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Lawn Bowls

So it’s taken quite a while (close to two years) but my music is being released outside Australia for the first time! That’s thanks to the folks at a little label in the UK called Lucky Number (and friends of theirs in Japan, Beatink).

Like Drawing Blood will be my debut record for folks in Europe and Japan. Fast facts: it’ll have a slightly altered tracklist, dropping A Distinctive Sound from the Aussie playlist and replacing it with a new mix of The Only Thing I Know, originally released on Boardface in Australia. Another first will be single releases (something I couldn’t afford to do effectively in Australia)- edits and new remixes of Hearts A Mess, Learnalilgivinanlovin and The Only Thing I Know will all be out digitally or on vinyl in some form. Check out Lucky Number's site for details of those

The delay in getting an overseas release together and tinkering with the tracklist is the flow-on from a long and challenging period of clearing samples, replaying, replacing or simply removing others, and generally just being cautious about forging partnerships for my music overseas. It feels good to finally be moving ahead with this after so much talking, emailing, remixing and organising, knowing that Steve, Michael and their promo team at Lucky Number, as well as Ray and co. at Beatink have the same energy and commitment to releasing and promoting my music in their territories as what I put into it over the last few years in Oz. I guess I wouldn’t know what it’s like being on a major label roster, but having a couple of passionate independent labels on board has so far afforded me the chance to get to know everyone who’s representing me overseas (not always the case I imagine), while I’m back in Australia recording new stuff with The Basics and beginning to tinker with new projects for a future Gotye recording. The knowledge that I make the final call on anything Gotye-related coming out overseas is reassuring too (press releases and artwork etc). I must admit that at times, when it’s felt like it’s all getting a little too big and beyond my control, I’ve felt unsure about whether it’s worth making music for anything other than releasing on the internet and perhaps playing shows for friends. It feels kinda scary sometimes- I guess that's just the tiny sliver of "public life" I've experienced. I’m not having dreams of stadiums full of screaming fans projecting adulation at me, put it that way. Well, maybe nightmares.

But enough about what’s going on in my head. How about what I’ve been DOING!? (As an aside- have you ever realised how the word “doing” is the same as, well, “doing”…as in “DOINNG- I just hit my head on a tubular bell”? No?...surely it’s occurred to somebody). Well, back to business. I mean music- in May and June I traveled over to Japan and Europe for a promo tour which included a date with Jamie Lidell (no dinner and heart-to-hearts. Not that kinda date. Shame though- I do admire his music so). Then there were a coupla sold-out shows in London and some poky sets at the Great Escape Music Festival in Brighton (on and off stage in a total of 25 minutes! Well done Doctor Kablammo and crew!). I was lucky enough to have some time off in Europe afterwards, followed by a two week trip to North America. Wooot. Good times. I bought this. It’s so good

Regarding that earlier biz about my label peoples overseas being lovely folks etc, they must also be good at their work, since Gotye tracks have been added to radio stations across Europe and Japan (even commercial ones!...take THAT Fox FM). It’s all kinda crazy to me. I thought things couldn’t defy my expectations more than they already had in Australia. (I now have a Google alert on myself btw. How vain.…oh, and I also have one on “Goyte” just to be safe, and amused…and also “Robbedoes en Kwabbernoot”, but that’s entirely unrelated)

More live gigs coming up: It’s not long now (July 26th to be exact) till I play Japan’s Fuji Rock festival. Following on from there, the dates for my September tour of Europe are up on the gigs page and MySpace. Special guest on the Europe shows is the wonderful Clare Bowditch, doing her new solo show which I can't wait to see this Sunday in Melbourne. Another special guest will be my laptop, featuring the newly purchased SampleTron. All the inane conversations with old men at random garage sales has yet to yield an old Mellotron or Optigan sitting dusty and undervalued in the back of a shed. In the meantime, this will have to be my new toy.

Not lawn bowls. I don’t play with them. That was just a header because I was thinking about “getting the ball rolling” overseas with my music or something.

PRE-ORDER LIKE DRAWING BLOOD ALBUM!
Available as a Digipack CD, Limited Vinyl and Download(more information on release here)

PRE-ORDER GOTYE'S "LIKE DRAWING BLOOD" NOW
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LUCKY NUMBER SHOP (CD + LIMITED VINYL)
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