MIDLIFE
Live From South Channel Island
Since oozing onto the scene, Mildlife’s mellifluous mix of jazz, krautrock and demon grooves has fast become a word of mouth sensation among open-minded DJs and diggers searching for the perfect beat. Their emergence was fortified by European tours, demonstrating a riotously loose- limbed performance approach that was every bit as thrilling as their album’s tantalizing promise. By the end of their breakout year, they’d been nominees for Best Album at the Worldwide FM Awards (Worldwide’s Gilles Peterson was a notable champion), won Best Electronic Act at The Music Victoria Awards back home in Melbourne, and were officially anointed by DJ Harvey who included ‘The Magnificent Moon’ on his Pikes compilation Mercury Rising Vol II.
2020’s follow-up album Automatic saw the band elevate with more disciplined, directional and ar- guably more danceable synergy. With tightly structured arrangements making way for melodic im- provisation and ethereal vocals, Mildlife effortlessly glid between live performance and studio songwriting like Kraftwerk and Herbie Hancock quarantined in Bob Moog’s Trumansburg work- shop. Debuting Top 10 on the Australian charts, Automatic snared a converted ARIA Award for Best Jazz Album.
In early 2021, unable to play shows due to the pandemic, Mildlife travelled by boat to a long abandoned 19th century island fort to perform for fairy penguins and abalone poachers. The result is Live from South Channel Island, a 70 minute motion picture and live album where the band masterfully recreate the magic of their live shows, framed by the gorgeous Port Phillip Bay.