REMI and Alice Skye top the community radio charts
Community radio shows a huge amount of support for Australian music, with almost 40% of music played coming from local artists. Taste-making presenters excel at giving airtime to an incredible spread of what Aussie artists have to offer. The Amrap Metro and Amrap Regional Charts provide insight into what’s getting airplay and attention on community radio. Here’s the lowdown on some tunes charting this week.
REMI – #1 Amrap Metro (pictured above)
Melbourne’s REMI (the production duo comprised of Remi Kolawole and producer Sensible J) have really upped their own high stakes on their latest single. ‘My People’ (featuring Thando) shuffles and shimmies on a boom-bap era boogieing beat for one of the most socially-conscious feel-good tracks out this year by an Australian artist of any stripe. Harking back to rap’s golden era days where De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest plugged for peaceful vibes, Kolawole takes an astonishing turn on the template by going inward and looking for calm in his own psyche. It’s a unique take on a universal expression that will make their second album Divas & Demons one for the ages. There’s spinsaplentyy at Brisbane’s 4ZZZ, Radio Adelaide and Perth’s 6RTR-FM.
Le Pie – #8 Amrap Metro
Originally released on one side of a 7″ single made for Record Store Day 2018, ‘Put Me Down’ from Sydney’s Le Pie has moved into the Amrap Metro charts on the back of its addictive, low-down snaking guitar riff and altogether tough demeanour. It’s a work inspired by American visual artist Audrey Wollen. After being the most played artist on Sydney’s FBi in 2015, it’s no surprise ‘Put Me Down’ rates highly there, as well as Tasmania’s Edge Radio, and more.
MUKI – #3 Amrap Metro
A relative newcomer to Sydney music, MUKI shows both production polish and a freeing sense of abandon on her new single, ‘Gold Oxygen’. Find us another song that bangs so sweetly! Full of popping, woozy synths, thumping rhythms and packed with more twists than the current US presidency, ‘Gold Oxygen’ is a sparkling pop package dangling a whole lotta potential for MUKI’s future. We can’t wait for more, and we bet stations like South Australia’s Rox FM, NSW’s Triple B and FBi can’t either.
Infinite Void – #4 Amrap Metro
This Melbourne group called it quits in the middle of last year and left behind a devoted following wondering if their final full-length album would ever see the light of day. Sydney DIY legends Black Wire Records have stepped up to make it happen, and ‘Dark Dreams’ is the first showing from Endless Waves. It’s more than aptly titled, powering on pulsating and atmospheric guitars stoked by a rhythm section approaching breakneck speed. Not quite shoegaze, not quite punk, Infinite Void occupied a space of their own with their sound so it’s great to have one more chance to hear what they did. Melbourne’s 3RRR, Perth’s 6RTR and Brisbane’s 4ZZZ are giving ‘Dark Dreams’ great airplay.
FLASKAS – #6 Amrap Regional
Around since 2016, three-piece FLASKAS‘ first show was supporting Australian blues’n’roots royalty Ash Grunwald. They prefer to call their sound “earth rock”, with a mix of soul and global music influences often played out on native instruments. With their debut album ‘Kingdom Come’ set for release in August, the single ‘Feeling The Rhythm’ is an undeniably bouncy gem making its way across rural community radio airwaves. Phoenix FM in Bendigo, Victoria, Noosa FM in Queensland and South Australia’s Fleurieu are all feeling FLASKAS!
See the full Amrap Charts at www.airit.org.au.
The Amrap Charts show the Top Ten tracks ordered for airplay by community broadcasters through the Amrap’s AirIt music distribution service. Amrap is an initiative of the Community Broadcasting Association of Australia which distributes new Australian music to community radio stations nationwide, and empowers broadcasters to promote new Australian music on air and online.