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Serving up euphoric disco hooks, to classic house choruses and forays into
Latin funk, Balearic and psychedelia - New Zealand collective Flamingo Pier deliver their debut self-titled album in June 2021.
In 2019 and 2020 they released two widely lauded EPs on Soundway Records,
garnering support from Maribou State, Tim Sweeney, BBC 6 Music DJs, The
Blessed Madonna, and JD Twitch to name a few. They wrote most of the album together in 2020 in South Auckland - “not the first place you’d expect to hear dance music being made,” reflects Luke, “you’re more likely to hear hip hop or sounds from the Pacific or India”. Musicians from the tightly knit local scene swung through to contribute to the recording, including fellow Soundway act Julien Dyne on drums, as well as saxophonist Nathan Haines.
The group centred the album around the power of shared joy, after what has
been a very difficult year for many people. “By being a source of joy for others,
you amplify that joy for both yourself and those around you, rather than losing
anything”, says Luke. The self-titled album draws from the band’s wide-ranging taste, as well as what they’ve been playing in order to keep spirits up. Channeling classic emotive house, to disco, Afro and jazz funk on their debut album, Flamingo Pier cite
a wide range of musical influences such as Khruangbin, Roisin Murphy, Peven
Everett, house legends Masters at Work and Brazilian artist Tim Maia. This translates into an uplifting but nostalgic current running throughout the album: reflecting on last chances, soul-searching and longing for the carefree days of the dance floor. The group were lucky enough in February 2021 however, to host the annual Flamingo Pier festival, on the paradisaical Waiheke Island. While this year did not allow for international acts to perform, the vibrant local scene delivered.
The power of music, with its ability to create and heighten joy among a crowd
of people could not have been more apparent, or more needed - something
that this album aims to spread even further.
For fans of: Psychemagik, Jayda G, Todd Terje, Joey Negro
Tracklist
Eternal / Last Call / Honey / Lost But I’m Leading / Make You Wonder /
Cosmic Sunset / Deeper Soul
Soundwave
https://youtu.be/XRrp1Qjkdq4