video premiere: olympic ayres “control”

"Think for yourself" says the man's voice that opens up the new single, "Control," from Olympic Ayres' forthcoming EP Leisureplex. "You have to be willing to cut against the grain and get the distance from your peer groups. And not only that, but you have to have a habitual vision of greatness," says the inspirational voice followed by flowery guitar parts, a funky bass line and an irresistible dance punk-drum beat. The band's latest single hit the blogosphere just a few weeks ago following the first teaser from the EP, "Take Flight" which dropped back in February. Most notably, "Magic," an instant classic which you may recognize from FIFA 14, was the band's debut single. Since then, Olympic Ayres have made their mark an impressionable one. We gladly welcome the band's official music video for "Control" which features a "girl meets boy" narrative through a psychedelic lens á la kaleidescope.

We asked Nathan Misfud a few questions about some of the latest & greatest tunage to seep out of Australia and into our airwaves over the last few years, what inspired the psychedelic concept for the new music video, and the forthcoming dance floor remixes, specifically Canadian producer Pat Lok's just waiting and begging to tear dance floors apart.

It has been almost a year since you first dropped your debut single "Magic," which was very well receieved. "Control" has a much more mellow feel. In what ways do you feel you've grown as artists since the first single?I guess the biggest thing is we've grown as writers and producers. At the beginning we didn't really know what we were doing and kind of just figuring stuff out along the way. We're starting to feel more comfortable in knowing what we want and how to get it ... the beginning was trying to figure out where we fit and what we actually want to do.

Australia seems to have an affinity for nu disco/indie dance. Are there any US acts in particular that inspire you outside of the scene in Sydney?The EP we're releasing in September was probably most influenced by the DFA Label in terms of drum and bass sounds ... so acts like LCD Soundsystem, The Rapture and Holy Ghost! Then there's other artists like Solange, Toro Y Moi and Twin Shadow that get a lot of spins.

Tell us a little about your concept for the "Control" Music video?We wanted something colourful and visually exciting; that meant kaleidoscopes, ink projection, LED lighting and the ability to experiment with green screens. We spent months referencing inspiration on a shared mood board. The narrative was led by the director Alexander Leeway and his awesome crew who did a great job of capturing the old favourite “girl meets boy.” We’re really happy with how it turned out so hopefully everyone enjoys!

Pat Lok is an amazing producer. Was there anything in specific that compelled you to work with him for your forthcoming remix?I've known of Pat for a while and when it came time to organizing remixes for the release our friend Nancy suggested we get Pat ... we were so happy with the remix and can't wait to play it out in our DJ sets.

What would be an ideal tour for Olympic Ayres?Well it would be worldwide covering North America and South America, then over to Europe and Asia followed by a homecoming in Australia ... and it would be Summer everywhere we played.

What are five tracks on your summer radar?Jungle – "Time"Little Dragon - "Klapp Klapp"Juce – "Call You Out"Todd Terje - "Inspector Norse"Oliver Cheatham – "Get Down Saturday Night"

Can we expect a tour soon?We'd love to get over there after the EP 'Leisureplex' is released in September ...

What are a few cool acts you think we should know about here in the US?On the Australian scene, really been enjoying Mitzi, Worlds End Press, Hayden James, Movement, Oscar Key Sung, Wave Racer, Chet Faker, Jagwar Ma, Panama, Clubfeet, Rufus, Cut Copy, Pond, Tame Impala, Miami Horror, Bag Raiders, Canyons ... just to name a few.

Who would you like to share the stage with in the future?There's a lot! All the Australian acts I mentioned in the last question would be in that list. Also Jungle, Little Dragon, Foster the People and Whitest Boy Alive (rip).

-word by Miguel Angel