30/70 - Art Make Love (2023)

‘ART MAKE LOVE’ is the fifth album by 30/70, the mothership of the internationally acclaimed Melbourne born collective. Expanding far beyond the previous markers of nu-soul and jazz; it is inspired heavily by broken beat complexity, translating dance music into live textures and their truly unique collaborative songwriting. ‘ART MAKE LOVE’ is a statement about the very life giving, love fuelling, interconnected nature of creativity, a reclamation of art in a digital time.

Unique to their catalog, this album was created with each member of the band taking full control of the recording and producing of their own instrument only to culminate in a unified sound, their synergy palpable as a singular force. Over the years 30/70 has become something of a supergroup, with Allysha Joy, Ziggy Zeitgeist, Josh Kelly, Finn Rees and Matthew Hayes all soaring as solo artists, band leaders and producers in their own right. Each member of the band commands their sound and musicality effortlessly - a concept that is unique in 30/70 too - there is no one leader, they make space for each member to go deep on whatever it is they’re bringing to the table, creating space for the music and one another.

‘ART MAKE LOVE’ captures a visceral sense of light and dark, exploring the very edges of life, death, truth and fear, the depth of spirit and emotion. An incredibly intimate record made in tandem with personal illness and overcoming; the power of practice, process and collective expression enough to pull them forward.

Lead vocalist Allysha Joy speaks on behalf of the group around ‘ART MAKE LOVE’.
“We wanted this record to embody the concept of art giving life, and life giving art, while serving as a vessel to bring joy, compassion and energy. Particularly in a time when things feel more than ever about a destination or validation and less about a message, we want to exemplify the experience in sharing something that brings us closer together. 30/70 began in a deeply DIY, grass-roots nature, with an ongoing desire to explore and express and collaborate without bounds. This record nods to that time, bringing it back into the present in the hope that it reminds others why they create, to go out and do something they love, bring joy, and give back to this world in some way”

The LP features eight full tracks and three interludes. Focal points include ‘ALL 4 U’, 70’s Herbie Hancock meets Fela Kuti in the darkroom of a Berlin club in the not too distant future. It’s about finding and feeling love that is ever expansive and expressive in every moment. A track so joyous and true Allysha says she “cried tears of gratitude and relief for its expression while recording this one! It’s an outpouring, an overflow of joy to know love!”. ‘‘WITHOUT YOU, WITHIN ME’ sees Joy’s deeply expressive vocal performance penetrate through dance floor squared hyper funk. The track explodes and the tension is released by powerhouse Josh Kelly on saxophone, effortlessly gliding over the incessantly driving beat.

In spirit it is a circling back to underline core values never lost along the way, a dedication to passionately feeling and expressing life through music, it is an offering as much as an invitation. Breaking down the walls between the music and the listener, ‘ART MAKE LOVE’ is bringing art back to the center and inviting you in to feel the power and strength that we can access when we are grounded in our own integrity.