DJ Moopie's Intriguingly Atmospheric Curated Collections along with This Week's Top Fresh Releases
Based in Melbourne
Perfect for fans of the C86 indie pop sound, Australian and New Zealand guitar pop, Mess Esque
Up next 'Going Back to Sleep' is available now
Matthew Xue, who performs under the moniker DJ Moopie in Melbourne, is renowned for deeply absorbing musical journeys that effortlessly shift between icy, atmospheric ambience to pulsating breakbeats plus other genres. He also runs A Colourful Storm – a fantastic indie label that delivers far beyond its size when it comes to issuing quirky and introspective pop experiments, from artists as disparate as percussionist Valentina Magaletti, based in London, dubby Hobart duo Troth, and the prolific underground figure Simon Fisher Turner.
Back in 2017, the imprint put out I Won’t Have to Think About You, a collection of delightful, C86-inspired indie pop. Earlier this year, it put out Going Back to Sleep, a spiritual follow-up to that compilation which doubles as a carefully curated roadmap to several excellent bands in the gentle pop sphere currently working. The Sydney group Daily Toll, their 2025 first record A Profound Non-Event being one of the year’s underrated gems, present Time, a seven-minute daydream built on melodica and guitar. The duo Chateau, featuring members Al Montfort and Alex Macfarlane, explore rhythmic, trippy lounge music on How Long on the Platform, and the band Who Cares?, channel equal parts the styles of Hope Sandoval and Eartheater on Wax and Wane.
In other tracks, Going Back to Sleep includes contributions from the enduring San Francisco indie group the Reds, Pinks and Purples; the sparse-sounding Sydney ensemble the Lewers; and bright, folk-tinged pop from the Dutch pair the Hobknobs. It’s an unassuming compilation that’s destined to be a beloved and regularly mentioned resource for aficionados of all things delicate and deeply felt.
Fresh Tracks of the Week
Flea – A Plea
An uncommon single release from the Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist, which is brilliantly accomplished: rhythmically forward-moving but adventurous jazz-soul where Flea pleads for harmony and affection. “This isn't cliché – it's genuine!”
Daniel Blumberg and Amanda Seyfried – Clothed By the Sun
Having won this year’s best original score Oscar, you can imagine Blumberg winning the 2026 Oscar for Best Original Song for this stunning Seyfried duet included in his soundtrack to The Testament of Ann Lee.
Jana Horn – All in Bet
Jana Horn, an artist based in Texas paints in every shade of a sigh in this opulently sad new song, as delicate traces of keys and wind instruments tinge her fatigued disillusionment.
Umor Rex – Lo Animal
You could easily imagine this cellist from Madrid's industrial-tinged gothic opus on the soundtrack to Dune, thanks to its pounding percussion, piercing industrial noises, spooky vocal harmonies and end-times grandeur.
Zora Jones x DJ Polo – Hoes Link Up
Austrian visionary Zora Jones collaborates with Bristol-based UK bass maker DJ Polo on a track of hard-hitting ghettotech: the percussion is overpowering although the tune is nearly dream-pop in nature.
Jawnino and Surf Gang – Hit Again
Featured on the fresh mixtape Amnesia, British MC Jawnino flows over an assortment of cloud-rap instrumentals from Surf Gang, and this track is a highlight, Jawnino focused and in the zone as he observes the landscape of drug dealing.
Annabelle Chairlegs – Heavy Sleeper
Helmed by Ty Segall, this garagey number chugs along entirely at its own pace, transitioning from a freight-train momentum to the Austin-based artist's woozy reflection about how “my spirit is restored by the moon”.
