Flight Facilities is an Australian electronicproduction duo that also performs as Hugo & Jimmy. In 2009, they began mixing songs by other artists before crafting their own original material. The duo consists of Hugo Gruzman and James Lyell. Their debut album Down to Earth was released in October 2014 and features prominent names in the industry such as Kylie Minogue, Emma Louise, Reggie Watts, Bishop Nehru, Christine Hoberg, Owl Eyes, and Stee Downes.
History
2009–2020: Down to Earth and Live with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra
Flight Facilities are a duo consisting of Hugo Gruzman and James Lyell, which first began mixing various songs by other artists in 2009 in Sydney.[1] They have reworked Bag Raiders, Toecutter and Sneaky Sound System.[1][2] Their first original song, "Crave You", written by and featuring Giselle Rosselli, received considerable airtime in Australia on the alternative music radio station Triple J in 2010.[1][3] It was co-written by Gruzman, Lyell and Rosselli after the duo contacted the musician/producer to provide an original track for a compilation album by their label Bang Gang.[1][4] In July 2010 Flight Facilities commenced their first tour, Maiden Voyage.[1] They played at various Australian nightclubs: Elsewhere in the Gold Coast, Empire in Brisbane, Limbo in Adelaide, and Adult Disco in Sydney before going to Japan to play at Onzieme in Osaka, and Le Baron in Tokyo.[5] "Crave You" was listed at No. 19 in the Triple J Hottest 100, 2010, and was featured as the soundtrack to Myer's 2010 Spring Racing Carnivaltelevision commercial campaign.[6]
In 2012, "Clair de Lune" appeared as number 17 in the Triple J Hottest 100, 2012.[12] In April 2012, they were broadcast on Triple J with four one-hour-long mixes, each featuring a decade spanning from 1972 to 2012.[13]
In 2013, KCRW invited Flight Facilities to SXSW and headlined their home countries Falls Festival and Southbound Festivals (alongside The Roots, !!!, MGMT, Bonobo and Grizzly Bear). In 2014 they were asked to play one of the world's biggest festivals, Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Palm Springs where they played to 8000 plus people each day.
The C90s track "Shine a Light" (Flight Facilities remix) gained mainstream attention in 2013 when featured in the popular video gameGrand Theft Auto V, created by Rockstar Games.
In 2017, Flight Facilities released the song "Arty Boy", featuring Emma Louise on vocals,[18] followed by the single "Stranded", featuring Broods, Reggie Watts and Saro.[19]
In November 2019, Google began a YouTube campaign for Google Nest products using Flight Facilities "Better Than Ever".[20]
In September 2021, Flight Facilities announced the release of their second studio album, titled Forever. The album was released on 12 November 2021, with a single called "Heavy" featuring the American artist Your Smith, released a week before the album was due.[21][22]
In November 2022, Flight Facilities released a two-track EP titled Lost Forever.[23]
Discography
Studio albums
List of studio albums, with release date, label, selected chart positions, and certifications shown
"—" denotes a recording that did not chart or was not released.
Notes
^Live with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra did not enter the ARIA Albums Chart, but peaked at number 19 on the ARIA Digital Albums chart.[26]
Awards and nominations
AIR Awards
The Australian Independent Record Awards (known colloquially as the AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's independent music sector.
The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. Flight Facilities have won one award from 5 nominations.
The Helpmann Awards is an awards show, celebrating live entertainment and performing arts in Australia, presented by industry group Live Performance Australia since 2001.[63] Note: 2020 and 2021 were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.