Flume on “nervous” stint working with Damon Albarn and how SOPHIE helped him make new album

nme.com:

Flume has addressed working with collaborators for his new album ‘Palaces’, including his hero Damon Albarn who made him feel “nervous”, as well as the influence of the late SOPHIE.The Australian DJ and producer, real name Harley Edward Streten, told NME in an In Conversation video interview that Albarn is one of his musical heroes, so he found the experience of working with him on the album’s title track particularly nerve-wracking.“We were both playing the LA festival Life Is Beautiful and linked up afterwards, and went to some weird studio in the middle of nowhere in the desert,” Streten told NME about the Albarn collaboration, recalling that he played him a bunch of music.“I was nervous because I’m a huge fan,” he added, having showed Albarn lots of ideas, “but he didn’t like anything.”In fact, it was only the second to last track on ‘Palaces’ that piqued Albarn’s interest. “He was like ‘Alright, there’s something in this, this is cool’.”“After he came round to one of the songs, I did think ‘Thank fuck for that!” And having Albarn join him on-stage at Coachella to play piano during the debut live performance of their collaboration was a “really special moment”.

Flume also spoke about SOPHIE, whom he worked with on his 2019 mixtape ‘Hi This is Flume’. The late pop innovator showed him how to make many of the sounds that would go on to feature on his new record.“SOPHIE would rock up with this tiny little box, the monomachine by Elektron, and just start making the most insane sounds.