At heart a live breaks band, Brisbane crew Superfluid also weave elements of funk, hip-hop and soul into their music. They present an engaging cocktail of drums and dance, which has been overwhelmingly embraced by critics around the country and picked up on by international dance acts seeking fresh remixes.
This weekend they step back in time to play the Arcade 64 event. Celebrating all things 80s, there’s a particularly strong focus on retro video games. Indeed, there will be entire rooms designated for old-school gamers to show off their talents on the likes of Frogger, Pong and Pacman.
In between practice sessions on vintage gaming consoles, Superfluid member Nil answers a few questions posed by Time Off over email.
Q. When, why and how did you first come together?
1999 was the formative year of Superfluid. It all started with a Mu Magic Media tentacle party, to make up the rent for a friend’s warehouse. One Golden Eye and Virtual Fighter session later and we were chums for life.
Q. Describe the kind of music you play and the kind of live show people can expect?
Big-ass breaks, phat-ass licks and tweaky-ass goodness. Superfluid enjoy doing ambient chill out sets and have also been known to polka. Expect… stuff.
Q. What are your favourite retro video games?
Robotron is the ultimate fusion of pulsating colours, caustic sounds and ridiculous pixel-perfect control. It’s sheer gaming brilliance that we play regularly. We also like Street Fighter (any version except the movie tie-in). If you don’t agree, you are obviously crap at it!
Q. Video games are making our children stupid. Discuss!
Video games are not only teaching enduring moral lessons but valuable hand-eye co-ordination as well! We at Superfluid have been playing since the zx80 model [the first affordable home computer issued in 1979] and stand as a shining testament to the inherent dangers of hardcore gaming. Besides, studies show that 98 per cent of all juvenile idiocy is caused by pop music.
Q. Any Superfluid recordings we should look out for in 2004?
Yes, the shiny new double CD Superfluid: Project Vectrex is coming out soon on Creative Vibes. There’s also five tracks coming out on a Japanese road movie called Bondi Tsunami, an EP on US Breaks label Universe, and theme tune for an interstitial on Fox 8.
Q. How do you see the current Brisbane dance scene? What’s good and what needs to change?
I see it as a small purple thing with spots. [Seriously though,] the decibel issue has to be resolved otherwise we’ll have a generation of 20-somethings that will still have a full range of hearing. Madness! Also, the influx and influence of mainstream commercialism on the Valley is enough to bring you to tears.
Superfluid play Arcade 64 at Casablancas Saturday Apr 24.
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