While RÜFÜS are currently making waves internationally, they were born and bred in and around Sydney and coastal New South Wales.
This fact was instrumental in shaping the sound of their album 'Bloom', released at the start of 2016. "Originally we liked the word [bloom] and obviously it had a meaning for us, like maturing," keyboardist Jon George says.
"Also, we found out that it's the name for a group of jellyfish. We really liked that idea because we used visual imagery throughout the album for ourselves, we had jellyfish photos up.
"That weightlessness [jellyfish have] was a feeling we wanted for the album. Music doesn't always have to be about that harsher sound," he says.
"We have always lived around water. We always like the deep and dark side of what the ocean could be."
Recording and performing in Los Angeles (they are known as RÜFÜS DU SOL in the US for copyright reasons) and Berlin this year has brought the group in front of new audiences. It is this dedication to live performance that has long been the basis for their already loyal, local following. "For anyone who hasn't seen our show yet, it's three dudes playing live instruments... live instrumentation along with electronic.
“We do that throughout the live show and that's drums, guitar, vocals and then a bunch of synthesizers. We open ourselves up to parts to jam. It's to represent the album in a different realm."
In an era where many electronic artists are criticised for just pressing play, Jon again alludes to nature as he describes the inspiration for the live aesthetic of RÜFÜS. "That's the world I came from... I had done a lot of DJing. As soon as I started this project we wanted to teeter on the edge of a more organic world.
“We have been touring around the world with a lighting rig that we worked on for awhile... and right from the start we made the decision to have a drummer and really make this as interactive as possible as a live performance. I guess we came up in the middle of the EDM world and [live instrumentation]... we are always the mix of the two worlds."
The group's debut album, 'Atlas', was released in 2013, debuting at #1 on the ARIA charts. They went on to win an ARIA for Best Dance Release in 2015, for their single 'You Were Right'. 'Bloom' became their second #1 album, an artistic format Jon says they still believe in despite social trends indicating the demise of the album. "We don't just want to put out one track and then have everyone base their idea of your sound off that.
“We like the idea of there being all the shades of music that you like, like a body of work. That's the way that we want to continue. Right now we are happy to write new material and put together a whole bunch of music."
Written by Leisa Woodman
Rufus 'The Full Bloom' Regional Tour Dates
Fri 20 Jan - The Nightquarter (Gold Coast)Sat 21 Jan - Big Pineapple Fields (Sunshine Coast)
Sat 28 Jan - Wests City (Newcastle)
Fri 3 Feb - The Cube (Wodonga)
Sat 4 Feb - Let Go Fest (Melbourne)
Sun 5 Feb - The Geelong Arena Sat
Sat 11 Feb - 3 Oceans Winery (Margaret River)
Sun 12 Feb - Castaway (Rottnest Island)
Fri 17 Feb - University of Canberra Refectory
Sun 19 Feb - Phillips Lane Street Party (Port Macquarie)
Fri 24 Feb - Tank Arts Centre (Cairns)
Sat 25 Feb - 2017 Street Party (Townsville)
Sun 26 Feb - Magnum’s Hotel (Airlie Beach)
