Live Review: PREMIERE: Immerse yourself in the dark and mysterious world of Alone's livestream set

Last weekend, we here at Purple Sneakers had the honour of presenting a very special virtual festival with our friends at ARCADIA called LONG WEEKEND LIVE STREAM. Acting as a placeholder for their festival which was meant to go ahead over the May long weekend, they tapped a few key acts to deliver livestream sets to punters to still get in on some Arcadia action while in isolation, and every artist stepped up to the plate to deliver absolutely stunning sets.

One such set is that of Brisbane producer, ALONE. The project of Gurpaal Bains, ALONE's music is deep, dark and immersive. It's rich in emotional and intensity, and is fully focused on taking its listener on a journey. Even in its very early stages at the moment, the ALONE project is one that sounds extremely promising just from his debut single, 'Dawn' and his effort remixing Rufus Du Sol's 'New Sky', and he wasted no time showing exactly what he's been working on and just how fully-fledged the vision for his project is with his LONG WEEKEND LIVE STREAM set. It is a privilege then, to be premiering this very special set and introducing ALONE to our readers today.

Over the course of an hour, ALONE delivers a spellbinding and captivating set. Including some unreleased originals and an elaborate set up that makes him look like some kind of electronic mastermind, he well and truly makes a statement with this release. Take a look at the set here, and check out our chat with him below where we get to know a bit more about the project.

Who are you? 

Hello. My name’s Gurpaal, i’m a music producer from Brisbane who writes electronic music under the alias ‘Alone.’ I enjoy building things, synthesisers and the occasional soft serve.

How did Alone come to be?

I’ve always been a huge fan of electronic music. I started out DJ’ing house parties with a midi controller I built for a school project, before going on to spend quite a few years DJ’ing around the usual Brisbane haunts. (RIP Oh Hello! + TBC) :(

After a while however, I felt that the music I was playing out wasn’t really aligning with what I was listening to or really connecting with. Still wanting to express myself musically, the focus shifted to writing my own music. I put together a studio space and started putting in a lot of time in front of Ableton.

A certain trip to the inaugural Pitch Music and Arts Festival and a subsequent trip to Europe really solidified that this was what I wanted to pursue and from there it’s just been a non-stop journey of discovery, learning and experimentation. Teaching myself how to write music, sound design and synthesis, how to build a recording studio… YouTube has been my friend.

What are we talking, vibes-wise? 

“A bit of madness mixed with some sadness,” was a description that someone left as a review on Triple J Unearthed. Somehow i think they were pretty spot on and I feel it sums it up quite well.

You just performed over the weekend for Arcadia’s livestream - can you tell us about the set up involved for your set?

I spent all of last year building my dream studio space from the ground up, that’s where I recorded the stream from and has definitely influenced a lot of the music that i’ve written this year. The studio centres around a collection of hardware synths, one of which features prominently in the intro.

In terms of the livestream, I wanted to use the opportunity to share a bunch of music I have been working on whilst also providing an insight into how an Alone show might look and sound in a live context. I feel the first 5 minutes of the livestream gives a good idea as to where the project is heading and what to expect in the future.

You’ve said you’re influenced by the darker and more emotional side of electronic music - what is it about this music that draws you in and who are some of the acts you’re most influenced by?

From a purely listening point of view, it’s always been what has resonated with me the most. Im definitely drawn to darker moods and textures, especially when there’s some contrast between these parts and more delicate elements such as melodies or vocals playing off them. Moderat do this incredibly well and have always been a huge influence for me. Maceo Plex is a big influence production wise, as are Kölsch and Stephan Bodzin for their sound design and musicality. Closer to home, Willaris. K is someone who’s really been pushing the envelope and paving the way for this kind of sound.

What can we expect from you in the months ahead? 

I’m currently working on finalising and releasing my debut EP. It consists of Dawn, as well as another one of the tracks that features in the livestream. It was finished a while ago but I ended up sitting on it and then decided to re-work part of it, as you do… I’m glad I did, but it will be great to finally get it out into the world.

Where can we hear more from you?

This livestream is actually a great place to start. It features six of my own productions interspersed with some tunes from other artists that inspire and give some context to the sound. You can also head over to my profile on Triple J Unearthed to listen to Dawn in full as well as my RÜFÜS DU SOL - New Sky Remix.

Introduction by Emma Jones

Image: Supplied

LISTEN TO NEW MUSIC HERE

SEE ALSO

MUSIC TO ISOLATE TO: WILLARIS. K

HOW JUNO MAMBA FOUND HIS PLACE WITH HIS DEBUT EP, 'LIGHT ECHOES'

THE PERSONAL, THE POLITICAL AND 'SUDDENLY': HOW CARIBOU RECONCILED FIVE YEARS OF HIS LIFE FOR HIS NEW ALBUM