Charles Murdoch - Weathered Heights

There’s a definite formula to how these things work in Australia. A producer might bring out an initial remix, or a standalone song that sends clubs the country over (aside from the Outback, which doesn’t tend to house nightclubs) into a frenzy. In this case Charles Murdoch took on a track (‘Sleepless’) from existing Aussie sensation Flume. It’s since landed him a deal on Future Classic, the go-to electronic label, housing both Flume and Jagwar Ma for starters.

‘Weathered Heights’ also follows formula by recruiting guest vocalists to send Murdoch’s smart, escapist productions into headier heights. Blog-famous Steffaloo and the lesser known Oscar Key Sung contribute to this debut release. Vocals rinse chopped-up beats, floaty synthetics, pitch-shifted samples. Some might render it predictable, easy to guess what’s coming round the corner.

All the same, there’s something that allows the EP to stand aside from its contemporaries. Productions are aqueous, ever-expansive works. Closer ‘No Lungs’ defies expectations by sending previously exposed ideas into something darker, almost beast-like in approach. It might not buckle convention and it does, at times, appear to latch onto a blossoming scene but make no mistake: Murdoch is a vital cog in this increasingly impressive machine