There are a few things you should know about Pnau before we begin:

• In 2000 they won an ARIA Award (Australian Grammy) for Best Dance Release.
• In March 2001 they played a set in between Darren Emerson and Fatboy Slim in Miami to a dancing VIP crowd that included Naomi Campbell, Carl Cox and Ricky Martin.
• After that tour of America and Europe, they have launched their ARIA Award winning album "Sambanova".

In teenage bedrooms across the world techhead boffins and wannabe tastemakers are creating music. They have the technology and they know how to use it. Most of them will wind up finding a respectable career, some will post their gear on the Net, fewer still will progress to become fully-fledged recording artists. Then there's Nick Littlemore and Peter Mayes. They are Pnau. From the age of sixteen, without ever really knowing it, they've been preparing for this moment - in their bedrooms, in clubs and the whirlwind circling in their heads. You don't end up with an album like "Sambanova" through sheer luck and whimsy. This is not Lotto. This is music. And Pnau know music.

" I don't really think there's an underground anymore. There's just music again," says Nick Littlemore. "Which is great, it's probably more like what it was in the late 70's. Music is out there and you either like it or you don't. A lot of people have AC/DC and Pnau in their collection. I think that's really cool."

After sitting with "Sambanova" for so long they have the benefit of doing more than giving birth to a baby and then jumping straight back in the sack to procreate some more. Nick and Peter have been there to see "Sambanova" grow through infancy to maturity.

" It's been great to sit back and retouch bits but not fuck with the initial vibe," says Nick. "I've been getting much more into writing songs and taking them on a journey, sonically." "We've definitely got a crowd now in Australia. Fans are quite loyal because we keep fucking around and going overseas but they're standing by us. It has never stopped growing, people are still playing it all the time. It's cool, we've re-jigged it, it sounds fatter and the two new tracks are more of that classic structure, more like songs."

John Coltrane called his playing style "sheets of sound." Listen to any number of tracks on "Sambanova" (check "The Red Tapes" and "Meshes Of The Afternoon") and you get the feeling Nick and Peter make music like they make their beds. And if a movie studio re-invigorates Jean Luc Godard's Breathless in 2050, "Sambanova" will be the film's new score. Sure, there's jazz on there, there's deep house, some dub, snippets of Latin and hip hop. Mostly there's an atmosphere. A soundtrack to a journey. On your headphones at the beach, at 3am in smoked out clubs, in your loungeroom for some private dancing. When the light is low, the mood is right and your lover has that look in their eyes. It's not music for lovers. It's for lovers of music. Pnau are quite simply, amazing!

pnau AGAIN

Again is the name of the record. It is, of course, the follow-up to Sambanova, one of the ARIA award winning most critically and commercially successful Australian dance albums ever. Don't be expecting Sambanova mark II, though. The sensibility and the essence might be the same, but Nick Littlemore and Peter Mayes aren't afraid to ring the changes. While their debut was an immensely mature album for two guys still in their teens, Again is more accomplished and sophisticated. It's also bigger, stronger, tougher, deeper. Just check the title track and marvel at a hard, dark, almost industrial edge that would scare the hell out of anything on Sambanova.

Rest assured, though, that the deep funk that characterises Pnau productions has not been sacrificed in a search for visceral thrills. Most of Again may have been perfectly constructed for a peak-time dance floor in the world's most discerning club, but it's still got swing and groove alongside raw power. More than that, Nick and Peter confirm that they're great at both big picture and detail. They never lose sight of what the tune is and what it's supposed to do, but at the same time they realise that so many of the thrills in dance music can be found around the edges of the mix. Most importantly, and like its predecessor, Again boasts a certain indefinable magic, a sense of being so much more than the mere sum of its parts.

And what are those parts? The first two tracks – “We Love The Freshkills” and “Again” – are as thrilling an opening brace as you're likely to hear. Then there are tunes like “The Hunted”, “Fear & Love” and “In The Valley” – deep and moody, but with toughness tempered by natural warmth. “Collision Course” verges on trance inducing without being ‘trance', “Foreigner” is a gorgeous little breather that's all too brief and “Bubbles N Mum” comes over like a vintage Roxy Music wig-out from back in the days when Eno still manned the keys.

Which leaves the vocal tracks. “Super Giants” offsets Surahn's vox against the lush guitar of Jamiroquai's Rob Harris to achieve an effect that's simultaneously upfront and deep down. “Enuffs Enuff” is mutant R&B with a dash of electro featuring LA MC Abstract Rude. “Blood Lust” is as close to straight-up pop as Again gets, with its strings and hooky chorus. And “Lovers” features the beautiful voice of Royce Doherty (Kiva) in a song that manages to evoke a breezy Latin feel without a hint of corniness.

Mind you, we shouldn't be surprised by the quality and assurance of Again. Not just because Sambanova was such a brilliant debut, or because Peter and Nick have an almost telepathic understanding that comes from having been friends since childhood. They've also been working hard in the intervening years on honing the skills so apparent on their debut. Partly this has involved honing the Pnau live show into one of the most impressive fusions of programmed and live elements you're likely to see. And partly it's from spreading their wings, taking on fresh challenges, learning new skills.

Peter, for example, as been working on a project with Sydney DJ Jon Hardy that's been signed by a major label to a multi-album deal (but still doesn't have a name). Nick's been setting up Kings Of Swing as an outlet for his more cinematic leanings, co-producing an album for David Bridie (who repays the favour by writing the string arrangement on “Blood Lust”) and working closely with DJ Darren Emerson on his post Underworld solo album. Then there are joint collaborations with Scottish chillout maestro Howie B, Chicago house producers the Greens Keepers and New York rockers the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Detroit madmen Electric Six all of which are a testament not only to the duo's flexibility but also their growing international reputation

“We probably could have done another album straight after Sambanova,” says Peter. “But it would have been too similar. We don't want to repeat ourselves.” Again is the proof, and the product, of time well spent. It's a record you can play loud or soft, in your car or at home, and it'll sound great. At the same time, it's undeniably a club record that will sound awesome on a well-tuned system. Once again, welcome back.

A Special News Announcement

It's been some time since the release of their ground breaking and critically acclaimed album, 'Again' and anticipation for new material has been quite high. As with all fine creations, time can result in creative masterpieces, and such a statement can be claimed by Australia's most popular (& coolest) live dance combo, PNAU   who have been spending much time in the studios preparing and recording their next audio masterpiece. Having recorded a brand new full length album (which will be released some time during 2006), Pnau will also release a new single track through the brand new boutique digital label, The Propaganda Recording Company however only being made available via an exclusive promotion with iTunes Australia. Coinciding with the appearance at the sold out Homebake Festival, iTunes Australia will exclusively release (via download only)   this brand new single titled 'Donnie Darko'. It's a classic Pnau hit that should no doubt see punters dancing in the aisles right across Australia. With official release set for Monday November 21st, stay tuned for further news.

In the meantime, one half of the Pnau creative machine, Nick Littlemore, had been spending time in the UK promoting the European release of 'Again' (via Darren Emerson's Underwater Records Label), and since, Pnau did return to Australia to perform their exclusive show   full band show at Homebake 2005.

pnau 08 - Album 3 has arrived!!

It seems though that great accomplishments come readily to PNAU. Aria award winning and in great demand for their live performances both overseas and at home, PNAU are constantly challenging themselves to remain at the top of the musical pile.

Very rarely has any sort of emerging band received the acclaim and privilege awarded to Pnau over the past years. It’s like they passed straight through the pages of the book on how things were meant to be done, and their ascent has been astounding.

Pnau’s success has been as deserved as it has been anomalous, and the band members themselves as curious as they are talented. Pete Mayes and Nick Littlemore, the Enfants Terrible of the Australian Music industry, have won the respect of their peers and the loyalty of their fans by consistently producing simple, intelligent hooks, fat sounds, and awesome imagery. Their long awaited third album ‘PNAU’ is an admission of sorts; Music is bigger than any one person and connected to absolutely everything.

‘PNAU’ is a sagacious offering; the act has mastered the art of reminiscence and innovation, abducting current trends to shear the way forward with this positive and futuristic, hybrid beast of a recording. There’s a clarity and awareness in the sounds and songwriting throughout. It’s bare and celebratory and in the buoyant key of Hell-Yeah – if it had hands it would slap you on the ass. The spontaneous moments are void of flippancy and the heavy moments are uplifting. There is real knowledge at work here, real skill, no bluff, no laconic bravado or dark humours. Maturity and sophistication are two words that will be bandied around for this work, but honesty and acknowledgement seem closer to the mark for an album that is poised to become a landmark recording.

Their innate understanding of the entire package of artistic expression is what earned them Australia’s top music gong in 1999, an Aria Award, in the dance category for their debut release ‘Sambanova’; an album that wasn’t even properly cleared but looked and sounded fantastic. It was a rebellious fluke from accidental shit-stirrers that was released in 4 different versions and confused the nuts off everyone. It suited the band to a T and kick starting their rock ’n’ droll lifestyle, touring with every major festival in Australia.

They backed-up ‘Sambanova’ with ‘Again’, a sophomore release that shoved a dirty big told-you-so sock down the throats of the nay-sayers who adamantly believed both Pnau and electronic music were but a flash in the pan. Pnau
were off on US and European tours, performing peak sets between Darren Emerson and Fatboy Slim one night, and  playing to private audiences with Naomi Campbell and Ricky Bloody Martin the next. Not so much overwhelmed as chronically amused and soaking it all in, filing everything away, Pnau came to the attention of infamous producers, songwriters and performers, all buying into the intrigue of two Aussie musos patently NOT vying to be famous. It wasn’t long till they gravitated toward their own kind and submerged themselves deeply in the next phase of their artistic evolution. From LA to Sweden to the UK to Redfern, Pnau the band became a somewhat amorphous entity, existing in spirit if not completely in body. The gruelling schedule of being in a band took a seat; not a back seat, just a seat in the middle of the room. Kind of near the front, but to the left a bit.

That was then. Quite obviously, this is now... (and please for the love of all that’s holy, no more rhyming puns).

With the release of the self-titled album 3, the very first local release from new label etcetc, you’d be forgiven for thinking Pnau are finally fulfilling the epic destiny that we’ve all been quietly waiting for them to realise. All the skilled bits and honed pieces seem to be coming together and we suspect they’re starting to take their talent seriously. Insane, we know! But it’s like they don’t consider ‘ambition’ to be a dirty word anymore.
If it takes a village to raise a child then it’s understandable that they’ve utilized their artistic community to raise this album in the Fing Fang Fong studios. On ‘PNAU’ not only will you hear Nick’s vocal talents, you’ll also hear their work with Luke Steele from The Sleepy Jackson – a match made in heaven, Pip Brown from Ladyhawke, Nik Yannikas from Lost Valentinos, and Michael DeFrancesco from Van She. Fabian ‘Mr Oizo’ Feadz of Ed Banger fame worked closely with Pnau on the first single release ‘Wild Strawberries’, and across it all Nick’s elder brothers Sam (Gwen Stefani, Black Eyed Peas, Tonite Only) has been in control of the mix, while James has exerted his seasoned creative direction
ver the entire project.

‘PNAU’ is a timeless and positive album. If ‘Sambanova’ was an ass-grab, and Again was a casual fling, then ‘PNAU’ is a love affair that will endure. This is dance floor Pnau as you’ve ever known them, only better. Much, much, better.

Arise PNAU for Sir Elton has now 'knighted' you!

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