Australian producer Flume released new music for the first time since 2017. He announced the release on his social media platforms yesterday, March 20th: “Hi This Is Flume. I made a mixtape with some of my favorite artists. It’s 38 minutes of music with a visualizer created by Jonathan Zawada. We hope you enjoy :)”
The mixtape begins with “Hi This Is Flume,” and it echoes multiple audio clips of Flume’s introductory voice. Electronic beats trickle in, increasing in speed by the end of the track before fading into “Ecdysis.” The mixtape works through 38 minutes of music this way, flawless transitions from track to track– just how a mixtape, and arguably every album, should be.
Flume featured who he stated were some of his favorite artists, including Eprom, KUČKA, and more. Slowthai raps over the feel-good beat by HWLS and Flume, “High Beams.” The second rapper featured, JPEGMAFIA, sings with the deep and groovy beat accompanied by nostalgic lasers in “How To Build A Relationship.” Most notably, PC music artist SOPHIE follows Flume’s new glitchy sound on “Voices” as well as “Is It Cold In The Water?”
Music is always a better experience through headphones, and there’s no difference with This Is Flume. The nostalgic lasers in “How To Build a Relationship,” audibly swap from the left and right headphone, creating a musical illusion of being physically placed in a game of laser tag. A similar thing happens when SOPHIE’s synthesized voice putters between the headphones on “Is It Cold In The Water?”
Hi This Is Flume is a distinctively new mixture of sounds. Vocals are repetitive and layered, the bass whiplashes in and out, and there’s also a scraping sound similar to a güiro, a latin percussion instrument, in “Wormhole.”
This mixtape was a long time coming, and it was definitely worth the wait. Flume has a reputation of blending different sounds to create a new composite formula of music, and does not disappoint with Hi This Is Flume. By using audio clips, multiple features, and a variety of sounds, Flume has created a new model of music with playful glitches and smooth transitions consistently throughout his newest project.
There’s also a 34-second transition track called “╜φ°⌂▌╫§╜φ°⌂▌╫§╜φ°⌂▌╫§╜φ°⌂▌╫§╜φ°⌂▌╫§╜φ°⌂▌╫§╜φ°⌂▌╫§╜φ°⌂▌╫§╜φ°⌂▌╫§╜φ°⌂▌╫§╜φ°⌂▌╫§╜φ°⌂▌╫§╜φ°⌂▌╫§╜φ°⌂▌╫§╜φ°⌂▌╫§╜φ°⌂▌╫§╜φ°⌂▌” so it’s definitely worth the listen.
Hi This Is Flume can be streamed track-by-track on Spotify or Apple Music, or as a continuous mixtape on Soundcloud, and a visual aid on YouTube. Each platform provides the listener with a different audible and visual experience. Don’t miss out on this mix, stream now on all platforms.
Written by Stephanie Regan
