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Substax - Moshpit meets the martini set

11 Jan 2006 // A review by claudia
Electro Soul Plane from it's ambient soundscapes on 'Music for Airplanes' to their Massive Attack meets DJ Shadow eeriness of 'Lost in Transit' to the streetwise and fun jaunt of 'What Up?', is more than just a breaks record...

'A lot of acts tend to write an album that is fairly monochrome in tone' says Farrands. 'But we've created a lot of moods which are complex and the idea of the album is for something that you can grow to love over time. It has all these moods that human beings have so it's got anger, it's got exhilaration'...

Electro Soul Plane is a diverse piece of work and the band say that has a lot to with it being created over several years. Some tracks are more than three years old. 'That's what we're trying to do, get longevity into the material', says Farrands.

Adds Gunn: 'You could look at it like a really awesome, vintage coat from the '50s that is still amazing, and you appreciate what it is, and the craftsmanship. The way we write music is almost like writing a soundtrack'...

Substax will take you on a visual and musical trip - especially live, thanks to the accompanying visuals created by Janine Randerson. And they're tired of the stuffy DJ and dance culture where the music is apathetic and cold. Substax want every night they play to be a party...

by Scott Kara
NZ Herald
25 June 2005
 

About Substax

New Zealand alternative electronic music act Substax are genre bending pioneers of electro soul and breakbeat. Based in Auckland/Tamaki Makaurau, they produce a unique fusion of soul, funk, breakbeat and deep house. Reviewers describe their sound as everything from "epic downbeat" to "achingly beautiful", "seductive" (Remix Magazine) and "speaker cone cracking breakbeat" (Waikato Times). They are renowned both for their downtempo epic downbeat as well as breakbeat influenced club tracks.

The act is the audio duo of producer, Nick Farrands and vocalist/producer Claudia Gunn. Farrands is the co-founder of a boutique club night in Auckland, Videotech, which features the work of VJ and co-founder Rachel Dreyer. Gunn, is an award winning children’s music producer in her own right and brings her singer-songwriter craft to Substax productions.

The act has been involved with numerous compilation releases, renowned music festival and club performances and had strong support from alternative radio and NZ dance music station, George FM, over the years.

Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for Substax

Releases

Plastic
Year: 2023
Type: EP
Linear Shift
Year: 2022
Type: Album
Electro Soul Plane
Year: 2005
Type: Album

Other Reviews By claudia

Substax - Beam Me Up Scotty
11 Jan 2006 // by claudia
'Substax are the new kids on the block in the emerging New Zealand breaks scene. In a musical genre affectionately known as the bastard child of all things electric, Substax are dedicated to a sound that adds and cuts the phat in all the right places.
Read More...
Substax - Xtra Album Review
11 Jan 2006 // by claudia
When you've got urban soul founded in the heart of Aotearoa pumping right into your veins, stream of consciousness can be an amazing thing. And the hypnotising opening tracks of Electro Soul Plane by Substax provoked all manner of imagery.
Read More...
Substax - Play Records Album review
11 Jan 2006 // by claudia
Having provided the soundtrack for many memorable moments at Splore parties and the like for a number of years, Substax finally touch down with their debut full-length; a veritable cornucopia of warming beats and bass for the chilly winter months. Primarily regarded as a breaks outfit (Timmy Schumacher cut his production teeth with Substax), Electro Soul Plane opens up the field to include a wide array of styles, all undertaken with considerable aplomb.
Read More...
View All Articles By claudia

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