Producer Spotlight: Petals by Basenji (Ft. Scenic)

June 11, 2015 | vinylgarden

Basenji is definitely a quality over quantity kind of guy. He’s teased us with his release of “Heirloom” last year (one of our recommended songs for a ‘1 minute dance party’) and a delightful Sable remix, but after about a nine month wait he has finally released another original track, and good lord is it a beauty.

“Petals” features the ethereal vocals of Adam Tucker from Perth band Scenic and Basenji’s production, which is so careful and composed that it’s like a breath of spring in winter – you can drift off in its simple prettiness. But don’t take my word for, enchant your ears right now:

“Heirloom” is Basenji’s first release after signing with Future Classic last year, and you can hear how polished his tracks have been since, which is why we just can’t wait for the release of his upcoming EP. Bring it on!

By Erin Rooney

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

Simple Determination and Serendipity – Gig Review: Brontë Horder + Cuzn @ Foundry 616

April 29, 2015 | vinylgarden

Foundry 616 was lit by candlelight on Monday night for Brontë Horder‘s The Eleventh Hour EP launch, lighting the jovial faces of family, friends and fans who had come to support Brontë in her determined mission – to pursue her passion for music, and share it with the world.

After putting plans to live in Paris on hold for a Sony recording deal, Brontë wrote the new EP about the tiresome process of being held on a string for over a year by a record company capable of making her dreams soar. As an act of defiance, she sent it to Sony and finally they agreed to record the title track in their studios, so success was certainly in the air!

To open the night, English artist Cuzn (AKA Richard Soward) brought his big, folky sound to the stage with Gibson guitar and floor tambourine. His melodies and demeanour were incredibly warm, while his lyrics described London life, love and his experience of moving to Sydney. Interestingly enough, Brontë and him had met while she was walking through the London Underground and he was busking, and as luck would have it, when she needed to find a support act, he had moved to Sydney.

Then Brontë graced the stage as her fans cheered uproariously. She was exceptionally confident and defiant about her situation with Sony – almost to the point of wondering if she had said too much at times.

Most striking about her sound was her soaring voice – mostly pop-y, sometimes jazz-y, always honest. Amongst all the indie rock and electronic music in the Australian music scene lately it was refreshing to hear raw vocals and piano, and her style somewhat brought to mind Sara Bareilles at times.

As much of the room was filled with her family and friends, she loosened up and started to open up about the meaning behind her songs. Particularly resonant were clever songs like “Numbered Days” and “I’m in Love With a Stranger” about love that might have been and love that would be one day.

When she talked about her new EP, The Eleventh Hour, she ran through the negative emotions that she experienced with Sony when it felt like they were stringing her along. But one of my favourite songs from the night was “Serendipity”, which talked about one positive thing to come out of this – meeting her boyfriend.

Brontë Horder is a musical force to be reckoned with – talented, determined, and unashamedly herself, making her an artist to watch and behold as she continues writing, and hopefully gets the recognition she deserves.

You can listen to the rest of her new EP here:

By Erin Rooney

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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: