#Hi this is flume review full#

“╜φ°⌂▌╫§╜φ°⌂▌╫§╜φ°⌂▌╫§╜φ°⌂▌╫§╜φ°⌂▌” - yes, this is the track’s name - and “71M3” are head-scratchingly short defiances of their producer’s sonic inspiration.

#Hi this is flume review full#

Though every song has some instrumental merit, sure, Flume is guilty of not grooming certain tracks to full potential.

Though, this mixtape is such not quite sure if I can pin down what distinguishes the two categories.Īdditionally, numerous entries in the track list feel merely anecdotal. At others - like “MUD” and “Amber” - it feels choppy and overt with no significant intention. At some junctures, the off-kilter shifts are a welcome surprise and create an engaging listen. Much of this has to do with the songwriting on “Hi This is Flume,” where the artist will haphazardly bounce around shift thematically and sonically several times in the course of a single track. When he creates a fully-realized concept, this mixtape is supreme. Where Flume realizes the full effect of his music is in the sum of disparate elements that compile towards a thoughtful, abstract musical image. Few songs - like the JPEGMAFIA-led “How to Build a Relationship,” which tailors a scathing digital instrumental to the rapper’s aggressive delivery sublimely - present any cogent emotional expression. Therein lies this mixtape’s greatest strength. Substitute a sensory deprivation tank, if you like. The chilling whirlpools of synth and vocal loops evoke some transcendental, out-of-body experience of being submerged into ice water on psychedelics. Flume remixes SOPHIE’s stellar 2018 avant-garde pop track “Is It Cold in the Water?” to caustic effect. Similar effect is present on the mixtape’s other highlights. The song is orderly, yet chaotic direct, yet abstract beautiful, yet vulnerable. In Flume’s warped take on a funeral dirge, he conceptualizes death through contradiction. The track shifts, presenting an mournful eastern melody through fuzzy, sampled horn sounds. A shrieking, doleful keyboard lead is overcome by glowering horizons of mournful synth. “Jewel” embodies such depth better than any other track. Repeat listens unveil even further layers - a musical Mashtroyka doll with no seeming end. This immersion is the project’s most rewarding feature.

With a diverse instrumental toolkit, Flume creates sonic murals that engulf the listener not just as a passive observer, but rather as an active participant. Every track presents some instrumental complexity, either as a brief turn of phrase, or for the most part, a whole song. Not a second of “Hi This is Flume” escapes without some impression. The usual, paced accoutrements of an IDM record season underlying synth drones in the form of glitchy, video game chip tune shimmering harp strums and electronic drum pad fills.įlume’s attention to detail at most every juncture is apparent. Packed into each little corner of the tape are thick, overwhelming mixes of synth. Now he returns, with two of 2018’s hottest musical meteorites in tow - rapper JPEGMAFIA and producer SOPHIE lend their capitalized names to the track list. Collectively, they have helped Flume compile the single-best project of electronic this year.ĭon’t let the relatively-short 38-minute run time fool you this is a dense record. Since his precocious 2012 self-titled debut - a goofy, electronic favorite of mine - Flume’s output has either failed to impress me or even beg a listen. “Hi This Is Flume” is the new mixtape from Australian electronic producer Flume.īut then again, the surprise breakage of a two-year silence from the young Australia native, Flume warrants attention. Note: This post is lightly updated from its original publication in The Brown and White. “Hi This Is Flume” (2019), Courtesy of Pitchfork