Simon Mavin - Good Hair Day / Only You & Me (2023)

Bastard Jazz is proud to present the debut EP from producer and multi-instrumentalist Simon Mavin. Most well known as the Grammy nominated keyboardist/co-producer and co- writer of the celebrated Australian band Hiatus Kaiyote, Simon’s had a hand in multiple projects across the spectrum, but has yet to release under his own moniker until now.

The EP, which features two original tracks and two remixes from fellow Aussies Harvey Sutherland and Close Counters starts out was recorded in-between projects at the Grove, a small recording sanctuary in Melbourne. In Simon’s studio, he had installed a library of keyboards. 30-40 synthesizers, all of which were painstakingly patched in to be simultaneously accessible and ready to record in an instant. A drum kit in the corner was constantly mic'd up, and everything routed through a multitude of analog mixing desks providing different flavours of tone and texture. The Grove had such appeal that it was chosen as the studio to record the Gilles Peterson compilation ‘Sunny Side Up’ on
Brownswood Recordings.

Things kick off with “Good Hair Day”, a track originally blossoming from an infectious piano loop in which fellow collaborators Nick Lam and Henry Hicks added guitar parts and bass parts. What’s resulted is a danceable, infectious feel-good dancefloor jam with an ultra funky synth bassline that harkens back to Herbie Hancock’s 1970’s repertoire. Harvey Sutherland takes the tempo up and takes the track deeper into outer space with deep synth work, four on the floor drums, and a punchy bassline for late night sessions.

On the flip, “Only You & Me” is a lower tempo, slow burning joint with a live drum loop played by Nick Martyn, with an alien bassline, squelching keys, otherworldly oscillating vocodor parts and jazzy keyboard solos. Up and coming trio Close Counters take the song into new territory, stripping things down with a classic Broken Beat vibe, a driving bassline and synth stabs from the original, moving things squarely on the dancefloor – definitely a track for the breakers in the building.