Mix of the Week 31/10: Harrison Downes @ Elements 2019-10-29
Over the weekend of October 18th – 20th, the annual Elements festival made its way to Southern Queensland. Arts, music and culture graced the rolling vistas of the Sunshine Coast hinterland for three days. One of the acts that hit the main stage was Käse Kochen, which is the creative outlet for Tasmanian producer Harrison Downes and his hybrid fusion of Techno, House, Progressive and Minimal electronic music. Growing up in the evergreen northern NSW meant exposure to electronic music and varied life styles was commonplace. This lead him to create music that was inspired by outdoor sound. Releasing the full Elements 2019 set on Soundcloud, this eclectic mix puts the listener out into the sunny landscape of the festival.
As a producer, Downes is truly unique and this hour and a half long set showcases the best of his abilities. His strange mixture of genre conventions gives the mix a lot of variety. There are downbeat, ambient tracks that rely on heavy use of dub to create a trance effect, before exploding into wild, syncopated dance music full of energy. Other songs have the bright kick and snare of a house track, with a techno low end that builds like a progressive track. This constant fluidity between styles keeps things fresh for the entirety of the set. But, that is not to say the mix is inconsistent. Instead, the mix is grounded in a distinct character. Performing during the twilight hours, Downes created the set so it was rich with melodic emotion. While it is still dance music, there is a depth and melancholy to the music that allows Downes’ wild fusion of genre elements to be sonically unified. These come in the form of delayed synths, reverbed guitars and even some distant jazz instrumentation, like an eroded trumped. Through these layers, the mix has almost a sad or mournful tone to it. The end result is a mix that is constantly shifting through genres and styles, while remaining grounded as a dance ready but emotion set.
The full set has been released publically via Soundcloud. Check it out below.
