About this item

Since oozing onto the scene, Mildlife’s mellifluous mix of jazz, krautrock and demon grooves has fast become a word of mouth sensation among open-minded DJs and diggers searching for the perfect beat. Their emergence was fortified by European tours, demonstrating a riotously looselimbed performance approach that was every bit as thrilling as their album’s tantalizing promise. By the end of their breakout year, they’d been nominees for Best Album at the Worldwide FM Awards (Worldwide’s Gilles Peterson was a notable champion), won Best Electronic Act at The Music Victoria Awards back home in Melbourne, and were officially anointed by DJ Harvey who included ‘The Magnificent Moon’ on his Pikes compilation Mercury Rising Vol II.

2020’s follow-up album Automatic saw the band elevate with more disciplined, directional and arguably more danceable synergy. With tightly structured arrangements making way for melodic improvisation and ethereal vocals, Mildlife effortlessly glid between live performance and studio songwriting like Kraftwerk and Herbie Hancock quarantined in Bob Moog’s Trumansburg workshop. Debuting Top 10 on the Australian charts, Automatic snared a converted ARIA Award for Best Jazz Album.

In early 2021, unable to play shows due to the pandemic, Mildlife travelled by boat to a long abandoned 19th century island fort to perform for fairy penguins and abalone poachers. The result is Live from South Channel Island, a 70 minute motion picture and live album where the band masterfully recreate the magic of their live shows, framed by the gorgeous Port Phillip Bay.

STAFF COMMENTS

Barry says: It's really hard to ignore the similarities here to Pink Floyd's 'Live In Pompeii' (looking at the comments on bandcamp too, it's not just me), but Mildlife's brand of hazy psychedelic jazz veers away from Pink Floyd as much as it veers towards. Laid-back grooves and saturated, swooning synths all brought together with those syrupy vocals. Stupidly brilliant, visually and audibly.

TRACK LISTING

A
1 Rare Air (Live From South Channel Island)
2 Vapour (Live From South Channel Island)
B
1 Im Blau (Live From South Channel Island)
2 Citations (Live From South Channel Island)
C
1 The Magnificent Moon (Live From South Channel Island)
2 Zwango Zop (Live From South Channel Island)
D
1 Automatic (Live From South Channel Island)
2 Air (Live From South Channel Island)