Cultural Impact & Momentum
After co-founding Solace Bar, circuit|breaker returns to its label roots with sharpened curatorial focus and a stronger community. Continuing the theme of incredibly focused, diverse artist selection and a frequently expanding sonic palette, the label has very confidently continued to bridge between Australia’s underground scene and worldwide, generally more sonically mature scenes.
Their May release, CBRK003, is a testament to the label head’s mission to create a super club ready, diverse VA that, in a way, represents the power of the growing scene in the country. Taking the opportunity to reflect on their ability to select and craft a VA that supports high quality production is an opportunity we wanted to seize through a breakdown of their artist and track selection.
We also spoke with label heads earlier in the year, Connor Wall, DJ Glug and ADMINISTRATOR which can be viewed on our Instagram, @intrinsikaus and at @circuitbreaker_naarm.
Label Identity & Vision
From the first listen, we were genuinely blown away by the level of artistic freedom the circuit|breaker crew gave to their artists. Standout contributions from Connor Wall, Fergus Sweetland and Decoder in past releases have left a lasting impression, and thanks to Solace, we’ve even had the chance to witness these artists live in the club. What this highlights to us is the strong relationship between the club and the label: their goal is not just about releasing music; it’s about actively supporting the artists behind it and bringing that to their community.
The new VA delivers an atmospheric journey that closely mirrors a late-night club experience. Opening with soft, flowing ambience from Tamara Radosevic and gradually building toward a controlled wall of chaos with 1morning, the release feels thoughtfully constructed for both standalone track listening and full immersion.
The decision to make it available on vinyl reinforces the labels deliberate curation, inviting listeners into a more intimate experience. Sitting down with a record player and moving through the tracks in order reveals a linear, almost storytelling approach that’s clearly been crafted with care.
Their vinyl-forward approach speaks volumes about the label’s identity. All three releases are pressed on 12” wax, (including CRBK003), a rare move in Australia — highlighting the importance of physicality and collectability in a generally digital dance music landscape.
CBRK003 – Artistic Construction
This record’s got such a strong sense of identity and mood. Easily one of the more atmospheric and brooding VA’s we’ve heard. The way it moves from ambient beginnings and intensifying rises on the A side to the more chaotic builds on the B side feels really intentional. Definitely one to sit with properly, speakers up, no distractions.
The whole track selection plays out like chapters in a book, something to be opened and read back to front, each section playing out like a singular section of a story being told.
Beyond the audio, the labels artwork feels like an introspective look into the contents, a minimal, duotone cover, to us, represents the industrial minimal feel of the track list. It really echoes the moody spacious feeling of the music acting as a visual extension of the sound and pulling the experience together very nicely. Not to mention all three vinyls lineup front and back to create a wide image, a neat little design choice we though was very cool.
Track Spotlights
Tamara Radosevic (Eora) opens with a brooding ambient cut with ‘First Encounter’, a sign the label’s not afraid to lean into slower tempos and deeper moods. It’s a welcome shift, and a standout moment on circuit|breaker’s first release with ADMINISTRATOR’S “VER5e+01”. That kind of isolated ambience is such a key part of electronic music, and it’s sick to see it front and centre.
Metapattern (Berlin) and NOFCE (Naarm) dive into a wildly dark and brooding atmosphere with ‘Population III’. Starting to build tension and quite aggressively setting the tone, this first chapter is a punchy, building start and sets the tone beautifully for the rest of the VA.
BERGA (Naarm) pushes forward with 'Idle', which carries things forward with twisting synth lines that feel like a deep dive into modular peak-time pressure. It’s a minimal, ominous march that lands perfectly in the middle of the record, a super impactful moment that really holds the whole VA together. It wouldn’t feel the same without it.
Casual Treatment (Berlin) takes us deep into eerie techno terrain with 'Power Plant'. Powerful modulation and track movement is the heart of the track, along with super unnatural textures and interesting sound design. Coming together, it feels like a final push toward the chaos of the final track.
1morning’s (Los Angeles) closes the record like a cinematic end credit roll with 'War Road'. It’s harsh, gripping, and holds this beautiful chaos right through to the final moments. As a closing track, it really feels like the perfect final chapter, wrapping the whole sequence in a way that leaves you on edge, in the best way.