Live Review: Phondupe explores the sounds of his culture through post-club footwork on 'Abyssal -4400'

Sydney producer PHONDUPE returns with his first solo single in over two years. He's returning with an absolute stomper of a track, titled 'Abyssal -4400', that sees him playing with a variety of creative methods and genres that make for a gnarly post-club anthem. It's the first track to be featured on his forthcoming debut record, ONYKIA.

He navigates through jittery footwork and Calabrian folk with ease, the complex rhythms and the intense BPM of the track showing off his impressive, almost math-electronica way of creating. The attention to detail is immense, with each sample being meticulously placed to a hectically specific footwork rhythm.

'Abyssal -4400' features elements of a track titled 'U Leva Leva', a Southern Italian fishing chant, recorded in the 1930's by anthropologist Alan Lomax.

This track is the first of a series of four, with each one seeing Phondupe exploring personal gripes whilst diving into and exploring his ethnic roots.

Of the track, he said:

“Abyssal -4400 is a track that explores identity, anxiety and consciousness. Over the past few years, I really got into the concept of deep sea gigantism - these real-life giants that exist in the depths of the ocean, 100x the size of their regular form. Uninterrupted in the dark, they adapt to their environment and become predators. It made a lot of sense as I worked through some tough moments.

"The things I hadn’t dealt with, mentally, crept up and bit me in the ass. Most of the time, we’ve got no idea what exists at the core of ourselves. ONYKIA as a project is about exploring the dark giants of our own minds. 'Abyssal' is us taking that first dive, casting a line into the depths, unsure of what we’ll reel in."

Words by CAITLIN MEDCALF

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