Air Max ‘97 today shares his latest mixtape, *for U out via his own imprint DECISIONS. LISTEN HERE.

A self-confessed “labour of love spanning 4 years”, the project marks a new turn for the obtuse club producer into the warm light of emotive, vocal-led songwriting. Beginning life in the lonesome insomniac drift of lockdown and evolving through the electrifying chemistry of studio linkups, *for U presents a cross-genre collection of tracks that illuminates the best-rising talent from so-called Australia and beyond.

Bouncing effortlessly between gritty rap and progressive pop *for U is a true display of Air Max ‘97’s dexterity in fusing DIY scenescapes with a collaborative songwriting approach. “It reflects my deep-rooted love of pop and rap that stretches back to childhood. As much as I love crafting nasty club gear for a niche of a niche, pop has always been a monolith I’ve admired from afar for its ability to transcend contexts, bring people together, earworm, storytell, etc. It has been a puzzle I’ve been slowly trying to solve (in my own imperfect way) since 2018. Also, the chemistry of a successful collaborative studio dynamic is unlike anything else, a high. Hearing an artist’s vocal on one of my beats for the very first time is a magical, mind blowing experience every time.”

*for U weaves itself across 10 tracks, from the turbo-charged ‘Ride’ with Mulalo to the extroverted ASMR vocal debut of Cecil B. DeMille in the form of intimate rose-tinted musings (‘It’s OK’), mellifluous summer-rap cut ‘Crow Time’ with Atro and Sevy and light-filled prism ‘On My Grind’ with T Breezy. An infectious arc syncopated for day and night, the second half of the mixtape takes more of a confessional approach from the bleeding-heart story of seeking and resistance in ‘Eyes 2’ with Eora-based imbi to the inky flow of desire and (mis)communication of ‘Yuba’ with DÆMON, the lyrically combative but sweet stream-of-consciousness of ‘Cellyphone’ featuring West London artist Don Sinini, and the self-aware pain of unrequited love in ‘House Cat’ with LA-based Sally Spitz. Marking the final track of the mixtape is ‘Ever Alone’, a plaintive instrumental cut that inserts voice notes of Air Max ‘97 himself humming with time-ravaged synth tones, presented with the intent for listeners to write and record their own vocal over to complete the project. The project is, after all, *for U…

Channeling ‘stadium ballad energy’ and recorded at Naarm/Melbourne’s Fall Back Studios during the same weekend as ‘Ride’, spotlighted today is ‘Keepsake’ with daine and John Floreani, which speaks to a cherished connection with a loved one: daine’s filtered through a cosmic, if at times alienated, lens, and John’s through a tender everyday gesture of intimacy. Of the track’s inception, Air Max ‘97  reveals, “I played daine a dozen beats and they didn’t vibe any. There was an acoustic guitar in the studio, they picked it up and started strumming some chords. I quickly set up the mic and recorded them, put the chords on loop, and started adding drums. Meanwhile daine wrote lyrics and within two hours we had the completed demo. daine is a longtime John Floreani fan, said that Trophy Eyes (JF’s band) “saved their life”, and managed to call in the feature. John’s vocals bring me back to my inner 16-year-old indie bopper. They complete the track.”

Restlessly cultivating his sound since 2014, Air Max ‘97 is no stranger to the global electronic music scene. With a career that has quietly gone from strength to strength, Air Max ‘97 has toured Europe, Asia and North America extensively, formed joint projects with SCAM as Loppy B and A2A with Aya, featured on Kelela’s Hallucinogen Remixes EP, performed at Boiler Room in Paris and launched his own record label DECISIONS, home to a collection of his own releases as well as the likes of DJ Plead, Cop Envy, Jikuroux amongst others.

Praised as “one of the most inventive artists in club music” (Mixmag) and “one of the most quietly creative producers in this techno-not-techno world” (Resident Advisor), *for U not only keeps pace with Air Max ‘97’s soft spot for leftfield arrangements and experimentation but serves up a refreshing taste on forms of pop and hip-hop.