Mix of the Week 24/10: Flight Facilities’ 37,000ft Mixtape
What do Kylie Minogue, Reggie Watts and Owl Eyes have in common? They have all featured on Flight Facilities tracks. The Sydney duo’s ascent to stardom began in 2010 with the release of “Crave You” and they have since stood tall as some of Australia’s best producers. Through their consistently bright, energetic and dance-ready music, their electronic mix of pop, house and disco never fails to ignite dancefloors. In the lead up to their brand new single, “Better Than Ever”, which is out now, Flight Facilities have reached deep into their vault and rereleased the 37,000ft Mixtape. Originally made in 2011, this hour of diverse EDM is a throwback to simpler times.
This week’s mix perfectly summarises what makes Flight Facilities so special, while offering significantly more music than a new release. The element that stands out most is how strong Flight Facilities’ distinct sound comes across in such an early mix. Kick drums have a tight production and basslines have a strong attack, giving every song a powerful rhythm to dance to, while the snares and background synths have a loose production, meaning there is a bright shimmer in the high end as the reverb establishes the broad soundscape. This is best seen in the only original song to feature on the mix, Flight Facilties’ “Foreign Language” (Drop Out Orchestra Remix). The overlapping layers all swell together to fill every space of the sound spectrum, with syncopated beats, bright melodies and varied genres making it easy to dance to. While everything is grounded in Flight Facilities’ iconic sound, there is a lot of stylistic diversity, achieved through the setlist. Starting with some old school ‘New Age’ rock, seen in Talking Heads’ “This Must Be the Place”, the mix moves through some electronica, with MGMT’s “Congratulations” (Erol Alkan Remix), classic rock, with The Rolling Stones’ “Too Much Blood” (Debonairs Too Much Dub), and disco, such as Lazydisco’s “More Tigers” (The C90s Remix). One of the best tracks to feature on the mix is Aeroplane’s “My Enemy”, which is a progressive house song, wildly different from Flight Facilities’ music.
The 37,000ft Mixtape feels like a lost treasure, dug up and gifted back to Flight Facilities fans. With single after single being released, there is something so great about hearing this electronic powerhouse from back when they were still producing mixes. Listen to the mix below and be sure to check out the brand new “Better Than Ever” here: https://lnk.to/BetterThanEver
