Mashd N Kutcher

Mashd N Kutcher bring feel-good irreverence to Australian dance music, right down to that punning name. Founded in 2012 by Brisbane’s Matt James—who creates everything heard on the recording and then performs it live in a trio—the act made an early foothold with upbeat bangers sampling Art vs. Science (2014’s “Do It Now”) and Len (2015’s “My Sunshine”) before remixing rusted-on rock anthems by Journey and John Farnham. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the project cheekily repurposed Victorian premier Daniel Andrews’ warning about co-mingling with mates over drinks to create the 2020 lockdown sensation “Get On the Beers”, which came in at No. 12 in the Triple J Hottest 100 countdown. When James began treatment for blood cancer in 2023, he released the jubilant soul-meets-house single “It’s Alright” and committed to donating the song’s streaming royalties to Myeloma Australia for research and awareness about the condition. James has continued to play live when possible, and showed no signs of slowing down on the high-velocity 2024 single “Across The Tracks”.