Australian dance royalty Bag Raiders have been stalwarts in the electronic music community for more than a decade. After releasing a slew of cult underground cuts (‘Fun Punch’ and ‘Turbo Love’), Jack Glass and Chris Stracey signed to dance-powerhouse Modular Records and released their debut self- titled album in 2010. With that, the game changed forever. The record debuted at #7 on the official ARIA album chart, snagging nominations for ‘Best Dance Release’ (ARIA), ‘Album of the Year’ (Triple J Award) and ‘Dance Work of the Year’ (APRA). The LP featured the smash hit singles ‘Way Back Home’, ‘Sunlight’, ‘Snake Charmer’ and of course festival anthem ‘Shooting Stars’ – one of the biggest Australian dance tracks of all-time. ‘Shooting Stars’ has now amassed over 4 billion online streams, achieving 32 Platinum and 7 Gold plaques worldwide and delivering a cultural impact beyond anyone’s wildest expectations. Since its release the song has taken on a life of its own, breaking-the-internet a gazillion times through a series of iconic ‘Shooting Stars memes’. In 2021, Bag Raiders paid homage to the original ‘man jumping off bridge meme’ by creating an exclusive NFT, with proceeds going to Support Act and Musicians Making A Difference.

Following the success of the debut record, the band relocated to Los Angeles and released a stack of highly-praised EP’s ‘Waterfalls’, ‘Checkmate’ and ‘Friend Inside’, plus club-warmer ‘Nairobi’ and ‘Beat Me to the Punch’ ft. Mayer Hawthorne. In 2019 Bag Raiders released their second LP ‘Horizons featuring singles ‘How Long’ ft. Panama and ‘Lightning’ and a sold-out tour across North America and Australia.

Spending the next few years locked away in the studio, in 2022 Bag Raiders launched their own record label Broken Head Records and a return to their dancefloor roots. “The Broken Head releases will take us back to the club and those magical festival moments. Back to where we started, where it’s about having fun” states Chris. “It’s about freedom, less rules and more fun” reinforces Jack.

‘UR Heart’ was the first taste of the new era serving us a spoonful of dancefloor-centred emotion and churning melodic arpeggios melded with the pitched up vocal sample refrain of “I’ve been loving you”. ‘Never Forget’ came next. Almost 2-step in its stuttering beat, the shimmering production plays a support role to the cut-up vocal which is presented on a pedestal of sentiment in this more inward- reflecting piece. If ‘UR Heart’ was the come up, ‘Never Forget’ is the drive home after losing your love and/or friends on the dancefloor. The pensive, fast-paced ‘Letting Go’ completed the hat-trick of releases in 2022. “This tune is about body feel, freeing the mind and submitting on the dancefloor, in life, whenever.”

Just the start of things to come, the autonomy afforded to them with Broken Head Records will see a bigger and more consistent output from Bag Raiders over the coming years. “It’s really helped us to fall in love with music again” Chris beams. “We started in clubs and this new chapter is all about DJ sets, sweaty clubs and festivals”. That hands-on approach filters throughout every aspect of the labels’ mantra, building out new communities and collaborations across the whole creative and A&R process. The kooky yet brazen new branding and logo, created by Sydney-based artist Nick Amezdroz (also known for his work with night-time institution Pelvis) is a perfect example of this new found free- spirited nature.

Bag Raiders are coming in hot for 2023 with a stack of releases kicking off with ‘Love Me Back’ in July. We’re talking straight up club heaters, no frills but maximum thrills. Fast and pumping, HI-NRG, rough and ready, with all upcoming releases reflecting what Bag Raiders are playing in the clubs at the moment. ‘Love Me Back’ features a stolen Meg Mac vocal taken from a recent session, pitched up into a rave vocal Bag Raider style! “We went from indie rock to club banger in 4 semitones and 20 extra BPM. Luckily she liked it hehe” jokes Jack.

Two more releases are expected in 2023 with a brand-new dance-heavy live show / lighting spectacle to be debuted on tour across North America in October 2023, with Australia getting the good stuff in 2024. Watch this space.

Since their inception, a consistently busy tour schedule has taken Bag Raiders across all corners of the world a few times over, leaving a legacy with their dynamic live show and hands-in-the-air DJ moments. From 30-date North American bus tours, to European, Asian and South American adventures and multiple sold out tours year-after-year across Australia. They’ve played stadiums with icons Duran Duran and Chic / Nile Rodgers and slayed festival crowds from Ultra Music, Splendour in the Grass, CRSSD, Bestival and Lovebox, to TomorrowWorld, EDC Mexico, Parklife, Melt and Beyond the Valley. From the over-ground plays to the underground raves, Bag Raiders have always kept one foot in the club and one eye on the future with DJ sets all over the planet, livestreams for Mixmag and remixes for international luminaries Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, Banks, Riton, PNAU, The Jungle Giants and Crooked Colours.

It’s impossible to over-emphasise the impact that Bag Raiders have had on dance music, both in Australia and across the planet. With such a rich history of achievement already in the bank, one could forgive the duo for resting on their laurels and setting off into the sun. Luckily for us, they’ve never been hungrier, more creative nor more excited aboutwhat comes next… which is what exactly? “More bangers, more head breaking” spouts Jack.