The year was 2013 and I found myself reaching into genres that I either hadn't heard before or hadn't enjoyed much in recent years. And of course there is always an impetus to such exploration, a singular inspiration. In this case it was Duke Dumont's blissful take on HAIM's "Falling." Introduced to me as a track he'd been closing his sets with at the time, I was immediately hooked on his cherubic chord selections and ever growing atmosphere. It's pure sonic pleasure with just the right amount of dance desire. His work around HAIM's vocals, especially Danielle's breathy delivery, is simply sensational. It was quirky and captivating to me, someone who had never heard HAIM before - however this was all about to change.
Later in that year HAIM performed on Jimmy Kimmel Live!, once again captivating me with their energy, enthusiasm and all around artistry (Este's incredible bass face included). All that winter I gorged myself on other live performances, eventually playing their Days Are Gone on repeat as I rode lawnmowers and weed-whacked my way through my landscaping job the following summer.
As readers of this blog will know, HAIM have since become one of my all-time favourite bands and for that I can thank Duke Dumont. It is this kind of inspiration I aim incite with this blog and my various radio shows, as you never know where your tastes will turn or what connections will be made.FOLLOW DUKE DUMONT: FACEBOOK SOUNDCLOUD TWITTER
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