Springtime in Australia is just around the corner, and because of this we thought it was an appropriate time to celebrate some of our favourite tracks from this year’s Winter season. Highlighting a mixture of Vinyl Garden featured tunes and some we haven’t shared with you yet, sit back, snuggle up and help us say farewell to Winter 2014.
Tracklist:
By Sophie Henry
This week a standout group from the Sydney music scene, with their freshly released single ‘Burden’ and soon to be released EP ‘Jabiluka’ are the Indie Pop trio, Yoke.
Corin Ileto, Julian Boswell, and Kyle Linahan, the three members of the group offer up a cool and rather modern sound that also draws upon some of the best bits of the 80’s and 90’s to create a rather nostalgic yet current pop approach. ‘Burden’ is their only release so far, but it gives an exciting taste of what they have to offer and what to expect from them in the future. Kyle Linahan’s vocal strength really is a stand out, his sound is interesting and has been perfectly mixed with the more subtle yet supportive instrumentals. The music video for ‘Burden’ is really quite beautiful, but also a bit edgy, featuring some of Sydney’s more grungy cityscapes, and perfectly reflecting the urban yet clean image and sound of the group.
This Saturday be sure to check out Yoke at FBi Social, undertaking their first ever public performance featuring tracks off their new record ‘Jabiluka’. Their EP, which was recorded with Nik Kaloper from The Jezabels, is due to be released in September this year.
By Sophie Henry
Chilling out while waiting for The Aston Shuffle to come onstage last week at The Oxford Art Factory, Sophie and I made a new, super stylish DJ discovery: Just A Gent.
Sporting a bow tie, moustache and top hat, young gentleman Jacob Grant (aka Just A Gent), can and will drop some serious bass. As if instinctively, the crowd last Friday night bounced along to his infectious beats without a second thought.
Don’t believe me? Just check out THAT DROP on his remix of The Aston Shuffle and Elizabeth Rose’s “Back and Forth”:
Lucky for your ears, Just A Gent has just released his new remix yesterday of “Superfriends” by ZHU, and we here at Vinyl Garden dig it big time.
By Erin Rooney
Artist: The Kite String Tangle
Album: Vessel
Hometown: Brisbane
Genre: Electronica
On this lazy and very rainy Sunday, there’s nothing more simple or beautiful than listening to the oscillating notes of Brisbane producer Danny Harley (aka The Kite String Tangle). His debut six-track EP is a collection of pensive exploration into love, human connection and letting go.
Harley has certainly started developing his voice in this EP, presenting trembling rhythms and swells throughout the songs that work like a musical filter to create a consistent, powerful sound. His vocals fill gaps and create a connection that keeps the listener engaged.
Looking past his already-successful singles, a particular highlight in Vessel is the development of beats and use of African drum samples in “What If”. You can detect the growth in his song writing in this track from his earlier singles.
Though developing his own signature sound, there are some interesting influences coming into play. “Words” feels very Oliver Tank, pulling everything back a notch and allowing gentle reflection. “Stone Cold” features a Kimbra-esque vocal appearance from Tiana Khasi which brings nice diversity to the EP.
There’s always been something particularly special about TKST that we’ve held close here at Vinyl Garden, and what this EP really brings home for us is the sheer feeling that goes into his music. The work seems to be an extension of his heart – incredibly emotionally-driven both melodically and lyrically, expressing great depth so early in his career.
By Erin Rooney
The last time I checked, Wednesday night was a school night. Yet somehow, Canberra DJs Peking Duk managed to transform the sleepiness of hump day into the hottest party in town at the Oxford Art Factory in Sydney earlier this week.
Yeo under bright lights
Things were pretty energetic from the get-go. With a minimalism-inspired light show, Yeo showed charisma that made for a light and bright mood, and it’s this that made this electronic performance stand out just that little bit more. He had a controlled voice with just the right amount of effects, and a great rapport with the drummer that led to a tight performance, ending the set together with a triumphant fist bump. For a taste, take a listen to his track “KOBE”:
L D R U DJ set
In what seemed like a transition from an artsy gig to a dance party, L D R U stepped in to get people bouncing. He played some crowd-pleasers, and the room got moving, but eventually restlessness caught up with the audience as they shuffled around, ready for the main act. I’ve since stumbled across his impressive Flume remix – something worth getting in your ears immediately:
Introduced by the theme to Space Odyssey, Peking Duk made quite the entrance, shouting all sorts of profanities in preparation for what promised to be a wild (and sweaty) night. One needed only look at the amount of Peking Duk bucket hats in the audience to observe that this sold-out show was an audience of fans, and shirts were flying off backs by the minute.
Yeo partying up with Peking Duk
The sheer diversity of tracks that they covered was particularly striking (songs from The Lion King, Miley Cyrus, The Isley Brothers, Drake and The Beatles all featured) – that, paired with the fact that the songs cut in and out as quickly as they’d begun. The pair would also frequently turn off the music altogether to remind the audience to “take their shirts off” and ask if they were “ready to party”. The whole show was incredibly interactive – people were constantly invited on stage to crowd surf, Yeo was invited back on for a song, and as a somewhat unexpected surprise (see: SAFIA social media over the past few months), lead singer of SAFIA Ben Woolner-Kirkham joined the stage for their new collaborative track (set to be released in two weeks!).
But the final song of the night, “High”, was the one that really blew the roof off. If you haven’t already, get amongst it:
Peking Duk are an unmissable DJ act – for those lucky enough to have tickets they will be partying up again at Oxford Art Factory tonight! For everyone else, keep an ear out for their new single with SAFIA that’s just around the corner…
By Erin Rooney
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