After dusk, comes the dark – which is fitting for electronic producer, SG Lewis, who is set to release phase two of his three-part debut album, accordingly titled Dusk, Dark, Dawn.
Inspired by the several phases of a night out, Dark comes some months after the release of Dusk. “I came up with this idea of doing an album which mapped the three stages of a night out, which is essentially my interpretation of the music that might accompany those three different stages,” Lewis says.
“I really wanted to do it as a three-part album because as much as I wanted it to be considered as one project, I wanted each part to be considered on its own as well. They each have different purposes, and different settings in which they would be listened to and enjoyed.”
As dusk falls rapidly into the dark of night, it is commonly accepted that there’s a shift in the attached imagery and mood, so it makes sense that in mirroring these phases musically, a stylistic shift will be experienced when moving from Dusk to Dark.
“The tempo is a little bit higher [on Dark] and the atmosphere is generally a bit moodier,” Lewis explains. “There’s a larger level of intensity to it and the imagery it evokes is more, not aggressive, but just darker in nature – as in the name.”
Sourcing the concepts from his own experiences of club culture, Lewis found musical inspiration in several genres, which are reflected in each phase of the album. While the pre-party grooves on Dusk are a nod to old-school disco and West Coast hip hop, the moody tunes on Dark have been bitten by the techno bug.
“Aside from my own experiences of the culture and musical influences, what really inspired the concept is, I think it’s easy to write off nightlife as something people do – they want to go out and get fucked up, or whatever,” he says. “But on the flipside, some of the best moments in my life have been at festivals, or during nights out, where a collective of people are unified by music in a room.”
Having just wrapped up his first Australian tour, the rising producer and songwriter found himself in a moment of blissful realisation during his Sydney performance, prompting him to take to social media to say, “I never expected the music to travel this far.”
“I had this moment onstage where I was like, this is actually insane,” Lewis says. “It’s nice to be present and to have those moments of realisation, because it’s so often that people realise these things after the fact, which is a shame.
“I was looking out at the crowd and I was like, ‘Oh my God, we’re literally on the other side of the world and the music has reached these people and they’ve connected with it enough that they’ve wanted to learn the lyrics, buy a ticket and buy merch,’ which is really just an incredible feeling.”
The tour also marked Lewis’ first time on Australian soil – an achievement he holds in high regard.
“I’ve always wanted to come to Australia, because it seems to be such an awesome place,” he says. “I’ve played quite a few shows now and I always think that I’ve got it figured out and I’ve seen it all, but the Australian crowds have been some of the best crowds I’ve played to.
“Everyone in Australia seems to have amazing banter, everyone’s so funny and everyone seems like they’re up for a good time over here,” he says. “Also, you guys love your coffee, especially in Melbourne – and I’m a massive coffee snob – I drink so much coffee, especially on tour, so I’m loving the abundance of coffee shops over here.”
