Ex-lutruwita/Tasmania, now Naarm/Melbourne-based producer duo Close Counters (Finn Rees and Allan McConnell), have just delivered their joyous album LOVERS DANCE ACADEMY – recorded at their studio in Brunswick and across the globe, produced by Finn and Allan, and mixed by Allan.
LOVERS DANCE ACADEMY is a moving celebration of soul, broken beat, house and jazz, packed to the brim with exquisite rhythmic percussion, vibrating improvised synths and syncopated bass lines. The record showcases Close Counters’ effortless and infectious instrumentation, while intricate production allows the tracks to retain an energetic yet spacious feeling. Collaboration has always been at the heart of Close Counters’ music, and the album showcases exuberant feature performances from Lyric Jones, Tiana Khasi, Allysha Joy, Jace XL and Shiv, plus nods to their wider collaborative team on the record (Lucky Pereira, Robyn Poppins, Matthew Hayes, Ryotaro Noshiro, Tiaryn Griggs, Annalisa Fernandez, plus Adam Halliwell of Mildlife on the album opener) creating a festive community and captures their live-performance energy throughout.
The duo talk about the inspiration behind LOVERS DANCE ACADEMY:
“LOVERS DANCE ACADEMY is a concept album about an idea where we want to transport the listeners to a club, or collective, that’s manifesting a better world through art. It’s both a metaphor for the power of collective energy in dance music that can give life to the people, and literal in the sense that there’s a collective behind the Close Counters album. A place where you learn; it’s mysterious and intriguing. Never quite giving everything away. Each song is a confession of life and love’s growths: ‘FREEDOM WE’RE NEEDING’, ‘FEELING TAKES OVER ME’, and ‘ON THE MOVE’ cover the longing for freedom through movement. ‘WAITING ALL NIGHT’ and ‘CONSTANT LOVE’ are more personal accounts of love’s journey. ‘I’LL BE THERE FOR YOU’ is a collective message to lift those around you or someone in need.”
Release: February 12th, 2025, Holy Sound