Maestro of sweeping melodies, glistening beats and symphonic synths, Chrome Sparks had us totally hypnotised by the release of his gorgeous EP Parallelism. Real name Jeremy Malvin, the 22-year-old producer is set to tour Australia alongside Cyril Hahn, kicking off in Brisbane this week – full details below.
We wanted to get to know the music behind the man, we asked him to share three albums which changed his life – and the results are excellent.
Stereolab, Dots And Loops
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48QJM1-2_oo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=48QJM1-2_oo
The first time I heard this album was when I heard a roommate of mine playing it off of a CD player with tiny speakers in the kitchen while cooking breakfast. It didn’t matter that the speakers were shitty, the songs (combined with the smell of bacon) completely mesmerised me and I was immediately obsessed. Every Sunday for years, I religiously put this album on repeat. It’s so inventive and experimental and poppy at the same time, it just satisfies me in a way that nothing else does. I have a craving to be a part of something like this down the road.
Simian Mobile Disco, Attack Decay Sustain Release
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iC4lOdiV2jk
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmvrr6pCWLc
If I remember correctly, this was the first dance/synth record I really got into. I was so baffled by the sounds and totally clueless as to how they could get everything to be so full, crisp, and precise. It’s funny, I haven’t revisited this album in years, but a friend recently pointed out the similarities between some music I’ve just been working on and some songs on this album. It really affected me more than I realised at the time.
Thom Yorke, The Eraser
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PJhmKF4npMs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EvEOWNfx7lY
I was that headphone kid in high school, and I was probably listening to this. I remember thinking, if only I could sing, I’d be making shit right up this alley. My high school stuff really did sound like a cheap knockoff of this album. The mix of organic and computerised sounds work so well and really affected me (and actually played a large part in the name ‘Chrome Sparks’, which I originally wanted to be ‘Chrome Heart’ to illustrate this dichotomy).
