August is here! And with that in mind, let us introduce you to our Artist Of The Month! A visionary by all means, this young talent hailing from Sydney, Australia successfully changed the game within the electronic music industry after a seismic debut back in 2011. With two studio albums under his belt amongst several of his other productions which include stellar originals and remixes, he continues to break sonic boundaries with each passing day. And as you might have figured out by now, we’re indeed talking about the one and only, Flume.
Lesser known as Harley Edward Streten, the groundbreaking talent introduced himself to the world with his debut 3-track EP ‘Sleepless’, which was released in 2011 via Future Classic. Having previously produced house music under his HEDS alias, his famed moniker Flume follows a Bon Iver song of the same name! As 2012 approached, the hype surrounding his debut album was ultimately met with a landmark effort which was equally loved by listeners and critics alike. Featuring some of his most iconic works till date including ‘Holdin’ On‘, ‘On Top‘ and more, Flume quickly managed to become a hot favourite within the electronic industry!
Alongside dropping stellar remixes for Hermitude, Ta-ku and more, Harley was also making moves via his What So Not project with fellow producer Emoh Instead aka Chris Emerson. With their debut EP, ‘7 Dollar Bill‘ which was released in 2011, they aimed to blend in genres like trap, bass, house and hip-hop in the most exotic manner possible!
Flume’s journey towards global domination hit a new high after he decided to join forces with fellow Aussie talent Chet Faker for their collaborative ‘Lockjaw‘ EP in 2013. Featuring cuts like ‘Drop The Game‘, ‘What About Us‘ and ‘This Song Is Not About A Girl‘, their joint body of work stood out as a massive success for the two. Fans were blown out of the water during that same period when he dropped his incredible remix of Disclosure‘s ‘You & Me‘. As 2013 continued to unfold as one of his biggest years till date, What So Not also released their second EP titled ‘The Quack‘. But it wasn’t until December of that year when one of trap’s biggest classics, ‘Jaguar‘ was unveiled by WSN.
Another humongous year for Flume which was lined up, 2014 saw him run riot with multiple releases including standout remixes for Arcade Fire, Chet Faker, Seekae and most notably, his highly acclaimed remix of Lorde‘s ‘Tennis Court‘. What So Not also took the crown that year for churning out their monstrous trap tune ‘Tell Me‘, in collaboration with fellow trap god RL Grime.
Stepping into 2015, Flume announced his departure from What So Not following an extremely successful run. Citing ‘creative differences‘ as the reason for this major move, their Gemini EP was released later that year as their final joint effort. With remixes for the likes of Sam Smith and Collarbones, Harley also made his solo return with ‘Some Minds‘ featuring vocals by Andrew Wyatt. Soon after, he was also invited for his debut Essential Mix which turned out to be yet another solid showcase from the musical genius himself.
A mammoth year what it would turn out to be, Flume sent fans into a frenzy when he uploaded a preview of his sophomore album ‘Skin’ on SoundCloud in January 2016. Following the successful releases of singles including ‘Never Be Like You’ and ‘Say It’ off his latest album, ‘Skin’ was finally unveiled in May that year. A solid work indeed which featured collaborations with the likes of Vic Mensa, Allan Kingdom, Raekwon, Little Dragon, AlunaGeorge, MNDR and Beck, it gave listeners a more comprehensive portrait of who Flume as an artist is. And moreover, he once again made his case for how pop and experimental worlds can co-exist. An LP which followed the footsteps of taking listeners on an immersive journey, Skin was a winner and checked all the right boxes.
With festival performances at Lollapalooza, Coachella, Austin City Limits, Veld Music Festival amongst many more, Flume also released the first part of his B-side for ‘Skin’ titled Skin Companion EP 1 later that year before sweeping the ARIA Awards with a record eight wins.
Kicking off 2017 on an exceedingly high note, Flume successfully bagged his debut Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Album. Beating out the likes of Tycho, Louis Vega, Underworld and Jean-Michel Jarre. Soon after, the second installment of his B-side EP for Skin was released. These past few months have also seen him co-produce tracks for the likes of Lorde and Vince Staples for their latest LPs. And as the Aussie superstar continues to extensively tour across the world, we hope to be treated to new music by the man himself soon!