Seal the Deal

Things have been boiling for a while in the distant musical cauldrons of Australia. A new generation of producers are redefining underground music with a free-spirited, DIY aesthetic that continues to score points in all the right places.

No stranger to long flights and warm studios is Freekwency; the prime project and masked moniker of modern Funk producer Benny Badge. Channeling the creative gusto that lifted producers such as Nick Martinelli and Jellybean Benitez to stardom in the 1980s, the Freekwency sound is both a distinctly fresh and deliciously nostalgic ticket to a time when things were simpler.

Based in both Melbourne and Manchester, Benny's production on several Freekwency singles, Nite Class's "Love Scenes LP" and recent writing/arrangement work as head of labels Hot Shot Sounds and Gulf Point have not gone unnoticed. Joining the roster at London's ISM Records, "Seal The Deal" has Freekwency picking up where Hardcastle left off, taking the sweet and syrupy hallmarks of 80s Electro Funk into uncharted territory once again.

The album features a host of guests from performers to technical credits, suggesting things were done properly right down to the Otari 24-track it was recorded on. Vocal support includes Françoise and Ale Chambers of Silver Linings, De Konichiwa of Nite Class and Charli James and Cazeaux O.S.L.O. after their recent work with Australian comrade Inkswel. And as usual, Benny takes up production duties, his latest work suggesting that synthesizers don't get dusty in his part of the world!