Harley Edward Streten, also known as Flume, is a talented Australian musician, DJ, and record producer. He’s known for his significant contributions to the future bass genre, helping it gain popularity.
Flume’s debut album, “Flume,” released in 2012, received positive reviews and topped the ARIA Albums Chart in Australia, achieving double-platinum status.
Flume has worked his magic on songs by artists like Lorde, Sam Smith, Arcade Fire, Hermitude, and Disclosure. His second album, “Skin,” released in 2016, also claimed the number one spot on the ARIA Albums Chart. This album even earned the Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Album in 2017. The track “Never Be like You” from this album was nominated for Best Dance Recording.
Following the success of “Skin,” Flume released two companion EPs, “Skin Companion EP 1” in November 2016 and “Skin Companion EP 2” in February 2017. In 2019, he delighted fans with a mixtape called “Hi This Is Flume,” which garnered positive reviews. His third studio album, “Palaces,” was unveiled in May 2022, and in February 2023, he dropped his second mixtape, “Things Don’t Always Go the Way You Plan.” Another mixtape, “Arrived Anxious, Left Bored,” was released in May 2023.
Early in his life, Harley Edward Streten, born on November 5, 1991, in Sydney, had a unique introduction to music. His father, Glen Streten, was a filmmaker and record producer, while his mother, Lyndall, was a horticulturist and former teacher. He grew up in the scenic Northern Beaches of Sydney with a younger sister and brother. His musical journey began at the age of 11 when he got a DJ and mixing program CD from a box of Kelloggs’ Nutrigrain. This unusual gift provided insight into music layering and set Flume on the path to music production.
In 2010, he started producing house music under the initials “HEDS,” creating tracks like “Flow” and “Fizz” along with a handful of remixes. Flume’s breakthrough came when his song “Possum” received its first radio play after being uploaded to Triple J Unearthed. He was signed by the Australian record company Future Classic in 2011, thanks to an artists competition. Flume’s first EP, “Sleepless,” featuring tracks like “Sleepless,” “Over You,” and “Paper Thin,” was a result of this competition. Nathan McLay, founder of Future Classic and now Flume’s manager, played a pivotal role in this early success. It was then that he adopted the stage name “Flume,” inspired by the Bon Iver song of the same name.
Flume’s debut self-titled album, released in 2012, contained 15 tracks and lasted for 49 minutes. Impressively, he produced this album on his very first laptop, during a budget trip to London. The album featured collaborations with vocal artists like Moon Holiday, Jezzabell Doran, Chet Faker, and New York rapper T-shirt. “Flume” debuted at number two on the ARIA Albums Chart, just behind One Direction’s “Take Me Home.” In December 2012, Flume signed with Mom + Pop Music and announced the North American release of his debut album, which received strong support from American critics, scoring an average of 73 out of 100 on review aggregate site Metacritic.
