Luboku - Space Walk
30 Oct 2020
Luboku
// MUSIC
Luboku Delivers Stunning Debut Album 'Space Walk'
“With Space Walk, I wanted to use the idea of space travel as an analogy to the human emotional journey, and connect that with tangible fears, desires and obstacles. I think it offers a unique perspective of the issues we’re collectively facing right now, and serves as a reminder to focus and protect what we have, before searching out the new and more exciting.” - LUBOKU
Imagine yourself, strapped inside a rocket looking out into the atmosphere. As you rehearse the motions that years of preparation have led to - suddenly there’s lift off. The array of emotions coursing through your body flood you with both fear and euphoria, excitement and anticipation. The apex of your career crystallises into this single moment: the life of an astronaut. This is the narrative that shapes SPACE WALK, the debut concept album from Melbourne's electronic wunderkind, LUBOKU.
In his most ambitious project yet, LUBOKU documents the journey of an astronaut, whose
experiences, thoughts and feelings are captured during a once in a lifetime mission to outer space.
As this character embarks on a journey into the cosmos, venturing ever further from the PALE BLUE
DOT, their pursuit of the ‘other-worldly’ reveals the stark singularity of our planet, Earth.
In this way, Luboku aims to juxtapose what can be seen as one of humanity's greatest scientific
exploits, with one of our most abysmal failures - the destruction of the only planet which has the
capacity to sustain life, as we know it. In essence, the search for something greater at the peril of
what we might already have.
Drawing further inspiration from NASA’s Apollo 11 mission, humanity’s first foray into extraterrestrial territory, SPACE WALK features authentic ‘space talk’ from Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Mission Control. After trawling through hours of archival transcripts, LUBOKU painstakingly pieced together the muffled and often ambiguous recordings into somewhat of a narrative. A story which lays the foundations for the lyrical elements of SPACE WALK’s vocal focused tracks, with the instrumental productions driving home its conceptual sonic narrative.
SPACE WALK begins with PALE BLUE DOT and PALE BLUE DOT PT. 2, a bold entry that sets the mood with skittering synths and powering basslines, melding the worlds of techno with trance together in the most satisfying way.
Swiftly followed by the pair T-MINUS and LIFT OFF, we are launched into a world of excess and idle fantasy, as the thumping beats and shadowy synths envelope a soaring falsetto, “I don’t fear what I can’t see, based on my reality, I need that to keep holding on”.
APOLLO then arrives in a shimmering haze. This slow-building instrumental house track provides a moment of reprieve to the work’s darker tones.
As we shift gears into LUBOKU’s third single, CIRCLES, its energetic drive puts the listener into the cockpit while lyrically exploring the feelings of being lost to indecision. “It feels like I’m moving in circles, just pushing and pulling my way through it, can’t accept that I’ll never know.” LET YOU hits instantly with a slick four to floor beat and pounding bass.
LET YOU aims to dispel indecision and carve a path towards acceptance. Tapping into original audio from the Apollo 11 mission, LUBOKU then looks directly at what’s in front of him with TWO HANDS. Bracing for re-entry into the atmosphere we are suddenly pulled back on the understated, COMPLETELY. On this track LUBOKU proves to not just be a master of deep house and electronica, but also a skilled songwriter and vocalist. Tilting gently over a simple chord progression, free of layered production, he sings an introspective melody, rounding out the vocal tracks featured on his debut album.
SPACE WALK is a comment on how unjust the idea is of progress for progress sake. How damaging it is to always be wanting more. As you listen to this record, imagine it being the last human transmission from Earth playing on a tiny radio, drifting somewhere way out in the universe. A lost message, to whoever may find it.
