The Avalanches
The Avalanches are an electronic music collective from Melbourne, Australia. They are well known for their energetic live shows and use of eclectic sampling, creating their debut album Since I Left You entirely out of over hundreds (some have claimed thousands) of samples, from records both obscure and massively popular. Their technique was most famously demonstrated on the single "Frontier Psychiatrist".
History
The group started out as a punk outfit, featuring Robbie Chater, Darren Seltmann, Gordon McQuilten and Toni Diblasi. This eventually evolved into hip hop, and by the time the group hit the Melbourne scene in 1997, there was a huge degree of hype surrounding them, with the band supporting Jon Spencer Blues Explosion after less than a half a dozen shows. They also supported the Beastie Boys on the Australian leg of the Hello Nasty tour in 1998.
Amidst a bidding war that year, the band managed to put out its debut release in September, a limited edition 7" single on Trifekta featuring the tracks "Rock City" and "Thank You Caroline". This was followed by the release of the extended player El Producto in December on Steve Pavlovic's Wondergram Records. Around this time DJ Dexter became a member of the group, joining the band on turntables.
In September 1999 came the first taste of the band's forthcoming debut album, with the release of the 12" vinyl EP Electricity. This marked a shift in the band's sound away from live hip hop - which had earned the band the title of the Australian Beastie Boys by one Melbourne music journalist - towards their now-trademark eclectic pastiche of samples. This change of direction was further reinforced with their well-known single "Frontier Psychiatrist", which debuted and peaked at #48 in Australia and #18 in the United Kingdom. Nick Hornby mentions the single in his book, Songbook (also known as 31 Songs), a discussion of 31 songs that have provided a soundtrack to his life.
The group's debut album, Since I Left You, was released in Australia on Modular Recordings in November 2000 - and was released in the UK in 2001 through XL Recordings, and in the US through Sire Records. The album is composed almost entirely out of samples, including the bass line for Madonna's Holiday, which she surprisingly gave them clearance to use - the first time she has ever done so. The album was praised by the critics and public alike, and peaked at #8 in the UK Albums Chart.
Since the release of the album, the group has undergone several line-up changes, with the departure of Gordon and DJ Dexter and the addition of James De La Cruz. The Avalanches conducted a tour of Australian capital city nightclubs in 2005, and opened for Jamiroquai on the Sydney leg of the Dynamite tour in December. During this gig, the crowd got restless, at one point cheering a picture of Jay Kay from the tour program held up by an audience member, rather than the band, and throwing Mentos at the group, causing them to walk off stage just seventy minutes into an allocated two-hour set.
In June 2006 Modular Recordings announced the following in their monthly email:
"So, we finally took receipt of the long-awaited follow up to the smashing Since I Left You the other week. We listened to it over and over, but to be honest, the whole thing sounded kinda rushed. Rather than push out a half- arsed, less than thought out sophomore album, we’ve sent them back to the studio to spend a little more time on it. Fingers crossed they get it right this time."
This story was picked up by music news websites[1] but was later revealed to be a joke when Modular followed up the story by stating:
"In other news, we have to apologise to all those hearts we broke last week when we joked that we'd rejected The Avalanches' second album because it sounded rushed and that we're sending them back into the studio. It caused much distress to expectant fans and we didn't realize it would be picked up all over the place as a feature news story, basically the whole thing got a tad out of hand (although North Koreas response did seem a little extreme). We gently rib the guys like this on a monthly basis to hurry them along but of course they'll hand the record in when they're good and ready, and to be honest if they handed in a tape of fart samples we'd put it out no questions asked. Anyways word is its not far off and according to those collaborators who've heard bits and bobs its sounding like everything we dared not hope for, and so much more. They've made the record of their lives basically."
Legacy
Their success was a key element in the rise of bastard pop and mashups, both in the mainstream with songs like the Sugababes' Freak Like Me, artists such as DJ Yoda, Osymyso & Go Home Productions and the promotion of the underground scene which has produced crossover albums like Danger Mouse's Grey Album and Dean Gray's American Edit, often featuring uncleared song samples.
Discography
Albums
- Since I Left You (2000)
Singles and EPs
- "Rock City" (1997)
- "El Producto" (1997)
- "Undersea Community" (1999)
- "Electricity" (1999)
- "Frontier Psychiatrist" (2000)
- "A Different Feeling" (2000)
- "Since I Left You" (2001)
- "Radio" (2001)
- "At Last Alone" (2001)
Remixes
- Gerling - "Enter Spacecapsule (Enter The Spaceship Mix by The Avalanches)" (1999)
- Rex Records - "The Avalanches - Thank You Caroline (Andy Votel Remix)" (2000)
- Badly Drawn Boy - "The Shining (The Avalanches Good Word For The Weekend Remix)" (2000)
- Manic Street Preachers - "So Why So Sad (Sean Penn Mix - Avalanches)" (2001)
- Belle & Sebastian - "I'm A Cuckoo (Avalanches Mix)" (2004)
- The Concretes - "Chico (Avalanches' Wernham Hogg Remix)" (2004)
- Wolfmother - "Woman (Avalanches Millstream Remix)" (2006)