GrooveScooter - Catalogue

"... such depth and intelligence
..one might draw comparisons with
DJ Shadow in his more ethereal moments"
[Metropolis Magazine Tokyo]

amphibian

Visit amphibian's own website here

Review of German vinyl pressing thru Curl Curl
Vinyl available here

"The German remix by Marlow of 'Empty' by
Australia's amphibian is the bomb! A super tough yet restrained and stylish broken beat workout coupled with the devastating vocals of Natalie Elizabeth Gay. Clean, tight production yet still warm and human - amazing! ...Have listened to 'Empty' 5 times and it only arrived in the post 2 hours ago! Will definitely be in my box for the long-term."
[DJ Nathan McClay - TownB]

Reviews of 'Adventures In Whistle Village'

I'm a tired old man but I'm particularly tired of yr generic
nu-skool lounge beats and faux-emo-electronica from musicians who should know better. Gracefully enforcing themselves as an alternative to such aesthetic insults is Australian trio amphibian whose new double album release Adventures in Whistle Village is a carefully laid cross-section of live sound (drums, piano, double bass etc.), manipulated sounds, and 'the miscellaneous'. Adventures... takes to the notion of 'genre-subletting', working through the issues associated with working inside the realm of jazz beats and cyclic trip-hop sentimentalist textures and deriving their own concerted response. Sublime features lighten and shade this set, but the structures from Matt Hill's piano and Fontanelle-style Rhodes, along with Barry Hill's wonderfully buoyant double bass line the album with a base which is as water-tight as a plastic pool liner, the album at large ringing true of The Necks live throws, often combining a dark funk-riddled groove with a nervous ambience. Vocalist Natalie Gay contributes to Amphibian's first vocal outing Empty and the band recall Sydney's Wicked Beat Soundsytem in the process. It goes without saying that there's more then a shingle of atmosphere on Adventures...; both upbeat and contemplative in persuasion, and through it -like labelmate Don Meers - amphibian have come up with a concoction both immediate, cinematic, and most importantly, lingering.
[Steve Phillips, JJJ, Beat Magazine + SadnessIsInTheSky]

"This Australian trio take the traditional
instrumental and compositional elements of jazz and blur the line. A journey through hardly-hurrying drum beats, warm organic keys and bass is met by occasional surprises of subtle electronic bites. A bonus remix disc with local electronic artists adds heavier drum breaks and samples to make this effort a classy listen.
[Chloe Sasson, Sydney Morning Herald]

"Amphibian are, on the surface, a jazz trio -
double bass, drums and piano - but their music owes almost as much to ambient, electro-dance and classical minimalist Eric Satie as it does to jazz. On Adventures In Whistle Village, their second album, Amphibian provide a cool sea of jazz-inspired ambience for the listener to drift around in. The key to Amphibian's music is mood and thematic development. If you're new to this sort of stuff you'll wait for the musical fireworks and be left wondering whether you missed something. Amphibian's special talent is to take a theme - try the hypnotic, flute/voice line in Bedouin - and slowly seduce the listener, introducing subtle variations and textures (field recordings of frogs and birds sneak into Duck Squadron). Some hot saxophone peppers the later tracks. Matt Hill's piano/Rhodes/synths provide the melodic direction of the music, but also the subtle grooves that make tracks like Tentacle irresistible. What really makes this music work, though, is the agile, dynamic interplay between bassist Barry Hill and drummer Rob Walsh. Their playing is a lesson in economy, subtlety and groove. The icing on the cake is Empty, a cool, bittersweet jazz ballad sung with passion by guest singer Natalie Gay. The bonus CD includes several inspired remixes of this track. Let Amphibian prescribe you one very effective chill pill.
[David Curry, The Canberra Times]

"Occasionally an album comes along on which subtlety
defines its quality... Like a rare butterfly that has only days to prove itÕs beauty... The original... is special enough, but with added achingly creative re-mixes on a bonus disc. Drop what youÕre doing and head for Whistle Village, you might be surprised."
[Clive Smith, Bartender Magazine]

"A label that you've liked in the past is usually a safe call,
so when I heard a track from the latest Groovescooter release on the radio I knew I had to hear more. Plus with remixes from the likes of Deepchild, Don Meers and Beat World it was sure to be interesting. Groovescooter is a Sydney label gaining respect all over the place for it's sweet take on electronic/pop sounds, but they seem to have taken a little bit of a step away from their core with this release by Melbourne jazz crew Amphibian. The group made of double bass, piano/keys and drums have had one prior release which gave them their oceanic name. While I was initially drawn to 'Adventures' by the call of the remixer and the label, it was the mellifluous groove of tracks like 'Orphan' that have kept me in rapt attention. That's not to suggest that the remixes are worth passing up, Deepchild's wonderfully titled 'Woomera Breakout Re-Funk' mix of 'Empty' is the sort of dubbed out funk that we've come to expect, just with a slowed down tempo and Natalie Gray's plaintive vocal. While Lava Musique's remix of the same track has the sort of acid squelchiness that made Mr Finger's best stuff so gorgeous and ENS remix is just crazy percussion madness. But compared to the lovely atmospheric jazz and off kilter soul of the album proper they just can't compete. Tracks like 'Tentacle' manage to travel all over the place with oddly syncopated piano keys and skeletal drum'n'bass rhythms padding out the back, while mournful bass lines drown in the background. The warm sound of the Rhodes pads along smoothing away the stress of the day in a whirlpool of soulful grooves, while on 'Bedouin' Mark Spencer's contemplative flute carries the melody in a sound that is so smooth and wonderful that it's easy to become caught in the rhythms and soulful sounds which seem to conjure up forgotten dreams and flights of the imagination. 'Adventures...' is the story of a fictional archeologist Dr Norris on her journey northward from the Nullarbor Plain. The spacious mood is made up of subtle breakbeats, textural bassy grooves and sax squeals, which easily conjure the rough feel of desert winds and the rare sight of a treasured oasis or the trickery of a mirage. Renowned jazz label Verve look like picking this up for international distribution, so get in and check this out before it's completely out of control."
[Calico, In The Mix]

With ears more accustomed to the electronic avant noodlings
of leftfield electronica and mish mash noise, the straight up mod-jazz sounds of amphibian seem (at first) to be rather tame. While blurring the orthodox jazz line by incorporating digital field recordings with the more traditional sounds of piano, drums and double bass, the results are a smooth journey through steady beats, interwoven with sprinkles and smatterings of melody. But it's the haunting and addictive, and ever so seductive vocals of chanteuse Natalie Gay, particularly on the feature tracks 'Empty', that make the listen ever so more appealing. Having made their mark on the UK chill scene, courtesy of live dates at the annual Big Chill, this Australian three piece goes that extra step, delivering something extra-special to this release by including a bonus remix CD. Featuring reworks of 'Empty' by the likes of Deepchild, Groovescooter, Don Meers and Nightswimmer, these retakes rework the originals by adding that extra layer of fuzz and breakbeat workouts (think Good Looking Records). For those who live their life with a touch of class.
[Lemon Head, 3D World Magazine]

Praise for amphibian

" simple and beautiful ... leaves one feeling refreshed"
[stream, NYC]

" Fluid, beautiful music that loops itself around your head.
Sounds with plenty of space to roam. Sounds that leave plenty
of room imaginations to move. Music played extraordinarily well."
[Neal Hunt, Revolver Mag Sydney]

"....both chilled and feverishly energetic...
one of the finest to pass our way in a long time."
[Time Off Mag, Brisbane]

"Ambient jazz at its best"
[Tim De Sousa, Revolver Mag, Sydney]

Tracklisting - Adventures In Whistle Village Double CD

Bonus Disc: 01_empty remixed by Beatworld |
02_empty 'woomera breakout re-funk' remixed by Deepchild |
03_snow performed by Natalie Gay + members of amphibian |
04_empty remixed by Lava Musique | 05_empty remixed by ENS |
06_sea slug performed by amphibian |
07_ empty 'once 'round the shadowy block' remixed by Groovescooter |
08_empty remixed by Don Meers | 09_empty Junkbeats present Union remix |
10_orphan 'drowning remix' by Nightswimmer | 11_empty 'radio edit'

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