Words by Georgia Griffiths, Callum MacDonald, James Guido, Luke Byatt

Welcome to Future Focus, an editorial series providing a personable glimpse into some of best music releasing in the scene. Future Focus 031 features the diverse and vibrant sounds of Flight Facilities & Hush Hush, Wastemall, Ok Sure and BKLV.

Flight Facilities - Crave You (Hush Hush Bootleg)

By Georgia Griffiths

Flight Facilities’ ‘Crave You’ is one of the iconic tunes from the Australian electronic scene at the turn of the 2010s. With its simple key chord base and Giselle’s soaring vocals, it’s soundtracked a decade’s worth of sunset sessions and summer festival slots. With over 170 million Spotify streams for the original and its remixes, the Flight Facilities boys have pulled out a special treat to celebrate ten years of ‘Crave You’: a remix by North Carolina’s Hush Hush. The Hush Hush Bootleg mix of ‘Crave You’ taps into the lo-fi house vibe that continues to find new fans through YouTube and Reddit, adding a persistent hi-hat and paring back the vocals to the bare minimum. 

The Hush Hush Bootleg originally began its life on YouTube in 2017 as ‘Why Can’t U’, where the comments are littered with fans brought to the remix by Replika, an AI conversation bot. This sums up just some of the ways the Internet has shaped the music industry since the original ‘Crave You’ was released. In 2020, a remix featuring an uncleared sample uploaded to a crowd-sharing video platform by a bedroom DJ can be recommended to you by a computer, and if the band hears about it they might officially release it instead of issuing a takedown notice. In this case, Flight Facilities were reminded of the scene they began DJing in. The mix perfectly encapsulates that DIY style that defined that era. Hush Hush opts to highlight the best parts of ‘Crave You’, such as the chord progression, but keeping it minimal rather than adding too much as remixes are often prone to do. All in all, the Hush Hush Bootleg is a nostalgic rehash of a classic tune that will have you bopping along until summer finally hits.

Wastemall - Lights Out

By Callum MacDonald

Brisbane-based producer, Wastemall, delivers an elusive dancefloor debut, ‘Lights Out’.

Wastemall is the project of Brisbane producer and motion designer, Jordan Madigan. After taking a six-month hiatus from music, Jordan embarked on the project focusing on an introspective sound, free of outside influences. ‘Lights Out’ draws you in with soft pads, a pulsing, hypnotic beat, following waves of crushed bass lines and vocal hooks. Just as you’re hooked into the tempo, the sensational single drops into a rhythmic chorus capable of locking your body into complete motion. The Wastemall project produces a sound that you can vividly see playing in a big festival tent, but remains subtle enough to dance to alone while cleaning the house up. 

With the announcement of his debut EP Don’t Tell Me dropping in 2020, we’re excited to hear more from Wastemall before the year ends. 

Ok Sure - Portals

By James Guido

Ok Sure has graced us with this new dark release, 'Portals' in the wake of singles such as 'Severance' which features Evangeline.

‘Portals’ makes use of unconventional production repertoire. Opening with dark brooding keys courtesy of a grand piano and loosely doubled vocals which appear on either side of the recording. The division of these creates a disparity and tension, which releases into a chorus loaded with rich distorted bass tones, tonicisation and sidechain groove breakbeats. This track gives a listener the fully immersive experience, the soundscape elegantly pieced together with the Autopan and intricate vocal production. The bass modulation on the outro is again a testament to the attention to detail in ‘Portals’.

Ok Sure has us eagerly awaiting her next release!

BKLV - Pranayama

By Luke Byatt

BKLV’s tracks are quickly becoming a mainstay for the Futuremag Music, and the release of ‘Pranayama’ is another fine addition to the list.

Released on Insight Music’s Nine compilation album, BKLV’s ‘Pranayama’ joins singles from downtempo legends Pensees, and Enzalla. Wet, is first word that comes to mind when listening to ‘Pranayama’. From the drenched aesthetic achieved through rain samples to the deep vocals the glide under the thick sub bass, the release is a texture filled affair. With each subsequent engagement with ‘Pranayama’ additional details begin to reveal themselves, resulting in a varied and exploratory encounters with the record.

It’s abundantly clear that I’m an ardent fan of BKLV, so there’s no surprise I’m eager to hear what’s to come.

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