“OSCILLATE” LP
Oscillate: verb - Move or swing back and forth in a regular rhythm.
Oscillate, the third offering from Australian bandleader and drummer Alexander Flood, forges a new direction in his sound, pushing a fresh rhythmic and dynamic realm of live dance music. A synthesis of club music and jazz, the new tracks bring together Australian and European energies leaning on house music, broken beat, DnB, funk, experimental music, and live improvisation. This is music for the body.
In mid 2022 Alex travelled from Australia to Berlin to make the record, where he assembled a dream team crew of creative innovators featuring Hungarian keyboard player Àbáse, Australian bass guru Horatio Luna, and Brazilian flautista Paulo Cedraz. Together the group cut six unique dance tracks at Berlin’s iconic Jazzanova Studios, engineered by Grammy nominated Axel Reinemer.
From the shuffling broken beats and dancing flute melodies in title track “Oscillate” to the experimental uptempo “Deja Vu”, the momentum of the music ceases to stop. “U R THA 1” features a driving jungle sound of re-pitched drums, vocal chops and 808 bass, and “Berlin” captures a classic funky 90s house feel powered by 4-on-the-floor kick and melodic basslines from Horatio Luna. Paulo Cedraz shines on flute in the Caribbean influenced “Ginealach”, and the LP finishes with the head-bopping “Hüpf” giving the listener a taste of some down-tempo beat music atop a bed of Àbáse’s lush rhodes. From top to bottom, the unique voices and powerful musicianship of each band member is obvious.
Australian influence is at the core of the sound not only through the bass and drum chair, but through the punchy characteristic mix by Melbourne’s Lewis Moody and master by Gareth Thomson. The final piece of the puzzle was bringing in Alex’s childhood drum and percussion teacher Joel Prime, where they overdubbed additional percussion parts together in London.
Oscillate is out on Berlin label Jakarta Records in May 2023.
“BERLIN”
This one is for the house heads. Berlin is a special place for me - I’ve visited the city many times over the years and fallen in love with the place, built some great friendships and collaborators, as well as having recorded this new music there and working with Berlin label Jakarta Records. So I had to name this feel-good house hitter after such a feel-good city. Graced by the sounds of Horatio Luna, Àbáse, and Paulo Cedraz, “Berlin” dives deep into classic house rhythms and sounds.
“DEJA VU”
Leaning into more of an experimental sound and approach, Deja Vu captures the rawness of improvisation around some hard hitting broken beats and DNB rhythms. Paulo Cedraz (flute) floats through the lush bridge, giving contrast to the driving distorted drum breaks and synths throughout.
