Charles Murdoch is from Brisbane, Australia. What kind of tea does he like? Does he sit outside, smoke joints and chat about the Chaos Theory with his pals? Does he watch video clips of Price Is Right from YouTube and shout-out the price of an arthritis medicine before the contestant gets a chance? There’s no way of knowing the truth. There are no interviews, no biographical pieces, no nothing. What there is to know about Charles Murdoch is that he once went by the name Charlie Why! and he made upbeat, dance electronica. He’d make tracks like, “Drill” or “Biscuits” that are influenced by jungle boogie beats or house DJ mixes.
When he was 17 he got noticed by the label Bang Gang who eventually pressed his debut EP I Am Deliciously Wired. He was on a path that may young artists dream about (him being 18 years-old at the time). Pressed vinyl, blog love and a music video. He was, as one blogger tabbed, “Australia’s answer to Jackson And His Computer Band.” Brilliant. “Drill”, the EP’s single, got a visual treatment where beautiful girls are doing abstract things like breaking mirrors, smashing glass, chugging then spitting up Pepto-Bismol-like liquid and dancing in rhythm to the music. And, why? Because, it’s avant-garde and edgy, duh. In fairness, the visuals are very fitting (and strangely sexy). That was all there was to know about Charles Murdoch, until recently.
The last known blog post mentioning Charlie Why! was in 2010. He dropped his EP and went radio silent. Six months ago he opened up a SoundCloud account and has been posting downtempo jams there ever since. He no longer goes by Charlie Why!–what now seems like a childish alter-ego. His music has grown up too–from an 18 year-old club DJ to a seasoned electronic producer who utilizes these UK dance stabs and splashes of vocal manipulations to create dance music for grownups. The now 21 year-old makes music that’s closer in comparison to Disclosure, Bondax and Jacques Greene than say a Mr. Oizo or Jackson And His Computer Band. It’s a beautiful transition. He’s since been cranking out track after track of house/future music and giving it out for free. If he were to compile these tracks they’d easily be in discussion for one of the top albums of 2012. (And, it’s been a fantastic year for music! So, that’s saying something.)
There’s still a lot of mystery behind the story of Mr. Murdoch. What his plans are for the future, if he’s going to release music for monetary purposes or just for free, tour possiblities…it’s all up in the air. Be sure to keep Murdoch on your radar; he’s making some chill, chill music to dance to.
Find more here:
http://soundcloud.com/charlesmurdoch