The Avalanches | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Tony Di Blasi (left) and Robbie Chater (right) performing as The Avalanches in 2022 | |
| Background information | |
| Origin | Melbourne,Victoria, Australia |
| Genres | |
| Years active | 1997 (1997)–present |
| Labels | |
| Members | Robbie Chater Tony Di Blasi |
| Past members | Gordon McQuilten Darren Seltmann Dexter Fabay James Dela Cruz Manabu Etoh Peter Whitford |
| Website | theavalanches |
The Avalanches are an Australianelectronic music group formed inMelbourne in 1997. They have released three studio albums,Since I Left You (2000),Wildflower (2016), andWe Will Always Love You (2020), and perform live and recorded DJ sets. The group currently consists of Robbie Chater and Tony Di Blasi.
The band is an exponent of theplunderphonics genre, and their first album,Since I Left You, has been recognised by many critics as the most important example of the genre.
Three future Avalanches members formed Alarm 115 in Melbourne in 1994 as anoise punk outfit inspired byDrive Like Jehu,The Fall, and Ultra Bide.[1] The line-up was Robbie Chater on keyboards, Tony Di Blasi on keyboards, bass and backing vocals, andDarren Seltmann on vocals (ex-Ripe).[2] By 1995, Manabu Etoh joined on drums.[2] The group bought instruments, recording gear and numerous old vinyl records by the crate at second-hand shops.[3][4] When Etoh was deported and Alarm 115 disbanded, these records became the core of a new project. Chater was a film student atRMIT University and had access to a recording studio, which he and Seltmann used to turn the records into a 30-song demo tape labelledPan Amateurs.[1][5] In 1997 a new group consisting of Chater, Di Blasi, Seltmann, and Gordon McQuilten on keyboards was assembled to play the tracks live.[1][2] Chater, Di Blasi and McQuilten had all been school mates inMaryborough.[6] Starting in July, their first four shows were played under different names: Swinging Monkey Cocks, Quentin's Brittle Bones, and Whoops Downs Syndrome.[1][5] The group became "The Avalanches" at their fifth gig, borrowing the new band name from an Americansurf rock band, which recorded only one album,Ski Surfin' with the Avalanches, in 1963.[1][3]
After playing the support slot forJon Spencer Blues Explosion, they rose to prominence quickly.Trifekta Records released the debut single "Rock City" in September 1997.[1][5] This was followed in December by their seven-track extended play,El Producto, onSteve Pavlovic's Wondergram Records.[2] Around this time, DJ Dexter Fabay joined the group on turntables and keyboards.[1][2] Based onEl Producto's success, Pavlovic signed the Avalanches to his newModular Recordings label in May 1998.[7] Leo Silvermann signed them to his label,Rex Records, for the exclusive United Kingdom four-track EPUndersea Community, which released in March 1999.[5] The group's profile grew with support slots on tours by theBeastie Boys,Public Enemy,Stereolab, andBeck. The band also played at the Tibetan Freedom Concert atSydney Olympic Park,Homebush Bay, Sydney.[1] James Dela Cruz was added to the live line-up on turntables and keyboards, and made his debut with the band at The Palace, St Kilda, supporting Public Enemy. In September 1999 Modular Recordings issued a four-track EPElectricity in Australia (12") and a two-track UK (7") version.[1][2]
From mid-1998, the Avalanches had been recording their debut album, initially under the working titlePablo's Cruise. In February 2000 they finished mixing it at Sing Sing Studios inMelbourne. Its initial launch date in 2000 was delayed due to the need for sample clearances and overseas interest.[3] By July, with the album, now titledSince I Left You, overdue, Chater'sGimix cassette was made available. Thismixtape blended previews of forthcoming album tracks with some band favourites. The first Australian single from the album, "Frontier Psychiatrist", was issued in August, which peaked in the top 50 on theARIA Singles Chart.[8] It reached No. 6 inTriple J's 2000Hottest 100 countdown, the world's largest annual radio music poll. In October the band undertook their first Australian headline tour, appearing in all capital cities. All dates were completely sold out. Seltmann broke his leg inBrisbane in an on-stage collision with bassist and singer Di Blasi.
In November 2000,Since I Left You was launched in Melbourne with a boat cruise party aboard the Victoria Star, throughPort Phillip Bay, withThe Face and other UK media flying to Australia to cover the event. The band won six Australian Dance Music Awards. They travelled to the UK for a three-week promotional stint, including DJ sets at the Social and Fabric Nightclubs, while their remix ofBadly Drawn Boy's "The Shining" was released in the UK. Chater estimated thatSince I Left You was assembled from approximately 3,500 vinyl samples.[9] One notable example is a sample ofMadonna's "Holiday" on the track "Stay Another Season".[10][11]
The UK version ofSince I Left You was released byXL Recordings in 2001, which debuted at No. 8 on theUK Albums Chart in April,[12] and quickly topped 200,000 sales in the UK. Also that month, the first UK single from the album, the title track "Since I Left You", was released and debuted at No. 16 on theUK Singles Chart.[13]
The "Since I Left You" video won Video of the Year at theMTV Europe Music Awards. In July 2001 the second UK single, "Frontier Psychiatrist", debuted at No. 18.[14] The video for "Frontier Psychiatrist" was later awarded the runner-up prize at Soho Shorts Film Festival in the UK. At theARIA Music Awards of 2001, the group won four categories,Best New Artist – Album andBest Dance Release forSince I Left You,Best New Artist – Single for "Frontier Psychiatrist", andProducer of the Year for Bobbydazzler (production name for Chater and Seltmann).[15] They were also nominated in five additional categories,Album of the Year andBest Group forSince I Left You,Single of the Year for "Frontier Psychiatrist",Engineer of the Year by Tony Espie and Bobbydazzler andBest Cover Art by Bobbydazzler forSince I Left You.[15]
London-Sire Records released the United States version in November 2001. When the label dissolved in 2003, the Avalanches switched toElektra. The album was also released in Japan, with bonus track "Everyday". TheAt Last Alone EP (rescheduled tour EP with revised track listing) was also issued in Japan. In the United States, the album peaked at No. 31 onBillboard's Heatseekers chart[16] and No. 10 onBillboard's Top Electronic Albums chart.[17] In the US, a promotional "Since I Left You" 12" featuring remixes from Stereolab and Prince Paul was released, and the Avalanches' remix of theManic Street Preachers' "So Why So Sad" was issued worldwide.
Professional critics includedSince I Left You on their "Best of 2000s" lists. The album was placed at No. 4 inJuice magazine's 'Best Australian albums of all time' list, and No. 10 inPitchfork Media's top albums of the decade. In its review, Pitchfork Media bestowed the album with a high 9.5 score.[18] In October 2010, the album was listed at No. 10 in the book100 Best Australian Albums.[4] In 2011, American hip hop artistQuestlove namedSince I Left You in his top ten albums list.[19]
The Avalanches had been working on their second album since at least 2005. Seltmann had said the album was starting out as "ambient world music", but it was still moving in different directions and would feature both samples and live music.[20] Chater later revealed that Seltmann had left the group by 2006, "we stopped working together... I was always making stuff and getting on with it, and the new record wasn't materialising quickly. He had a kid, a family, and I guess he realised before I did that it was going to take a long time."[21]
Subsequent announcements were made of the album's release, however, it had not appeared by December 2011.[22] Other artists began to announce having worked with the band on tracks around that time.[23][24][25][26] In February 2014Modular Recordings confirmed Seltmann had left, stating "officially the band is Robbie Chater and Tony Di Blasi right now."[27] The band's official Facebook page was updated in 2015, listing James Dela Cruz had rejoined.[28]
In April 2016 the Avalanches added new images of a gold butterfly on black cloth to their social media accounts and official website.[29] On 24 May, the group posted a video poking fun at their long hiatus since their last album and the continued speculation of a follow-up release.[30][31] On 2 June 2016 the lead single, "Frankie Sinatra", from their second album, was premiered on Australian radio stationTriple J.[32] The title of the album was revealed the same day to beWildflower.[33] It appeared in the following month, with Chater and Di Blasi as co-producers.
At theARIA Music Awards of 2016 the group received six more nominations, Album of the Year, Best Dance Release and Best Group forWildflower; Producer of the Year for Chater and Di Blasi; Engineer of the Year for Chater and Espie; and Best Cover Art for Lost Art (Chater).[34] AtMetacritic, which assigns a normalised rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, it received an average score of 83, based on 33 reviews, indicating critical acclaim.[35] It peaked at No. 1 on the ARIA Albums Chart.[8]
On 11 February 2020, the Avalanches posted a photo of a promotional billboard in Melbourne advertising a website.[36] On the website, a video played containing several faint voices, followed by aMorse code message stating 'WWALY'. On 14 February, the website was updated with a second video containing another morse code message, this time spelling "20 FEB".[37] Two days later on 16 February, the Avalanches posted a photo of a second billboard in London.[38]
On 20 February 2020, the Avalanches released a single, "We Will Always Love You" featuringBlood Orange. With this release, they also confirmed their third studio album.[39] On 18 March, they released another single, "Running Red Lights" featuring Pink Siifu andRivers Cuomo fromWeezer. The song is dedicated toDavid Berman and features lyrics from thePurple Mountains song "Darkness and Cold".[40]
The album, entitledWe Will Always Love You was released on 11 December 2020 and features contributions fromDenzel Curry,Tricky andJamie xx.[41]
In 2024, they featured on the Jamie xx track 'All You Children' from his albumIn Waves.
The band has been noted as an important pioneering example ofplunderphonics, with one reviewer referring to them as the "legendary plunderphonics powerhouse".[42] Their first album,Since I Left You released in 2000, has been highlighted as influential,[43] a masterpiece[44] and a particular iconic example of the genre.[45] The album has been noted for the large amount of samples it uses,[46] around 3500,[47][43][48]and the fact it is entirely made of samples with no live music.[49] It was also noted for its complexity and the use of dialogue samples.[50][51][52] The album has been described as incredibly complex, and even dadaist.[53][54]Since I Left You has appeared on various top examples of the Plunderhouse genre,[55][56] and has also been described as one of the three pivotal plunderphonics albums, along withDJ Shadow’sEndtroducing in 1996,[57][58] andJ Dilla'sDonuts in 2006.[59]
A number of music critics, including Volksgeist, Amar Edirwira writing forVinylFactory and others regardSince I Left You as the best plunderphonics album of all time.[60][61][62]
It's been noted by legal commentary that the small size of samples used by the Avalanches in their work may not cross the threshold of being significant, which would then allow for a legal case to be brought by the original sampled artist.[48]
In 2025,Rolling Stone Australia ranked the Avalanches first in their list of top 50 greatest Australian electronic music acts.[63]
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The Avalanches, initially, played live using samplers, analogue keyboards, bass guitar, drum kit, andtheremin.[9] Their set-up later included four turntables, a percussion stand, and a battery ofMIDI-controlled special effects.[9]
The band performed at festivals during 2000–2001, including theBig Day Out,Falls Festival andV1. For their European live tour, Peter "Snakey" Whitford was used as a touring percussionist, he had previously played in the Afro Psych band Prophecy throughout theIndonesian islands. Seltmann broke his ankle during the band'sElectric Ballroom show in London, while Dela Cruz suffered a concussion on-stage at the V2001 festival. The remaining live dates wereDJ sets with Chater only. Despite this, the band eventually received the Best Live Act 2001 award fromMUZIK magazine. This format continued for the United States andJapan Since I Left You Tours. Chater, Dela Cruz and Fabay also took the DJ show around Australia, calling themselves the Magic Midgets.
The Avalanches continued DJing at Australian festivals such as Golden Plains andSplendour in the Grass throughout 2006 and into 2007, although these sets were a return to a heavier,club sound and markedly different from the previous Brains' DJ sets. The group returned to live performances in 2016, with a performance at Australian music festivalSplendour in the Grass. Their live setup feature Chater on bass and Di Blasi on turntables, alongside guest musicians Paris Jeffree on drums,Spank Rock as MC, and Eliza Wolfgramm on vocals.[64]
In May 2017 The Avalanches curatedThe Avalanches – Since I Left You Block Party as part of Sydney's Vivid LIVE festival.[65] Playing outdoors at the Sydney Opera House, The Avalanches headlined and were joined by 'special guests' DJ Shadow, Briggs, Sampa the Great,Jonti and DJ JNETT.
Listed alphabetically:[2][5][66]
Studio albums
TheARIA Music Awards are annual awards, which recognise excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres ofAustralian music. The Avalanches have been nominated for 15 awards and won four.[68]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Since I Left You | Best Group | Nominated | [15] |
| Breakthrough Artist – Album | Won | |||
| Best Dance Release | Won | |||
| Album of the Year | Nominated | |||
| "Frontier Psychiatrist" | Breakthrough Artist – Single | Won | ||
| Single of the Year | Nominated | |||
| Bobbydazzler (Robbie Chater,Darren Seltmann) forSince I Left You | Producer of the Year | Won | ||
| Best Cover Art | Nominated | |||
| Tony Espie, Bobbydazzler (Chater, Seltmann) forSince I Left You | Engineer of the Year | Nominated | ||
| 2016 | Wildflower | Album of the Year | Nominated | [34] |
| Best Group | Nominated | |||
| Best Dance Release | Nominated | |||
| Chater, Tony Di Blasi forWildflower | Producer of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Espie, Chater forWildflower | Engineer of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Lost Art (Chater) forWildflower | Best Cover Art | Nominated | ||
| 2021 | We Will Always Love You | Album of the Year | Nominated | [69] |
| Best Group | Nominated | |||
| Best Pop Release | Nominated | |||
| The Avalanches Live | Best Australian Live Act | Nominated | ||
| Johnathan Zawada for The Avalanches – "The Divine Chord" | Best Video | Nominated | ||
| Robert Chater for The Avalanches –We Will Always Love You | Producer of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Tony Espie for The Avalanches –We Will Always Love You | Engineer of the Year | Nominated | ||
| Jonathan Zawada for The Avalanches –We Will Always Love You | Best Cover Art | Nominated |
TheAustralian Music Prize (the AMP) is an annual award of $30,000 given to an Australian band or solo artist in recognition of the merit of an album released during the year of award. They commenced in 2005.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016[70] | Wildflower | Australian Music Prize | Nominated |
| 2020[71] | We Will Always Love You | Album of the Year | Won |
TheJ Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by theAustralian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio stationTriple J. They commenced in 2005.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016[72] | Wildflower | Australian Album of the Year | Nominated |
| 2021[73][74] | We Will Always Love You | Australian Album of the Year | Nominated |
| The Avalanches | Double J Artist of the Year | Won |
TheMusic Victoria Awards, are an annual awards night celebrating Victorian music. They commenced in 2005.[75][76]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | We Will Always Love You | Best Victorian Album | Nominated | [77][78] |
| "Wherever You Go" | Best Victorian Song | Nominated | ||
| The Avalanches | Best Group | Nominated |
TheNational Live Music Awards (NLMAs) are a broad recognition of Australia's diverse live industry, celebrating the success of the Australian live scene. The awards commenced in 2016.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2016[79] | Paris Jeffree (The Avalanches) | Live Drummer of the Year | Nominated |
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