Concrete Playground Meets Australian Multi-Instrumentalists Hermitude

Overview

Australian multi-instrumentalists Luke Dubber and Angus Stuart have been making music together since 1994, when they attended high school in New South Wales' rugged Blue Mountains. Back then the lads laced their jazz-infused hip hop instrumentals with samples from rare records, and spent their days searching for new sounds.

Fast forward over two decades and two band names (Funk Injection and Explanetary) and these two are now one of Australia's biggest electronic exports as Hermitude. A passion to explore new soundscapes pushed them towards more hard hitting electronic music, netting brilliant results; 7 ARIA nominations, a number one album on the Australian charts and international acclaim.

Instant classics like 'Speak of the Devil', 'The Buzz' and 'Ukiyo' show these chaps aren't afraid of an ultra catchy hook, but are still driven by a hunger for new soundscapes and unique instrumentation. We got the chance to have a chat to Luke and Angus ahead of their February 24 show in Auckland. We talk SEGA Mega Drive, recording with Big Krit in Atlanta and what to expect from the future of Hermitude.

You have a long history working together. Can you tell us the story of how Hemitude first started making music together (I read somewhere you were 11 and 16 at the time)?

That's right, we started in a high school band together. After rehearsals, we'd hang out jamming on keys and turntables. Since we were already writing beats separately at the time, we thought we might as well link up and write something together. That something ended up being our first vinyl release, Imaginary Friends.

When Hermitude first formed back in the day you sounded a lot different. What drove the change from the old school Grammatik-esque heavy/jazz/hip hop sound towards more electronic music?

We don't like to stay stagnant when we approach a new record. We find our best music comes out of our comfort zone. We could keep writing similar material each time but we feel it wouldn't sound as energised as when we try and write something new. Electronic music has always been a huge influence for us, so when we transitioned from more warm analog sounds to sharper more electronic sounds, it felt like a natural progression for us.

You guys blew up pretty huge after HyperParadise. Did the success change anything? 

Just our egos haha! Nah we pretty much just kept rolling along, except we're now lucky enough to afford our own recording studio in the city, we get better time slots at festivals, and when we ask for a SEGA Mega Drive on our backstage rider, we sometimes get it!

When you play live you produce via synths, drums and samples on the spot - how does this change the way you tackle a live show? Can we expect some ad-libbed material when you play Auckland's Studio?

Yeah for sure. We came up playing in bands so being surrounded by instruments and having the freedom to jam out here and there is essential for us. We feel it adds a special dynamic to the show. It can be hard sometimes at electronic shows to know exactly what the artist is playing live and what is playing off the backing track, so when we strip it right back to just the two of us playing completely live, people really feed off that energy.

You've played some insane gigs— EDC, SXSW, Lolapalooza. How different is the vibe and crowd at one of those massive festivals to say a more intimate show somewhere like the Studio here in little old NZ? Do you play a different set or prepare differently?

It's pretty crazy playing those big festivals in the US just because of the sheer scale of them. But we are big fans of the intimate club vibe as well. Nothing beats getting real sweaty in some basement with a smaller crowd who are totally in sync with you. They're special shows. We cater our set for the headline shows a little differently than the festival slots. With a headlline show, people are just there to see us, so we take them on a bit more of a personal journey with some of our more downtempo material. The festival slots we keep it more on that banging, hour-of-power tip.

What's been the most enjoyable/memorable collaboration you've have done so far? Did you have much to do with Big Krit when he put a verse down on 'The Buzz'? 

Yeah, that was probably the most memorable. We actually went to his studio in ATL when he put down his verse on 'The Buzz'. He was super pro and humble and he smashed out his verse in just a few takes. We'd been listening to Cadillactica a whole bunch prior so to be in his spot watching him in the mic booth spitting on our track? That shit was pretty incredible!

Who are your top five artists who influence and inspire at the moment?

Sam Gellaitry, EPROM, Mura Musa, Sampha, Syd.

What else can Aucklanders expect from a live Hermitude show?

Big bass, random mic bantering and good vibes! We just bring those feels that make you wanna enjoy yourself.

What's in the future for you two? Any big projects or collaborations coming up we can get excited about?

NEW RECORD! Yep, it's been a while but we've been writing a bit on the road, and after this run we'll be hitting the studio all year. So come 2018, it'll be time to update the catalogue once more with some newness. New single later this year too.