![]() His perspective comes from touring constantly, which he says is getting a bit tiring (“I just want to write some music”) but it’s not going to slow down anytime soon – he’s off for some dates in the UK next month with enormously popular London-based dance-pop crew Disclosure. We’ve got it so fucking good in Australia.” I’ve travelled all around the world, and I still haven’t found a place I like better than here. When asked if he’d consider relocating elsewhere – LA or Berlin, say – as so many artists do, he says, “I love it here. The pride he feels in the Aussie music scene extends to life in his home country. ![]() “I prefer it be mainstream because more people will hear it.” “I’m really enjoying it.” Misgivings about musical success aren’t for him – despite his unassuming nature there’s a clarity to his ambition. “For me, I guess it’s the only way I’ve really known it to happen, so it doesn’t feel that fast – it’s just what it is,” he says of his rapid rise. “I’m not into the attention thing so much.” Not surprisingly, it’s apparent that he is first and foremost a music fan – he says he’s been listening to lots of Booka Shade and Four Tet lately. In person, Streten is as down to earth as any other young guy from Sydney’s northern beaches who isn’t on rotation on MTV. Flume is ideal for that role in more ways that one not only is his music both smart and accessible, but he’s tall, clean-cut and boyishly good looking – most eligible to a legion of young fans. It was probably only a matter of time before someone came along to be the face of this movement. He’s been vocal about how proud he is to be part of it, and namechecks fellow artists like Wave Racer, Motez and Melbourne soul man Chet Faker, a friend and frequent collaborator, most recently on the EP Lockjaw. “There definitely is a bit of a movement going on,” Streten says. Dozens of massive festivals each year are balanced by robust local underground club scenes breakout acts range from the indie electronica of Seekae and RüFüS to house and techno producers like Touch Sensitive and Hayden James, not to mention more commercial acts like Cut Copy and the Presets. Perhaps Flume’s huge success would surprise only those who had missed out on the explosion of electronic music in Australia over the past decade. It’s a canny blend of hip hop, indie and electronica, whipped into appealing radio-ready creations that somehow manage to seem both pop and experimental. Hits like Holdin On, Sleepless and Insane, pumping out of Jeeps, bars and boom boxes at the beach everywhere, are unmistakable with their jagged funk beats, cascading layers of synths, chopped-up vocal samples and absurdly catchy melodies. Most of the album is instrumental songs, so to be nominated for any Arias at all is kind of crazy.” He says this as though he just won at trivia down at the local pub.Įven if you don’t go out to clubs much or live with teenagers, you’ve probably not been able to avoid Flume’s music. “It wasn’t something I ever really thought about when I was writing most of the music. It’s unlikely, though, that any of it will faze the level-headed Streten any more than his other achievements. He’ll share the red carpet with fellow nominees Paul Kelly, Keith Urban and Nick Cave. The latest notch on his belt, and perhaps the most significant nod from the mainstream yet is next month’s Aria awards, where he’s been nominated in what seems like every category, including best album, best male artist, breakthrough artist and best dance release. ![]() Last month he swept the Independent Music Awards. He sold out Sydney’s 5,500-capacity Hordern Pavilion two nights in a row. Back home, he was headlining arenas full of screaming kids accompanied by an elaborate light show, which he called the infinity prism. Soon Flume was touring the world and generating a massive buzz at music biz showcases including Miami’s Winter Music Conference and SXSW in Texas. It hit the charts at No 2, behind One Direction, and ascended to No 1 soon afterwards, on its way to platinum status. His self-titled debut album on Sydney indie label Future Classic – who signed him when he was still a teenager and have seen their profile rise with his – was released a year ago this week.
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