Producer Spotlight: Nice Girls Can’t Dance

May 1, 2015 | vinylgarden

While by day Alex Eldridge runs a children’s guitar school in Manly, by night he produces electronic music that could melt faces with its heavy melodies and beats, under the moniker of Nice Girls Can’t Dance. We had a chat to Alex about his new track, “This Town” and what he’s got in the works at the moment.

E: Describe your sound in five words.

Alex: Synth folk acid pop … synth.

E: What drew you to become an electronic music producer, despite teaching rock ‘n’ roll?

Alex: I have always loved collaborating creatively with other artists and I’ve been in bands for years and years but there’s something very satisfying about having an artistic creation that is completely your own. It’s like a little secret, like writing, where you can just totally not have to listen to anyone and let your creative impulses run amok!

The aesthetic of electronic music is also very important to me – it comes from growing up with video game music which is a bit of a touchstone for lots of producers today. The soundtrack to Final Fantasy VII was a huge influence on me! Probably going to Mosman High with guys like Flume and Jagwar Ma and Gang of Youths (Davo from that band actually sung for my HSC major work) was also an incredibly inspiring environment to grow up in, which made me consider music as a viable option.

E: How do you experiment with your sound?

Alex: I work very well with essentially a blank canvas. Like, actually a blank Logic project file. Then I kind of listen for something to grab onto and I’ll load up a synth or grab a guitar and kind of just follow that inspiration. It usually starts with either a melody or a beat and then I write from there. I’d compare it to sculpture: you’re chiselling a song out of the ether, it’s in there, you just have to gently chip away at it and hope you don’t knock off the nose or something. Samples are good too but I use them more for utility and less for inspiration.

I try to make sure that the lyrics are fitting in and literally telling a story too; not so much “I see you in the club, I wanna dance with you” kinda thing. I grew up listening to guys like Bob Dylan and Alex Turner from the Arctic Monkeys and those dudes actually say something when they sing. I think thats important. I want to create songs in an electronic medium that reference the past, specifically a lot of rock n’ roll stuff but kind of bring it up to date.

E: What do you like most about seeing electronic producers live?

Alex: I really love it when producers are actively programming tracks in real time or playing instruments. DJing is great and I’ve done that myself which can be lots of fun, but there is something special about actually making something live, giving the music a chance to come alive of its own. I personally like to play live with a Novation Launchpad, which is kind of like an MPC (a media player) that works with Ableton Live.

E: What are you working on at the moment, what can we expect from you?

Alex: I just put out a new track called “This Town” with lots of woozy synths and vocals that I’m particularly stoked on. But there’s no rest for the wicked, so now I’m actually putting together a collection of songs with my friend Travis Keller of Buddyhead.com with some LA vocalist friends of his. Other than that, I’m putting on a live show at “legal and legitimate social events in Sydney’s industrial inner west” around Sydney. Just don’t tell your mum!

We’re really digging the subtle builds in “This Town” and looking forward to seeing how Alex’s sound develops in the future! You can check out this new track from Nice Girls Can’t Dance here:

By Erin Rooney

Song of the Week: “Games” by Melwonderland

April 26, 2015 | vinylgarden

Her artist name may sound very similar to Alison Wonderland, but don’t be confused, because Melwonderland isn’t exactly dropping dirty beats and drops. Instead, she’s a sweet but edgy singer and songwriter from Melbourne, and she’s just released her first single, “Games“.

Melissa has been a four-chord songwriting warrior for over 13 years, and I like the simple beauty of this new release.

As the title suggests, expect both glitchy video game-like sound bites and lyrics about figuring love out when things aren’t so clear. Have a listen here:

This is a promising first single from Melwonderland and she’s been making waves in LA this year, so she will be an interesting artist to watch for more releases from.

By Erin Rooney

Artist Spotlight: Yugen Drop Spooky First Single “Calgary”

April 23, 2015 | vinylgarden

Melbourne duo Yugen‘s path to music was somewhat unconventional – just two months after Edwin and Abbey joined creative forces, Edwin fell critically ill and Abbey lost everything she owned to thieves. But despite these adversities, the pair decided to give their music all they had, and throw themselves into their collaborative project, Yugen.

Last week, their efforts paid off as they dropped a very promising first single, “Calgary”. So Vinyl Garden chatted to Edwin and Abbey about their music and what it means to them.

E: Describe your musical style in five words.

Yugen: Insomnia meets diaristic, synth-centric sleeping-pill.

E: What inspired you to write “Calgary”?

Yugen: Girl meets girl. Girl moves to Calgary. Girl gets sad about it and writes song to make her come back.

E: If you could tour with any band/artist in Australia, who would it be and why?

Yugen: Rowland S. Howard for two reasons:

Because it would mean he’d still be gracing the Earth with his post-punk brilliance.
We feel we could learn from his artistic attitude toward music and performing. He’s just a downright babe.

E: What’s your favourite thing about the Melbourne music scene right now?

Yugen: The sense of community between a lot of artists and bands we’ve met lately has been really endearing. Everyone is keen to go along to one another’s shows, stand front and centre, and pay a big, encouraging grin.

E: What’s your favourite album for a rainy day?

Yugen: Aaliyah‘s self-titled album, Aaliyah (2001).

“Calgary” will float around in your head like a dream – I love its simple, yearning lyrics. Worth a good listen:

Looking forward to hearing more from this intriguing duo in their upcoming EP, Comatose in Altona.

By Erin Rooney

This is what music should be about – Gig Review: Gang of Youths @ Frankie’s Pizza

April 21, 2015 | vinylgarden

Gang of Youths have all the makings of a memorable band: they’ve got great personality, discipline and friendship, but most of all they play straight up music with heart.

Their new album The Positions is curious and unique in concept alone – detailing the emotional reactions and experiences lead singer and guitarist David Le’aupepe had over the course of a four year relationship with a woman who had terminal cancer. So truly, the free album launch party they held at Frankie’s Pizza on Sunday evening was an absolute privilege to attend.

Frankie’s Pizza is the Sydney hub of grunge: it’s a smokey hole in the wall with decent pizza, alcohol served in plastic mugs, band posters from decades ago, and a whole lot of punk rock cred – so it gave a true hard rock feel to the night. It meant that Gang of Youths could easily transition from an indie rock mellow sound to a heavier sound that appears in tracks like “Radioface”:

David’s vocals very much brought to mind The National – emotional and coarse, yet warm and inviting. He exuded calm confidence throughout the set despite the raw content of his songs, which was on show particularly during “Magnolia” – a defiant song about a failed drunk suicide attempt.

And as with any great album launch, Gang of Youths had organised a special guest – fellow Sydney artist Montaigne – to help them sing “Benevolence Riots“. And you know how we feel about Aussies supporting Aussies. It’s always a winner.

The band’s gratitude for how far they’ve come made the whole venue feel like it was filled with a fan family, with Dave running to hug everyone in the crowd that he could. It was a special gig, because it could be one of the last of that size they ever play.

To catch Gang of Youths live, grab your tickets to The Positions Tour this May/June before they run out!

By Erin Rooney

Six Female Australian Music Producers To Watch

April 16, 2015 | vinylgarden

It absolutely baffles me that although Australia has so many channels to support upcoming musicians (eg. festival opportunities, music-dedicated radio stations, music bloggers (hello!) and music magazines/street presses), the music industry is still overwhelmingly male-dominated.

I have been particularly curious as to why the electronic music space hasn’t seen more female producers being given the support and recognition they deserve, so I felt the need to create this little list to bring some very talented ladies that I have come across to the forefront. I was even startled in my research for this just how many amazing female producers I found suggested from overseas (particularly from the UK), yet somehow much fewer here. So please, enjoy, and most of all – spread the word!

1. Eves The Behavior

Ok, so I may have even cheated from the very start of this list – I don’t know if I’d called Eves The Behavior an exclusively electronic producer as her genre certainly touches pop, but her heavy synth sound does generate a very electronic feel. She has synesthesia, seeing colours when she experiences music, which might explain why her tracks are so emotionally charged. She has described her latest track “TV” as being a “dark, murky green”. Have a listen:

2. MYAMI

I stumbled across Melbourne singer-songwriter MYAMI on triple j unearthed the other day and was incredibly impressed by the amount of thought that has gone into her track “Soldier”, a collab with producer Wayfarer. It’s subtle, restrained, yet powerful. It’s the only song of hers I can find right now, but if it’s anything to go off, I can say she is certainly destined for big things.

3. JOY

You may have heard JOY joining forces with Peking Duk for a Like A Version cover of “Take Me Over” – and if so, you’d know she’s gentle yet controlled in her style. Her original songs are even more beautiful, and with collabs like that under her belt, it’s safe to say we will be hearing a lot more from her in the coming years.

4. Alison Wonderland

Of all the lovely ladies on this list, Alison Wonderland is probably the most widely known, with a harder style, and she’s the artist that everyone seems to have an opinion about. But whatever your thoughts are about her, there is no doubt she is making waves and playing with the big fish in the industry – so all the power in the world to you AW. She’s just released her first album, Run, so there are plenty of tracks for you to check out.

5. Elizabeth Rose

Last year she was all over the Australian music scene, constantly touring and releasing singles, even doing a trip to the US, but this year it seems she’s been awfully quiet. That being said, she did release this song a couple of weeks ago, so maybe it’s all a sign that she’s got some new big things in the works:

6. Airling

After seeing Airling support James Vincent McMorrow, I’m convinced that she’s gonna be a big thing, and when she releases tender collabs with Japanese Wallpaper like “Forces”, you can’t help but love her:

Also, if you haven’t checked out Tkay Maidza yet, you’d better go do that.

But this list is by no means exhaustive! Please write back and tell me which female producers you’ve been loving at the moment. Or if you’re an artist wanting to get featured, please do drop us an email at editors.vinylgarden@gmail.com! Happy listening all!

By Erin Rooney