BAG RAIDERS

Australian dance royalty Bag Raiders return with new music, a new label, and a new lease on life in 2022.

Not many artists have had the immense effect on the youth of today quite like Bag Raiders. Whether that be sound-tracking many a sweaty night on a dancefloor, sing-a-longs at some of the biggest festivals in the world, or even becoming the anthem to one of the most iconic moments in the internet’s history, the electronic duo have done it all… and the boys are about to embark on the newest of adventures, launching their very own record label Broken Head Records which will serve as the new home for the next batch of Bag Raiders anthems for the future and beyond.

The label will see a return to their dancefloor roots, and a reconnection with a musical style, community and motives that have always been close to their hearts. “The Broken Head releases will take us back to the club and those magical festival moments” says Chris Stracey, the other half of Bag Raiders from his LA Studio. “Back to where we started, where it’s about having fun”. The groups enthusiasm is obvious as they describe their current direction, similar to that of international contemporaries Bicep, TEED, Ross From Friends and Four Tet.

The first taste of the next instalment in the bands long-lauded catalogue will be ‘UR Heart’. With its churning melodic arpeggios melded with the pitched up vocal sample refrain of “I’ve been loving you…”, the band goes in heavy, serving us a spoonful of dancefloor-centred emotion. Themes of long-lost love, newfound friends or the always apparent sense of self are all running through the track’s DNA and throughout its euphoric journey.

The second single titled ‘Never Forget’ is another late-night focussed object of beauty. Almost 2-step in its stuttering beat, the shimmering production plays a support role to the cut-up vocal which is presented on a pedestal of sentiment in this more inward-reflecting piece. If ‘UR Heart’ was the come up, ‘Never Forget’ is the drive home after losing your love and/or friends on the dancefloor. A collage of memories from last night and tomorrow morning, ‘Never Forget’ is timeless in its simple beauty. A short sharp jab to the heart coupled with the rich production the duo has become known for.

Having been stalwarts in the dance community for over 10 years now it’s impossible to over-emphasise the impact that Bag Raiders have had on dance music, both in Australia and the rest of the world. A debut album which charted at #7 on the ARIA Charts and snagged them a ‘Best Dance Release’ nomination at that year’s ARIA Awards, the release of ‘Shooting Stars’ which has amassed over 4 billion streams online, clocked over 32 Platinum or Gold plaques worldwide and playing countless festivals, sold out tours across Australia, North and South America, Europe and Asia, the boys continued to etch their name in numerous hearts and souls across the globe.

With such a rich history already in the bank, one could forgive the duo for resting on their laurels and setting off into the sun. Lucky for us, they’ve never been hungrier, more creative nor more excited about what comes next.

SINEGO

PHNM