Well groomed, well mannered, well spoken, well dressed, well liked: Set Mo are the DJ / producer duo your mother didn’t warn you about, and in fact, would be glad for you to invite home for dinner — before happily sending you out for an evening of 21st-century-sophisto-disco debauchery with the boys. They seem so nice and trustworthy. (Well, until you’ve witnessed the sweaty, multisensory, marathon-set mayhem of their already kinda legendary Stamina Session club nights, that is.)
Comprising Sydneysiders Nick Drabble (short back’n’sides) and Stu Turner (goatee and ponytail), Set Mo came together in 2012 when the two DJs, who’d often found themselves on the same bill, decided their sounds were so complementary that perhaps they should test how tag-teaming tracks back to back would sound. Pretty good, as it turned out. Studio forays soon followed, resulting in tasty classic house-tinged, guest vocal-driven cuts including Comfort You (feat. Fractures), Chasing Forever (feat. Alphamama), Keep On (feat. Erin Marshall) and the breakout White Dress (feat. Deutsch Duke). Yeah, you heard that one, right?
The distilled sound of a blissed-out Australian summer — albeit, written in London after an eight-day bender in Ibiza — White Dress was the 11th most-played track on Triple J in 2014, and has clocked up more than 18 million streams on Spotify since its launch. Licensed for full release in 11 countries outside Australia (where it was on etcetc), via heavy-hitting majors Universal (Sweden, Norway, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Baltic States) and Warner (GSA & Russia), in addition to proving popular Stateside, it was a particularly big winner in Germany. “We’re really into artists like Booka Shade from Germany that maybe play a bit deeper than us,” Nick opines, “and I think that influence came through and struck a chord, resonated with people over there.”
Since White Dress broke, Set Mo certainly haven’t been resting on their laurels. Mid-2017 saw the release of vocal house beauty, I Belong Here (featuring lilting Townsville-bred singer/songwriter Woodes on the mic), which received high-rotation support from Triple J, props from UK Radio 1 tastemaker, Pete Tong and Spotify nods of approval via New Music Friday in Australia, Germany, France, Sweden, Norway and Iceland. The past 12 months have also seen a relentless series of sold-out shows and high-profile festival sets, including closing the main stage at Beyond The Valley 2017, and opening the new year playing to a capacity crowd at Field Day 2018. Vitally though, the guys managed to find plenty of time to record new music — stuff that just might surprise you.
Nick and Stu are huge Groove Armada fans (“I can remember exactly where I was, as a kid, the first time I heard Superstylin’,” Nick enthuses — “it changed my life”). In a way, the new material’s approach and production process echo that of GA’s wildly diverse 2001 album Goodbye Country (Hello Nightclub), which was recorded during nine hermetic months at a studio in a barn in the Cotswolds boondocks. Set Mo didn’t ‘go bush’ quite that long, but last year, they did get away from it all — in the process, getting away from what’s come to be thought of as their signature sound.
At one point, Stu explains, “We spent 10 days in the country on a writing trip, rented this house, set the studio up and were just writing day and night, punching out as many tunes as we could.” Going totally off-grid “was amazing, there was no internet, no mobile network, just this shoddy landline,” says Nick, “and we didn’t give that number to anyone but our girlfriends and our manager.” They also put in time at unfamiliar studios in far-flung places like London, Amsterdam and Berlin. With the change of scenery, lack of distractions and offline peace’n’quiet, says Stu, “we found ourselves writing this stuff that wasn’t a million miles removed from what we’ve done in the past, but it was different — we were experimenting with different tempos, different sounds, and we came up with these songs… There’s a cohesive sonic pallette, but stylistically they could be confusing to people who are purely White Dress fans.”
Hence the decision to (wait for it, this is big) release a new tune each month throughout 2018, kicking off with February’s drop, Nightmares, a gritty breakbeat number featuring British multi-instrumentalist Scott Quinn on vox. Though their rep thus far has been built on hooky lyrical tracks — and Nightmare’s sure no noodly minimalist instrumental — we can expect more left-of-centre surprises from Set Mo in future. “We want people to know we’re not just doing 4/4 beat, vocal stuff,” says Stu. “We love artists like Chemical Brothers and Groove Armada, or Moby and Jamie XX — you listen to their albums, they’ll have big, deep electronic dance tracks, and then delicate, soft, beautiful songs. We don’t want to be pigeonholded as just house DJs. We’re so inspired by different styles of music, and want to express that,” says Nick. Concludes Stu, “No matter what type of music we’re making, when it comes down to it, we’re songwriters, we’re writing songs.”
Best believe, it ain’t all about four-to-the-floor. Set Mo have got much more in store. Each month, a new track, as a matter of fact.
White Dress
Set Mo Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I could picture you now
These far away places
Together we found
These clear blue waters
With no one around
Just you and me baby
While we do our own sound
This feeling hold on to
I still remember you
In your white dress baby yeah
It's never been quite this simple
This feeling hold on to
I still remember you
In your white dress baby yeah
It's never been quite this simple
And dust of melt
That is on my head
I can still feel the breeze
I can still smell your hair
I miss that time
When the stars were in the reach
The sun on her face
And the sand at her feet
This feeling hold on to
I still remember you
In your white dress baby yeah
It's never been quite this simple
This feeling hold on to
I still remember you
In your white dress baby yeah
It's never been quite this simple
The lyrics of Set Mo Feat. Deutsch Duke's song White Dress depict a nostalgic sentimentality, reminiscing over a past relationship. The singer longs for the tangible and sensory experiences they shared with their former partner, such as feeling their touch and smelling their hair. They also remember the idyllic scenery of clear blue waters and stars that they enjoyed together, evoking a sense of loss and longing.
The song's chorus repeatedly emphasizes the image of the ex-partner in a "white dress," which can be interpreted as a symbol of purity, innocence, and simplicity. This color serves to contrast with the complexity and confusion that the singer is currently experiencing, as they struggle to replicate the uncomplicated happiness they used to feel with their former partner. In essence, the song is a tribute to a lost love that has left an indelible imprint on the singer's soul.
Interestingly, the song is characterized by a distinctive electronic beat, which is typical of the "deep house" music genre that Set Mo is known for. The use of synthesized sounds and drum loops adds a modern, danceable quality to the song and contrasts with the wistful, nostalgic lyrics. The smooth vocals of Deutsch Duke add to the melancholic atmosphere of the song, creating an emotional experience that is both visceral and intellectual.
Line by Line Meaning
I could feel your touch
The singer can vividly recall the sensation of being touched by their loved one
I could picture you now
The singer can clearly visualize their loved one in their mind
These far away places
The couple discovered secluded locations together
Together we found
The couple shared the experience of discovering new places
These clear blue waters
The couple discovered crystal clear bodies of water together
With no one around
The couple enjoyed their time together in isolation
Just you and me baby
The couple's solitary adventures were enjoyed solely in each other's company
While we do our own sound
The couple found their own rhythm and way of doing things together
This feeling hold on to
The artist wants to hold onto the feeling of being in love
I still remember you
The artist's memories of their loved one are still vivid
In your white dress baby yeah
The singer remembers their loved one wearing a white dress
It's never been quite this simple
The artist acknowledges that they've never felt love as simple and pure as it was with this person
And dust of melt
The singer remembers the feeling of warmth on their head
That is on my head
The singer can still physically feel the warmth from the sun
I can still feel the breeze
The singer can still recall the feeling of the wind on their skin
I can still smell your hair
The artist can still remember the scent of their loved one's hair
I miss that time
The artist misses the memories of their time together
When the stars were in the reach
The singer remembers a time when they felt like anything was possible
The sun on her face
The singer remembers their loved one basking in the sun
And the sand at her feet
The artist remembers their loved one walking on the beach
Contributed by Hunter Y. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
@Ainobolic
Timeless tune ahead of his time! 💙💙
@obin_travel
This is beautiful, those vocals and bass!
@serjjomiru
Whaaaat only 100k views from 2015 ...are you kidding me ? .... this song is pure class !!!
@MrBrenos
That bass line is unbelievable
@lyndallwatson8128
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this song
@sarahroebuck6796
just moved to tears when I hear this song and the video is just perfect....
@pixiedust4845
Memories from long a
go. Feels like yesterday. Listening from Canada
@sameerdogra6338
The memories with this song are just amazing 💔
@pjoy8257
Love this song and video!!!!! Amazing!!!!! Relates to my life.
@DorrieKaitlyn
This song breaks my heart... :((