OK EG’s sound is rooted in a razor-sharp command of live gear. With hardware synths their instruments of choice, every performance feels wide open, unpredictable, unrepeatable and full of possibility.
When I reached out to Lauren and Matthew, they were en route to Monument Festival in Norway. Tucked away in the Forgotten Valley of Numedal (about three hours north of Oslo), the intimate gathering pulls in some of the most experimental and progressive electronic producers on offer. Naturally, the duo ended up serenading the crowd with a live set packed with unreleased music. The Melb/Naarm pair are best experienced in these settings, surrounded by flora as they build auditory worlds in real time. If you’re chasing OK EG’s gentler side, keep an ear out; they’ve got an ambient release landing on Kia’s other imprint, Cirrus, later this year.
Beyond the project, the pair are part of the core crew behind un:send festival, teaming up with Kia (Animalia), Kasun (Temporal Cast) and Dylan (Paper Cuts). Until then, let’s hear what Lauren and Matthew turn to when they’re after some inspiration.
1. International Sangman | “Dub 230”
Our friend Nik introduced us to this album called Death Roads and Spirit Ways 2 during an evening spent lying on the floor of his apartment listening to ambient music on old hi-fi speakers. It takes elements of dub – rimshots, tape echos, looping bass and recontextualises them in a wash of glitchy, static ambient textures. The deconstruction of dub was really appealing to us, and it went on to influence some of the sounds on our forthcoming release on Kia’s ambient label, Cirrus.
