The Avalanches, Blood Orange

Biography

The Avalanches are an Australian electronic music group formed in Melbourne in 1997, pioneering the plunderphonics genre with their groundbreaking debut album Since I Left You (2000), which has been widely recognized by critics as the most important example of the genre. The group originated from Alarm 115, a noise punk outfit formed in 1994 by Robbie Chater, Tony Di Blasi, and Darren Seltmann, which evolved into The Avalanches as they shifted their musical direction toward electronic experimentation and sample-based composition. Over their career spanning more than two decades, the group has released three studio albums—Since I Left You (2000), Wildflower (2016), and We Will Always Love You (2020)—while also performing live and recorded DJ sets that showcase their innovative approach to electronic music production.

Blood Orange, the musical moniker of Devonté Hynes (born David Joseph Michael Hynes on December 23, 1985), is an English singer, songwriter, record producer, composer, and director based in New York City who has become a prominent figure in contemporary experimental pop and R&B. Before establishing himself as Blood Orange, Hynes was a member of the post-hardcore band Test Icicles from 2004 to 2006 and released two solo albums as Lightspeed Champion, showcasing his versatility across genres ranging from indie-folk to electronic music. Since launching the Blood Orange project in 2009, Hynes has released five studio albums between 2011 and 2025—Coastal Grooves (2011), Cupid Deluxe (2013), Freetown Sound (2016), Negro Swan (2018), and Essex Honey (2025)—establishing himself as a culturally engaged artist known for his tender, melodically rich sound that blends R&B, electronic music, and experimental pop while addressing themes of collective pain and social consciousness.

The Avalanches and Blood Orange collaborated on the single 'We Will Always Love You,' released on February 20, 2020, marking a significant connection between the Australian electronic pioneers and the London-born, New York-based producer-artist. This collaboration represents a meeting of two distinct but complementary approaches to electronic and experimental music, with The Avalanches' sample-based plunderphonics aesthetic intersecting with Blood Orange's emotionally nuanced, genre-blending production style.

Fun Facts

• Blood Orange's father was a classical music enthusiast and his mother loved UK soul, while his siblings played everything from Nirvana and Blur to hip-hop through bedroom walls, creating a uniquely diverse musical household that shaped his eclectic artistic vision.
• Dev Hynes was nearly a collaborator with Shawn 'Clown' Crahan of Slipknot approximately six years before 2024, with the two exchanging emails about a potential project that ultimately fell through, despite Hynes remaining a devoted Slipknot fan.
• The Avalanches' debut album Since I Left You, released in 2000, has been recognized by many critics as the most important example of the plunderphonics genre, establishing the group as pioneers in sample-based electronic music.
• Blood Orange's 2020 single 'Running Red Lights' features a dedication to David Berman and incorporates lyrics from the Purple Mountains song 'Darkness and Cold,' demonstrating his practice of weaving musical tributes and references into his work.

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Sade, UB-40, and UK soul tradition - Blood Orange's mother's musical preferences that shaped his early sonic palette and influenced his approach to soulful, melodic composition (Blood Orange's entire discography reflects these influences) [Childhood/formative years]
• British guitar bands (Mansun, Ash, The Bluetones) - Stylistic influences that shaped Blood Orange's musical taste during adolescence and informed his later work (Lightspeed Champion era and early Blood Orange albums) [Teenage years/early 2000s]
• Drive Like Jehu, The Fall, Ultra Bide - Noise punk influences that inspired the original Alarm 115 lineup and shaped The Avalanches' early experimental direction (Early Avalanches compositions) [1994-1997]

Key Collaborators

• Robbie Chater - Co-founding member and current core member of The Avalanches, handling keyboards, mixing, production, and multiple instruments (All three Avalanches studio albums) [1997–present]
• Tony Di Blasi - Co-founding member and current core member of The Avalanches, performing keyboards, bass, theremin, synthesizer, and turntables (All three Avalanches studio albums) [1997–present]
• Darren Seltmann - Original member of The Avalanches contributing keyboards, brass band leadership, choir conducting, design, guitar, mixing, and production (Since I Left You and early Avalanches work) [1997–2006]
• Blood Orange (Dev Hynes) - Featured artist on The Avalanches' single 'We Will Always Love You' ('We Will Always Love You' (2020)) [2020]
• Solange, Lorde, Britney Spears, Kylie Minogue - Artists Blood Orange has co-written and co-produced for, collaborating in studio settings (Various production and songwriting credits) [2010s]
• Pink Siifu and Rivers Cuomo (Weezer) - Featured artists on The Avalanches' single 'Running Red Lights' ('Running Red Lights' (2020)) [2020]

Artists Influenced

• Contemporary experimental pop and R&B artists - Blood Orange's innovative approach to blending genres and emotionally conscious production has influenced the broader landscape of experimental pop (Blood Orange's five studio albums and production work) [2011–present]
• Electronic music producers and plunderphonics practitioners - The Avalanches' Since I Left You established a template for sample-based electronic music that influenced subsequent generations of producers (Since I Left You (2000)) [2000–present]

Discography

Albums

Top Tracks

1. Champagne Coast (Coastal Grooves)
2. Champagne Coast (Coastal Grooves)
3. Charcoal Baby (Negro Swan)
4. Champagne Coast
5. The Field (feat. The Durutti Column, Tariq Al-Sabir, Caroline Polachek & Daniel Caesar)
6. You're Not Good Enough (Cupid Deluxe)
7. Champagne Coast
8. Uncle ACE (Cupid Deluxe)
9. Chewing Gum (Negro Swan)
10. Best to You (Freetown Sound)

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia