Skeleten (the project of Sydney electronic music mainstay and the genius behind this week’s Album of the Week Russell Fitzgibbon) swung by FBi Radio to chat about his debut record Under Utopia on Up For It! with Kate Saap. He also took a deep dive in the music library and shared with us some of his essential songs and albums.

Kate asked Russell about Under Utopia‘s themes, and whether the title pointed to a dark future run by lizard people.

“I’ve been thinking a lot about our generation and the modern world. We kind of got brought up on more of an idea of a dystopia going on. But more recently, I’ve been thinking about the importance of being able to imagine new worlds and future imaginaries and being able to hold images of utopia in order to actually make positive change.”

Sonically, Under Utopia is electronic music designed to be inviting and gentle. Comfortable even. Its melodies feel soothing, with a steady tempo not meant to raise your bpm.

“With music, I’m always trying to find my way to this space that feels genuine and feels holistic and I’m always working towards making a really identifiable space for people to step into.”

You can listen to the rest of Russell’s interview with Kate up top. Spoiler: he had some beautiful things to say about his friendships.

Russell has only been releasing music under Skeleten since 2021, but his he’s been making waves in Sydney’s electronic music scene since the 2010s. He’s one half of iconic duo Fishing. When he visited our studio this week, we learned that he’s a prolific and longstanding consumer of great music as much as he is a maker. Let him walk you through some of his favourite albums here:

Skeleten’s picks:

Pivot – O Soundtrack My Heart

megastick fanfare – Grit Aglow

Bridezilla – The First Dance

Spoonty – Spoonty

too deep of a deep cut to be available online???

Moon Holiday –  ‘Rid U’

Ghoul – Dunks

The Laurels – ‘Tidal Wave’