Melbourne-based producer, DJ and instrumentalist, Harvey Sutherland has revealed that his forthcoming debut album, Boy will be released on April 29, 2022 via House Anxiety. Accompanying the announcement, the synthesizer enthusiast has shared his latest single, “Feeling Of Love” featuring DāM-FunK , out now.
A slick, tightly-wound boogie number, “Feeling of Love” is the next glistening single from Boy – a rare collaboration with the Los Angeleno godfather of Modern Funk, Damon Garrett Riddick aka DāM-FunK on lead vocals and a signature synth solo. It could pass as a love song, but really it’s about keeping your head straight in an era of misinformation and modern unrest. Held down by Harvey’s studio rhythm section, DāM and Harvey rally a call for togetherness, understanding and love, especially the love of Funk.
On the track, Harvey says: “After many years of crossing paths backstage, I finally got to work with the godfather of Modern Funk, the “true gentleman”, Glydezone’s own Damon Garrett Riddick aka DāM-FunK in full spiritual flight. I recorded the beat in Melbourne, took it to Culver City and we wrote this song in an afternoon.
“Is it about a girl…”, asked DāM, “or is it about Society?”
“It’s definitely about Society”, I replied.
It’s about trying to keep your head straight in a world of misinformation. Turning the other cheek, staying on course and gliding towards your destination. Keeping that love inside. Let DāM tell you.”
The accompanying video to “Feeling Of Love” was directed by Fons Schiedon, who shares: “Listening to this song on repeat, the same image kept coming back: DāM-FunK with his shoulder synth moving through the city of Los Angeles.”
He goes on to say “‘ Feeling of Love’ has such a strong propelling energy, it felt like we visually couldn’t stay in one place. So the structure of the song became a roadmap that takes us from DTLA, onto the freeway, down the offramp, through a residential neighborhood, up through the rocky wilderness and finally jamming away on top of one of LA’s most visible buildings. We were all interested in the idea of moving forward whether or not it’s easy. That therapeutic element was a key underlying theme. That’s how parts of the video became more dreamlike, where it’s effortless but maybe a bit uncanny, and other parts where you have to drag yourself up the mountain, but it’s all more grounded.”
Schiedon concludes: “By the way, for those familiar with LA, wondering how we got from Elysian Park to the Griffith Observatory? It’s that Hollywood magic.”
Drop the needle on Harvey’s debut album Boy and find yourself transported to a hypermodern take on funk music. Recorded between London, Los Angeles and Harvey’s own Swimming Pool Studio with a string of special guests and hotshot Melbourne session musicians, tracks like “ Feeling Of Love ” and previous single “ Jouissance” take the base elements of funk and fire them through a prism of influences – the hyper-produced studio pop of Todd Rundgren, the luscious grooves of New York boogie and the harsh snap of coldwave. A self-diagnosed overthinker and perfectionist, the forthcoming record’s finest fruits were birthed from endless nights of studio obsession and psychoanalysis – Harvey’s theory of “neurotic funk” as his guiding North Star.
In 2021, Harvey released Boy ’s debut single, “Jouissance,” championed across the board by PAPER, NPR, NME, 10 Magazine, and Resident Advisor who revealed that the track “ feels like a new beginning for an artist who was already near the top of his game.” At radio, the track garnered a wealth of support across BBC 6Music’s Gilles Peterson, Tom Ravenscroft , Huey Morgan and Apple Music’s Matt Wilkinson .
Over an illustrious near decade-long career, Mike Katz aka Harvey Sutherland has continued to solidify his reputation as one of the most distinct voices in electronic music. From early EPs reflecting his crate-digging influences, alongside worldwide festival appearances at Glastonbury, Nuits Sonores, Pukkelpop and MUTEK, Harvey’s world continues to expand. Most recently, Harvey’s track “ Priestess ” was supported by Paul Woolford on his DJ Kicks mix, and he delivered elite remixes for the likes of Disclosure , Tycho , Khruangbin , Surprise Chef and more arriving soon. He continues to hone his studio craft, with production and writing credits on Genesis Owusu’s critically-lauded breakthrough album Smiling With No Teeth.
Today, take a trip down the Funk Superhighway, as one of Australia’s finest electronic artists Harvey Sutherland joins Los Angeles synth auteur DāM-FunK for “Feeling Of Love” – the next taste of Harvey’s debut album, Boy .