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Cosmoluxe (Full Album)

11 January 2022

THE BOSS 0:00

This might be my favourite track on the album. It opens with a bass line that took me a long time to get right. There's also quite a mixture of vinyl samples because I spent 3 weeks recording just over 700 sounds from old records. Kick drums, snare drums, guitars, keys. I really want to do more like this in future. I love sounds that are real. It was hard choosing a track #1, but I think this works. It's a firm handshake at the door and it welcomes you in without telling you what to do.

STRANGEROUS 3:14

This one is all about the Netflix series Stranger Things. True to the show, I wanted a retro vibe with tons of space, sparkle and punch. I made everything in Ableton using a ton of digital and acoustic instruments. I went through 23 versions of the mix before I was happy. It's hard gluing together different voices recorded with different mics in different locations. At one stage I was going to cut the outro because I could never really figure out what to do with it. Strangerous was going to be track #3 with Supremo sitting at #2, but I think this works better. It has similar elements to The Boss and gets to do its thing without giving up any thunder.

TEARS IN HER EYES 6:27

I made most of this track on my couch using an MPC Live II. The chords took me half a day to iron out, and the vocals are from an interview with my mother. You might recognize her voice from Gardyn. I didn't want this on the first half of the album because I felt it brought the energy down. Now I think it works well at #3 because it covers more of a spectrum and lets you down gently with some feels before Cabin Fever goes full sail. I guess we can rationalize any track list at the end of the day, so I just had to listen through in different contexts and go with my gut. It took me about a week to structure this album.

CABIN FEVER 9:50

Muppet Treasure Island as a Drum & Bass mix. This one's a bit of a Frankenstein. It's more of a collage than a single track, so placing it on the album wasn't easy. I like the sections individually, and it's rewarding to make something that flows from A to Z. But I'm not sure this does. I think it works best when you've heard it already and know what to expect. If I was to make a video for Cabin Fever, I'd probably transpose some sections to keep things in key, and work on some bridges for moving between sections more gradually. Muppet Treasure Island is such an awesome adventure. It was a staple of my childhood and one day I will do it justice!

POLKA DOT POSITIVE 13:26

A House mix bubbling with sounds from my old radio tuner. This track puts me on a small planet converted into a dance floor where I'm losing myself with aliens from all over the galaxy. I love making stuff like this. It's totally unpredictable but it's like magic when things fall into place.

SUPREMO 17:30

In 2005 I made a track called Supreme Enjoyment. I barely knew bass from treble and had no idea what I was doing. The track has always found its way back to me, so I remade it from scratch and called it Supremo. I think there are pros and cons to remaking your early stuff. On one hand it's like restoring old family photos, or finding your old Nintendo and bleaching the plastics to restore what you remember. On the other hand you'll never truly capture what you felt at the time, and you're bound to wipe away some of its character. It's hard to justify, but I can to an extent. The feelings I tried to capture in my early days are still important to me, and leaving them trapped inside a muddy mix or a tinny sound feels like a tragedy. It's a risky operation, though. I've often remade old tracks and I haven't always managed to keep the soul intact.

DRAGONFLY 20:40

A patchwork of voices from Spyro Reignited. Spyro was and still is one of my favorite Playstation games of all time. I recorded every line spoken by every dragon in the world, and I sat in my Bat Cave for weeks piecing together melodies that sort of make sense. It wasn't anything special so I shelved it and moved on. When I came back to it with fresh ears, I re-timed some of the vocals, remade the drums and reworked the whole mix. I still think it's a mess, but I hope you enjoy it more than I do.

PATACAKE 23:57

A chill mix to close things out. You might recognize The Simpsons singing a Christmas carol from an old 'Treehouse of Horror' episode. I know it was supposed to be funny and weird, but I've always thought it was really beautiful. While it's not my favorite track on the album, it has that rare thing of making me happy and sad at the same time, and I think it sets you down with a hug and a farewell. Thanks for coming on the ride with me folks! I hope it's done you some good.

Artwork by Fluffchirp: https://instagram.com/fluffchirp

Strangerous

7 January 2022

Yoga special

5 July 2021

Supremo

8 April 2021

Polka Dot Positive

7 April 2021

Cultures (Full Album)

28 December 2020

View transcript

DASH 0:00
Dash is a beat all about drive and persistence. It features a layer of lush, gorgeous analog stabs from Mary Poppins. When I made the drums and bass lines, I drew a lot of inspiration from the retro aesthetics of Dragonball Z and Astroboy. I even borrowed some energy from Australian songwriter Peter Combe whose music I loved as a kid. Dash reminded me so much of 'Happy As Larry' that I featured samples of Peter's voice. This track always left me feeling positive and energised after I worked on it, so I think it's a great way to start this album. To me, Dash represents the fast and vibrant culture of the 80s.

MAZEL TOV 3:31
This dancer features voices from Fiddler On The Roof and a lot of synths. I woke up at 4am for a few weeks because I was so excited to give it some more life. Mazel Tov actually began as a remix of the Disney TV movie 'Heidi'. I slowly introduced sounds from Fiddler On The Roof, until eventually that's all there was. I like this one because of its airiness and dreamy quality. I like to think Mazel Tov is a nod to the sturdy traditions and vibrant character of Jewish culture. It's also a salute to the wise words of Tevye as he tells us how important it is that we all learn to love each other.

GANBATTE 8:21
Ganbatte is all about electric and acoustic instruments. I pieced everything together note by note, and I was hugely inspired by a tiny musical passage that I sampled from The Muppet Movie (1979). I almost published this track without any drums. I think Ganbatte conveys a feeling of hardship, persistence and reward. That's why I called it Ganbatte, which is a Japanese word that roughly translates to "Come on!" or "Do your best!" Weirdly, it also makes me think of old school first-person shooters like Quake and Doom. The track plants me in an ancient ruin beneath a huge overcast sky and slaps a sword in my hand.

WHATITDO 13:13
This track started as a demo for a basketball company. I liked it so much that I withdrew it from the project and fleshed it out for myself. Throughout the beats, you can hear the deep velvety voice of American basketball player Kawhi Leonard. It's not terribly cultural, but I think this track can speak of American sportsmanship and humility.

ALL YOU 15:14
This one features my own voice and lyrics. I was very inspired by the work of The Streets. A lot of the lyrics are about ego management and spiritual health. I came very close to pulling this track from the album because I'm on the fence about my accent. After a dozen phone conversations and a lot of thinking, I decided to keep it in. I feel this this track is me, literally and spiritually. It picks up the pace from Whatitdo, it paints a culture, and it fits in to an already broad palette of genres. I think it adds more than it subtracts. All You is about spiritual and mental awareness in a world that's increasingly switched off and disconnected.

DOUBTFIRE 18:43
As the name suggests, this track is a remix of sounds and voices from Mrs. Doubtfire starring Robin Williams. I almost didn't feature this track because I don't think it's my best work, but when somebody told me it's their little daughter's favourite, I had to give it a place. 'All You' ends on a light-hearted, nostalgic note, so I think Doubtfire follows reasonably well.

GREENDALE 22:20
You're listening to a patchwork of sounds, voices and music from the original series of Postman Pat in 1981. I had the show on VHS when I was a toddler and it hypnotised me. I like this track because it feels fresh and different without hinging on vocals or gimmicks. It goes on a little journey, and I like the way it ends on a note that's ethereal and contemplative in contrast to the rest of the story. I would have happily placed Greendale at the start of this album, but I think it echoes the charm of Mrs. Doubtfire and injects an airy optimism into the final chapter.

IRISH WINE 25:32
I started making Irish Wine at the beginning of 2020. Like with Ganbatte, I pieced everything together note by note using instrument libraries. Originally, I was trying to make a remix of Black Books starring Dylan Moran and Bill Bailey. You can still hear Bernard's voice in the chorus and the sounds of wine glasses throughout the track. But as I chipped away for days, it evolved into something bigger and more personal. The mix is a little messy, but I'm happy with this track because it goes on a journey of different emotions.

I'LL MISS YOU 29:46
As you might tell, I was very inspired by Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells when I made this one. I did everything using synths and instrument libraries. I hope this outro takes you through space and time, because for as long as I can remember, I've always had stirring dreams of floating through deep space and stroking the planets that pass me by. 2020 has been a very emotional year for me in good ways and bad, so I think this track closes the album nicely as we leave the madness on Earth in our space ship and return to the stars.