Harvey Sutherland

Harvey Sutherland, the Melbourne-born record producer, keyboard player, club DJ and bandleader, made a name amongst his hometown’s electronic underground with a string of cult dance singles. Early 12-inches like ‘Bermuda’ and ‘Priestess’ were records in love with classic soul and disco, but his debut album ‘Boy’ — written in a circular loop between his studio and his psychotherapist — was guided by his obsessional traits and habits, ending up in a place he describes as Neurotic Funk. “Electronic music has that archetype of the brooding, faceless producer”, he says, “I like hacking that, doing the opposite, embracing awkwardness and oversharing”. A close-up of his face is on the cover.

Boy has seen widespread acclaim since its release, with Resident Advisor noting “[his] sense of musicality has always been head and shoulders above his peers...his songs are full-blooded and fleshed-out...with clever turns of phrase and killer grooves". The album was nominated for two ARIA Awards, the Australian Music Prize and won the Music Victoria Award for Best Electronic Work. His latest material is an exercise in techno minimalism — laser-focused club jams like ‘Hummingbird’ and ‘Nobody Like U’ set the stage for Harvey’s next chapter.

His machine grooves are fired through a prism of crate-digging influences, from Todd Rundgren to Basic Channel and back again. His distinctive synthesiser tones have graced remixes and production for Disclosure, Khruangbin and BadBadNotGood. A seasoned performer, he’s taken his live band to Glastonbury, dragged his Juno-60 into Berghain and turned the Melbourne Recital Centre into a full-fledged nightclub. Eclectic and groovy, Harvey Sutherland is Neurotic Funk.

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