The official home of Australian Independent Music, a place for music industry professionals alike, featuring the cream of the crop of Australia’s diverse and thriving independent music sector.

Steve Smyth is the first person to be released on Shock Records' new imprint Permanent Records. Shock announced Permanent Records towards the end of last year, announcing that they'd set it up with "with the sole purpose to foster and develop local independent talent". They've set the bar high.

When writing about Smyth's debut album "Release" it's tempting to focus just on his voice ( holy shit... what an incredible voice!!!), swooping from a delicate falsetto into a snarling growl that Tom Waits would be proud of his vocal and emotional range is breathtaking.

Steve Smyth - Barbiturate Cowboy And His Dark Horses

While we hadn''t heard that much about Steve at AIR until recently, living in London he played in a roving band called Operation Juliet with the likes of Sean Lennon, Spankrock and Mark Ronson, he also toured with Angus and Juliia, Ben Haper and Avi Buffolo.

Steve's song-craft is mature, wistful and romantic, sometimes embellished with delicate acoustic guitars, banjos and miscellaneous strings and sometimes a vehicle for his powerful voice and a rockin band, it's all  irresistible. A unique Australian alt-country, folk album from an incredible talent.

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Hermitude's infectiously upbeat single "Speak Of The Devil' came out in September of 2011 and we only just discovered it (considering it won Triple J's Award for best film clip last year there's no excuse). Damn. What a freaking amazing song!

Speak Of The Devil's righteous departure from instrumental hip hop (in which Hermitude made their name) into glorious pop/dance territory is just one of the highlights off their soon-to-be-released album HyperParadise. Featuring a glorious mix of synth pop, electronica, dance, hip hop and soul, it shows just how creative, talented and tasteful these dudes are.

Sometimes with instrumental or sample based music there's a danger that in avoiding repetition, the music becomes a victim of its own hyperactivity, too many samples, glitches and zig zigs at the expense of any overiding structure. Hermitude have never had that problem, each track stands alone as a memorable track.

From the filthy synth and snare of opening track "Engage" through to the sleepy pitter patter subtlety of "Let You Go", a track that wouldn't be out of place on Seekae's Jagermeister Independent Music Award winning +Dome album, Hermitude have come up with their best release yet. An exciting, engaging, enchanting listen. Killer stuff.

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A rad track to start the year on the ausindies blog.

N'Fa Jones, formerly of groundbreaking hip hop act 1200 Techniques and now residing in London, dropped the rather excellent new track Wayooy about a month ago. While 1200 Techniques haven't been active for years, N'Fa's collaborations with Australian hip hop royalty have never kept him too far away from the lime-light. Over the years he's worked with The Black Eyed Peas (long before they turned into this band), Roots Manuva and even Heath Ledger. Just last year he also featured on award winning albums by Drapht and 360... the man has been busy.

Wayooy is a groovy and deep, mid tempo, M-Phazes produced track complete with african marimba loops, horns and joyous shouting by what sounds like dozens of people... "WAYOOOY, WAYOOOOOOY, WAYO YO YO"...  There's a verse or two by the mighty Roots Manuva while N'Fa's uniqe voice and rhyme show he's at the top of his game.

N'fa Jones - Wayooy ft Roots Manuva (prod. by M-Phazes)

Wayooy will feature on his new EP Babylondon. You can download the track for free here - http://www.nfajones.com/ The EP will be out in May, an Australian Hip Hop 'veteran' continuing on his always intriguing, always challenging musical odyssey.

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There's a new band in Brisbane who wrote three minutes of near-perfect summer pop, dressed it up with a clever-stupid-but-fun video and then found themselves on the front page of the LA Times website a month later. Who said the music industry was hard?

Hey Geronimo liken themselves to Frankenstein (leftover parts of other bands, glued together to form a living breathing new band) made of members Blame Ringo, The Boat People and Montpelier. That indie-pop pedigree is reflected in their first single "Why Don't We Do Something?", a catchy as hell ditty which is making waves world-wide because of its ingenious clip.

Smart-phone nerds the world over have been digging Hey Geronimo's real life depictions of Fruit Ninja, Angry Birds, Flight Control and Plant Vs Zombies and Cut The Rope (we were hoping that Doodle Jump would be included) and while we can't quite work out the relevance these games have to the song, the video has caught the attention of gaming, tech and music blogs worldwide. In fact, it's had more than 725,000 views as I write.

Perhaps the only draw-back to having a viral hit is that the video has well and truly overshadowed a great chorus, a Billy Preston-esque organ solo, one of the better pop songs we've heard in quite some time.

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If you are one of the 3.6 Million people who have viewed Get Up!'s beautiful and romantic video about same sex marriage then we imagine by its end you were incredibly moved. It's amazing how you can tell such a complex story in just 2 minutes. You might have also noticed the gorgeous soundtrack, a 2 minute snippet of deep, calm and emotional electronica by Sydney artist Oliver Tank.

Oliver Tank named his debut EP "Dreams" and it's hard to think of a more appropriate title. Each song lush with harmonies, subtle orchestrations, low synths and pitter patter beats, tempered by restraint and impeccable taste.  A soundtrack with which you can shut out the world and be calmed. Like James Blake at his most reflective, without the hype.

Last Night I Heard Everything in Slow Motion by Oliver Tank

Dreams was released last month by Sydney label Yes Please and as we tweeted the other day, "their bandcamp is a treasure trove". Stream Oliver Tank's EP and Guerre's acclaimed album and name your price to by them. Also, check out the Yes Please roster remixing eachothers songs on the EP "Interpret". Download it for free.

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After celebrating the phenomenal output of Chapter Music last week, we thought it'd be nice to follow up with a release from another stalwart Australian indie label. This year Sensory Projects has been celebrating its 10th anniversary  of releasing excellent pop, electronica and experimental albums by local artists, and it doesn't show any sign of slowing down... the label's most recent release is "Let Music And Bodies Unite" by Rat vs Possum.

Building small melodic and rhythmic motifs into euphoric dance-floor bangers, Rat vs Possum have always been a killer live act (famous for zealously played floor-toms), but their latest release builds on their repertoire of tricks.  Musical subtleties, song structures, synth mastery and pop smarts have taken the lead to the point where "Let Music and Bodies Unite" is a slab of infectious dance pop music as good as any that has been released this year. All you have to do is deal with the grotesque Spencer Tunic inspired pile of naked limbs that comprises the artwork (or is it just us?)

Fat Monk (check the video) is the lead song but any  off the album would have done the job, it's just consistently rad.

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Plenty of people are split on whether Pitchfork facilitates great music criticism or insufferable pretentiousness but most would agree that the site is one of the most influential music taste-makers the internet. So its a big deal with they announce a local release as "best new track"... 

Last week, Twerps' song 'Dreamin' joined tracks by Tame Impala and Cut Copy as the only Australian releases to have been singled out by Pitchfork in such a way. The song is simple, held together by a loose but tight rhythm section, boasting a couple of killer hooks, jangly guitars and sun faded production. A voice that sounds naive and adolescent. It's indicative of the whole album, life-affirming and compelling, executed gorgeously but casually.

Twerps - Dreamin by ChapterMusic

Twerps' debut self titled album rounds out a prolific period for their label Chapter Music. In the space of just a  few weeks, the small label has released universally acclaimed albums from Geoffrey O'Connor (immaculate synth pop), Dick Diver (crafted garage pop rock) and Laura Jean (stunning drama, amazing songs and voice). The four releases have kept this office's playlist filled since early October and are a testament to immaculate taste and hard work of Guy Blackman and Ben O'Connor, label owners, managers, directors and two of Australia's independent music heroes.

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A talented MC with a killer singing voice is something special... That's why Jeremy Koren (aka Jeremedy aka Grey Ghost) is worth getting excited about, he's a dude who can rhyme with the best of them (Rapper tag #40 for proof) but damn can he let rip on a booming chorus.

Grey Ghost has a unique sense of style and design, he's also charming, charismatic,  eloquent, passionate, handsome and bearded, we reckon he's an A&R mans wet dream... or at least he should be. Space Ambassador is the lead single of the debut Grey Ghost EP which was put together with the help of an all-star production cast that includes producers Jan Skubiszewski and Matik and mixers Forrester Savell and Scott Horscroft.

As former lead singer/MC in Melbourne live Hip Hop/Pop/Synth experimentalists The Melodics, Jeremedy always had incredible command of his audience, so while his brand of recorded "post hip hop" is polished and worthy of a dance-floor near you, you should expect a rocking live show too...

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Ahead of taking part in the annual Face The Music conference in Melbourne and the launch of her much hyped, already acclaimed debut EP, we spoke to Sophia Brous (just Brous for those in the know) about a bunch of things...

What do conferences like Face The Music mean to up and coming artists?

All things being well, getting a large group of people together to discuss what they're passionate about and committed to in music can only be a good thing for artists... it allows for a focusing of energies, so hopefully new connections can be made, music heard, and opportunities to benefit musicians and the Melbourne music community.


Your background in Jazz, your old 'day job' as artistic director of the  Melbourne International Jazz Festival and current role at the Adelaide Festival means that you've been exposed to a vast array of boundary pushing, world class music. How has this affected, informed, influenced the way you write and perform?

That's a hard one. We're all made up and composed of the things that we're exposed to, I think the Festivals, radio and general immersion I've had in music probably must express itself through my own music someway, though I'm loathe to dissect exactly how. The more you absorb, the more you can hopefully articulate yourself. I think my being a musician largely shaped how I approached my work at the Jazz Festival and now Adelaide, and I'm sure it must flow back in many ways as well.

Of all those gigs that Melbourne International Jazz Festival put on, what was your favourite?

Show-wise, there have been a lot, too many to name. Sun Ra Arkestra, Sangam with Charles Lloyd and Zakir Hussain (editorial note - click on that last link and have your mind blown), Charlemagne Palestine and Tony Conrad, Overground, Jason Moran, Tim Berne, Nels Cline.....I'm looking forward to seeing Genesis Breyer P-Orridge/Psychic TV, Jane Birkin, Hermeto Pascaole and the rest at the Adelaide Festival..


The EP has just come out. Tell us about the process of putting it together, recording it and now releasing it?

Because of my job at the time, the recording of the EP was done in two stages: initially in an intensive week-long session at Sing Sing studio where I recorded 9 songs around the clock with my band; and then a series of sessions whenever we could fit in the time - between meetings, after work, on the weekends - to put on the rest of the strings and choir parts. It was very consuming and satisfying trying to put together the picture for each song... I learnt a lot. It's been great to have it out for people to hear, the response has been lovely.


Something I admire about Brous is the aesthetic running through everything you do. From your album artwork, your website, your clips, your music, there's something classic and timeless about it...

I guess I'm quite interested in genre music and hyper nostalgia, waves of era idealisation, ethnocentrism and historio-centrism in music and how those themes relate to the way we absorb music...I probably express these interests in everything I do in Brous, in the songs themselves, the artwork and pictures etc. But ultimately I'm also trying to write about things I care about or am interested by. I try and create something like sonic scenarios that have a sense of space and context to each story.


EP Launch Gigs coming up. Are you looking forward to it? What should audiences expect

We're doing something different in each city for the launches. In Melbourne, I'm really glad to be launching the EP with many of the musicians I made it with....Shags Chamberlain, James Rushford, Joe Talia, with also with string section and vocal ensemble. In each city we've got great bands and guests playing with us, the Italian choir of grandmothers La Voce Della Luna will also be making a special appearance... they should be special shows.


What are your plans for an album? When? How? Why? What? Where would you like to take your music in the future.

I'm finishing off the last songs for the record and we'll be going into record it at the beginning of next year. I'm excited about it actually, it's what I'm focusing on most... it'll continue exploring all of the interests and threads that form Brous, but on a slightly different bent


You'll be speaking on the Live Performance panel at Face The Music this year, can you share with us some of the key things you feel are important to incorporate into a live show to help leave a lasting impression on an audience and keep them coming back? How important is live music to you.

I think every performer is always learning about that part of what we do. It's important to keep connected to the music you're playing, what you're singing about, to the overall 'headspace' of the audience and the feel of the night etc...this allows you to read how you might shift parts of the show to draw people in. Some people use large glitter cannons, I hear that works well.


What other sessions are you excited to see at Face The Music?

Still sorting through it, there's lots on...the talks on international promotion, DIY music business and some of the keynotes look interesting. I'll just find a perch and take it in for a day or two.


FACE THE MUSIC is on Friday November 18th & Saturday November 19th @ The Art Centre, Melbourne.
$40 ($30 concession) for one day or $60 ($50 concession) for two days.
Check out the full programme on the Face The Music website for all the details www.facethemusic.org.au or call (03 9380 1277).

BROUS EP LAUNCH TOUR
Saturday 12th November: Phoenix Public House, Melbourne.
Thursday 17th November: Alhambra presented by Wild Parlour, Brisbane.
Friday 18th November: FBi Social - Kings Cross Hotel, Sydney.

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When a press release concludes with the words "make no mistake, this is an important Australian Record" it's tempting to write it off as hyperbole... By whose standard is it important? Are we really breaking new ground?

Well, yes, in this case we really are breaking new ground.

The Last Kinection's album 'Next Of Kin' is stunning in its musicality and fiece in its intentions. 'Next Of Kin' fizzes with the unique world view of a politically savvy generation of proud indigenous artists. The album features party bangers (check out the totally rad 'Happy People' featuring Lotek) and stunning political R&B. Lead single 'Are We There Yet' should be adopted as the anthem for the Close The Gap Campaign. It's a song that also captures the zeitgeist of the #Occupy movement beautifully... The Last Kinection really do represent the exploited 99%.

Next Of Kin was created in the aftermath of a horrific car accident in 2008 - where MC Nay (Naomi) was pronounced dead at the scene until her brother Weno (Joel Wennitong) noticed that the blanket covering her was moving. From staring down the barrel of never walking or talking again to leading her fellow band members to win 5 Deadly Awards and release  a truly stunning album, the story of The Last Kinection's is already one of triumph over adversity. A beautiful (and yes, important) album full of amazing songs, one after the other...

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