Alexander Flood – Oscillate

Description

Alexander Flood has developed and refined a strong, progressive voice and style on his kit through his 17 years performing and studying. Previously graduating top of his year, he has been the recipient of many prestigious awards including Australia’s Best Up-and Coming Drummer in both 2012 and 2016, The John Slick Osborne Scholarship in 2017 and the Helpmann Academy Jazz Award for Top Overall Graduate in 2018. In 2020 he signed with 6x Grammy nominee Christian Scott aTunde Adjuah to release Alexs debut LP HEARTBEAT and The Space Between in 2022.

2023 finds Alexander aligning w/ Berlins Jakarta Records to release LP Oscillate – a blistering, hard-hitting meld of infectious rhythms, pulsing keys, and a swingin groove that melds into a genre-defying conglomeration of creative compositions and collaboration. In mid 2022 Alex travelled from Australia to Berlin, where he assembled a dream team crew of creative innovators featuring Hungarian keyboard player bse, Australian bass guru Horatio Luna, and Brazilian flautista Paulo Cedraz. Together the group cut six unique dance tracks at Berlins iconic Jazzanova Studios, engineered by Grammy nominated Axel Reinemer.

From the shuffling broken beats and dancing flute melodies in title track Oscillate to the experimental uptempo Deja Vu, the momentum of the music ceases to stop. U R THA 1 features a driving jungle sound of repitched drums, vocal chops and 808 bass, and Berlin captures a classic funky 90s house feel powered by 4-on-the-floor kick and melodic basslines from Horatio Luna. Paulo Cedraz shines on flute in the Caribbean influenced Ginealach, and the LP finishes with the head-bopping Hpf giving the listener a taste of some down-tempo beat music atop a bed of bses lush rhodes. From top to bottom, the unique voices and powerful musicianship of each band member is obvious. Australian influence is at the core of the sound not only through the bass and drum chair, but through the punchy characteristic mix by Melbournes Lewis Moody and master by Gareth Thomson. The final piece of the puzzle was bringing in Alexs childhood drum and percussion teacher Joel Prime, where they overdubbed additional percussion parts together in London.