To celebrate the first full year of the Skeleten project, the Sydney producer and vocalist shares his rendition of Digitalism’s iconic 2007 single ‘Pogo’, out now on Astral People Recordings / [PIAS]. With ebbing, pillowy synth chords, punctuating stabs of harmonic vocal samples and an airy dance beat carried by funk-laced bass and guitar, Skeleten transposes the jagged, stop-start house-rock of Digitialism’s original to his idiosyncratic blend of the celestial and the embodied, something which exists both within and outside of you.
On the choice of cover, Russell Fitzgibbon shares: “I was thinking about a cover, wondering what songs fit into the kinda world of my music, and listening to Pogo after it had been such a memorable song in my high school years I realised that not only did it fit my world but maybe it had actually had a bit of a hand in creating it. Something about its sense of oblivion just lines up with my favourite experiences of music, and it felt so good to revisit, like remembering this early innocent wonder.”
Skeleten recently announced his debut headline shows, with the Sydney leg at Mary’s Underground initially selling out within 12 hours - and then selling out again with increased capacity. Supported by Setwun (Live), Body Promise, Bria and Command D, fans can join the waitlist for the January 21st show here. Tickets are also available for his January 28th show at Melbourne’s Colour Club, supported by Loure (Live) and Strange Interactions, here, alongside the recently added Adelaide show, supported by Strict Face and Milkpaste, at The Lab on January 29th here.
Skeleten’s cover of ‘Pogo’ caps a breakout year for the Sydney artist, following the release of singles ‘Biting Stone’, ‘Walking On Your Name’ (remixed by Logic1000 and Rings Around Saturn) and, most recently, ‘Live In Another World’ (remixed by Moktar and Jennifer Loveless, the latter of which premiered on Les Yeux Orange and was discussed by the pair in their Ransom Note artist-on-artist interview). Since making his debut in late 2020 with the FBi Radio Song of the Year-nominated ‘Mirrored’, Skeleten’s steady output has collectively clocked up 1.8M streams. Recently, the former BBC Radio 6Music Recommends Spotlight Artist also provided guest mixes for XLR8R and triple j’s Mix Up. Releasing his first official remix for Cosmo’s Midnight, Skeleten was the only Australian producer to be featured on a release which also boasted reworks from the likes of Omar S, Brame & Hamo and RIMON, promptly following it up with his remix of Godess911’s ‘Botanical’, selected alongside DJ Counselling to reimagine the latest project from Alister Wright (Cloud Control, Vlossom) and Samuel Lockwood (The Jezabels).
Russell Fitzgibbon cut his teeth in Sydney’s tight-knit electronic community just as the city itself was forging its own identity. As an artist, his symbiotic relationship with his hometown saw his career blossom in tandem with the city’s electronic coming of age. A gradual shift from early maximal sample-based productions morphed into more dance-focused releases as he continued to cultivate his sound. Always looking to understand music in new ways, these years of restless experimentation led to the genesis of his most personal project to date; Skeleten.
As one half of the renowned production duo Fishing, Fitzgibbon has previously enjoyed support from Pitchfork, XLR8R, Rolling Stone and more. He has graced festival stages nationally including sets at Splendour In The Grass, Big Day Out, Groovin’ The Moo, The Falls Music and Arts Festival, supported a slew of international artists like SBTRKT, Jungle, Yeasayer and The Go Team and headlined a run of sold-out, headline shows down the East Coast of Australia
The new direction is Fitzgibbon unfiltered for the first time as both a vocalist and producer. At the core of the project lies a strong sense of uncomplicated openness, as the music naturally took shape over relaxed, late-night sessions between other work. “For the first time, I was really just making music with absolutely no intention, just doing exactly what felt good in the moment,” Skeleten says. “It was only after I had all these ideas floating around that I started to realise how much it sounded like me, and maybe understand a little of what I was getting at.” Drawing from a seemingly limitless creative well, Skeleten contributes all design and visual components for the project, offering an all-encompassing visceral experience for his listeners.
‘Pogo’ by Skeleten
Is out now on Astral People Recordings / [PIAS]
Listen now: https://ffm.to/skeleten_pogo
