We doubt there’s many albums more hotly anticipated in the blog world than the debut full-length from today’s antipodean recommendation. Take a look at his Soundclouds and you get that irritating stutter of a million comments firing off as the wave moves along the play line. The plays he’s racked up on those Soundclouds are counted in the 10s and sometimes 100s of thousands. His debut single, Sleepless, earned him over 750,000 plays on Youtube, which may be in part because of the enormous buzz, but also because giant publications, such as Rolling Stone, got behind it. Not bad considering he claims to have “smashed the song out in one day“. Even his new tune, Holdin’ On - which he only uploaded onto Soundcloud last week – has already clocked up over 100,000 plays. He’s topped 35,000 followers on Facebook and every time a new track is made available you can expect dozens of blogs to write him up and for him to zoom up the Hype Machine chart. Aside from all this extraordinary buzz, the biggest reason that this anticipated album has us salivating so much is that he’s kept us waiting for it so long. Well, at least since he first started making tunes, aged just 13 years old (yes, you read that right). Now he’s 20, he’s ready. And we’re ready too.
Earlier this week we received the promo copy of his self-titled debut album, which is out on November 9th on Future Classic, and we can confirm that the young man, Harley Streten, the Sydney-based solo artist better know as Flume, is going to be absolutely fucking huge. Not only does he write music like he’s re-invented every genre, but he’s re-invented the blender in which he’s poured them all. This is future music and the future’s just been re-cast. Flume’s not just whacked an entirely new junction in music’s landscape, he’s already decided which path that we all need to go down. Yep, everybody needs to follow Flume. And they will. They already do judging by those early numbers. The talented young bastard’s even got a set of Justin Beiber good-looks, ensuring that he can enjoy the posters as well as the pedestals that he’s already getting placed upon. Alongside Twinsy, (whom The Recommender also hopes to blog very soon), plus a handful of other artists, Flume is spearheading an exciting new crop of Australian talent. His home country and particularly his home city of Sydney will know him from his blinding live sets, often supporting established names, such as, The XX, Nero and TEED. Americans are also about to be hit by his tidal wave of buzz as he’s listed as playing eight shows at CMJ, including Gorilla vs Bear and The Windish stages, taking the festival’s claim to be a ‘music marathon’ somewhat literally. Even with so many shows, we expect every single one to be rammed.
Why such excitement? Well, it’s his ability to meander through contemporary genres and not just seem accomplished and comfortable, but he actually makes each one more accessible. He avoids any pitfalls associated with each genre, instead making highly polished electronic productions. Take the genre of dance music, which is awesome to get lost in, particularly when inside a club, but it occasionally suffers from the monotony that repetition can bring, especially if it lacks vocals, yet Flume achieves the same sense of abandonment and involves vocals masterfully. Hip hop is prone to over-indulgence, allowing it’s self-obsession to push over into crass gloss, yet Flume ignites the same heavy beats and immaculate productions whilst avoiding any garish over-confidence. Minimalist electronica can sometimes seem so sparse it dissipates into nothingness, and it rarely lifts ones mood or can be easily enjoyed in the company of others, yet Flume places every sound in it’s perfect architectural position, forging strong, enjoyable songs that have broad appeal. Dubstep regularly suffers from being a bit too same-y, often lacking ideas, and when it tries something different people quickly accuse it of no longer being dubstep, yet Flume has evolved it into a palatable force that is packed with invention. Contemporary soul music only seems appropriate after dark and glo-fi often marries up well with a stoned afternoon, yet Flume mixes soul with hazy glo-fi in a manner so skilled it will suit anyone, anywhere, any time.
We would happily run through a review of each track on the debut album, but seeing at how it runs through a healthy 14 tracks in length we would be here all day, so although we’re happy to discuss a handful, you will have to take our word for it that it is a consistent ride with a multitude of stunning highlights. As an established remixer he seems to have brought the idea of collaboration into his album. We always said that our favourite dance music involved vocals, but the way Flume stirs voices into his electronics is nothing short of astonishing. Voices become instruments delicately placed with Nasa precision, occasionally sampled so weirdly that they come in subtle swirls in and out of the song in ambient waves. It’s as if he’s actually found a way to plant voices in the back of your head. The break half-way through Insane which introduces the vocals of Moon Holiday is so perfectly beautiful it sounds as clean and polished as a toilet seat made by Steve Jobs – it’s absolutely spotless. He doesn’t just allow her to ‘sing her bit’ either, but he also samples her as a new sound raising and dipping the pitch, showcasing the sublime control this artist has over the elements in his songs. Everything has a place, and it’s perfectly positioned there, as if he has some savant level of ‘production OCD’.
More Than You Thought slows to an almost stationary dubstep wobble, but the voices he’s selected seem almost like the ghost of an African chant, showing how this man has absolutely zero boundaries and a million influences. Bring You Down (feat. George Marple), is more pop than anything else, with a melodic, lullaby mantra at its pretty centre, seeming like Aluna George but with a bit more glossy make-up. What You Need sounds like something Kate Bush would have written were she 20 years old in 2012. It has the late-night soul of Jessie Ware, were you to watch her perform in slow-motion. It’s one of the album’s most stunning highlights as you hear a vocal sample lilt the line, “I got what you need, all night“. The list of other wonderful songs continues and the plethora of magical touches throughout each of them makes this young man seem like a king already, King Midas. By shuffling through the genres like he’s winding through them on his iPod, he’s created an album that isn’t just free of pigeon holes, but he’s taught each and every genre how it can be done. This is the Mozart of modern pop, with genius shown from a young age, a masterful confidence in a multitude of skills and an extraordinary ability to surprise and impress at every turn. Nobody sounds more contemporary than this artist, and although he seems precisely where we would hope music to be in 2012, he actually sounds more like an entirely new template for the future. (MB)
FLUME – HOLDIN’ ON
FLUME – OVER YOU feat. JEZZABELL DORAN
ONRA – THE ANTHEM (FLUME REMIX)
You can certainly see your skills in the work you write. The sector hopes for even more passionate writers such as you who are not afraid to say how they believe. At all times follow your heart.
Such a lovely comment. We always write from the heart, so it’s nice to be recognised for it.
Thanks
M
As a long time flume fan it is so good to see him getting the credit he deserves. Amazing write up keep up the great work guys!
Thanks. Flume is indeed very awesome.
This is some of the most ridiculous writing I’ve seen in years. Absolute trite.
Sorry you think that, can you be a bit more specific? What’s so bad about it? The post is a little factual, a little bit of opinion, just what you’d expect from a music blog, right?
Thanks
Hey Mike,
This article just seems to illustrate a lack of understanding of electronic music, both in a historical sense and also in a musical sense. Had you known more about the history of electronic music and specifically bass music, I don’t believe you would be painting Flume to be some kind of genius. What he does is bass music inspired pop music, not as you have said “a reinvention”. Also I think it is strange that you have chosen to discuss the amount of “likes”, “posts”, “listens” Flume has received, as if this is some indication of the quality of the music itself (remember “Crazy Frog” making it to number one?). To be honest it seems like a lazy way to fill out your required word limit that could have been filled with critical analysis of the tone, texture, rhythm, melody, harmonics. Or even providing historical context for Flumes music, by acknowledging those who came before and shaped the music Flume now makes, rather than what you have written which implys that Flume invented this genre. The amount of online “likes” an artist receives, speaks for itself. I believe its your job to tell the story at the core of all the hype rather than just reblog (using different adjectives) what every other dick and his dog is blogging about. This results in people getting the wrong understanding of where this music came from and over looking those Australian and international producers who have inspired Flumes music, but may not have the self-promotion skills or are too busy working on their craft to get 10000000 likes. This is where music journalism is meant to come in, to INVESTIGATE and discover these musical stories that go unheard everyday, because articles like this just blindly follow the hype. Im sure you are a nice guy Mike, but I would suggest you do more in-depth research and are more modest in the words that you choose, as this does have an impact on the musical landscape.
Hi, firstly thanks for writing a considered response rather than a knee-jerked angry tirade, as although my article has clearly frustrated you, at least you’ve taken the time to pause and think before letting me know.
Obviously there are elements of what you say that I disagree with. Perhaps we should simply agree to disagree, but regarding your comments on why I discussed the likes/posts/plays etc I feel I should defend the point…
I’m not sure that it reduces my point down to simple ‘Crazy Frog’ measures. I was discussing the buzz and the interest. I strongly believe that these stats are an insight into the level of interest in most artists these days – I know plenty of record execs that would say the same thing.
I was recently sat around a table at the Universal offices in London, having a meeting with the likes DJ Semtex (A&R for the Universal sub-label Def Jam) and Jim Chancellor (owner of Fiction Records). They both stressed the importance of traction and how it’s often measured in Youtube plays etc.
It’s a great indicator of buzz and this is so often key to industry and audience interest. It may seem like a sorry state of affairs, but there’s no denying it, so it seemed relevant to mention Flume’s extraordinary attention online.
Also, I don’t have a word limit. I’m the founder and editor of this site, so I judge how many words I need to include, nobody else. I could write 10,000 or 100 words if I fancied. I will be the first to admit I can procrastinate and meander into hyperbole all too easily, but with this article I feel like I’d written enough to make the points I was trying to express.
You accuse me of avoiding any “critical analysis of the tone, texture, rhythm, melody, harmonics“, yet I use phrases such as “subtle swirls”, “voices become instruments delicately placed with Nasa precision”, “perfect architectural position”, “ambient waves”, “perfectly beautiful”, “a melodic, lullaby mantra at its pretty centre”. That all seems relatively analytical and descriptive of the tones. I certainly didn’t plagiarise or copy and paste from other’s piece as you suggest. Perhaps I could have gone into the beat rates and more technical elements, particularly about the basslines etc, but perhaps I prefer pretty descriptions.
You ask why I don’t explain “the story at the core of all the hype“, which is a fair point, but I feel like I had touched on it. I mentioned his remixes, his collaborations, I met with Sarah, his PR representative, in person before writing the article – all in order to gain information about ‘the story’. Perhaps that didn’t come across well enough in the article? The reality is, I suspect the story behind the hype is that this artist is, well, simply awesome for the most part, and that’s why he’s getting hyped.
You may well have a better context of the Australian scene than I do, but I tried to mention the likes of Twinsy and others. I do not live there, I’m based in the UK. I also do not proclaim to be an expert in every scene or genre – how can anyone be – but I’m known to write across the genres, rather than be all-knowing about one single area of music, so I felt like I’d done OK. I’d love nothing more than to learn more about the Australian scene if you have the information – honestly I would, as it could give yet more context to Flume’s music, but I defend the decision to instead focus on him, rather than all those that came before him.
As a young teenager I was lucky enough to attend in person the birth of modern electronic dance music, particularly in the UK underground scenes anyway, growing up with the ‘M25 orbital parties’ and raves of the ecstasy generation. I’ve followed dance music into the clubs and the wider public awareness, so I am a fan. Again I don’t proclaim to be an expert, but I certainly have enough first-hand experience and understanding to comment on it. I’m sorry if you don’t like me belittling the electronic genres, as I critically do in this piece, but I do still think there’s some truth in them and the state of electronic music today.
I hope I’ve defended myself fairly. I am sure there are deeper contexts and histories to every artist I post about, but I’m just a blogger doing my own thing and recommending stuff I like. For my shortened, 3-word version of this post…I like Flume.
Thanks again. : )
Mike
Hi Mike,
Thank you for taking the time to respond to me at such length.
I apologise for assuming that you know nothing about electronic music and appreciate your lived experience during the early days. However, I guess times have changed since then and much has happened in the last 5-7 years during the merging of dubstep and post-dilla beats (even though it was being made before dilla died) into what we now know as bass music.
I understand that the amount of online listens and likes are important for record companies as they are interested in how much money they can make, however, as far as I can see this is a music news and review website NOT a record company. And I would assume your agendas are different and therefore your subject should reflect this.
Also you said that “these stats are an insight into the level of interest in most artists these days” which is true, but my point is that you writing an article about Flume is in itself a comment on the building interest, and therefore no need to explain further on this topic. Seems to be stacking hype on hype. I feel that is a common misconception amongst all journalists, that it is their job to report on what people want, but I feel journalists exist to cut through the hype with comments and research the truth at the core of it all and how the artist became what they are and who they are.
Also I think it is good that you spoke with his PR rep, however as you say, I don’t think that story came through in what you have written. I would be interested in hearing about his musical influences, what inspired him to start making electronic music… etc etc
I guess my anger is directed at music journalism over all, as increasingly the non-musical aspects of the artist (i.e. image and popularity) are far and away focused on above the music. I guess this is a by-product of people commenting on musical movements who may not necessarily understand the music and where it came from. However, you cannot simply mitigate your responsibility, by just saying your are a “blogger”. The internet is a public space and people read your blog and i believe this means you have a responsibility to your reader to provide accurate and informative content. Sweeping lines like “This is the Mozart of modern pop, with genius shown” and “this young man seem like a king already, King Midas” I believe should be reserved for types of music you are maybe more versed in. It is comments like this that lead to beliefs that “Skrillex invented “Dub” music” when in reality “Dubstep” was founded by the hard work of many people, largely unknown to the majority of dubstep fans.
This happens to news journalism also, for example where people believe Julian Assange is what made wikileaks great. Not to take anything away from the hard work of Assange but people like Bradley Manning who risked their lives to obtain classified information to give to Wikileaks are largely unreported on and unacknowledged.
Overall, I guess these are how music journalism is these days, and there are some advantages to this but also many draw backs, and I believe currently the culture of music journalism has gone astray and many true artists and pioneering souls are left unheard, to the detriment of every music lover.
Thanks again for your time in responding to my comments and making a detailed and well-worded response.
Regards,
Isaac
These are a few examples of Aussie labels that have been working hard. I would be happy to communicate further with you if you wish…
http://dubtemplerecords.bandcamp.com/
http://www.ender.com.au
http://www.siloarts.net
Hi Isaac
Totally love your response, so thanks for clarifying a few points.
I still stand my original piece, as you would expect me to.
You seem to take a broader look at journalism, and although my blog is relatively popular and well-known in the UK, I still think there are distinctive differences between blogs and journalism.
I guess what I meant by stating I’m a blogger is that it is very much my opinion, not that of a publication, even though my content is published online and available for the public to view, it is still just a personal space that people are visiting.
If one day I decided to open my home to let the public in the door, then it doesn’t make it a public space to be judged alongside all the official public spaces, it just means I’ve let them in.
Although I explained the importance of traction to the industry, I also think it is part of Flume’s story. It’s still an insight into the rise of a possible star. His traction doesn’t matter to me as a business, but it does matter as a way to explain how much interest their is in this young man.
There is no agenda, or pandering to labels, or PR firms, or anything like that. I’m strictly independent.
I do try and cut through the hype, rather than simply adding to it. If I add to someone’s hype that’s a bi-product of what I do, not the purpose.
I admit my last paragraph is littered with “sweeping lines”, but again I ask that you allow me to indulge myself on my own space. I’m versed enough to know that Flume is of a good standard, so I stand by my words, holding up Flume as a man set for possible stardom. Whether he is the founder of the music is a totally different point.
If people are calling Skrillex the ‘King of Dubstep’ – he is an artist that I know even less about – then that may still be true, even if there are a myriad of unknown artists that he’s ripping off. The founding originators are not always the kings of genres.
Again, thanks for this debate. Thanks also for those links. Feel free to send more suggestions over, as I’ll always try and investigate them.
All the best,
Mike
Hi Mike,
Thanks again for your response.
Just wanted to clarify a few last points.
Firstly, I don’t believe this blog can be likened to a private house that you have allowed people into. I think a more apt analogy would would be a busy public market place where you have set up a stall to display your wears.
Also, I never said Skrillex was misconstrued as the “king of dubstep” as you have said, i said he was misconstrued as the “Founder of Dubstep”. I would probably agree that in the current climate he could be likened to a king but my point was about the misconception that he was one of the founding members of the movement, an opinion which I have come across a lot and a belief which is NOT based on fact. I think these beliefs have been largely formed by ill-informed music blogging and journalism.
You are entitled to like whatever you like and are entitled to an opinion just like every other human on this earth, however this doesn’t mean you should project it into a public space in such a exaggerated and authoritative manner, particularly if, as you have admitted, you are not an expert.
I have no problem with you writing an article on Flume, just the way you have chosen to word the article and portray the artist as someone more than what he is, in fact the “King Midas” of beats or the “Mozart of pop”.
All I ask is that you consider the impacts of wording posts like this on the artists (known or unknown) that create your content (directly or indirectly) and are essentially the reason your blog and ones like it exist. Your wording and content should reflect this consideration. There is no way to regulate this content other than asking the writers and bloggers to exercise their better judgement and even enlist others who maybe more knowledgeable about certain music.
Thanks again Mike. i really do appreciate your time and effort in dealing with what I feel passionately.
Isaac
Again thanks for your comment, but to bring this healthy debate towards a close…
In more basic terms, it seems like you read my piece and didn’t like the pedestal I was placing Flume onto, as you believe he is just a poster boy that’s stealing the limelight from other more pioneering artists and producers in his genre. You also seem to dislike how blogs write mis-informed, factually-incorrect articles, and that in turn is damaging as it sways public opinions.
You therefore dismiss me as another badly-informed, assumptive, wanky little blogger, who clearly doesn’t know his subject, who has just bumped into Flume and unfairly lauded him. Much in the same way other ill-informed bloggers have bumped into Skrillex and lauded him too. You suggest I need to be careful as I’m “in a public space“, but I’m not doing anything arrestable here. This was a free country last time I checked. To state that I’m “exaggerating in an authoritative manner“, makes me think you are trying to police me. I’m hardly being libellous.
Sorry if I’ve missed the mark with placing your opinions here, but I will always defend myself. I said I’m not an expert, but I was actually trying some humility and that I’ve never proclaimed to be the ‘go-to’ blog about this type of music, as I cover a wide range, but I think you are dismissing how much I do know. I never stated Flume was the founder of a genre, neither did I put incorrect facts in to suggest this. I also did more research than a lot of bloggers. How many bloggers go and have a meeting with the PR person, or have direct contact with the label, artist, or their management? To my credit, I’m not just some dippy blogger who arrives late and gets it all factually wrong. It’s like you think I’m being too simple about the genre and I’m suggesting you are being too snobby, which is probably wide of the mark in both our cases.
I am not a market stall, my point is that this is NOT professional. Market stalls earn money from what they do, I do not. Blogs started out as a kind of online diary that’s open to the public. They’ve since grown in stature and are now proclaimed ‘tastemakers’ by other people, but that still doesn’t make them something they’re not. They’re still personal viewpoints and opinions – ones you may or may not agree with – but they’re not wrong. You don’t have to read them and take them on board as an authority. You don’t have to read any of them.
I will never be overly-considerate with my choice of analogies. That would be boring. I will never temper down my words on known or unknown artists. Certainly not because you want me to. That’s just silly. I’m pretty sure there are loads of my readers that enjoy my strong words and spirited enthusiasm. What “impact” do my words have exactly? I think you are holding up my words too much. Even if it’s not my specific blog, but blogs in general that you are irritated by, as some of them do have “impact” or that they do collectively or something, then I still think you are placing too much weight on their words. Are they misguiding people? Is Flume really that bad that my enthusiasm is plain wrong? Why do you want to regulate other people’s blogs? If readers want to regulate my content, I’d suggest they start their own blog and leave me to mine. Is blogging and it’s unprofessional, un-regulated, ill-informed arena damaging and dangerous, and mis-guiding people? I’d suggest blogs are actually a positive force for emerging music. I think we help artists, rather than badly inform public opinion. Even though there are many utterly shite music blogs out there, I think our positives outweigh any negatives. Find the blogs you do like and stick to those.
If I think Flume has the Midas touch when producing his music then that’s absolutely fine. It’s subjective. You might think I’m making Flume into something he is not, but why are you right and I’m wrong. Also, even if you think I’m waaaaaay out of line and being ignorant, then I suggest that you are being snobbish, as Flume isn’t that shit. He’s not Skrillex. It’s not like I’m suggesting One Direction are better than the Beatles here, which would still be an opinion!
You’re welcome to respond, but I’d rather park this debate for now. It seems as though your issues are broadening to how blogs mis-inform people and are using my piece on Flume as an example. It seems as though you didn’t enjoy my wording, but I’d suggest getting over it. It’s the price you pay for a blogger with passion, a voice, an opinion and the balls to be enthusiastic. I’ll never change and reduce the passion or enthusiasm and that surely is the end of that.
Thanks
Mike
Hey Mike,
I agree, time to finish this debate, some wide-reaching points have been extrapolated from this article that are starting to depart from the original messages.
I think we are both fighting the good fight for music in general and are getting down to semantics.
I feel passionately about bass music as I have been a promoter, DJ and producer for the past 6 years bringing some of the founding beat and dubstep artists to the sleepy town of Brisbane, Australia. As well as helping to run community collectives on electronic music workshops.
I don’t mean to come across snobbish, and I seriously have no problem with Flume’s success (I don’t mind some of his tracks). Just that blogs tend to look no further than the music that arrives in their inbox, and I wish sometimes they would make more of an effort to investigate and uncover artists who are not the best at hyping themselves but have genuine talent.
My points also regard the culture of music blogging in general, and how there is a tendency to post without fully being aware of the impacts of making opinions public understandably considering the incredibly complex nature of the internet. I simply want to draw attention to some of the potential impacts, such as lack of recognition of hard-working artists that de-enriches mainstream music and a lack of understanding of the history of certain strands of popular electronic music that could reveal much more musical stories to those who would enjoy it.
Im sure you do good work with bringing exposure to new music and I understand that you can’t please everyone. I am in no way saying you are solely responsible and maybe my criticism would be better directed at more sloppy blogs, but I’m not trying to police you, just making an effort to bring awareness to individual articles that I believe misrepresent the music that I have been personally involved with for so long.
Thanks for your time effort. I have enjoyed it!
Isaac
[...] too many, so we confess to getting slightly more excited about the direction that Aussie producer Flume takes his electronic bass music. So Mitzi aren’t an evolution, they sound more reflective [...]