FLUME IS SAILING THE SOUNDCLOUD WAVE

photography DANIEL SHIPP te x t VI NGUYEN

Once upon a time, a curious 13-year-old boy peered into his cereal box and stumbled upon a CD that would change his life. That boy was Harley Streten, now known to legions of fans around the world as Flume. And that cereal freebie? It was a software disc that propelled Streten into the world of electronic music production.

Now 22, Streten can hardly believe his success. While many fledgling producers find themselves floundering in a world of soundcloud hustles, Streten has carved a niche for himself, calmly straddling the line between “bonafide superstar” and “reclusive musician.” His penchant for the bouncy and melodic has served him well—appealing to both the mainstream “EDM”-loving festival rager and the Tiesto-hating, holier-than-thou, dance music hipsters who’d rather die than be caught fist-pumping at a festival. Read on as Aussie musician Flume contemplates the path of global conquest and lets us know why electronic music is here to stay.

YOU SAW ENORMOUS SUCCESS IN 2013, AND YOU JUST PLAYED of my escape to write that heavy, club, crazy music. Both A HUGELY SUCCESSFUL SET AT COACHELLA THIS PAST APRIL. Flume and have a lot of melody but I can WAS THERE EVER ANY POINT OR MILESTONE WHERE YOU SAID TO write straight up bangers for What So Not. I’m talking about YOURSELF, “WOW, I’VE REALLY MADE IT”? tracks like Rustie’s ‘Slasher’ and TNGHT’s ‘Bugg’n’—these I reckon the time I realized it was working was when are forward-thinking, interesting pieces of music that are I did this festival in . It was the first proper fucking bangers. I love dance music, and I want it to really festival I’d ever played. I was playing in this tent and pump, to really be able to play it out and to be able to get I was on first in the day, like a 2 o’clock slot. I wasn’t a huge reaction at festivals and things, so I spend a lot of expecting much seeing it was so early! I got up there, time trying to create drops that have this melodic element and there were more people than I ever expected. By to them, but also hit really hard. the end of the set, the tent was full, and that was like 5,000 people or something. At my first festival ever. It YOU DON’T LIKE TO BE PIGEONHOLED INTO ONE GENRE. IS THIS was completely mind-boggling. The circuits in my head WHY YOU’VE COLLABORATED WITH SO MANY ARTISTS? were kind of frying. I’d never stood in front of anywhere No, it doesn’t really have a connection, I just really like near that amount of people. writing music with other people sometimes. The thing is, I like getting something out of my head sometimes, and YOU’VE SPENT A LOT OF TIME TOURING, YET YOU’VE ALSO PUT I’ll have a very strong idea of what I like something to OUT A TON OF MUSIC, NOT INCLUDING YOUR SIDE PROJECT WORK sound like. I’ll send it to a vocalist and I kind of just give AS WHAT SO NOT. HOW DO YOU GET CREATIVELY RECHARGED AND them no brief . . . ‘cause if I give them a brief, it restricts WHAT’S YOUR PROCESS FOR WRITING MUSIC? the creativity, and often what I want the vocal to be, it’ll Well it’s something I’ve kind of been struggling with end up something quite different. Often or not it’s better a little bit lately, just getting back into the rhythm of than what I imagine. That’s why I like working with other writing again. [Back then,] I wrote all this material, people, because it’s another set of ears. and I had pretty much all the time in the world. I was working part-time jobs and doing music, you know, SPEAKING OF COLLABORATIONS, CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE there was kind of no pressure. It was never my job, SKRILLEX AND WHAT SO NOT RUMOR WE’VE BEEN HEARING ABOUT? so I just did it when I felt like it. Now though, I’ve There’s something in the works, but it’s not finished. only recently just had some time off to write, and it’s But yeah, Sonny was in for a little while, so we just really weird. Like every day I’ve got to go to work, ended up hanging out, mucking around, and writing and you go to the studio . . . you sit there, and it’s some bits and pieces. We’ll see what happens with it. like, ‘huh.’ Sometimes you’re in the mood, sometimes you’re not, and you have to just try and get into like a WHEN CAN WE EXPECT A NEW ALBUM OUT FROM YOU? WHAT ELSE completely different headspace. HAVE YOU GOT GOING ON? I’ve been writing for the past few months, or at least NOWADAYS THERE’S A LOT OF PESSIMISM OVER THE PROLIFERATION trying to get my head in the right space. Coming out OF BANGERS AND THE ENDLESS EMPHASIS ON “THE DROP.” HOW with bits and pieces. I’m writing a new album, hoping DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THE CURRENT STATE OF ELECTRONIC MUSIC? to have an album out by early next year. I’m actually DO YOU THINK IT’S HERE TO STAY? sitting in this hotel room in Santiago, and I’ve been I definitely think it’s here to stay, 100%. I love bangers. working on this new remix—can’t say who it’s for, but The thing is, it’s really tricky to write a banger that’s it’s nearly done and it’s really solid. I’m super excited tasteful. With my other project, What So Not, that’s kind to put it out. It’s a banger by the way!

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