Celebrating the Best in Local Music with Wine

To do this, the team from Music SA chose music that reflected the cultural and aesthetic attributes for each region, so the Adelaide Hills’ playlist evoked folky forests and winter-like emotions while the music from the Fleurieu Peninsula featured beachy and upbeat music.

The seven playlists are available to listen to on Spotify and right here. To keep the partnership going, groups selected by Music SA will perform at Hot 100 events including the Gala on December 1 and the Hot 100 Harvest on February 10 and 11.

Some of the artists on the playlists and the regions they represent are featured on this page.

FLAMINGO

Coonawarra and the South East
Emerging as one of the city’s most exciting electronic bands, Flamingo is a product of Adelaide’s diversifying musical palete. The three-piece, who discovered the importance of balance dabbling in a concoction of down-tempo drum patterns, infectious melodies and off-kilter electronica, owe their sound to an exposure to various styles while supporting the likes of Bonobo, Rüfüs, Giraffage and The Kite String Tangle.

Flamingo is the cultivation of determined artistry striving to grow within a vibrant culture.

RIN MCARDLE

Barossa Valley

Having played recently alongside respected international and Australian artists such as Vera Blue, Montaigne and Josh Pyke, Rin McArdle decamped from the coastal surrounds of Sydney’s eastern suburbs to head to Montreal seek out new experiences. Having played at Canadian Music Week, McArdle returned to Australia in support of her debut EP Lefty Lou & The Hamley Street Blues.

Powderfinger’s Ian Haug said that he was “immediately impressed with her authenticity, talent and honesty as a performer” and her single Sirens has been played more than 100,000 times on Spotify and Soundcloud. The future is bright for the unique voice that is Rin McArdle.

FRANK YAMMA

Eden Valley

Frank Yamma is without a doubt one of Australia’s most significant Indigenous songwriters and performers. When Yamma sings, you listen and travel with him. An initiated Pitjantjatjara man from Australia’s central desert, he sings in his native language and English.

Although he’s lived in Adelaide for many years, Yamma’s spirit belongs to the heart of Australia.

THE WINTER GYPSY

Clare Valley and the Southern Flinders

The Winter Gypsy is a six-piece indie folk group formed by Tushar Singh and Max Lambert. Forming as a collusion of four separate bands in August, 2015, the band ranges from soft folk melodies and haunting vocal harmonies to soaring, upbeat instrumentals.

The band has a complex dichotomy of ambient sounds and driving, distorted solos. Drawing comparisons to The Middle East, Bon Iver and Bombay Bicycle Club, their sound is complemented by an intense and intricate range of instruments.

BABY CARLA

Riverland
Serge Gainsbourg in sequins brandishing a flick knife; Duane Eddy brawling on with the Shangri-Las; Connie Francis fresh from juvy hall with only vengeance on her mind. It’s the guttural twang of surf colliding with the hip-shaking go-go grooves of Yé-Yé.

The wax spinning on the platter is the eponymous debut record by Baby Carla. Sleazy layers of guitars hang thick over a swinging rhythm section like the sweat of a sultry summer night, while synths and organs pine like drifting police sirens. And cutting through all that beautiful noise, Baby Carla glides like the breeze that whispers in our ear – finally, things are going to change.

ABBEY HOWLETT

Coonawarra and the South East
Gliding through earthy rhythmic tones, hypnotising melody and a voice that transcends dimensions, Abbey Howlett has created a significant buzz. Howlett introduced eclectic rhythms, loops and beats to her ever-expanding wilderness of talents; cutting and creating a unique experience. Morphing vintage acoustic melodies into colourful percussive vocal loops and blending hip hop and soul in a uniquely creative ways, Howlett provokes memories of greats such as Bjork, Erykah Badu, Lauryn Hill and Beth Gibbons.

ROD LADGROVE

Barossa Valley
In the midst of a massive 2016, which has seen Ladgrove become a Spotify chill staple with two million listeners, Ladgrove continues the journey inward, one breath at a time, taking on life’s big things.

With early blogs making intimidating Bob Dylan comparisons, Ladgrove keeps it cool on Home is Just a State of Mind, his signature plaintive strum mixing with ethereal harmonies and dreamy lyrics builds on a massive 2016.

WASTED WANDERERS

Adelaide Hills
Wasted Wanderers are hard to define. With backgrounds in rock, pop, blues and folk, the results don’t fall into just one genre. From the rich and earthy lead vocals of Dusty Lee Stephensen, to the gorgeous soulful backing vocals, there’s a classic, almost vintage, vibe to the delivery of lyrics. In the rhythm and percussion sections, Matt Birkin and Benny Morris bring flair to the arrangements, demonstrative of a wide musical spectrum.

From The Black Crowes to Grizzly Bear and Augie March, the diverse influences are part of the appeal of the Wasted Wanderers.