Flight Facilities, aka Sydney's Hugo Gruzman and James Lyell, have proven more than adept at commanding large-scale festival crowds across the globe with their euphoric live showings, staking a claim to top-billing at the dance tent at this year's Splendour in the Grass. Before Australia's summer festival season – which will see Flight Facilities perform at Beyond The Valley and FOMO in their home country –truly kicks off, the duo will take their commitment to live spectacular into somewhat uncharted territory for Melbourne Festival with a performance alongside the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. The show will see immersive recreations of material from debut album Down To Earth with some newly written orchestral elements and what's set to be a stunning videoscape, in a world premiere performance.
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Ahead of their orchestral flight of fancy, Hugo and Jimmy recount the beginning of their journey, and look at how the landscape has shifted since their emergence.THUMP: Were you on that Kings Cross scene back in the 2000s?
Hugo: Yeah definitely, that's where we met. Right in the middle of the Cross!
Jimmy: When everyone was a DJ. So where we!What are your thoughts on the Cross now?
Hugo: It's just a bunch of apartments and some sandwich stores now. I dunno, I was saying last to a friend, I was like 'I really can't begin to describe to someone, what that place was. I remember my first experience going in there and like - there were people passed out, there were things going wrong, like people chasing other people down the street, it was like, so not necessary. It felt like it was a part of Sydney's life and culture that existed and needed to exist for a reason. Everything is so safe and white bread now it's boring. If we had started ten years after when we did. We would've never had a career. I was playing at clubs in the Cross at 3 in the morning and now you can't even go out that late. Creatively it's stunting towards everything and everyone.Where do you get that resident spot now?
Jimmy: You either gotta be headlining the festival or playing music that is so inoffensive, that no one even knows that you're even in the corner.
Hugo: It's sad to think that there is some DJ kid out there, that won't have the same journey as we had. It's been an amazing ride, especially with all the late night clubbing and stupid stuff we did. It just sucks to know that there's not that environment for them to exist inside. It was all about going to those crappy clubs and going to record stores and playing your shit bootleg out!
Hugo: Yeah definitely, that's where we met. Right in the middle of the Cross!
Jimmy: When everyone was a DJ. So where we!What are your thoughts on the Cross now?
Hugo: It's just a bunch of apartments and some sandwich stores now. I dunno, I was saying last to a friend, I was like 'I really can't begin to describe to someone, what that place was. I remember my first experience going in there and like - there were people passed out, there were things going wrong, like people chasing other people down the street, it was like, so not necessary. It felt like it was a part of Sydney's life and culture that existed and needed to exist for a reason. Everything is so safe and white bread now it's boring. If we had started ten years after when we did. We would've never had a career. I was playing at clubs in the Cross at 3 in the morning and now you can't even go out that late. Creatively it's stunting towards everything and everyone.Where do you get that resident spot now?
Jimmy: You either gotta be headlining the festival or playing music that is so inoffensive, that no one even knows that you're even in the corner.
Hugo: It's sad to think that there is some DJ kid out there, that won't have the same journey as we had. It's been an amazing ride, especially with all the late night clubbing and stupid stuff we did. It just sucks to know that there's not that environment for them to exist inside. It was all about going to those crappy clubs and going to record stores and playing your shit bootleg out!
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Watch WORDS with Flight Facilities:How did the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra idea transpire?Hugo:Our booking agent lined the gig up for us, they asked if we would like to do a show with them and we gave them a resounding "YES" and then realised what we'd done, so now we are kinda dealing with however that's going to go down. It's quietly exciting, we are also packing it as well. We have no idea how we are going to perform alongside a giant orchestra. But we are definitely going to make it an unforgettable show.Is your Down to Earth getting a full classical spin for this one?
Jimmy: More or less, there are some tracks that we've left off and others that we decided to include.
Hugo: It's going to be the tracks that we felt were going to be the most adaptable to the orchestra and the one's that we thought would have the most impact. It's exciting for us. The most annoying thing is that we want to watch the show, but we have to be in it. hahaAs far as big live shows go, do you feel elaborate A/V set-ups are the future for dance and electronic music?
Hugo: Yeah, big time. I mean elaborate is the way to put it. I was going to say, it just needs to be unique. And one thing I've been saying recently is that you want your show to be visually stimulating so that people can spot it without even hearing it. if you can get a photo of someone's show and they don't need to read the caption to know who it is, that's when you've done it right.
Jimmy: Or people go, Woah! What the fuck was that! I need to know what that is.
Hugo: They're the two most important things if you have the most iconically unique show, that people can spot from a distance, that's all you can ask for. So we are really hoping that this show will have that effect as well as our shows in the near future.
Jimmy: More or less, there are some tracks that we've left off and others that we decided to include.
Hugo: It's going to be the tracks that we felt were going to be the most adaptable to the orchestra and the one's that we thought would have the most impact. It's exciting for us. The most annoying thing is that we want to watch the show, but we have to be in it. hahaAs far as big live shows go, do you feel elaborate A/V set-ups are the future for dance and electronic music?
Hugo: Yeah, big time. I mean elaborate is the way to put it. I was going to say, it just needs to be unique. And one thing I've been saying recently is that you want your show to be visually stimulating so that people can spot it without even hearing it. if you can get a photo of someone's show and they don't need to read the caption to know who it is, that's when you've done it right.
Jimmy: Or people go, Woah! What the fuck was that! I need to know what that is.
Hugo: They're the two most important things if you have the most iconically unique show, that people can spot from a distance, that's all you can ask for. So we are really hoping that this show will have that effect as well as our shows in the near future.
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This one kinda feels like an endless summer for you guys since the release of Down To Earth?
Jimmy: Yeah, I do find that. I was down at the beach the other day and someone was there playing Down To Earth back to back, it was pretty funny. I was just sitting there being third party to that kind of experience. We are not that recognisable so I was kinda sitting about five metres away from the guy, picking apart our music while he was thoroughly enjoying it.You do have that sense of anonymity, it's still not entirely like a Groucho mask, you are still recognisable but you both become the character when you're all kitted out.
Jimmy: The best part about that is, you just know that people go, 'I just like their music' that's and that's all it is. They don't have to care beyond that concept. And that's exactly what we wanted from the beginning was for everyone to just be into the music. Anything beyond that is not that necessary, but it's a cool thing to know that people are into it.Down To Earth has some pretty crazy collaborations: Reggie Watts, Bishop Nehru, Kylie Minogue, Owl Eyes.
Hugo: Usually when we finish a track we know straight away whether it's a male or a female that we need. We then try and sub categorise and we look for a type of girl or guy's voice. Is it a strong vocal or do you need one that is quite beautiful and pretty which we have done a bunch of times. Other times it's just artists we love. For example, we just hand them something we're proud of and really hope that they're feeling the same vibe. Take Reggie Watts, he is so damn amazing! So when we had this tune with a bit of groove to it, I was like oh man! And being such a huge fan of his and watching so much of his stuff on YouTube. I saw he'd performed with Shit Robot and LCD Soundsystem. So I was like, you know what, fuck maybe it's a shot, and he said yes, cause he's a dude. He's just a legend, he's the nicest guy you'll ever meet.What's the dynamic like between you guys when you're in the studio writing? Do you bump heads a lot or is it generally smooth sailing?
Hugo: Oh yeah! Big time. There's always arguments and things like that, but it's because we are both looking for something awesome and hope that people will like. Once you can kind of recognise that that's the common goal. Those fight just kinda need to happen to flesh out the good stuff and get to where we gotta go. We always just try and find that happy kind of medium.
Jimmy: That medium is exactly where our sound comes from. It's this push and pull between the two of us and our vastly different characters.
Hugo: if it was too much of one or the other it would just sound like one or the other. That middle ground is a unique space that no one else can copy.The Australian electronic scene is a melting pot a breakaway talent, which artists are you listening to and who we should look out for?
Hugo: We always love Client Liason's stuff! And I never think they ever get enough recognition. I really like Andras & Oscar, the Melbourne boys – they released an album last year. I still listen to that and really enjoy it. I think their sound is really unique and they got some real cool stuff. They've done an amazing job on that one.Flight Facilities perform with the Melbourne Symphony orchestra at Sidney Myer Music Bowl on Saturday October 17. Tickets are sold out, but the performance will be streamed to the big screen at Federation Square.Flight Facilities are on SoundCloud // Facebook // Twitter
Jimmy: Yeah, I do find that. I was down at the beach the other day and someone was there playing Down To Earth back to back, it was pretty funny. I was just sitting there being third party to that kind of experience. We are not that recognisable so I was kinda sitting about five metres away from the guy, picking apart our music while he was thoroughly enjoying it.You do have that sense of anonymity, it's still not entirely like a Groucho mask, you are still recognisable but you both become the character when you're all kitted out.
Jimmy: The best part about that is, you just know that people go, 'I just like their music' that's and that's all it is. They don't have to care beyond that concept. And that's exactly what we wanted from the beginning was for everyone to just be into the music. Anything beyond that is not that necessary, but it's a cool thing to know that people are into it.Down To Earth has some pretty crazy collaborations: Reggie Watts, Bishop Nehru, Kylie Minogue, Owl Eyes.
Hugo: Usually when we finish a track we know straight away whether it's a male or a female that we need. We then try and sub categorise and we look for a type of girl or guy's voice. Is it a strong vocal or do you need one that is quite beautiful and pretty which we have done a bunch of times. Other times it's just artists we love. For example, we just hand them something we're proud of and really hope that they're feeling the same vibe. Take Reggie Watts, he is so damn amazing! So when we had this tune with a bit of groove to it, I was like oh man! And being such a huge fan of his and watching so much of his stuff on YouTube. I saw he'd performed with Shit Robot and LCD Soundsystem. So I was like, you know what, fuck maybe it's a shot, and he said yes, cause he's a dude. He's just a legend, he's the nicest guy you'll ever meet.What's the dynamic like between you guys when you're in the studio writing? Do you bump heads a lot or is it generally smooth sailing?
Hugo: Oh yeah! Big time. There's always arguments and things like that, but it's because we are both looking for something awesome and hope that people will like. Once you can kind of recognise that that's the common goal. Those fight just kinda need to happen to flesh out the good stuff and get to where we gotta go. We always just try and find that happy kind of medium.
Jimmy: That medium is exactly where our sound comes from. It's this push and pull between the two of us and our vastly different characters.
Hugo: if it was too much of one or the other it would just sound like one or the other. That middle ground is a unique space that no one else can copy.The Australian electronic scene is a melting pot a breakaway talent, which artists are you listening to and who we should look out for?
Hugo: We always love Client Liason's stuff! And I never think they ever get enough recognition. I really like Andras & Oscar, the Melbourne boys – they released an album last year. I still listen to that and really enjoy it. I think their sound is really unique and they got some real cool stuff. They've done an amazing job on that one.Flight Facilities perform with the Melbourne Symphony orchestra at Sidney Myer Music Bowl on Saturday October 17. Tickets are sold out, but the performance will be streamed to the big screen at Federation Square.Flight Facilities are on SoundCloud // Facebook // Twitter