I first started listening to Slumberjack late last year, after doing some research on the Australian production scene. At the time, the duo was putting out some high quality, dreamy, airy remixes that were impressive for the time of release. After a while, I started losing focus on Fletch and Morgan as my focused shifted elsewhere.

Now, Slumberjack is back and — good god — with some serious vengeance. Their newest track “Felon” is dark and grimy, but still has the same “love trap” qualities of their past. The first word that comes to mind listening to “Felon,” is “messy…” but in the best way possible.

Slumberjack – Felon

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Download Slumberjack – Felon by liking their Facebook and clicking here. 

The first drop of the track sounds like someone fell on the beat masher and slipped into a nasty trap song by accident. The best part of this new song is, by far, the ending twenty seconds where listeners get a glimpse into the true talent these young Aussies possess. It’s worth the wait. Trust me.

Slumberjack

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The post Slumberjack – Felon [Free Download] appeared first on Just Noise To Me.

One of the best up-and-coming duos to come out of the Australia scene is back at it with a huge remix of The Cuban Brothers’ soulful track, “So Sweet.”

The Cuban Brothers – So Sweet (Slumberjack Remix) feat. Mica Paris

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/133386727″ params=”color=ff5500&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_artwork=true” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Purchase The Cuban Brothers – So Sweet (Slumberjack Remix) feat. Mica Paris right here. 

Slumberjack keeps to their traditional style with a dominating bass-driven chorus set side by side with melodic and sweet sounding breakdowns and build ups that make for another monster hit for the two young Aussies. With a track like this it’s only a matter of time until the two get more recognition like their Australian associates What So Not. 

Over the next few months, Slumberjack is set to release a whole bunch of original content including a collaborative EP with another Perth producer, Sable, along with their debut solo EP. Very exciting stuff ahead, so stay tuned!

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After releasing remixes for DCup, Wave Racer, and Oso Gato, Slumberjack spent their first year together showcasing their DJing talents at Australian festivals like Wonderland, Club Paradiso, and Stereosonic, and will continue into the next year with shows all across their native country.

We were able to ask Morgan and Fletcher some questions regarding the origins of this project, being an independent artist on the rise, and what it’s like being one of the front runners of the Australian EDM movement.

JNTM: What got you both into producing? Was there a particular artist, album, or event that made you interested in producing/djing?

Slumberjack: Fletch: I got into electronic music when I first heard the Boys Noize track Lava Lava. I went and bought a copy of Sony Acid and started making my first (extremely hacky) tracks. It took me almost 6 years of jumping around different genres to find the sound that I really wanted to produce.

Morgan: My musical journey started when I begged my parents to let me pick up the classical piano. With that said, I was also always drawn towards mainstream pop and hip-hop production. Not long after I heard what the guys like The Neptunes and Timbaland did on Justin Timberlake’s “Justified” album, I got myself a copy of Sony Acid as well!

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/116967697″ params=”color=ff6600&auto_play=false&show_artwork=true” width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

JNTM: How did you two meet?

Slumberjack: We met at the Perth Dance Music Awards last year. We both won the Into The Limelite DJ Competition consecutively (Fletch in 2011 and Morgan in 2012) so we decided to suss each other out. We got in the studio a couple of times and with just a couple of tracks under our belt decided to make it an official project.

JNTM: How has being friends helped with the production process? Is it any easier or harder than producing alone?

Slumberjack: When there are two brains in the studio, tracks tend to get completed a lot faster. When you’re by yourself, you often hit a wall with a track and it’ll end up sitting on your hard drive and never get finished.

Now though, if we hit a wall, we’ll just flick the project over to the other person and they can keep working and maybe add those few little bits that open a new direction for the track so we can keep working.

JNTM: Who are some of your favorite artists right now, EDM or not?

Slumberjack: We really love Ludovico Einaudi, a pianist and composer. We study up on his chord progressions and melodies and have even sampled one of his pieces for the title track of our forthcoming EP.

On the electronic side of things, we’re loving the gritty sounds of What So Not and Mr Carmack as well as the smooth vibes coming from guys like Renz and Sable.

JNTM: There is this incredible thing happening right now with Australian artists becoming more and more popular in the US. Artists like Flume/What So Not, Wave Racer, and yourselves are getting tons more recognition out here. What’s going on down there that we should know about? Describe this movement as best as you can.

Slumberjack: Not going to lie, it’s pretty wicked! Being from Perth, there is significant physical separation between us and all the acts over on the East Coast but it’s definitely a “we’re in this together” kind of vibe and we all keep in touch via the wonder of the internet.

Each city has their own handful of acts which we were stoked to be able to meet when we flew over to Sydney for the Electronic Music Conference at the start of December.

JNTM: With that, it seems as though all of the previously mentioned artists pull from the same style — almost this “Love Trap” style pulling from slowed down almost hip hop beats with HUGE airy synths. If you could, describe this genre that’s beginning to show from Australian artists.

Slumberjack: It’s pretty hard to put it in words really. In its very essence, we see it as a lovechild of a multitude of genres all thrown into a musical cocktail.

Unlike most “EDM” genres where the main focus is a club-oriented “drop”, we think the producers of this new wave of music tend to produce without any preconceived notions on the direction of the finished record.  They tend to write much like any other conventional musician would and without sounding too cheesy, they let it flow from within.

JNTM: How would you describe your music in your own words?

Slumberjack: A mixture of future garage and hip-hop with a touch of jazz thrown in.

JNTM: What do you think the biggest differences are between the ‘EDM’ scene in Australia and the US?

Slumberjack: There’s no doubt that EDM is exploding all over the world but to be honest, we haven’t seen enough yet to make a judgment. It would definitely be cool if we could do a few shows in the US to get a vibe of the scene there.

JNTM: What’s the most important part about being independent producers on the rise? What are some challenges you’ve faced? What’s the most enjoyable? Is there anything you try to tell yourselves as you work towards bigger things?
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Slumberjack: We reckon the most important part about being independent producers is setting realistic goals.  For example, we have to accept the fact that many labels won’t reply to emails and there will be blogs that won’t like our material enough to push it.

We also constantly remind ourselves that we need to stick with own sound despite being tempted to do what’s popular. Having said that, when label’s do reply with positive feedback and the blogs do feature our tracks on their platforms, we feel a sense of accomplishment and pride.

We prepare for the worst and hope for the best!

JNTM: With that, what ‘bigger things’ do you both strive to accomplish?

Slumberjack: We’re definitely working towards expanding our fan base to the other side of the country so we can take our live show on a full Australian tour. We’re also pretty keen on the idea of eventually doing an album, but that is quite some time into the future.

JNTM: What advice would you give to someone(s) that wants to be doing what you guys are doing? What advice would you give yourselves if you could go back in time?

Don’t ever doubt yourself! If we could go back in time, we’d tell past Fletcher and Morgan the same.

JNTM: What’s coming up for Slumberjack? Any upcoming mixes, tracks, or tour dates?

Slumberjack: We’ve got quite a bit coming up! We’re taking on a summer residency at Sydney’s FBi Radio along with a few other Australian acts and are playing a hoard of shows around Western Australia over the new year break (details on our Facebook page).

We’re also working on our first EP which will be out early next year along with a few collaborations with really talented guys we’ve met over the months.

JNTM: When can we expect to see you guys in the US?

Slumberjack: Soon hopefully – we’d like to expand to the rest of Australia first and then move outwards and upwards! Like we mentioned above, it would be a hell of an experience to travel to the US for shows.

JNTM: A question we always ask: If you guys could have any profession in the world besides producing/djing, what would it be and why?

Slumberjack: Morgan:  I’d be a professional sessionist. I probably wouldn’t pick anything not related to music. I just simply cannot imagine life without it!

Fletch: I’d definitely be an astronaut. I know it’s kind of a kiddy dream, but floating in space, come on!

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Here are the five best acts hailing from for Australia.

Flume

Perhaps the biggest act from this new movement is 22-year-old Sydney artist, Flume. He has appeared on our list of top artists to watch in 2014 and has produced a remix for Disclosure.  Flume is also a member of duo What So Not, which produces off-kilter “love trap” released through Mad Decent and OWSLA.

Flume is currently finishing up his 2013 U.S./Canada tour and will be performing on Hard Holy Ship in January, 2014. Listen to his newest collaboration with Chet Faker, Drop the Game, which was released through the artist management team Future Classic.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/120682891″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

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Hayden James

Another member of the Future Classic team, Hayden James has only been on the scene for 6 months but he has been making waves with his remixes of Dillon Francis’ Without You ft. T.E.E.D and Basecamp’s Emmanuel.

James’ style is very relaxed and utilizes soulful R&B samples will soothing melodies. James has yet to be booked for international festivals or tour dates but he has been steadily performing throughout Australia. He is also booked as an opening act for The Plot Festival in Melbourne and Sydney.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/120037053″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

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Wave Racer

As Wave Racer’s Soundcloud states, “I like vocoders and arpeggios.” This is evident in Wave Racer’s energetic music which features booming bass and a cavalcade of varying vocal samples.  Wave Racer has produced remixes for DCUP and Panama while performing in and around Sydney.

Wave Racer sets himself apart from the others on this list with loud tracks that are better served on the dance floor than on a long drive in the rain.

He has yet to perform in the U.S.  but keep your eyes out, I have a feeling he will be filling many  festival slots in 2014. Check out his remix to The Dofflin below.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/108768473″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

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L D R U

19-year-old Drew Carmody has been producing tracks under the moniker L D R U since 2012 and has garnered attention from Skrillex, Diplo and A-Trak for his track “The Tropics”.

L D R U’s interesting brand of trap uses jungle-style rhythms and punchy vocal samples. The Sydney native has been performing throughout Australia with label mates Hayden James and Flume but keep a look out for U.S. tour dates in the New Year.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/116533511″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

Here is the video for The Tropics released through POTATOwillEATyou.

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Slumberjack

Perth, Australia duo Slumberjack has been producing infectious trip-hop rythms with trap inspired melodies for the past six months with incredible success.

The duo has been hard at work crafting remixes for Wave Racer, DCUP, and Oso Gato. The two had a laugh with their re-imagining of the Game of Thrones theme song, with their track Jon Snow.

If you happen to be in Australia, they regularly perform throughout the country, if not you’ll have to wait for them to come stateside like the rest of us.

[soundcloud url=”https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/116967697″ width=”100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

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