There is no doubt Flume has produced one heck of a debut LP. The word has quickly spread over Facebook, Twitter and other social networks that this is not only a great album, but possibly album of the year.
Album of the year you say? Every now and then, an album comes along with that unique ability to capture you from start to finish and leave you in awe. This is one of those albums.
Flume is the stage name of Harley Streten, a 21-year-old Sydney-sider who produces subtle and quite evocative music that somewhat is astounding for his age. It’s quite astounding how someone so young can so clearly know what their sound is all about.
You have more than likely heard the big tracks from this album on repeat playing throughout Australian radio stations but their is so much more to be discovered with this release.
So what genre does Flume produce? Hip-Hop? Glitch? Dubstep? Disco? Techno? Trap?
To be honest, there is a real mix of all these genres and more. While he is hard to summaries down to one genre, there is still plenty that defines the Flume sound.
His considered restraint of the percussive pallet has contributed to distinctive Flume sound. It seems Flume instinctively knows when to drop a tightly quantized high hat, a rolling bass kick, a shuffling off-kilter snare, or not even use a beat at all. It is often the space between the sonics that gives so many of Flume’s tracks that distinctive haunting quality.
But more than anything, it is the strong vocal presence running throughout this album that ties it all together. From the consistent use of sampling to the many collaborations, the recurring vocal elements create an organic feel to his music that gets under your skin. His ability to twist and shape vocal samples up and down octaves creates a unifying instrument from the human voice box that is both playful and lingering.
Here we have a remarkably confident debut release from an artist who is carving out his own sound and bringing people along for the ride. With a debut LP as impressive as this, the 21 years young producer will surely be a hot commodity and someone to watch out for on his way to the top.