Flume is the latest artist to take to the triple j studio for the broadcaster’s Like a Version segment, covering ‘Shooting Stars’ by Bag Raiders.
He was joined by ‘The Difference’ collaborator Toro y Moi for the cover, as well as a trio of shirtless men — one being fitness model Chestbrah, a relative of the late bodybuilding YouTuber Zyzz.
It’s an entertaining watch, with Toro and Flume remaining stony-faced for much of the track, before the latter whips out a saxophone partway through. Two of the shirtless men then enter the scene doing bicep curls in front of them, followed by Chestbrah freestyling in the back. Watch it below:
In a post-performance interview, Flume explained that he was able to get the original track stems from Bag Raiders, allowing him to “take the track apart and really get into the detail.”
“We’ve redone it, re-imagined it, took it to the club,” he said, adding it was Toro y Moi’s idea to bump up the BPM and turn it into a hardstyle, gabber track. Speaking about their choice of performance guests, he said: “To me, hardstyle and ripped dudes, it’s a perfect harmony.”
Flume and Toro also performed ‘The Difference’, sans the shirtless dancers. Check that out below:
It’s not the first Like a Version for Flume, who appeared back in 2016 with a cover of ‘My Boo’ by Ghost Town DJs. For that, he was joined by Vince Staples, Ngaiire, Vera Blue and Kučka.
Flume released his third album ‘Palaces’ in May this year, featuring collaborations with Caroline Polachek (‘Sirens’), MAY-A (‘Say Nothing’), Damon Albarn (‘Palaces’) and more. He’s earned six ARIA nominations with the release, including Best Dance Electronic Release and Best Solo Artist.
“On this third album, the musician couples his floor-shaking, hit-making style with quieter moments of introspection, reaching new heights in the process,” NME said in a four-star review of ‘Palaces’ upon its release.
Flume is currently touring ‘Palaces’ around the country, performing at The Dome in Sydney tonight (November 18). He’ll play Melbourne’s John Cain Arena next Thursday (November 24), followed by Adelaide’s AEC Arena on November 30, and Hobart’s Regatta Grounds on December 2. Remaining tickets are available here.