One of London’s most exciting new producers, ABSOLUTE. (aka Anthony McGinley) share the news that his debut mixtape Wonderland will be due for release on 23rd April via Skint Records/BMG and is now available to pre-order here. Alongside the pre-order, ABSOLUTE. has shared a new track called ‘Fauna’ which you can listen to here. Tickets for ABSOLUTE.’s headline show at London’s Islington Assembly Hall on Saturday 8th May are on sale here.
‘Fauna’ is a highly emotive and introspective composition that sees ABSOLUTE. layer melting textures, rolling basslines and atmospheric synths designed for both the headphones and the dancefloor. The track contrasts sonically to ABSOLUTE.’s previous high energy single ‘Piano Theory’ which was released to huge success last month, hitting the top 10 of the iTunes Electronic Charts and garnered early radio support from Annie Mac and Danny Howard as well as Wonderland magazine who dubbed the track a “110% banger”.
Wonderland is a whirlwind ride through dance music as heard through ABSOLUTE.’s ears: emotive house, hard-edged techno, divine disco, and euphoric rave bring the party, while more cerebral downtempo and textural ambient tracks wind things down. It’s party music for a time without parties, all shot through with McGinley’s message of hope and equality for all.
The mixtape album came to fruition as a result of the recent lockdown where ABSOLUTE., and the rest of the world, was forced to a standstill. Anthony was determined to turn his frustration into art and participated in a creative workshop that helped open his mind to new ideas, taking his music in exciting directions. The title of the mixtape takes its name from Wonderland Arena, a now obsolete rave space in East London that played host to live performances from the likes of Frankie Knuckles, The Prodigy, and Carl Cox during the halcyon days of acid house and early rave, and that is now converted into apartments where Anthony currently lives and works.
ABSOLUTE. Is a project that has steadily gained momentum over the last couple of years, deftly choosing the right path for long term success rather than quick gains. Coming from the vibrant LGBTQ+ club and rave space where he promoted influential events in London, Anthony wanted to make sure foundations were solid before making the break into the live arena with this incredible body of work. He’s DJed at a wide array of parties and festivals from Glastonbury and Creamfields to Fabric and Razzmatazz but performing live has always been the goal. As lockdown came into effect he was packing his equipment to go on the road supporting dance legends 808 State on a 10 date UK tour.
Despite a total shutdown of the live sector during the pandemic, Anthony still managed to perform his debut live set for Radio 1’s virtual Ibiza weekend during the summer and has just announced a headline live show at Islington’s assembly for March next year in partnership with underground gatekeepers Percolate.
Alongside his musical accomplishments, Anthony is a passionate activist for human rights and has a longstanding track record of work supporting issues including climate, race, and LGBTQ+ justice. After attending the first Extinction Rebellion action in London, McGinley wrote “Rave Against the Machine”, a track that sampled a speech by Greta Thunberg which resulted in XR later inviting him to programme the music line-up of their International Rebellion at Trafalgar Square, while at Glastonbury, he played at Greenpeace’s Rave Tree.
