One month after first announcing the event, triple j have now unveiled the finalists in their DIY Supergroup competition.
Announced back in April, triple j’s Unearthed initiative provided collab-hungry musicians with an opportunity to create some musical masterpieces thanks to the wonders of technology.
Dubbed the DIY Supergroup, the competition saw a number of big-name Aussie musicians offer up samples and loops of their own tracks for users to download, remix, and create something beautiful with.
In addition to guitar loops from Tame Impala’s Kevin Parker, and Tash Sultana, musicians were offered bars from Tkay Maidza, drum fills from G Flip, and classic sounds from Flume. Other artists featured in the downloadable sample pack included The Jungle Giants, Middle Kids, and the world-beating Amy Shark.
Now, after receiving over 900 entries over the last month, triple j have revealed the five finalists to have made the cut.
While Adelaide outfit EAST AV3 shared “ASTRONAUT” less than 24 hours after entries opened, New South Wales’ JEFFE recruited Jack Gray for the cross-continental cut “Apocalypse”.
As Queensland’s JIM ALXNDR focus on Amy Shark’s vocals to provide “u + her 4eva”, mystery Sydney act ROYBOY shared “switchUP”, and Victoria’s Wolfjay recruited housemate Austen to offer up the powerful “Very Soon”.
The winning entry will be announced next week, so read on for more information (via triple j) regarding each of the tracks, and to give each of the finalists a listen.
triple j Unearthed DIY Supergroup Finalists:
EAST AV3 – “ASTRONAUT” (SA)
Less than 24 hours after the comp opened, SA’s freshly anointed new princes of rap EAST AV3 dropped an absolute heater. Couple bars from hometown hero Tkay Maidza with memorable boasts like “I like ass/I’m an astronaut” and you’ve got a certified hit.
JEFFE – “Apocalypse (feat. Jack Gray)” (NSW)
He was a boy (in LA), she was a girl (in London) and the pandemic brought them together to isolate in Queensland. Mates JEFFE and Jack Gray put their time to good use, joining forces to craft this timely, intimate electro-pop ballad.
JIM ALXNDR – “u + her 4eva” (QLD)
Gold Coast producer JIM ALXNDR steered his entry in an heartstring-tugging direction, twisting and turning samples into an emotionally commanding electronic track. Keep an ear out for the beautiful stylings on Amy Shark’s vocals.
ROYBOY – “switchUP” (NSW)
Do we know who ROYBOY is? Nope. Do we know that the mystery Sydney act can nail a fiery hip hop track? Absolutely. They tease a switch up in the name, but nothing will prepare you for when the crunchy Tame Impala bass flips.
Wolfjay – “Very Soon (feat. Austen)” (VIC)
Housemates becoming bandmates? Hell yeah! Get ready to be swept into a dreamy, nostalgic soundscape by bedroom producer Wolfjay and their flatty/alt-pop singer Austen. Their vocals complement each other to absolute perfection and you’ll be singing along to the chorus after one listen.
