Community radio music directors often have an encyclopaedic knowledge of local music and an insatiable thirst to keep their ears ahead of the curve. So in this new Tone Deaf series the Australian Music Radio Airplay Project (Amrap) will invite music directors to highlight new Aussie tunes that you might have missed.
Stephen Goodhew from Sydney’s FBi (94.5FM) takes over this fortnight’s series with a selection of tracks currently making their way to community radio through Amrap’s music distribution service ‘AirIt’.
Check out Stephen’s selections below and if you’re a musician you can at apply at www.airit.org.au to have your music distributed for free to community radio on Amrap’s AirIt.
Nicholas Allbrook – ‘Advance’
I think what I like best about Nicholas Allbrook’s solo work is just how authentically Allbrook it is. You get the impression that this is purely a creative outlet for all the many and varied ideas floating around inside his head. There’s no attempt to compromise on sound for the sake of strategy or accessibility. If people buy the music and turn up to the shows, it’s just a bonus. It’s exciting and refreshing to behold.
Dreller – ‘Control’
Whether you liked the band or not, it’s hard to deny that Thomas Rawle, former front man of Papa vs. Pretty, had some undeniable songwriting chops. Fortunately for us, he’s back at it again with his new project, Dreller, and it would appear that he still has that same knack for writing a tune you can nod along to.
The verse leaves plenty of room for Rawle’s voice to shine, but it’s in the chorus that this song really lets loose. “Is it love that you want or is it just control?” he sings as synths and drums heave beneath him.
I may not know that answer to the question he’s posing, but I do know that with a hook that catchy I’m likely to be humming that question to myself for a while to come.
Alex Lahey – ‘You Don’t Think You Like People Like Me’
Who doesn’t love a good sing your guts out chorus? Not Alex Lahey, if her track, ‘You Don’t Think You Like People Like Me’, is anything to go by.
Delivering the sort of high energy, hook heavy pop-rock that seems effortlessly authentic, Lahey is building some solid momentum behind her solo work, having already earned plenty of love for her other band, Animaux.
Fountaineer – ‘Still Life’
The two things that strike me about ‘Still Life’ by Fountaineer are: 1. How it builds this momentum behind itself that makes it feel on the verge of exploding with pent up energy, and 2. How restrained the band is in the face of what I can only imagine is the strong compulsion to just let her rip.
It’s a genuinely intriguing tune from an act who deserve to be so much more on people’s radar than currently are.
Asdasfr Bawd – ‘Underpass’
Coming seemingly out of nowhere late in 2015, with one of the more difficult to pronounce names in Australian music (it’s az-daz-for Bauwd, if you’re interested), ‘Underpass’ is a great introduction to the work of Alex Clayton.
His debut EP, same-titled EP, is out now through Solitaire Recordings and is full of the UK styled techno that we find here. Coupled with the right sound system and a club atmosphere, this is the sort of track that’s liable to get the dance floor heaving.
Mezko – ‘Journey’s End’
Mezko have been bubbling away in Sydney’s underground for a little while now, but their most recent single, ‘Journey’s End’ was a big step forward.
Drawing heavy on an ’80s synth pop aesthetic, the track pulsates with a cinematic energy that would see it comfortably soundtracking the closing scenes on an ’80s high school drama.
B Wise – ’40 Days’
Australian hip-hop is in a really great place right now. With acts like, Tkay, Sampa The Great, Koi Child, L-Fresh and plenty more on the underground tip all doing great things, it feels like we’re seeing the scene grow in exciting new directions.
Sydney solo MC B Wise fits nicely into this category. On 40 Days he’s sounding relaxed and confident, a result of touring with the likes of Tuka and Vince Staples, not to mention his own festival-stealing slot at the FBi SMACS Festival earlier this year.
Ribongia – ‘My Word ft. Hancoq’
While Ribongia isn’t a hip-hop producer per se, it’s pretty clear how translatable his work is when you drop an MC like Hancoq over the top his beats. Bringing a distinctly global flavour to his work, Ribongia has carved out something of a niche for himself in the Australian music scene.
His work keeps getting better and better, which is why you’ve probably been hearing more and more of him on the FBi airwaves over the years.
