DJ Moopie's Intriguingly Atmospheric Curated Collections along with This Week's Best New Tracks
Based in Melbourne
Recommended if you like the C86 compilation, Antipodean jangle-pop, atmospheric pop
Up next 'Going Back to Sleep' is available now
Melbourne-based DJ Moopie, AKA Matthew Xue, is celebrated for deeply absorbing musical journeys that effortlessly shift between chilled-out soundscapes to pulsating breakbeats and beyond. Additionally, he operates A Colourful Storm – an exceptional independent record label that consistently exceeds expectations when it comes to releasing charmingly moody experimental pop music, from artists as disparate as the rhythmic explorations of Valentina Magaletti, dubby Hobart duo Troth, and renowned underground polymath Simon Fisher Turner.
In 2017, the label released I Won’t Have to Think About You, a compilation of winsome, C86-ish indie pop. Earlier this year, it put out Going Back to Sleep, a record that acts as a companion piece which simultaneously serves as a carefully curated roadmap to a selection of top-notch twee-pop acts currently working. Daily Toll, a band from Sydney, whose 2025 debut A Profound Non-Event is one of the year’s underrated gems, present Time, a seven-minute daydream built on melodica and guitar. The duo Chateau, the duo of Al Montfort (Terry, Total Control) and Alex Macfarlane (the Stevens, Twerps), push into rhythmic, trippy lounge music on How Long on the Platform, and Who Cares?, channel equal parts Hope Sandoval and Eartheater on Wax and Wane.
Elsewhere, Going Back to Sleep includes contributions from the enduring San Francisco indie group the Reds, Pinks and Purples; minimalist Sydney group the Lewers; and the sunny folk-pop of Netherlands-based duo the Hobknobs. It stands as a humble compilation that’s almost certain to become a beloved and regularly mentioned resource for aficionados of all things delicate and deeply felt.
Fresh Tracks of the Week
Flea – A Plea
A seldom-seen individual effort from the Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist, and it is superbly executed: driving yet inquisitive soul-infused jazz as Flea advocates for peace and love. “This isn't cliché – it's genuine!”
Daniel Blumberg and Amanda Seyfried – Clothed By the Sun
Following his Oscar win for Best Original Score this year, you can imagine Blumberg winning best original song in 2026 for this breathtaking duet with Seyfried featured on the score for the film The Testament of Ann Lee.
Jana Horn – All in Bet
This songwriter from Texas depicts all the nuances of melancholy in this opulently sad new song, where the slightest touches of keys and wind instruments colour her weary disappointment.
Umor Rex – Lo Animal
It's not hard to picture the work of this Madrid cellist's gothic masterpiece with industrial shades featured in a Dune soundtrack, thanks to its pounding percussion, piercing industrial noises, haunting choral passages and end-times grandeur.
Zora Jones x DJ Polo – Hoes Link Up
The creative Austrian producer and singer teams up with Bristolian UK bass producer DJ Polo for some slamming 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, The UK's Jawnino rolls over diverse, ethereal rap production by Surf Gang, and this is one of its peaks, Jawnino focused and in the zone as he surveys the landscape of drug dealing.
Annabelle Chairlegs – Heavy Sleeper
With production by Ty Segall, this garage-rock-influenced track moves forward stubbornly on its own schedule, shifting from a runaway vehicle to the Austin-based artist's hazy daydream about how “the moon gives me back my spirit”.
