Lanu - The Double Sunrise (2016)

Lanu is the experimental side project of the Bamboos' guitarist and leader, Lance Ferguson, one of the most prolific and well-respected musicians on the Australian funk and soul scene. Born in New Zealand, Ferguson grew up in a musical family, with his Hawaiian guitarist grandfather, Bill Wolfgramm, responsible for the country's first ever LP in 1956. In 2000, he formed Melbourne funk revivalists the Bamboos, who released four albums during the noughties, Step It Up, Rawville, Side-Stepper, and 4, and the soundtrack to the Nintendo Wii game De Blob. Throughout this period, he also produced material for Aloe Blacc, Ohmega Watts, and bandmate Kylie Auldist's two solo releases; co-founded Melbourne's soulful club-based Local People and Equatorial labels; and performed as a session guitarist for Joe Bataan, Eddie Floyd, and Alice Russell. In 2007, armed with a new sound encompassing dream pop, folk, lounge, electro, and indie, he released his debut solo LP, This Is My Home, under the guise of Lanu, a childhood nickname that is the Tongan word for color, and followed it up four years later with the critically acclaimed Her 12 Faces. ~ Jon O'Brien.