Hi This Is Flume opens with a 30-second loop of Flume—Sydney-born, LA-based producer Harley Streten—repeating that phrase over and over. It’s a ridiculous and perfect introduction to this 17-track mixtape. His headphone-music-for-the-club productions are, as ever, sophisticated, twisted, and original. These mostly instrumental, chaotic-sounding experiments are loosely structured and generally less than three minutes long; he toys with abrasive, unnerving sounds (“MUD,” “Wormhole"), breathtaking atmospheres (“Dreamtime”), and unexpected textures (“Spring”).
With the exception of the two tracks featuring rappers slowthai and JPEGMAFIA, it’s unlikely you’ll hear these songs burning their way through dance floors and radio charts—but that’s intentional. Simply put, this mixtape is Streten having fun and showing off his tricks. After all, beneath the Grammy, endless tours, and festival headline sets, he’ll always be that prodigious music nerd, tinkering away in his bedroom.