Album artwork for Education and Recreation by Surprise Chef
Album artwork for Education and Recreation by Surprise Chef
Album artwork for Education and Recreation by Surprise Chef

Surprise Chef’s music is based on evoking mood; their vivid arrangements utilize time and space to build soundscapes that invite the listener into their world. The quintet’s distinct sound pulls from 70s film scores, the funkier side of jazz, and the samples that form the foundation of hip hop. They push the boundaries of instrumental soul and funk with their own approach honed by countless hours in the studio, studying the masters, and perhaps most importantly, the “tyranny of distance” that dictates a unique perspective to their music.

Hailing from just outside of Melbourne, Australia their first two albums, All News Is Good News and Daylight Savings amassed a die-hard fanbase and brought their sound from their home studio to every corner of the globe. The band is now signed to Big Crown Records, joining a lineage of contemporary and classic sounds that have influenced Surprise Chef’s music since their formation in 2017.

On new album Education and Recreation, tracks like “Velodrome” pair chunky drums with an earworm synth line that has all the making of something you would find on an Ultimate Breaks and Beats compilation while numbers like “Iconoclasts” show their knack for tasteful use of space. From the crushing intro of “Suburban Breeze” to the floaty mellow bop of “Spring’s Theme” Surprise Chef has weaved together an album that takes you through peaks and valleys of emotion and provides a vivid soundtrack that will pull you deeper into your imagination. There is a beauty in the vast space for interpretation of instrumental music and they are adding a modern classic to the canon with this new album. Turn on the record and enjoy the ride, wherever it may take you.

Surprise Chef

Education and Recreation

Big Crown
Album artwork for Education and Recreation by Surprise Chef
LP +

£23.99

exclusive

Roulette Swirl Vinyl.

Rough Trade Exclusive
Limited to 300 copies
Released 14/10/2022Catalogue Number

BCR126LPC6

Learn more
Album artwork for Education and Recreation by Surprise Chef
CD

£12.99

Released 14/10/2022Catalogue Number

BCR126CD

Learn more
Album artwork for Education and Recreation by Surprise Chef
LP

£22.99

Black
Released 14/10/2022Catalogue Number

BCR126LP

Learn more
Surprise Chef

Education and Recreation

Big Crown
Album artwork for Education and Recreation by Surprise Chef
LP +

£23.99

exclusive

Roulette Swirl Vinyl.

Rough Trade Exclusive
Limited to 300 copies
Released 14/10/2022Catalogue Number

BCR126LPC6

Learn more
Album artwork for Education and Recreation by Surprise Chef
CD

£12.99

Released 14/10/2022Catalogue Number

BCR126CD

Learn more
Album artwork for Education and Recreation by Surprise Chef
LP

£22.99

Black
Released 14/10/2022Catalogue Number

BCR126LP

Learn more

Surprise Chef’s music is based on evoking mood; their vivid arrangements utilize time and space to build soundscapes that invite the listener into their world. The quintet’s distinct sound pulls from 70s film scores, the funkier side of jazz, and the samples that form the foundation of hip hop. They push the boundaries of instrumental soul and funk with their own approach honed by countless hours in the studio, studying the masters, and perhaps most importantly, the “tyranny of distance” that dictates a unique perspective to their music.

Hailing from just outside of Melbourne, Australia their first two albums, All News Is Good News and Daylight Savings amassed a die-hard fanbase and brought their sound from their home studio to every corner of the globe. The band is now signed to Big Crown Records, joining a lineage of contemporary and classic sounds that have influenced Surprise Chef’s music since their formation in 2017.

On new album Education and Recreation, tracks like “Velodrome” pair chunky drums with an earworm synth line that has all the making of something you would find on an Ultimate Breaks and Beats compilation while numbers like “Iconoclasts” show their knack for tasteful use of space. From the crushing intro of “Suburban Breeze” to the floaty mellow bop of “Spring’s Theme” Surprise Chef has weaved together an album that takes you through peaks and valleys of emotion and provides a vivid soundtrack that will pull you deeper into your imagination. There is a beauty in the vast space for interpretation of instrumental music and they are adding a modern classic to the canon with this new album. Turn on the record and enjoy the ride, wherever it may take you.