Safire and QQQ Akane are a Melbourne multidisciplinary duo bound by creativity and community. These creative leaders act as the glue connecting people, experience and art; leveraging their craft of audio and visual design to stew a melting pot of forward thinking cool sh!t.
Collaboration is key when identifying their artistic practice. They seem to have an organic knack of creating parties/raves, record labels and releases, technical masterclasses and inclusive artistic spaces that place emphasis on community.
As artists independently, they have hit their respective heights. Ben Safire has toured extensively throughout Europe and Asia, representing Australian Drum and Bass on a global scale. As a musician and event curator he has built the foundations of bass music in Melbourne, collaborating locally and internationally with Noisia, Alix Perez, Dub Phizix, Zed Bias and DLR, to name but a few.
To limit QQQ Akane as a visual artist would be an injustice. While she is well known for her creative collaboration with Metalheadz boss Goldie and visual art with record label Plasma Audio, QQQ Akane is an enigma of creativity that flows from fashion and dance to vocalism and music production.
Slowly Rushing is the debut album from the seasoned duo. The album feels like the soundtrack to a warm night, sharing food on a big table with your friends and family. A dinner where the conversation is as filling as the meal. Before you know it, the table has disappeared and made room for a hazed-out dance floor, exploring non-verbal communication and telekinetic meditation.
Slowly Rushing broods warmth, taking notes from jazz, dub, hip-hop and bass music to hypnotically wrap around your consciousness like a snake to a snake charmer. QQQ Akane calls on her indigenous Amami roots of storytelling and musical styling, that simultaneously feels grounded whilst taking you further down the rabbit hole.
Safire and QQQ Akane have created their own world, a dinner party if you will, all they ask is you bring a plate and enjoy.
Slowly Rushing LP is out now, steam the full album order your LP here. A proud co-release between Heavy Machinery Records and Chilla Holla.