Deep Blue Beats

Forget Cut Copy, The Presets, Van She… Okay, so all three are still about the place doing good things, and Australia has been a hotbed of live electronic band talent for more than  half a decade now. But like any good scene these acts have spawned young up-and-comers in recent years ready to assume the mantle; guys such as Gold Fields, New Navy and Strange Talk. Enter Sydney three-piece Rüfüs, the combined talents of Jon George, Tyrone Lindqvidst and James Hunt.

Since the release of their self-titled debut last year, the trio have been getting plenty of attention, radio play, festival slots and supports (Röyksopp? Not too shabby), and earlier this year returned with the follow-up EP Blue, containing popular lead single This Summer. Much like those previously mentioned old hats, they're a live act destined for dancefloor greatness while at the same time bringing something fresh to the Australian dance music scene. Something a bit deeper, darker, and more atmospheric.

We find the group holed up at a rather pleasant-sounding rural property on the south coast of NSW, working on what will be their debut album. “It's pretty frickin' nice and fun at the moment,” begins a rather chilled-sounding George, “there's a farm, a nice tennis court and a pool so we've been chilling out and making music. We were up to like 5am last night making music – it's been fun. So yeah, I'm in a pretty good place!” And why wouldn't he be? The group have been filling venues on the east coast for ages now, and the footage from their Big Day Out appearance – playing first in the Boiler Room, punters streaming in after rushing through the gates – is a sign of great things to come.

Like many live electronic acts, it all started for George in the DJ booth, something that goes towards explaining the group's abovementioned unique sound. “I was DJing and I really wanted to start making my own stuff. I enrolled in a course doing audio engineering, and by the end of that I was making some amateur dance tracks. And then me and Tyrone got together and started fleshing out this indie-dance vibe,” he recalls.

“I was into a clubbier, deeper sort of dance side and Tyrone was a bit more the other way, and we sort of met in the middle with the music that we were making. And it's music I would probably listen to on the side. Like, Cut Copy and The Presets were bands I was seeing at the time but not necessarily when I was DJing. But yeah, we met in the middle with the sound there.

“We both really appreciate people like Trentemøller, Bookashade… So I suppose it's more of that influence coming through. So in areas where people like Cut Copy, The Presets, the [Midnight] Juggernauts, Van She have gone down one road, we'll definitely opt to take it to a more deeper side of things just because we love that European, cold, dark sound.”

That's not to say the Rüfüs live experience is all dark techno clubs at 4am – not by a long shot. They've managed to find that middle ground between deeper and more energetic, and it translates to a fun live show with plenty of dancing. “I suppose with the live setting it's a little bit different to how it sounds on the CD, but I think that's a good thing. I think that's how we wanted it to be; we make it moody in parts, but a lot of time fairly upbeat and dancey, and pretty fun and pumping in parts. People seem to dig it,” he suggests modestly.

In fact the Rüfüs sound is a very considered one for the whole group. Not only are they trying to mesh the deeper world with partying, it's all about crafting a sound that is both produced and live. “I suppose the thing that we're trying to go for or the sound that we love is a mix of the two worlds. Like, last night we spent so many hours just sitting down at the computer nutting together this idea. And then by the end of that we were just so keen to turn the microphones on and start getting some real instrumentation in there. You know, that's just as fun, and I think for us that makes it a better sound if you can combine the two equally.”

And this of course bleeds into their live show. Being a three-piece allows for a much more rounded live experience, with far less necessity of backing tracks, and it's something George prides the group on. “I mean we love playing live for that reason, it's putting this world together that you've created in the studio on a stage and trying to do as much as possible and recreate it in the best possible light. And then, you know, the full live drum kit and stuff, and Tyrone and James are really amazing musicians — it's pretty fun to do it all.”

And with all this writer's blithering about acts of old, and the next crop of artists coming through earlier, has George noticed it? Does he feel like Rüfüs is a part of the next crop? His answer is as casual as you'd hope. “Yeah, I mean just because we're hanging out so much, or you're touring with these bands… like, we just came off the Van She tour, and you meet so many new acts along the way,” he tells.

“And I suppose you bond over all your influences and you feel like you're into it together and in the live scene. I guess that's inevitable with any band. In ten years' time I'll still feel like they're part of this sound just because you're part of that generation or era.”

And with things going swimmingly as they are, is it time yet for the group to start looking to take their sound abroad, a place where many of their contemporaries have achieved plenty of successes? “We love touring, it's friggin' awesome,” he laughs. “We do wanna get overseas at some point, but for the next six months or so we'll be locking ourselves down finishing this album and getting the finished product out early next year. So if all goes well, we'd love to get over there.”

Modest, talented and heads in the right place? This Summer is looking endless so far.