Live Review: PHENOMENA Records launches with charity focussed various artists compilation

PHENOMENA is a brand new record label formed across Naarm/Melbourne and London by Georgia Bird, Georgia Madden and Suzanne Gurusinghe. In the depths of lockdown in 2020, the trio shared wines and and late nights over Zoom, where they'd ponder over their love for dance music, and the ways in which their passions overlap regardless of their physical location. Off the back of the conversations they wished to bridge the gap between the two scenes and as a result formed record label, PHENOMENA. Now the imprint has released their first project, PHENOMENAL VOL 1, featuring a range of diverse artists, both geographically and sonically.

The release celebrates some of the rising stars in both respective scenes and brings them closer together. The tracklist is a melting pot of electronic and left field club genres including drum and bass, down tempo, house, progressive, techno, bass music and trance, tapping into the original and uncharted corners of contemporary dance scenes. Take for example, Georgia Bird's contribution, 'Trip Advisor'. The track is a tripped out, downtempo chugger, fit with psychedelic riffs, echoing vocal samples and a vast percussion section. Sam Alfred's 'Summer Saturation' is another standout of the track list, a rave ready, euphoric 90s inspired piano led house track. As the tracklist grows, so does the compilations energy. RBI, GEX and SLAM ROSS 1000 all provide slamming deep dark cuts all with their unique flares.

The release, while not only banging, is directing all its profits to Black Rainbow. Black Rainbow is a national Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Intersex, Queer, Sistergirl and Brotherboy (LGBQTI+SB) organisation in the pursuit of positive health and wellbeing for First Nations peoples. You can check out all of their work HERE.

Words by Parry Tritsiniotis

LISTEN TO NEW MUSIC HERE

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