There’s no better way to celebrate making it through the working week than slapping on those dancing boots Friday night and immersing yourself in the neon glow of strobe lights. And what better celebratory tune to do it to than Nocturnal Tapes fresh new track, Wake Up?
With euphoric melodies doused in nostalgia and sprinkled with mesmerising vocals, Nocturnal Tapes face death and mortality on fresh new single Wake Up.
Back from the depths of the dance-floor and breaking away from their Earthly binds, Wake Up is an atmospheric exploration of nostalgia-tinged electronica, uplifting beats and floating melodies.
Gliding between textural synths, decadent vocals and pulsating bass lines, Wake Up epitomises the rush you get jumping up and down in a crowd at a festival while a mind-melting set unfolds in front of you.
However, the message behind the track veers you down a completely contrasting path, with darker elements poking their head up. We chatted to Harry and Lachlan of Nocturnal Tapes to decipher the intriguing avenues Wake Up travels down and the ingenuity behind it all.
“Without getting too dark, the song is about how everything in your life is leading up to the ultimate moment of death; time is a way we all die. So, why are so many of us wasting our lives locked to screens and living in routine?
I wrote the song originally as a motivation for my self, but now that its out in the world I hope at least one other person gets something out of it in their own personal way.”
This amalgamation of bleakness and euphoria seems to be a combination that resonates perfectly with Nocturnal Tapes and an identity that sets them apart from empty, meaningless dance music that is so often heard in clubs and on the radio. They work hard at their craft, and it shows in their output.
“Generally we will write the basic music for the song and then I’ll start the lyrics. This works well for us as the music gives me direction for what the song should be about.
To me this song had a euphoric and nostalgic feel to it, which made me feel as though I was looking back on my life so far. With this in mind it felt natural to try and write about what it might be like looking back on everything in your final moments.”
With a colourful history of producing tech-house tunes intended to please all senses, the NSW North Coast twosome take a savvy approach to their work, recording and producing everything themselves. With a writing and recording process that intertwines an initial idea with an overarching perspective, developing the direction of a song is an unravelling process.
“Tracks usually start with a strong musical idea that one of us has been playing with – like a chord progression, riff or bassline, and we build it from there. Often we will jam on and record a bunch of different ideas that work well together until we have a good vibe and direction for the song. We don’t end up using everything and most of the time we will recycle these ideas for different projects.”
“We also like to work on multiple tracks at once as you get a good perspective on a song after working on something else. Sound design as well as finding unique samples and chopping up recorded sounds is another part of our workflow, which we like to use to create unique and interesting textures in our music. We believe it is important to weave these elements into the tracks as they add a little bit extra to each track.”
A live show for Nocturnal Tapes is one you’ll need to stay hydrated for, filled with dancing, mashups and spacious jams. Enthusiastic about using every piece of gear at their disposal to satisfy audiences, their upcoming tour with Luke Million is shaping up to be one hell of a party.
“Be prepared to dance, we have extended jams to all our releases as well as new tracks from the upcoming EP, VISIONS IV. We’ve also thrown in a mashup for good measure that any fan of classic dance music will recognise.
Our enthusiasm for machines and instruments is evident from our live show rig ranging from the array of pedals, samplers, synthesisers and drum machines we use to make the show visual as much as it is audible. This mirrors Luke Million’s obvious passion for synthesisers and we are stoked to share the stage with him on the tour.”
You can catch Nocturnal Tapes on the Come Together tour supporting Luke Million on the dates below.
FRI 1 SEP- FAT CONTROLLER, ADELAIDE SA
SAT 2 SEP- BLACK BEAR LODGE, BRISBANE QLD
FRI 8 SEP- JACK RABBIT SLIMS, PERTH WA
THU 14 SEP- LISMORE UNI BAR, LISMORE NSW
FRI 15 SEP- OXFORD ART FACTORY, SYDNEY NSW
SAT 16 SEP- HOWLER, MELBOURNE VIC
