Dance/Electronic | Musicosity

Dance/Electronic

Joy (Anonymous)

South London duo Joy (Anonymous) are bringing their insatiable experience to Australia & New Zealand this November for the very first time. With dates in Melbourne, Sydney, Auckland, Wellington along with a very special appearance at Strawberry Fields Festival - get ready for hot and sweaty, life-affirming scenes as only Joy knows how to deliver.

Synonymous with unbridled jubilation, Australian-born Londoner Henry Counsell and Louis Curran have been aptly described as an “artist collective-come-community service project”. The pop-up rave tandem’s diverse palette of dance floor heaters and fun-fuelled DJ sets make permeable impact - consistently inspiring excitement and unifying party-goers across the globe.

Born as a healing response to the pandemic, their ethos and experience has spread like wildfire. Whether a pop up on the River Seine in Paris or a late night club in Sao Paolo, the one thing that remains guaranteed is the incredible reaction they receive. The production acumen is impressive, whether original club burners or penetrating edits.

A string of releases have become prolific on dance floors from house parties to major summer festivals. There’s JOY (God Only Knows) reinvigorating the Betty Everett version of an iconic song to today’s context. JOY (404) which has now become a standout of Joy’s live sets - a song that moves between house and dub elements, featuring their signature vocals before breaking down into a burst of rapid fire junglism that recalls the golden-age of raving. Most recently, their latest single JOY (Head To The Sky) continues their notable run - a power-house, with platforming hard hitting house rhythms.

Joy Anonymous has a much-anticipated new album dropping later this year. Both cult-like fans and the uninitiated will be able to experience this live, of course, with their high energy and buoyant expression ready to infect anyone who enters the party.

Their unmissable shows have seen them tour the world with Fred Again... and grace stages at Glastonbury and Coachella. Now it’s Australia & New Zealand’s turn to discover the phenomenon. There is no better way to experience joy than with Joy Anonymous this November.

Ausecuma Beats

Ausecuma Beats formed as a combination of musicians from Australia, the Senegambia region, Cuba, and Mali… And hence the name Ausecuma, combining the four regions into one word.

As a result, Ausecuma Beats as a band stands for unity among diverse peoples, and it shows through their combined influences from Africa, Cuba, and Australia.

Yusupha Ngum is the lead singer of Ausecuma Beats. He is a superstar in his native Gambia, where he has had many hits in the complex rapidfire percussion style of West African “mbalax” music. He spent many years as the opening act in West Africa for African superstar Youssou N’dour. Yusupha’s soaring and passionate voice grabs you by the heartstrings and moves you, just through its incredible sound (you have to hear it to believe it).

Boubacar Gaye is from Senegal in West Africa, where his magic with the djembe (African drum) led him to become a member of the famous percussion group Mama Afrika. Boubacar’s career led to tours of Europe and a long career in Japan, and finally to Australia. Until you’ve heard Boubacar play, you would have never thought so many complex rhythms could come from a simple drum!

Rodolfo Hechavarria, known as “Panga”, hails from Cuba, where he became a virtuoso with the congas. He joined the traditional Cuban music band Sonora La Calle, with whom he toured Europe, and shared the stage with some of Cuba’s most famous musicians. In Australia, he combines his skill with the congas to contribute to the complex percussive rhythms of Ausecuma Beats!

Ed Crocker is a very successful drummer, having played with many successful bands, at many music festivals in Australia, and at the Glastonbury Festival in England. His incredible energy on the drum kit is astounding, and he has an uncanny ability to knock out very complex beats. Ed rounds out the incredible three-person percussion section of Ausecuma Beats!

Bassidi Koné comes from a Griot family in Mali, and achieved virtuosity on the balafon – an African wooden xylophone-like instrument. No matter what the genre, he infuses the music with the heritage of centuries of his family’s musical tradition. Bassidi has won many prestigious national music awards in Mali.

Adam Halliwell has had a very successful career on the electric guitar, having worked in free jazz and with bands in both East African and West African musical styles. He’s toured both Europe and Japan. Adam is known for his incredible skills at improvisation.

Milo Eastwood

Starting as a teenager on community radio, Milo Eastwood has spent the 13+ years bringing music to the masses, and for the last 5 has spent every weekday waking Melbourne up on PBS fm’s The Breakfast Spread covering a wide range of musical territory.

Milo’s work on Friday mornings on PBS has in recent times amassed a cult following of sorts from Melburnians who want to get their weekend started with a hefty dose of slamming house, soaring disco, Latin rhythms and chilled-out electronica.

His efforts behind the decks have seen him throw down sets at Golden Plains, Loch Hart Music Festival, Daydreams, and countless headline shows as well as his own flagship party Love Sensation.

Desire Marea

Desire Marea is a South African multidisciplinary artist whose tense, challenging work draws from several post-industrial and club music styles, and addresses themes such as loneliness, trauma, and displacement. Also a member of performance art duo FAKA, Marea released their debut solo album, Desire, in 2020.

EgoliBorn Buyani Duma, Desire Marea majored in Performing Arts at the National School of the Arts in Johannesburg, and also earned their bachelor's degree in Visual Communication at the Vega School. They pursued acting and worked at a top South African advertising agency. They formed the queer performance art duo FAKA with Thato Ramaisa (aka Fela Gucci) in 2015. Appearing on 2015's NON Worldwide Compilation, Vol. 1, the pair released the 2016 EP Bottoms Revenge on the label, and Marea was additionally featured on Angel-Ho's Emancipation EP. FAKA's second EP, 2017's Amaqhawe, was more club-ready than their debut, reflecting the influence of South Africa's gqom scene. The duo performed at numerous festivals, including MELT!, Roskilde, and Sonar, and were commissioned to write music for several high-profile fashion shows. They were also featured on Africa Express's 2019 album Egoli.

Marea digitally released their first solo album, Desire, on Izimakade Records in 2020. With nearly operatic vocals sung in English and Zulu, the record's tracks ranged from sophisticated art pop to noisy IDM. The album received word-of-mouth acclaim, and Mute picked it up for a physical release in 2021.

Boy Harsher

Boy Harsher is an American electronic music group, formed in 2013 in Savannah, Georgia. Currently based in Northampton, Massachusetts, the band consists of vocalist Jae Matthews and producer Augustus Muller. The band has amassed a cult following since their formation,[1] and their song "Pain" has become an underground hit.[2][3] Matthews and Muller own and run the label Nude Club, which is exclusively devoted to Boy Harsher and related artists.

Knowing each other from film school in Savannah,[4] Muller and Matthews started the project Teen Dreamz in 2013, which acted as a precursor to Boy Harsher. The project consisted of Matthews performing her spoken word pieces and Muller providing a musical backing. Throughout the year, Teen Dreamz's sound became more danceable, as Matthews's vocals developed into a more expressive singing style. The band renamed their project as Boy Harsher in 2014.[1]

Boy Harsher released its home-recorded debut EP, Lesser Man in the same year. Following their relocation to Massachusetts, the band recorded and released its debut album, Yr Body Is Nothing in 2016 on DKA Records. After the release of 2017's Country Girl EP, the band formed their Nude Club imprint in 2018, re-issuing their catalog. One of the first releases on Nude Club, "Pain II", is a reissue of their 2014 single with a remix by The Soft Moon.[1] Their sophomore studio album, 2019's Careful,[1] was backed by an extended reissue of Country Girl as Country Girl Uncut.[5] In that year, a remix album of Careful, titled Careful Remixes, etc. was also released; it featured remixes from techno producers such as Marcel Dettmann and Silent Servant.[2]

On April 10, 2020, Muller released his debut soundtrack album, Machine Learning Experiments (Original Soundtrack), which featured original scores composed for two short adult films, Orgone Theory and Hydra. The album was issued on Nude Club.[6] In 2021, the band remixed the Perfume Genius song "Your Body Changes Everything." The remix was featured in the album, Immediately Remixes.[7] In January 2022, the band's directorial debut film, The Runner, was released with an accompanying soundtrack. The short film starred Kristina Esfandiari.

Boy Harsher is often labeled as a dark wave group,[2][9] with influences ranging from early forms of industrial to electronic body music.[10] Paul Simpson of AllMusic referred to the band's music as "dark, danceable electro pop" that references synth pop and EBM. He has characterized Boy Harsher's music by its minimal beats and synth textures, as well as by Matthews's dynamic vocals that depict "desire, fantasy, and loneliness."[1] On his review for Careful, Kevin Lozano of Pitchfork listed the band as one of the acts that spearhead the minimal synth scene along with Essaie pas, noting the "brisk drum machine loops, oscillating synths, and Matthews’ haunting incantations" that permeate the album's sound.[11] Lozano has previously described the band as "making coldwave that could turn any space in that quiet town into a seedy nightclub."[12] Michael Lawson of The Skinny thought that the band "straddled the middle ground between melancholic cold wave and regimented synth workouts."[3]

Boy Harsher draws heavily from cinema, theatrics and graphic design to tailor the band's visual imagery;[2][10][13] Matthews and Muller both have a background in filmmaking.[1] They have likened the band to the movies Body Heat and Lost Highway,[14] latter of which was directed by David Lynch, a professed influence on the band.[13] Matthews has expressed appreciation for various female vocalists, including Nico, Circuit des Yeux, Alison Lewis of Linea Aspera, Chelsea Wolfe and Zola Jesus, whereas Muller named Sleep Chamber, Suicide, DAF and Yello as early musical influences on Boy Harsher.[4] Gearwise, Muller mostly employs synthesizers and samplers, stating that he "tries and borrows as much [instruments] as he can for recording."[4] On the band's minimal instrumentation, he said: "I’m obsessed with how successful the minimalism is with 80s music. It’s really a masterclass of what can be done with a drum machine and a couple of synths."[13] A "half-functioning" Roland Juno-106 was used extensively on Lesser Man EP; their live set features synth lines sampled into an Akai MPC, as well as backing tracks.

Tommy Gun

South Sydney local TOMMY GUN slingshots straight to the main stage of the Australian music scene, sharing it with the likes of Thelma Plum and Winston Surfshirt. His last single played on Triple J's Home and Hosed and both of his recent film clips granted a spot on ABC’s Rage.

“Even When” is a song that demands to be heard. Speaking about the song in a press release, TOMMY GUN says “When I was writing the lyrics, I wanted to express the feeling of chasing someone who is emotionally unavailable. The song is about trusting that you will find the person that’s right for you.” Musically, the band pushed boundaries by experimenting with auto-tune, howling guitars and anthemic rock drums to convey the mixture of feelings one gains from offering their heart to a turbulent relationship. Recorded/ Mixed/ Mastered by George Georgiadis (Gang of Youths, Matt Corby, Last Dinosaurs and Ruby Fields) this Sydney super-group will be breathing fresh life into the Australian live music scene, captivating old and new fans.

Dimension

Robert Etheridge aka Dimension is one of the UK’s most unique electronic music artists. Defined by a clear aesthetic that bleeds through into his music and imagery, Dimension has announced himself as one of the new wave of dance music headliners.
Dimension’s combination of seemingly effortless musicality and production prowess first caught the attention of tastemakers and DJs such as Chase & Status, Annie Mac (5x Hottest Records), Skrillex (who remixed the much-lauded ‘UK’), and deadmau5. Over the past few years, he’s built a discography balanced between airwave conquering vocals and underground club anthems; and what was once one of UK dance music’s best kept secret now has a rapidly growing global profile.

After a remarkable rise since his debut single, Dimension announced himself on the global stage with ‘Desire’, his collaboration with Sub Focus. The record’s list of achievements is near endless; it spent 9 weeks on Radio 1’s playlist (5 on the A-list), has amassed over 50 million global streams to date and has been certified a silver single in the UK by BPI (200,000 sales). Following ‘Desire’ came Dimension’s next string of solo releases, ‘Devotion’ featuring Cameron Hayes, ‘If You Want To’ and ‘Love To Give’ which all rapidly picked up midweek Annie Mac support alongside BBC Radio 1 plays from Phil Taggart’s Hype Chart, Mistajam and Rene LaVice; and together, hitting over 20 million global streams to date.

‘Desire’ was Dimension’s fifth Hottest Record courtesy of Annie Mac on BBC Radio 1, who has been a long time supporter alongside Pete Tong and Danny Howard. Further Hottest Records include his standout collaboration with Wilkinson ‘Rush’ and club anthem ‘UK’. In 2019 he performed at Radio 1’s Big Weekend in Middlesbrough, which was followed by his debut Essential Mix, which was met with critical acclaim. Alongside his original productions, Dimension is also a selective remixer, having reworked the likes of deadmau5, Chase & Status, Nero and Duke Dumont.

In tandem with his release schedule, Dimension has balanced a hectic global touring schedule that’s included sold out tours across the UK, Europe, North America, Australia, New Zealand and Japan. This is coupled with performances at some of the world’s most acclaimed festivals, including Glastonbury, Reading & Leeds, Tomorrowland, EDC Las Vegas, Pukkelpop and many others, as well as a long-standing residency at Amnesia in Ibiza.

DIMENSION LIVE, his sold out debut live show at London’s prestigious Electric Brixton in October, attracted critical acclaim from Mixmag, RA, DJ Mag, Red Bull, and beyond. The first immersive, multi-sensory experience in dance music, the show debuted Dimension’s showpiece glass mechanical structure - the centrepiece of a production that included a 50-piece state-of-the-art lighting system, laser walls, the largest ever LED screen to be installed in the venue, pyrotechnics and for the first time in a live music environment, scentology. Conceived by Dimension, the show was created in conjunction with INPLAS - a film set and fabrication company whose clients include George Lucas (Star Wars), Ridley Scott (Prometheus), HBO (Game of Thrones), Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight, Inception), Alex Turner of GravityRigs (The Chemical Brothers and Disclosure live), Liam Mace of DarkMatter, and More Eyes (Stormzy).

Further shows will be announced in due course, which will include a headline LIVE show at the groundbreaking Printworks London.

Cool Out Sun

Melbourne band Cool Out Sun make Afro roots music, peppered with hip hop goodness and a sunny disposition. The supergroup is a cross-cultural enterprise that sees vocalist N’fa Jones (1200 Techniques), percussionist Nui Moon (Digital Afrika) and drummer/producer Sensible J (REMI, Sampa The Great) teaming up to create sultry beats and poetic commentary on a variety of social issues.

Jones is an established solo artist whose career dates back to the late-‘90s. Cool Out Sun is a refinement of his musical vision that invites contributions from various prominent musicians, such as vocalist/percussionist Lamine Sonko of the African Intelligence.

Late last year, Cool Out Sun recorded a special session which has only recently been broadcast on MUUZOstream(link is external), Channel 31’s live music program. For our next Studio 5 presentation, we offer you the chance to hear this fabulous set in its entirety on Boogie Beat Suite.

Tune in from 11am on July 12 while MzRizk brightens up your Tuesday morning with the ever cool and poignant music of Cool Out Sun.

Studio 5 Live is proudly brought to you by our mates at Mountain Goat(link is external).

Close Counters

Naarm/Melbourne-based duo Close Counters kicked off 2022 with a flurry of remixes and their collab 'Rollout' with Young Franco featured UK rappers Scrufizzer and Jay Prince and went on to clock multiple spins on BBC Radio 1, iHeart Radio, triple j, FBi Radio and landed a slew of playlist support from Spotify and Apple Music, winning over new fans across the globe while being added to the FIFA 23 Soundtrack.

Close Counters' original releases of 2022 were premiered by Gilles Peterson (BBC 6 Music) and Jamz Supernova (BBC Radio 1Xtra) respectively, and garnered support from tastemakers Folamour, Jaguar (BBC Radio 1 Dance Introducing), Tarzsa (BBC 6 Music), Complexion (BBC Radio 1Xtra + Future Beats Show), Riz Rollins (KEXP Seattle), Alex Turner (KEXP Seattle), plus earned rotation adds from triple j Unearthed, Double J, SYN and Radio FG. Singles 'SNAP TO IT!' and 'GET DOWN!' were released by The Remedy Project (Defected Records).

'SOULACOASTA II' drops on February 15.

Bootleg Rascal

Sydney genre-benders Bootleg Rascal have announced their third studio album, ‘Sloppy Seconds’, set for release on October 29 via the band’s own Bootleg Records.

The record will feature both of the duo’s 2021 singles, ‘All About You’ (featuring Saint Lane) and ‘Therapy’ (featuring Citizen Kay and MAXINE), alongside reimagined tracks from 2016’s ‘Asleep In The Machine’ and 2018’s ‘Anómino’, plus EPs ‘Psychotica’ and ‘Collaborations Of Very Isolated Delinquents “19’.

Speaking to The Music, guitarist Jimmy Young said the album’s unique concept was one he’d wanted to explore for some time. “When the world stopped, I started to really think about projects I’ve always wanted to do but never had enough time for,” he mused.

“One thing on the bucket list was to have made a record which embraced the whole ‘something old, new, borrowed’ concept.”

Young cited Sublime as a key inspiration for ‘Sloppy Seconds’, saying the Californian ska band were “a big part of why [he] first started playing music in the first place”. He noted that the posthumous 1997 album, ‘Second-Hand Smoke’, is one Young was particularly enamoured by.

“The record was released not long after frontman Bradley Nowell’s death,” Young explained, “and follows a similar concept where it shines a light on remixed and recycled tracks. It really gives another perspective and take on some of their classics, and as a fan that’s something I really enjoy. Here’s hoping our fans feel the same.”

Tomorrow (August 27), Bootleg Rascal are set to release the third single from ‘Sloppy Seconds’, a Spanish remix of their track ‘Sharks’. The song was first released seven years ago on the ‘Psychotica’ EP.