In 2000, The Avalanches released their timeless masterpiece, Since I Left You. Utilizing between 900 and 3,500 samples, the Australian duo comprised of Robbie Chater and Darren Seltmann opted not to include their own vocals so that the album could, theoretically, come from any point in time.
While Chater and Seltmann were recording the album, sending samples of Madonna, Françoise Hardy, Blowfly, Sérgio Mendes, Raekwon, and more back-and-forth between two identical studios, the pair had been under the impression that no one would be interested in listening to the project. Since I Left You went on to become one of the most critically acclaimed electronic albums of the 2000s, continuing to hold up 20 years later. Chater shared about the creation of Since I Left You on Instagram,
“I remember very clearly a few things about Since I Left You .. we decided not to have any of our voices on it, which has made it last because it’s a kind of transmission; nothing date-stamps it to that time. Also we were careful not to sue any cool ass software from 1999 or 2000. So it does seem to just float around in time. Music lovers get it, and that’s what we ultimately are. It’s almost like an exploration of our relationship with the world and with music and, as musicians, what our place is in the whole process.”
To celebrate 20 years of Since I Left You, The Avalanches are including a previously unreleased remix of the track “Tonight May Have To Last Me All My Life” by the late MF Doom. The rapper passed away on October 31, 2020 with his wife not revealing his death until months later on December 31. Doom’s remix of “Tonight May Have To Last Me All My Life” finds his unmistakable vocals floating over the track’s weaving instrumentals.
The Avalanches released their third album, We Will Always Love You, last December. Their latest release includes features and contributions from MGMT, Sampa The Great, Rivers Cuomo, Denzel Curry, Jamie xx, Leon Bridges, and Blood Orange. The album kept to The Avalanches’ signature of sampling various records to create something entirely different, while introducing new, original vocals. Celebrate the 20th anniversary of Since I Left You with the LP’s reissue and new MF Doom remix below.
