Six Feet Above Yesterday
by Infusion

Review
**Six Feet Above Yesterday: Infusion's Electronic Odyssey Through Time and Bass**
In the pantheon of Australian electronic music, few acts have managed to straddle the line between underground credibility and mainstream accessibility quite like Infusion. Their 2005 masterpiece "Six Feet Above Yesterday" stands as a testament to what happens when four Melbourne producers decide to stop playing it safe and dive headfirst into the sonic deep end.
The album emerged from a period of intense creative ferment for the quartet of Matt Baxter, Manuel Sharrad, Jamie Stevens, and Frank Xavier. Having cut their teeth in Melbourne's notorious club scene throughout the late '90s, Infusion had already established themselves as purveyors of the kind of driving, hypnotic breakbeat that could keep ravers moving until sunrise. But by 2004, the group was restless, eager to push beyond the confines of four-four time and explore the outer reaches of what electronic music could be.
"Six Feet Above Yesterday" finds Infusion operating at the intersection of multiple electronic genres, creating a sound that's simultaneously nostalgic and futuristic. The album weaves together elements of breakbeat, progressive house, and downtempo electronica with an almost symphonic sensibility. It's music that works equally well in a darkened club at 3 AM or through headphones during a contemplative afternoon drive.
The opening track, "Better World," immediately establishes the album's ambitious scope. Built around a hypnotic vocal sample and layers of analog synth work that would make Jean-Michel Jarre weep, it's a mission statement disguised as a dance floor anthem. The track builds with the patience of a master architect, adding elements incrementally until the final result feels both inevitable and surprising.
But it's "Girls Can Be Cruel" that serves as the album's undeniable centerpiece. A seven-minute journey through shifting rhythmic patterns and cascading melodic phrases, the track showcases Infusion's ability to create tension and release on an almost orchestral scale. The interplay between the stuttering breakbeats and soaring lead lines creates a sense of controlled chaos that's utterly mesmerizing. It's the kind of track that reminds you why electronic music can be just as emotionally resonant as any guitar-driven anthem.
"Legacy" operates in a more introspective mode, its downtempo groove providing space for some of the album's most beautiful melodic work. The track's use of organic instrumentation – actual guitars and what sounds suspiciously like a real bass – adds textural depth that elevates it beyond typical electronica. Meanwhile, "Natural" pushes into harder territory, its relentless rhythm section providing the foundation for some seriously twisted sound design work.
The album's production, handled by the band themselves, deserves special mention. Every element sits perfectly in the mix, from the crystalline high-end percussion to the sub-bass frequencies that seem to emanate from somewhere deep within the Earth's core. It's the kind of meticulous attention to sonic detail that rewards both casual listening and deep analysis.
Perhaps most impressively, "Six Feet Above Yesterday" manages to maintain narrative coherence across its hour-plus runtime. This isn't just a collection of club tracks hastily assembled for album release; it's a genuine artistic statement that rewards front-to-back listening. The sequencing creates genuine emotional peaks and valleys, with moments of euphoric release balanced by passages of contemplative beauty.
In the years since its release, "Six Feet Above Yesterday" has achieved something approaching cult status within electronic music circles. While Infusion never quite achieved the international breakthrough that seemed within their grasp, the album has continued to find new audiences among listeners seeking electronic music with genuine depth and sophistication. Tracks from the album still surface in DJ sets around the world, their timeless quality allowing them to sit comfortably alongside contemporary productions.
The album's influence can be heard in the work of countless electronic artists who followed, particularly in Australia's thriving electronic scene. Its seamless blend of accessibility and experimentation provided a template for how electronic music could be both innovative and emotionally engaging.
Today, "Six Feet Above Yesterday" stands as a reminder of a moment when electronic music felt genuinely limitless, when artists like Infusion were pushing boundaries and expanding possibilities with every release. It's an album that deserves rediscovery by anyone interested in electronic music's capacity for genuine artistic expression.
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