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Hi This Is Flume

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Hi This Is Flume is the first mixtape released by Australian electronic musician Flume. It was released on 20 March 2019 by Future Classic. The mixtape follows the release of Flume's Skin: The Remixes in 2017. Hi This Is Flume was announced on 19 March 2019, only days after Flume's documentary When Everything Was New was released to YouTube. Flume began working on the album away from the public eye from 2017, following his commercially-successful album Skin and its world tour.

Hi This Is Flume
Mixtape by
Flume
Released20 March 2019 (2019-03-20)
Genre
Length38:10
LabelFuture Classic
Producer
Flume chronology
Skin: The Remixes
(2017) 		Hi This Is Flume
(2019) 		Quits
(2019)

The mixtape is a more experimental record compared to Flume's previous work, and contains features from several of his favourite artists such as Slowthai, JPEGMafia and frequent collaborator Kučka, as well as guest production from HWLS, Sophie and Eprom. A remix of Sophie's "Is It Cold in the Water?" from her 2018 album Oil of Every Pearl's Un-Insides by Flume and Eprom is also included. An accompanying visual for the mixtape directed by Jonathan Zawada, who had also designed the artwork for Flume's album Skin, was released and premiered on YouTube on release day. The mixtape was released to positive reviews, with music critics complimenting its experimental style.

The mixtape was nominated for Best Dance/Electronic Album at the 62nd Annual Grammy Awards, becoming Flume's second nomination for the category and third overall.[1]

Background and recording

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Following the release of his second album Skin in May 2016, Flume embarked on a world tour in support of the album for the rest of the year.[2] He further released Skin Companion EP 1 in November of that year and Skin Companion EP 2 in February 2017,[3] and also worked with Vince Staples and Lorde on their respective albums Big Fish Theory and Melodrama in June.[4][5] After Skin touring responsibilities wrapped up in January 2018, he subsequently decided to keep a low public profile as he was "working so hard" that he started "to hate music [and] touring" and "needed to live a normal life for a bit".[6]

While working on the mixtape, Flume felt that he needed to create a record with a more experimental sound in order to go "back to [his] roots",[6] and added that he changed his style because he was bored at doing "the same thing over and over" and "people copy [him]".[7] In an AMA on Reddit, he revealed that the production on Hi This Is Flume was far more difficult than on his previous records as there was "way more detail", though "the ideas flowed more easily on [the mixtape] than Skin".[8] He also revealed that the synth used most on the mixtape was "good old sylenth1",[9] but that "a fair bit of synplant" was also used, while the distortion plug used is the "Black Box Analog Design HG-2".[10]

Speaking to Triple J, Flume explained that, through the mixtape, he wanted to expose listeners "to more left-field electronic music", as well as artists such as Slowthai, JPEGMafia, Eprom, and Sophie. He additionally discussed working with the featured artists on the record. He revealed that he discovered English rapper Slowthai through the track "T N Biscuits", immediately decided that he wanted to "work with this guy", and consequently traveled to the United Kingdom to record the song "High Beams" with him. The recording session in Los Angeles with American hip hop artist JPEGMafia lasted one day, and when the two had finished writing the first verse, Flume suggested that the rapper "just talk shit for the rest of it", to which JPEGMafia replied "Alright, I'm great at that!" The two also enjoyed "mess[ing] around on all the hardware" together in the studio which included a Roland TR-8 drum machine and the Prophet X sampler/synthesizer. Flume, Scottish producer Sophie and Kučka began working on the track "Voices" when they met during the Skin world tour in 2016 at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in Melbourne, when Sophie created sounds from an Elektron FM Synth, which Flume sampled for the track's beat.[11]

Musical style

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Hi This Is Flume has been characterised by critics as an experimental,[12][13] IDM,[14] wonky[15] and electronica mixtape.[16] Christina Hernandez of Dancing Astronaut described the record as a "complete change of pace from Skin" due to its abstract musical style, and Flume's "most idiosyncratic work to date";[13] Steve Kavakos of Australian GQ noted that the mixtape "falls away from any mainstream elements" and marks a return to the sound found on Flume's eponymous debut album.[17] It consists of seventeen tracks, many of them under two minutes long, with each ending transitioning smoothly into the beginning of the next.[12][18]

Release and promotion

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Just before New Year's Day of 2019, Flume posted a picture of himself holding a glass of wine in a swimming hole in Byron Hinterland, and wrote that he would "be back in your life" that year.[19] On 13 March, Flume made available the documentary Flume: When Everything Was New on his YouTube channel; the film had previously been released in April 2018 on Apple Music alongside Sleepless: The Story of Future Classic, which documented the rise of Flume's record label.[20][21][22]

On 19 March, Flume announced on social media that he would release a mixtape, titled Hi This Is Flume, through his label Future Classic the next day.[23][24] On the same day, a snippet of a then-unknown track from his upcoming record soundtracked a teaser for the Chicago Lollapalooza music festival, for which he was announced as a headliner.[25][26] On 20 March, Flume released the mixtape, accompanied by a 42-minute visual directed by Jonathan Zawada,[27] who had previously created the artwork for Flume's second album Skin.[28]

Critical reception

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Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Highsnobiety     [29]
Pitchfork7.6/10[30]
Resident Advisor3.6/5[31]

Hi This Is Flume was met with positive reviews from music critics, who commended the experimental nature of the record. Owen Myers of Pitchfork called the mixtape "both philosophically and sonically, an inflection point" and wrote that "Hi This Is Flume is how he breaks apart his now-familiar sound, zooming in on the different layers and looking at them in new ways."[30] Jake Indiana of Highsnobiety deemed the record "extremely refreshing and light-footed" and highlighted "High Beams" and "How to Build a Relationship" as its standout songs, but added that aside from those tracks "the mixtape struggles to feel especially fresh."[29] Kat Bein of Billboard wrote that "Flume still has that wonky quality, but [Hi This Is Flume] rightly reinvents his sound with some fresh bang", and claimed that the mixtape would "be the best 38 minutes of your day, hands down."[15]

Christina Hernandez of Dancing Astronaut commended "the amount of impact Flume manages to squeeze into such a short time span" in her review, and wrote that "the advanced sound design and clear step outside his creative cavern showcase a matured talent who continues to carve new niches in the modern electronic sphere where no artist formerly thought to look."[13] Sam Van Pykeren of Mother Jones hailed the mixtape as a "fantastic, angry, and existential mess of computer sounds" and called it "a reinvigorating work of electronic music."[18] Andrew Ryce of Resident Advisor welcomed Flume's turn to the experimental, calling it "a welcome step towards somewhere less comfortable," and stated that while "cynical listeners might see it as trend-hopping, [...] there's a boldness to Streten's production that gives it something more than just commercial appeal."[31] Junkee writer Richard S. He named the release one of the best records of the first half of 2019, writing that it "feels like it's improvised, almost freestyled directly from [Flume's] brain".[32]

Chart performance

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In the United States, Hi This Is Flume debuted at number nine on the Dance/Electronic Albums chart with 3,000 equivalent album units sold, making it Flume's third entry in the top 10 of that chart.[33] It reached its peak of number two on the chart the following week.[34] It entered the US Billboard 200 chart at its peak of number 185.[35] In New Zealand and Flume's native Australia, the mixtape debuted at its peak of number 11 on the countries' respective album charts.[36][37]

Track listing

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All tracks written and produced by Harley Streten, except where noted.[38][39][40][41]

No.TitleWriter(s)Producer(s)Length
1."Hi This Is Flume"  0:28
2."Ecdysis"  1:44
3."High Beams" (with HWLS featuring Slowthai)
  • Flume
  • HWLS
3:23
4."Jewel"  3:13
5."╜φ°⌂▌╫§╜φ°⌂▌╫§╜φ°⌂▌╫§╜φ°⌂▌╫§╜φ°⌂▌"  0:33
6."Dreamtime"  2:14
7."Is It Cold in the Water?" (by Sophie) (Flume and Eprom Remix)
  • SOPHIE
  • Flume (remixer)
  • Eprom (remixer)
4:47
8."How to Build a Relationship" (featuring JPEGMafia)
3:04
9."Wormhole"  2:22
10."Voices" (featuring SOPHIE and Kučka)
  • Flume
  • SOPHIE
1:54
11."MUD"  1:28
12."Upgrade"  1:46
13."71m3"  1:20
14."Vitality"  1:39
15."Daze 22.00"  2:15
16."Amber"  2:23
17."Spring" (with Eprom)
  • Streten
  • Alexander Dennis
  • Flume
  • Eprom
3:37
Total length:38:00

Charts

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Chart (2019) Peak
position
Australian Albums (ARIA)[42] 11
Australian Dance Albums (ARIA)[43] 1
Australian Independent Albums (AIR)[44] 1
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Flanders)[45] 27
Belgian Albums (Ultratop Wallonia)[46] 139
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[47] 87
French Albums (SNEP)[48] 186
Lithuanian Albums (AGATA)[49] 60
New Zealand Albums (RMNZ)[36] 11
US Billboard 200[50] 185
US Top Dance/Electronic Albums (Billboard)[51] 2

Release history

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Region Date Format Label Ref.
Worldwide 20 March 2019
Future Classic [52]
20 August 2019 LP + 7'' single (pre-order) [53]
LP [54]
2020 LP (green) [55]

References

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  1. ^ "2020 GRAMMY Awards: Complete Winners List". 20 November 2019.
  2. ^ Geslani, Michelle (4 May 2016). "Flume announces extensive world tour". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
  3. ^ Kaye, Ben (17 February 2017). "Flume releases new Skin Companion EP II: Stream/download". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
  4. ^ McCarthy, Will (23 June 2017). "Flume, Kendrick Lamar and Vince Staples join forces on the fiery 'Yeah Right'". Dancing Astronaut. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
  5. ^ Gore, Sydney (26 August 2017). "Flume Fans Petition For A Sculpture Of The Producer In Sydney". The Fader. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
  6. ^ a b Isasi, Nick (29 March 2019). "Flume Answers Fan Questions in Surprise Reddit AMA". Run the Trap. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
  7. ^ "Hi this if Flume here (again). I have 1hr, will try answer as many questions as possible!". Reddit. 27 March 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
  8. ^ "Hi this if Flume here (again). I have 1hr, will try answer as many questions as possible!". Reddit. 27 March 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
  9. ^ "Hi this if Flume here (again). I have 1hr, will try answer as many questions as possible!". Reddit. 27 March 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
  10. ^ "Hi this if Flume here (again). I have 1hr, will try answer as many questions as possible!". Reddit. 27 March 2019. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
  11. ^ Newstead, Al (5 April 2019). "Flume's guide to the 'Hi This Is Flume' mixtape collaborators". Triple J. Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
  12. ^ a b Evans, Steph (20 March 2019). "Flume drops 17-track mixtape 'Hi This Is Flume' [Mixtape + Visualizer]". Earmilk. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  13. ^ a b c Hernandez, Christina (23 March 2019). "Flume enters matured new chapter in 'Hi This Is Flume'". Dancing Astronaut. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  14. ^ Bein, Kat (19 March 2019). "Flume's 'Hi This Is Flume' Mixtape Is A Wild Fever Dream Of Awesome: Watch". Billboard. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  15. ^ a b Bein, Kat (19 March 2019). "Flume's 'Hi This Is Flume' Mixtape Is A Wild Fever Dream Of Awesome: Watch". Billboard. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
  16. ^ Ingvaldsen, Torsten (20 March 2019). "Flume's Long-Awaited 'Hi This Is Flume' Marks a Fervent Return". Hypebeast. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  17. ^ Kavakos, Steve (21 March 2019). "After 3 Years Flume Is Back With Flawless New Mixtape 'Hi This Is Flume'". GQ Australia. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  18. ^ a b Van Pykeren, Sam (22 March 2019). "After 3 Years Flume Is Back With Flawless New Mixtape 'Hi This Is Flume'". Mother Jones. Retrieved 31 March 2019.
  19. ^ Rishty, David (3 January 2019). "Flume Hints at 2019 Return: 'I'll Be Back in Your Life'". Billboard. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  20. ^ Stack, Chris (18 March 2019). "Flume Releases two 45-minute documentaries 'Flume: When Everything Was New' and 'Sleepless: The Story of Future Classic'". Dancing Astronaut. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  21. ^ Bein, Kat (15 March 2019). "Flume Releases 'When Everything Was New' Documentary on YouTube: Watch". Billboard. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  22. ^ Coney, Brian (18 March 2019). "Watch Flume's documentary, When Everything Was New, for free". DJ Mag. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  23. ^ Dexter, Robyn (19 March 2019). "Flume announces incoming mixtape". Dancing Astronaut. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  24. ^ Holbrook, Cameron (19 March 2019). "Flume announces new mixtape 'Hi This Is Flume'". Mixmag. Retrieved 21 March 2019.
  25. ^ Hernandez, Christina (20 March 2019). "The Chainsmokers, Flume, RL Grime, RÜFÜS DU SOL join Lollapalooza's 2019 roster". Dancing Astronaut. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  26. ^ Klemow, David (20 March 2019). "Lollapalooza soundtracks summer teaser with new Flume ID [Watch]". Dancing Astronaut. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  27. ^ Newcomb, Ming Lee (20 March 2019). "Flume drops new mixtape Hi This Is Flume: Stream". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  28. ^ Bein, Kat (24 October 2018). "Baauer & Soleima's 'Company' Is a Digital Deconstruction of Beats and Love: Watch". Billboard. Retrieved 24 March 2019.
  29. ^ a b Indiana, Jake (25 March 2019). "Flume - 'Hi This Is Flume' Review". Highsnobiety. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  30. ^ a b Myers, Kahron (26 March 2019). "Flume: Hi This Is Flume Album Review". Pitchfork. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  31. ^ a b Ryce, Andrew (11 April 2019). "Flume - Hi This Is Flume". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 13 April 2019.
  32. ^ "The 15 Best Albums Of 2019, So Far". Junkee. 5 July 2019. Retrieved 7 July 2019.
  33. ^ Murray, Gordon (28 March 2019). "Calvin Harris & Rag'n'Bone Man Take 'Giant' Step to No. 1 On Dance Club Songs Chart". Billboard. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
  34. ^ "Top Dance/Electronic Album: The Week of April 6, 2019". Billboard. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
  35. ^ "Billboard 200: The Week of April 6, 2019". Billboard. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
  36. ^ a b "Charts.nz – Flume – Hi This Is Flume". Hung Medien. Retrieved 29 March 2019.
  37. ^ Brandle, Lars (1 April 2019). "Dean Lewis Debuts at No. 1 in Australia With 'A Place We Knew'". Billboard. Retrieved 14 April 2019.
  38. ^ "Hi This Is Flume / Flume". Tidal. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
  39. ^ Flume (20 March 2019). Hi This Is Flume [Mixtape Visualiser] (Video description). Retrieved 23 March 2019 – via YouTube.
  40. ^ "Hi This Is Flume (Mixtape) by Flume on Apple Music". Apple Music. Retrieved 26 March 2019.
  41. ^ Flume [@flumemusic] (22 March 2019). "looking back over the tracklist" (Tweet). Retrieved 26 March 2019 – via Twitter.
  42. ^ "Australiancharts.com – Flume – Hi This Is Flume". Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  43. ^ "ARIA Dance – Week Commencing 1st April 2019" (PDF). ARIA Charts (1517): 17. 1 April 2019. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 April 2019. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  44. ^ "Australian Independent Albums Chart". Australian Independent Record Labels Association. Retrieved 25 March 2019.
  45. ^ "Ultratop.be – Flume – Hi This Is Flume" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  46. ^ "Ultratop.be – Flume – Hi This Is Flume" (in French). Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  47. ^ "Dutchcharts.nl – Flume – Hi This Is Flume" (in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 30 March 2019.
  48. ^ "Lescharts.com – Flume – Hi This Is Flume". Hung Medien. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  49. ^ "Savaitės klausomiausi (TOP 100)" (in Lithuanian). AGATA. 29 March 2019. Retrieved 3 December 2019.
  50. ^ "Flume Chart History (Billboard 200)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  51. ^ "Flume Chart History (Top Dance/Electronic Albums)". Billboard. Retrieved 2 April 2019.
  52. ^ Digital release of "Hi This Is Flume":
  53. ^ "Flume - Hi This Is Flume". Discogs. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
  54. ^ "Flume - Hi This Is Flume". Discogs. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
  55. ^ "Hi This Is Flume (Mixtape) Vinyl LP". shop.flumemusic.com. Retrieved 27 January 2021.
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