There’s no denying Aussie’s have a particular hunger for groove laden beats, zesty synths and glittering harmonies. Electronic music is clearly an enduring and innovative flavour that continues to excite the pallets of punters who seek nothing more than good times, tasty tunes and soundtracks to special times spent with mates.
Internationally, this has clearly proven itself to be a bit of a phenomenon as well – acts like Bob Moses, Jaime XX, ODESZA and more are dominating festival stages and airwaves.
Bob Moses are undisputed leaders of the sound – with their new album Battle Lines due out this week, here’s a rundown of their scene down under.
Over the last few years we’ve seen a huge surge in the presence of luscious-textured and simultaneously minimalistic yet gripping electronic music – “chilltronica” if you will – take over the mainstages of festivals, dominate our airways and inspire plenty to simply open up a new tab on Garage Band and continue the epic quest to create beats.
Our artists have garnered huge international success and have become hallmarks for the genre. Although Australia has a rich history with electronic music – PNAU, Empire Of The Sun, Cut Copy are total legends – , Flume’s total takeover in 2012 shifted the landscape for Aussie beat lovers, causing a huge trend to stir.
Tracks like ‘Holdin On’ and ‘On Top’ showcased a new awareness for space and melody and inspired by the likes of hip-hop legends like J Dilla and Flying Lotus, a new era of groove and chill swung through.
In a 2017 with Sydney Morning Herald, Stephen Ferris a famed Aussie DJ noted just how huge Flume’s impact was.
“Flume and (duo) What’s So Not changed everything by dropping the tempo down from 120 or 126 bpm (beats per minute) to 80 bpm so it was really slow but then you can double tempo it to 160. Everyone started copying that. It’s stripped back and clean plus you can add hip hop elements or soulful elements.”
Since then we’ve had a huge surge of artists like Wave Racer, Basenji, Cosmos Midnight, Kilter, Crooked Colours and MOZA, just to name a few are carrying the torch lit just under a decade ago that stirred Australian music lovers need for chill-tronics.
Aside from the music being incredible, Australian culture lends itself perfectly to the sentiment and vibes of ultra-chilled out electronic music. Aussie’s by nature are laid back, always ready for a good time and are constantly hungry for innovative tunes.
This wave of electronic musically is totally congruent with our values as a music-loving body – it’s fresh, bumping enough to get the party started, imaginative and minimalistic enough to simply vibe to.
Picture this – it’s a balmy afternoon at your favourite summertime festival. After a sun-drenched day and warm cider, your legs are weary but you’re ready to kick on. A subtle Cosmos Midnight set will sustain you into a night of bangers led by the likes of say, Bob Moses, Kilter and Crooked Colours.
Aussies may already be familiar with Bob Moses – the Canadian bred duo who have made waves playing the world’s biggest festivals, including Coachella, Lollapalooza and Bonaroo.
Releasing their debut album in 2015, Days Gone By, the band quickly caused a stir with their ultra-sleek, pop-focused take on electronic dance music, making their way to Australia to play Laneway Festival and open for RUFUS DU SOL. They’re playing Lost Paradise and the inaugural The First NYD in Melbourne – lock them into your day planners ASAP.
With singles ‘Enough To Believe’ and ‘Heaven Only Knows’ already causing quite the stir amonst music lovers, the album will surely solidfy their status as EDM kings.
The band have delved into what fans can expect from the album:
“This record is about the battles and struggles we all live through, battles within ourselves, battles with and within our society, battles between each other, with our loved ones, battles between ideologies.
It’s also about struggling to identify where those battles lines start and end, and what within us and within our environments cause these struggles, and ultimately cause our suffering. It’s also about the struggle to reconcile with those things, somehow.”
Listen to Bob Moses’ ‘Heaven Only Knows’:
Bob Moses Australian Tour Dates
Lost Paradise 2018
Tickets on sale now
Friday, 28th — Monday, 31st December
Glenworth Valley, New South Wales
Tickets: Official Website
The First NYD 2019
Pre-sale begins Wednesday, 12th September
Tickets on sale to general public Thursday, 13th September
Tuesday, 1st January 2019
Sidney Myer Music Bowl, Melbourne
Tickets: Ticketmaster
