Flight Facilities

Flight Facilities

Flight Facilities are an electronic group from Sydney, Australia, active since 2010. The duo consists of Hugo Stuart Gruzman and James Nathan Lyell, and they also perform under the name Hugo & Jimmy. Their work covers electronic music with house, disco house, funk and chillout influences.

Early work and first releases

Before releasing original material, the duo begins by mixing songs by other artists in 2009. They also rework tracks by Bag Raiders, Toecutter and Sneaky Sound System. Their first original song, “Crave You”, is written with and features Giselle Rosselli, and gains significant airplay on Triple J in 2010. It is also listed at number 19 in the Triple J Hottest 100 for that year and is used in Myer’s Spring Racing Carnival television campaign.

Performances and recognition

In July 2010, Flight Facilities start their first tour, Maiden Voyage, and play clubs in Australia including Elsewhere on the Gold Coast, Empire in Brisbane, Limbo in Adelaide and Adult Disco in Sydney, before continuing to Japan with shows in Osaka and Tokyo. In 2011, “Foreign Language” wins a J Award for music video and appears at number 72 in the Triple J Hottest 100. The following year, “Clair de Lune” reaches number 17 in the same countdown.

Debut album and collaborations

Their debut album, Down to Earth, is released in October 2014 and reaches number 3 on the ARIA Albums Chart. The album features Kylie Minogue, Emma Louise, Reggie Watts, Bishop Nehru, Christine Hoberg, Owl Eyes and Stee Downes. It later receives gold certification from ARIA. The duo receive three ARIA nominations for the album: Album of the Year, Best Pop Release and Best Cover Art, credited to Timothy Lovett.

Later releases and live projects

In 2014, “Two Bodies” featuring Emma Louise appears at number 39 in the Triple J Hottest 100, and “Sunshine” featuring Reggie Watts reaches number 52. In December 2015, Flight Facilities release a live album following their performance with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra; it draws on songs from Down to Earth and earlier releases, and wins Best Classical Album at the 2016 ARIA Music Awards. In 2017, they release “Arty Boy” featuring Emma Louise and then “Stranded”, featuring Broods, Reggie Watts and Saro.

Other appearances

Flight Facilities appear at SXSW at the invitation of KCRW in 2013, and headline Falls Festival and Southbound Festival the same year. In 2014, they perform at Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Palm Springs. Their remix of The C90s’ “Shine A Light” gains wider attention in 2013 after appearing in Grand Theft Auto V. In 2019, Google uses their track “Better Than Ever” in a YouTube campaign for Google Nest products.