- Eurodance-inflected techno and trance in that inimitable Australian style.
- There's a particular kind of party dear to Australian clubbers' hearts: the bush doof. These multi-day camping festivals originated in the early '90s and typically combined trance and psytrance music with the stunning—and often harsh—conditions of rural Australia in summer. (Recently, some festivals have been moved to spring to reduce the risk of bushfires.) Rainbow Serpent Festival is probably the best known example, though it has veered further from its roots as it's grown, recently hosting more mainstream artists such as Patrick Topping. Still, the uniquely Australian take on progressive house that has emerged out of Melbourne over the past decade—see Roza Terenzi, Jennifer Loveless or DJ Life—is clearly influenced by the original spirit of the bush doof.
Up-and-coming producer and DJ Aldonna, born Adriana Spaseska, is another proponent of this sound. Her debut EP Morph, on Brooklyn label Homage last year, was excellent—particularly "The Empress' Acid Line," which was accompanied by an equally good Alex Kassian remix. Angel Numbers, released on Bristol label Sex Tapes From Mars, showcases the same strain of Eurodance, this time coated with a film of dust, as if a late-'90s edition of Berlin’s Love Parade were transported to the desert.
"Divine Time" combines snatches of poetry with pitched up didgeridoo-esque synths and trancey organs, creating a propulsive incantation. "Ikigai," made with fellow rising Melbourne talent Sam Alfred, is another endorphin rush cut from the same modern candy raver cloth, as is "Ella's Angel Numbers," pinned to a twinkling recurring synth and reverberating happy house keys. Cromby's version of "Divine Time" strips more out of the breakdown mid-track and adds some tension-building arpeggiating pads and acid squiggles, designed go off like a rocket during peak time. Aldonna is already hot property in Australia, regularly tapped to open for the likes of Cinthie, Paramida and Gerd Janson. Off the back of two strong releases in a matter of months, 2023 might be the year she becomes an international concern.
Tracklist01. Divine Time
02. Ikigai feat. Sam Alfred
03. Ella
04. Divine Time