Dance/Electronic | Musicosity

Dance/Electronic

Cool Out Sun

Melbourne band Cool Out Sun make Afro roots music, peppered with hip hop goodness and a sunny disposition. The supergroup is a cross-cultural enterprise that sees vocalist N’fa Jones (1200 Techniques), percussionist Nui Moon (Digital Afrika) and drummer/producer Sensible J (REMI, Sampa The Great) teaming up to create sultry beats and poetic commentary on a variety of social issues.

Jones is an established solo artist whose career dates back to the late-‘90s. Cool Out Sun is a refinement of his musical vision that invites contributions from various prominent musicians, such as vocalist/percussionist Lamine Sonko of the African Intelligence.

Late last year, Cool Out Sun recorded a special session which has only recently been broadcast on MUUZOstream(link is external), Channel 31’s live music program. For our next Studio 5 presentation, we offer you the chance to hear this fabulous set in its entirety on Boogie Beat Suite.

Tune in from 11am on July 12 while MzRizk brightens up your Tuesday morning with the ever cool and poignant music of Cool Out Sun.

Studio 5 Live is proudly brought to you by our mates at Mountain Goat(link is external).

MorningMaxwell

For DJ / Producer Morning Maxwell, a strong party vibe seems to follow him wherever he goes.
Completely individual in his approach, Max can often be found anywhere the coconut water is, wearing the most colourful clothing in sight. MorningMaxwell resides in leafy Warrandyte in Melbourne, creating funky electronic dance music ranging from chilled hip shakers to house bangers. Passionate about all things house and electronic, Max performs his highly energetic sets often ending up half naked and viciously dancing into the very early hours of the morning. He recently toured around Bali, Fiji and most of Australia and is looking forward to 2020 having already ticked off a Client Liason support and a successful new single release ‘Take It In’.

COEO

Coeo is a eclectic DJ and music production duo hailing from Germany, known for their unique blend of disco & house music.
With a string of successful releases on acclaimed labels like Toy Tonics, Razor-N-Tape, and Let's Play House, Coeo has quickly become one of the most exciting and sought-after acts in the house music scene.
Coeo's music is characterized by its groovy, dancefloor-friendly beats, catchy hooks, and a distinct retro vibe that harks back to the golden age of disco. Their tracks are filled with funky basslines, soulful vocals, and lush instrumentals, creating a sound that is both nostalgic and fresh. It is not overstated to say that Coeo have delivered some of the most dancefloor friendly house tracks of recent years.
They originally became famous for their edits of almost forgotten music, which were played on dance floors all over the world by the big djs and listened to by fans millions of times on Spotify. Disclosure and Gerd Janson came out as fans, and house legend Moodymann played their songs on tour.
In addition to their studio work, Coeo is also renowned for their high-energy DJ sets, which are filled with cutting-edge tracks. Their infectious energy and seamless mixing have made them a popular fixture on the global club and festival circuit. They call London and Paris their second home and tour regurlarly through Europe and everything between Melbourne and Mexico City.
Whether in the studio or on the decks, Coeo is always pushing the boundaries of house music, exploring new sounds and techniques while staying true to their roots. With their infectious energy and undeniable talent, Coeo is a name to watch in the world of dance music.

Tommy Gun

South Sydney local TOMMY GUN slingshots straight to the main stage of the Australian music scene, sharing it with the likes of Thelma Plum and Winston Surfshirt. His last single played on Triple J's Home and Hosed and both of his recent film clips granted a spot on ABC’s Rage.

“Even When” is a song that demands to be heard. Speaking about the song in a press release, TOMMY GUN says “When I was writing the lyrics, I wanted to express the feeling of chasing someone who is emotionally unavailable. The song is about trusting that you will find the person that’s right for you.” Musically, the band pushed boundaries by experimenting with auto-tune, howling guitars and anthemic rock drums to convey the mixture of feelings one gains from offering their heart to a turbulent relationship. Recorded/ Mixed/ Mastered by George Georgiadis (Gang of Youths, Matt Corby, Last Dinosaurs and Ruby Fields) this Sydney super-group will be breathing fresh life into the Australian live music scene, captivating old and new fans.

Sina Bathaie

Sina Bathaie is a Multi-instrumentalist, Producer and Composer with more than 100 million streams on digital platforms. Originally from Iran, he is known for his unique style of playing traditional instruments such as the oud and ukulele and bringing an eastern touch to his electronic music.

Sina has performed at festivals and events including Burning Man, Luminato, Folk Music Ontario, CINARS, and Mundial Montréal.

His single “Breath of Life,” has amassed 20 million streams and achieved charting success in countries including Azerbaijan, Georgia, and Turkey. His single "Seven Ponds" became trending with millions of streams upon release in early 2024.

He has been signed with record labels such as Hoomidaas, Windcatcher Records, Tibetania and Camel VIP and has performed internationally. Sina began learning the santur at the age of seven from his father, Javad Bathaie, and studied Persian music with the instrument Oud.

Ruth Rogers-Wright

Ruth Rogers-Wright is a singer/songwriter from Brixton, S. London U.K. She has lived in Melbourne Australia for 15 years with the exception of several extended holidays/tours back in her homeland.

She first came to prominence and artistic acclaim in the mid 80′s with the ‘ new British jazz’ movement as described by seminal London DJ Giles Peterson. Her band Moontwist featured Australian pianist Mark Fitzgibbon and his sister Nichaud Fitzgibbon on back up vocals.

In the 10 years she has lived in Australia she has performed her jazz originals at Bennett’s Lane, The Butterfly Club, Paris Cat Jazz Club, Dizzys, York Festival and numerous iconic Australian venues

Ausecuma Beats

Ausecuma Beats formed as a combination of musicians from Australia, the Senegambia region, Cuba, and Mali… And hence the name Ausecuma, combining the four regions into one word.

As a result, Ausecuma Beats as a band stands for unity among diverse peoples, and it shows through their combined influences from Africa, Cuba, and Australia.

Yusupha Ngum is the lead singer of Ausecuma Beats. He is a superstar in his native Gambia, where he has had many hits in the complex rapidfire percussion style of West African “mbalax” music. He spent many years as the opening act in West Africa for African superstar Youssou N’dour. Yusupha’s soaring and passionate voice grabs you by the heartstrings and moves you, just through its incredible sound (you have to hear it to believe it).

Boubacar Gaye is from Senegal in West Africa, where his magic with the djembe (African drum) led him to become a member of the famous percussion group Mama Afrika. Boubacar’s career led to tours of Europe and a long career in Japan, and finally to Australia. Until you’ve heard Boubacar play, you would have never thought so many complex rhythms could come from a simple drum!

Rodolfo Hechavarria, known as “Panga”, hails from Cuba, where he became a virtuoso with the congas. He joined the traditional Cuban music band Sonora La Calle, with whom he toured Europe, and shared the stage with some of Cuba’s most famous musicians. In Australia, he combines his skill with the congas to contribute to the complex percussive rhythms of Ausecuma Beats!

Ed Crocker is a very successful drummer, having played with many successful bands, at many music festivals in Australia, and at the Glastonbury Festival in England. His incredible energy on the drum kit is astounding, and he has an uncanny ability to knock out very complex beats. Ed rounds out the incredible three-person percussion section of Ausecuma Beats!

Bassidi Koné comes from a Griot family in Mali, and achieved virtuosity on the balafon – an African wooden xylophone-like instrument. No matter what the genre, he infuses the music with the heritage of centuries of his family’s musical tradition. Bassidi has won many prestigious national music awards in Mali.

Adam Halliwell has had a very successful career on the electric guitar, having worked in free jazz and with bands in both East African and West African musical styles. He’s toured both Europe and Japan. Adam is known for his incredible skills at improvisation.

Milo Eastwood

Starting as a teenager on community radio, Milo Eastwood has spent the 13+ years bringing music to the masses, and for the last 5 has spent every weekday waking Melbourne up on PBS fm’s The Breakfast Spread covering a wide range of musical territory.

Milo’s work on Friday mornings on PBS has in recent times amassed a cult following of sorts from Melburnians who want to get their weekend started with a hefty dose of slamming house, soaring disco, Latin rhythms and chilled-out electronica.

His efforts behind the decks have seen him throw down sets at Golden Plains, Loch Hart Music Festival, Daydreams, and countless headline shows as well as his own flagship party Love Sensation.

Tania Doko

When you know, you know

There are few things in this world more spellbinding than a great vocal, the captivating magic of a beautiful, resounding singing voice. One of those belongs to Tania Doko, the way she connects, how it carries. Listen and you’ll find out.

Music has taken her all around the world, up charts and down winding roads where anything can and has happened thus, chances are you’ve already heard her. Then you’d already know that some journeys continue without an end. Relentlessly forwards, the work of Tania Doko.

Harder Now

Beauty attracts beauty, the cycle spins to set all meaningful things in motion, drawing from all sorts, even the broken. In fact, the beauty found there radiates a very special light. In July of 2023, Tania Doko will release a first single from her forthcoming EP. It’s called Harder Now, for very good reason, love. She’s two feet firm on Australia’s red soil again, for this, a new chapter in her music.

How it all comes together

Her career started early and precisely on a coffee table, cheered on by her proud Italian/Albanian family but thus far, Tania Doko is perhaps best known for her work in the ARIA awarded pop-duo Bachelor Girl. Their success is tremendous and together with James Roche she’s responsible for hit-songs like ‘Buses and Trains’, irresistibly cutting through anything to become the most played Australian composition on radio Down Under over the last 20 years. Signed by Clive Davies, the album ‘Waiting for the Day’ went double platinum.

The adventures with Bachelor Girl has been many and continues on to this day. Touring and continuously releasing a string of new material and only this year they released the song ‘Calling out your name’ whilst joining Darren Hayes on the road, a particular relationship that began when Tania Doko toured with him back in 2007.

The many adventures with Bachelor Girl lead Tania and James to be cast in leading roles in ‘Tim Rice’s Musical Spectacular’ alongside INXS at one point. How about that but then, that is but half the story.

Meanwhile and please, do try to keep up

Tania Doko also moved to Sweden for ten years, got married, built a family, wrote hit records with The Veronicas, Jessica Mauboy, Eric Bazilian, Taylor Dayne, Delta Goodrem, Sheppard, Tina Arena, to name a few. She’s done Disney film, K-pop and even dabbled in Eurovision hey, at one point she herself was a contestant singing her amply named song ‘Piece of Me’.

She performed at the Sydney Opera House with ‘Hear Me Roar’ alongside some of Australia’s finest. She toured with Australia’s ‘Let’s get together’, with Jon Stevens, Ian Moss and Jack Jones, started a successful podcast for exile Aussies in Sweden, was given a role in ‘Seriously. The Pet Shop Boys Reinterpreted’ in Edinburgh, UK, to the great pride and joy of The Boys themselves. Oh my, left to her own devices.

She’s been a judge on Channel 7’s ‘Popstars’, an APRA ambassador and you should know she holds a degree in Psychology and Criminology. Helpful in her work for positive change, dealing with troubled youth in Australia. Some of her most rewarding, vital work as she calls it.

She’s continuously lent her voice to the European EDM scene, writing and featuring with acts like Leroy Styles, Deep Matter, Gabi Newman. She’s sung to LGBTQ audiences from Manchester’s Pride to Sydney’s Mardi Gras.

Then when the world stopped, Tania re-evaluated. There was a very special dream of an album of her own, it grew and just like that, in 2021, Tania Doko and her family moved back to Australia.

Dealing with a longing heart, roots grow long but there’s nothing quite like the source, home.

Where do we go now?

The welcome was warm. Joining the cast of ‘Fleetwood Mac Orchestrated’, touring all around the country, such beautiful homecoming. Numerous shows with Bachelor Girl and seeing both her and James now shared the same continent, it generated renewed energy to meet the popular demand of seeing them perform live again.

But it’s time.

The beauty’s in the broken

In Stockholm, from time to time, she would write music for artists with Mattias Lindblom. Often it would fail, in a sense. Perhaps because the music was simply too personal, too perfectly fitting to hand over to anyone else thus, the songs were saved, destined to be Tania Doko’s own.

So here we are, it’s 2023. Tania Doko’s first solo material in 15 years, completed. It started with the song Harder Now, a song that musically and lyrically brings you straight into the heartily core of the work. It’s hypnotic, pulsating, tribal. A current and emotional tidal wave to simply, ride, travel with you.

Creating the wave

The work was finished back home, in Melbourne, Australia. It was produced by Mattias Lindblom and there are some very fine musicians featuring on it. It takes a web spun, from deep devotion to the craft, to capture a moment like this. Than courage, hope and faith to step into oneself, to be genuine. This is Tania Doko, always a forwards movement.

Out of the heart, comes everything and in the light, it’s golden…

Desire Marea

Desire Marea is a South African multidisciplinary artist whose tense, challenging work draws from several post-industrial and club music styles, and addresses themes such as loneliness, trauma, and displacement. Also a member of performance art duo FAKA, Marea released their debut solo album, Desire, in 2020.

EgoliBorn Buyani Duma, Desire Marea majored in Performing Arts at the National School of the Arts in Johannesburg, and also earned their bachelor's degree in Visual Communication at the Vega School. They pursued acting and worked at a top South African advertising agency. They formed the queer performance art duo FAKA with Thato Ramaisa (aka Fela Gucci) in 2015. Appearing on 2015's NON Worldwide Compilation, Vol. 1, the pair released the 2016 EP Bottoms Revenge on the label, and Marea was additionally featured on Angel-Ho's Emancipation EP. FAKA's second EP, 2017's Amaqhawe, was more club-ready than their debut, reflecting the influence of South Africa's gqom scene. The duo performed at numerous festivals, including MELT!, Roskilde, and Sonar, and were commissioned to write music for several high-profile fashion shows. They were also featured on Africa Express's 2019 album Egoli.

Marea digitally released their first solo album, Desire, on Izimakade Records in 2020. With nearly operatic vocals sung in English and Zulu, the record's tracks ranged from sophisticated art pop to noisy IDM. The album received word-of-mouth acclaim, and Mute picked it up for a physical release in 2021.