Flamingo Pier Flamingo Pier

Serving up euphoric disco hooks, to classic house choruses and forays into Latin funk, balearic and psychedelia - New Zealand collective Flamingo Pier deliver their debut self-titled album in June 2021. In 2019 and 2020 they released two widely lauded EPs on Soundway Records, garnering support from Maribou State, Tim Sweeney, BBC 6 Music DJs, The Blessed Madonna, and JD Twitch to name a few. They wrote most of the album together in 2020 in South Auckland - not the first place youd expect to hear dance music being made, reflects Luke, youre more likely to hear hiphop or sounds from the Pacific or India. Musicians from the tightly knit local scene swung through to contribute to the recording, including fellow Soundway act Julien Dyne on drums, as well as saxophonist Nathan Haines. The group centred the album around the power of shared joy, after what has been a very difficult year for many people. By being a source of joy for others, you amplify that joy for both yourself and those around you, rather than losing anything", says Luke. The self-titled album draws from the bands wide-ranging taste, as well as what theyve been playing in order to keep spirits up. Channelling classic emotive house, to disco, Afro and jazz funk on their debut album, Flamingo Pier cite a wide range of musical influences such as Khruangbin, Roisin Murphy, Peven Everett, house legends Masters at Work and Brazilian artist Tim Maia. This translates into an uplifting but nostalgic current running throughout the album - reflecting on last chances, soul-searching and longing for the carefree days of the dance floor. The group were lucky enough in February 2021 however, to host the annual Flamingo Pier festival, on the paradisiacal Waiheke Island. While this year did not allow for international acts to perform, the vibrant local scene delivered