FBi Monthly Mixtape #003

February 28th 2022

La Niña powered on through February, but so did our specialist presenters – the tracks they’ve listed below, like the rest of Sydney, have had a rinsing in recent weeks. [Running of rain-adjacent themes here] Take a walk across our grid: soaked in eclectic sounds and, in this Monthly Mixtape, dotted with puddles of electronica, ambience, and breakbeat.

Ondine Manfrin, host of Brunch with Bocconcini

Soda Lite – Aqua Solar Cura

Soda Lite always seems to undeservedly fly under the radar despite consistently putting out what I think is some of the most lush and enchanting new ambient music. Aqua Solar Cura is texturally rich and sonically involving, with field recordings of the Trowunna Wildlife Sanctuary in Lutruwita (Tasmania) layered amongst bubbling melodies and swooning pads. Reminiscent of earlier Australian field recording works like Peter Mumme’s Corranderk, each track has its own sonic ecosystem, culminating in an album which takes you on a guided aural walk through one of the richest natural environments in the world. Truly so beautiful.

Yasuaki Shimizu – Kiren

I’ve been so desperately excited about this album ever since it was announced. Unearthed from the archives, Yasuaki Shimizu’s Kiren is an unreleased follow-up to two of my all-time favourite albums, Kakashi (1982) and Utakata no Hibi (1983). Shimizu brings his distinctive punk-meets-folk sax playing to the record, with densely textured production and new wave rhythms playfully mixing to create funky, other-worldly, dance music. Bridging his earlier Japanese folk influenced albums and pop-oriented later work, Kiren feels like a lost treasure within Shimizu’s vast and record-packed career, and I can’t wait to never stop listening to it.

Amelia Jenner, host of Sunset with Body Promise

Cassius Select – RSN
Cassius Select is an artist I’m sure needs no introduction to the FBi audience but I feel like this track flew under the radar a little bit. In my opinion it’s his best one yet. RSN is the first in a run of tracks Cassius Select is going to self release this year exploring a wide range of sounds and textures and if this is anything to go by, we’re in for a good year! The fractured breakbeats, stabbing vocals and flawless sound design are bound to make this one a dancefloor favourite once clubs reopen.
Rich Daddies – I Can’t Explain It 
Another certified dancefloor favourite is Naarm’s Rich Daddies  ‘I Just Can’t Explain It’ taken from their debut EP ‘Get Close’ released on one of my all time favourite local labels Good Effort. The anonymous housemate duo wrote their debut while suffering through one of the world’s longest and harshest lockdowns and what results is a UGK tinged party anthem for the ages reminding us of the unifying quality of dance music and the power of a good hug on the dancefloor. Can’t wait for many of those soon!

Gus McGrath and Marcus Whale – co-hosts of Sleepless in Sydney

Chakra Efendi – Teething
The idea of Sleepless In Sydney is primarily that we have a theme each week, across different genres, times, spaces, musics, whatever. As the years have passed we’ve found ourselves getting a bit more specific with our themes and often focused on how songwriters use the body as a site for their storytelling. Our most recent show was on ‘”teeth”; you’d be surprised how many songs there are that use teeth as an image or in a figurative way. One prominent motif from Chakra Efendi’s new album ‘I of the Err’ is teeth as a symbol of vulnerability. The luminous ‘Teething’ closes the album, its thick, rich atmosphere of synths and wistfully lo-fi guitar providing a backdrop to sentiments of loss and rebirth. – Marcus

aya -what if i should fall asleep and slipp under

Marcus played me this aya album “im hole” at the end of last year with total enthusiasm and I lost my MIND hearing it. Wall to wall brain-melting electronics almost like Arca in peak Mutant mode with spoken word that’s at once very funny and very spooky. Slay. – Gus

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