Artist: Akouo
Album: Mesa EP
Hometown: Northern Tasmania, TAS
Genre: Indie Electronic

After seeing Ryan Farrington AKA Akouo support SAFIA on their single tour, he demonstrated to the audience pretty quickly that he’s one to keep a close eye on. Transforming dance floors with his heavy beats, and more importantly, his electrifying energy, one listen to this EP will give you only a snapshot of his talent.

“Last Time” is a perfect example of Akouo’s ability to drop a beat. Listen, and just try not to bounce. Alternatively, if you want to ease into his beat-heavy style of producing, take a look at what he’s done with Flume/George Maple’s “Bring You Down”:

“Not Enough” follows on from this strong start, leading with important vocals but dropping back to bring fluctuating rhythms forward. “Passing Through” and “Seas Roll On” are more restrained tracks, exploring simpler themes and repeating vocal lines.

There is a lot of variety on this EP which can be easy to overlook, exhibiting a number of influences from indie music to soul pop and hip hop.

A solid release from Akouo, but if you want to truly experience his music, catch one of his live shows. Word on the street is that he’ll soon be moving to mainland Australia so there should be many more of those!

By Erin Rooney