Los Angeles-based artist Benji Lewis is back with “Away,” a new track that he composed a few days after his exhausting participation at SXSW 2018. Crafted in collaboration with Golden Vessel, the light-hearted and cheerful track is about searching for some fun and balance in your life. It’s not always easy to take some time for yourself and to hide from your daily routine; this anti burnout anthem perfectly illustrates this quest for relaxation and escapism.

About the track, he detailed:

[su_quote]It’s a happy, feel good, lifting song for me, and it feels like summer to me as well. It’s about finding more of a balance in life, still working hard for what you want while also having some fun and speaking up for yourself when you feel things are getting too busy. I think we can all get caught up and not give ourselves that time to be free, enjoy the outdoors, go travel somewhere new because you can and want to. And that’s what I’m saying here, do both, do it all, and do it how you want.[/su_quote]

Take a break to breathe and listen below.

Now relocated to Los Angeles, Aussie artist Benji Lewis is preparing the release of his new EP. Following up on his debut SXSW gig and his previously shared single “Deep Blue,” he is back with “Us Again” which was also produced by Golden Vessel. About the track, Benji Lewis stated:

[su_quote]The song is about wanting to be in the same space as the other person, breathing in the same air, being able to look into their eyes, and have them look at you in the same way. It’s about wanting to have that again, and feel all of things that come just from being around them.[/su_quote]

Fresh off the release of “Simple Luv”, the Melbourne electronic R&B producer and singer proved he can create infectious dance floor-ready hits. Back with a minimalist jam “Club Mate”, Oscar Vincente Slorach-Thorn testifies his versatility. Oscar‘s lustrous voice shines atop rolling drums and classic piano loops. Its jazz-inflected, left-of-center production (with finishing touches by fellow Aussie producer Golden Vessel) is simple but it defies expectations.

During the chorus, the queer artist sings “oh I hope that you love like you dance” articulating “the slow-motion moment where you see someone who fascinates you, and they are just an entire story of possibility to imagine“. While in the past he’d mix his voice to fit within the instrumental, his plaintive vocal tone and introspective lyrics are focal points which installs a pleasant, sensual sonic mood.

Oscar Key Sung‘s brand new EP “No Disguise” is a collection of experiences, memories and feelings he had while travelling between Mexico City, Berlin and LA. Listen to both singles below:

Benji Lewis is one of the most exciting artists from Australia at the moment. The Melbourne-based artist has teamed up with Max Byrne of Golden Vessel for the soulful electro-pop ballad “Deep Blue”. About the track, he detailed:

[su_quote]”Me and Max aka Golden Vessel had gotten together in Brisbane for our first session of writing ayear later, back again to create the next EP. I feel like this song came as naturally and magically as some special ones did the last time around. It’s about how good and passionate a connection, a relationship can be between two people. Most of the things I sing about I have been lucky enough to feel or experience.It’s about losing yourself in the moment with this person. Out at night. Really letting yourself connect and feel everything, on a deeper level with the night, and the person, or the people around or with you.[/su_quote]

This new track also announces an upcoming EP from Benji Lewis as well as a series of US for SXSW. Check the dates below:

3/14 – The Side Bar – Austin, TX(unofficial SXSW event)

3/15- St David’s Historic Sanctuary – Austin, TX(official SXSW showcase)

3/28- The Peppermint Club – Hollywood, CA (with Robokid & Phil Good

Keep things fresh with Benji Lewis over Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

Emerson Leif and Golden Vessel have been friends for years and already worked on some Golden Vessel‘s tracks in the past. This is probably why this collaboration sounds so natural and fusional. At the beginning, “Hesitate” was a simple 30-second sample of Emerson Leif‘s voice. As the artist detailed:

[su_quote]I had loaded all these effects on it until the vocal sounded more like an organ. The sample always felt like it had possibilities, and I knew there was a song there every time I listened to it.[/su_quote]

From this sample, they have achieved to create lush arrangements and to turn it into an organic meditation of open-mindedness which is reminiscent of Bon Iver‘s work on their last album “22, A Million”. The single is beautifully crafted and brings us into Emerson Leif‘s personal journey. About “Hesitate” essence, the artist explained:

[su_quote]I found myself feeling very alone and without purpose. I could not accept that we just exist: eat, sleep, work, repeat. We are sold a kind of ‘happiness’ like it’s something we can work towards but what’s on offer is fleeting, if at all.This particular track was the beginning of a journey for Leif as he began to explore life’s greatest philosophies, most notably the idea of God. I had many questions about life but the greatest question was one of God. Or better yet, one for God. “Are you there?” Honestly, religion just felt so tired and insular. I wanted something tangible. I wanted to find truth. The idea of searching is perhaps most terrifying, because what if one finds nothing.[/su_quote]

Keep things fresh with Emerson Leif via Facebook and Twitter. Connect with Golden Vessel via Facebook and Twitter.

Sweet vocals, distorted synths and speed-of-light image changes allow the producer to captivate the listener with the last single taken from his upcoming EP “Right/Side” set to be released on September 29th. About the video, Golden Vessel explains:

[su_quote]I wanted to create a music video for this song that was fast moving and felt like OKBADLANDS and I were just dancing in front of our bedroom mirrors. I met Harry Deadman and his small team who are into filming multi-format and old-film medium videos and thought the switching between Digital, 16mm, VHS, photos + more formats would create the movement and textures that were within the song musically[/su_quote]
[su_youtube url=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xIP7NwsqEi8″]

You can follow Golden Vessel over Facebook, Twitter and Soundcloud. You can follow OKBADLANDS over Facebook, Twitter and Soundcloud. You can listen to the audio below.

Akurei‘s ‘Floating’ is a dreamy electronic R&B work of art which was produced by Golden Vessel. His soothing vocals float over drum machine styled percussion and swirling synths. Nico Ghost‘s rhythmic rap verse adds some much needed dynamics to the composition. I love seeing artists breach into worlds that remain relatively unexplored in their worlds, and Akurei hit the nail on the head with his take on electronic soul and R&B.

Listen to ‘Floating’ below and follow Akurei on Soundcloud and Spotify.

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And boy, is it good. “Wave” features the gorgeous, silky-like-your-soymilk vocals of Brisbane-based duo OKBADLANDS. The dreamy, calming atmosphere of “Wave” is further amplified by the soft colored assortment of synths and drum samples that Golden Vessel adds in. If your latest trap banger is neon yellow and green in terms of color, “Waves” is like a pale golden yellow or maybe a light lavender in comparison. While some vocalists streamline their melodies and lyrics in the most rote ways possible on electronic tracks these days, OKBADLANDS (comprised of Sally and Kate) creates the most beautiful textures in their singing style. It feels both parts spiritual and emotional when you listen to their vocals layered on top of the production.

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The origin of “Wave” was fairly simple. Like many of Golden Vessel’s tracks, ‘Wave’ started out as a simple beat he’d created on his laptop. Later, he added a piano melody throughout before asking Joe Thiang (of MTNS) to lay some drums over the outro of the song.

On working with OKBADLANDS, Golden Vessel mentioned,

[su_quote]“I’d been working with Sally and Kate over the last few months producing tracks for their debut EP. I really loved working with them, and they are both immensely talented, so I decided to see whether they wanted to collaborate on this track. After a quick creative discussion over some burgers, I got stuck into finishing up the instrumental and OKB had the vocals finished within the week”[/su_quote]

“Wave” is available now from iTunes and Spotify, and will also be up for free download via Golden Vessel‘s Soundcloud until the Before Sleep EP release on June 21.

Before Sleep EP Tour:
Thursday, June 30 – The Foundry, Brisbane (w/Lastlings & LEØ)
Friday, July 1 – Banquet @ The World Bar, Sydney
Friday, July 8 – Yah Yah’s, Melbourne (w/SEYWOOD, Abraham Tilbury & elkkle)

Be sure to check out both Golden Vessel on SoundCloud, Twitter, and Facebook and stay updated on all things OKBADLANDS on SC, Twitter, and Facebook as well !! Gotta show support to the artists who make the music you love <3