually in R n’ B, panting “I need some company” means “I want to fuck”, rather than “I’m feeling increasingly uneasy about the characters hanging out outside Castle Towers shopping centre as I make my way home from work, and some company would help me feel less of a target.”

http://www.myspace.com/artrush

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