When Flight Facilities announced 'Down To Earth' earlier this year, we expected nothing short of a debut album that would be jam packed full of feel-good hits, fit for summer dancefloor’s and festivals across the world. What they delivered in this release exceeded all expectations.
The Sydney duo’s debut single ‘Crave You’ released back in 2010 proved that they were ones to watch in the coming years, leaving audiences longing for an Album or EP to be released any time after to satisfy their needs. After a grueling 4 year wait Down To Earth has been met with excitable ears, presenting the question, was it worth the wait?
The album opens with a tongue in cheek in-flight announcement thanking the viewer for ‘choosing to fly with Flight Facilities’ carrying us neatly in to the first track ‘Two Bodies’ featuring newcomer Emma L. The track layers classic house percussion with a slightly discordant but smooth synth accompanied with a deep rumbling bass that we are so accustomed to hearing in modern house music. The lush sound of the overall track is topped off with a sultry vocal from Emma L who is longing the subject to ‘take advantage’ or her.
However it is clear that Flight Facilities are a diverse production duo that are conscious about experimenting with other genres as well as house. Walking Bliss suggests huge influences from the likes of Massive Attack and Portishead, as well as 'Hold Me Down' offering a pure funk sound reminiscent to the glory days of Earth, Wind and Fire and more recently Daft Punk, bursting into a saxophone solo mid-song, not something we may be used to hearing or expecting on a prominently house music release.
Overall, Down To Earth offers exactly what was expected of it and more, a perfect mixture of feel-good anthems and dancefloor-fillers topped off with a diversity and freshness to their sound. It is clear that Flight Facilities have spent the last 4 years slaving away in the studio crafting this album to perfection, a 4 years well spent in our eyes. And if the album is anything to go by, perfection is what we should expect when they embark on their almost completely sold-out tour this month. Its clear that the future is bright for Flight Facilities, we just hope they don’t leave it so long this time around.
Check out the album for yourself here.
Matt Hadley
