USB Sides: The 5 Tracks Dominating Luke Brazier's DJ Sets

Luke Brazier is a stalwart of Brisbane/Meanjin's underground dance scene. 

The selector has graced the city's dancefloor for a number of years, delivering everything from deep dark bloopy house cuts, to sunlit intimate electronica. Truly versatile in his trade, he has performed at the likes of Laneway Festival and is well known amongst his peers as a member of now iconic collective QUIVR. 

Ahead of his performance at The Long Sunset alongside the likes of Lime Cordiale, Winston Surfshirt, Hatchie, Sycco and others, Luke Brazier sat with Purple Sneakers and broke down the top 5 songs that are dominating his USBs right now.

Located at the picturesque Elysian Fields in the heart of Canungra, home of the Mununjali, Wangerriburra and Ugurapul people, The Long Sunset is within arms’ reach of the Gold Coast and a short hour’s drive from Brisbane. It’s perfect for those looking to get just far enough out of the city to leave the smog behind for a weekend in the Scenic Rim filled with strolling artisan markets, wine tastings and dancing with friends to Australia’s top acts.

Tickets are on sale via Queensland Music Trails HERE. 

Tantra - A Place Called Tarot (Idjut Boys Re-Edit)
Idjut Boys providing the goods (as per usual) with this otherworldly dubbed-out disco edit. This track is a huge favourite of mine and I’m always looking to feature it in my sets. 

The original is an early 1980s prog rock / euro disco exploration, centred on themes of spirituality and psychedelic heat. Idjut Boys recaptures that vibe and brings it up to speed in a more 21st century context - keeping things alive and organic with a focus on live instrumentation. It’s wild and deeply cosmic and I’m all about it.

This edit was released in 2004, so for me it also represents some kind of mid-2000s indie dance aesthetic, which I’m super drawn to. I grew up on that sound so it never fails to stir me up. Side note, if you’re loving Idjut Boys, check out their remix of Dido’s White Flag - it’s a very cute downtempo gem, you’ll see what I mean.

Khruangbin & Felix Dickinson - Time (You and I) (Put a Smile on DJ’s Face Mix)
Khruangbin are a familiar favourite and any club-ready remixes of their work automatically has my attention. This aptly named rework, courtesy of UK legend Felix Dickinson, is easily my favourite so far. 

The track keeps things very true to the original. It’s super respectful and I love that about it. There’s a careful rearranging of structure, some extensions of the hottest moments, some electrifying instrumental solos. I’m crazy about the long-form jammy nature of it. The whole experience is alive and beating, which I think aligns really well with the Khruangbin ethos. 

What you end up with is an ever-building psychedelic journey of a track, perfectly tuned for the dance floor, and perfect for any level of party situation. It’s impossible not to love this song really. I also dig the tempo - 106bpm - that is a very funky, very confident strutting kind of energy. 

Boot & Tax - Niente per niente
Leaning further into the electronic sphere now. This would have to be one of my most played tracks, especially recently. The mood of this track is pure attitude. It’s an energetic, guitar-driven club track built for the after-hours - absolutely worth staying up for. 

Boot & Tax are an Italian duo specialising in deep chug, clash & other forms of punky electronic dance music. That type of sound is so powerful on a dance floor. It’s like a form of protest music. Dancers just need to blow off steam sometimes, a track like this helps us get that angst out of our systems. 

What I really love is how that heat is contrasted so well with the euphoric vocal cuts. Those moments really fill the room beautifully when they hit. There’s a dreamy edge to them, kind of trance-like, maybe a little sci-fi even. Very sexy. 

Marie Davidson - So Right (John Talabot Pressure Dub Remix)
On a similar note of punky electronic exploration, we have John Talabot’s swinging rework of a Marie Davidson release. I’m a huge fan of both of these artists, and I’ve been playing this track so much lately. 

First and foremost, it’s a great tool for turning the heat up. There’s something about that thumping broken-beat drum pattern, embellished beautifully with warped and washed-out vocals. It’s extremely trippy, and I can’t help but fall in love with that.

This track is built for the club, and for those head-down dance floor situations. It’s a hallucinogenic statement that I use to set the mood and temperature. Works great as a come-up moment, but also as an endurance boost for those mystical A.M. hours. If I’m going weird, this track will often set the pace.

Mungolian Jetset - A City So Convenient
One of my favourite types of tracks to feature in my sets is the carefully placed emotional wildcard. This release from Norwegian duo Mungolian Jetset hits that mark perfectly for me. This is a ‘tears-on-the-dancefloor’ moment that I always keep up my sleeve. It’s beautifully excessive, unique, relentlessly groovy, and pretty damn genre-defying - which is something I’ll always respect and gravitate toward.

Mungolian Jetset are well known for that kind of sound too. They’re an impressively inventive musical force, with a spiritual tendency toward freedom and fun. I adore that energy. 

This track is an epic, immersive journey. Proper gorgeous. Wait for that string section to build, see what it does to you!