Taking the hyper out of hyperactive, and putting the chill in child.

I really must apologise for that title, you see at AMR I've always tried to avoid standard bearing headers. Probably always to the detriment of topping search engines and for people browsing for simplicity's sake - but there you go. Anyway, the true curdling nature of that title is only clear if we know what we're talking about, and what are we talking about!?

Active Child. The musical banner for Los Angelean Pat Grossi, who took his upbringing with choirs and playing the harp and made into some very nice, chilled electronic sounds that feature... choirs and playing the harp. Of course!

Since its inception two years ago, Active Child has been working his way up the rungs of the blogosphere, thanks to his blissed out music being bundled up with the whole chillwave come dream-pop wave/lable/thing that's going on. Along with the likes of Washed Out, Youth Lagoon and Memory Tapes Grossi is another one of those wunderkids who's dreaming up shimmering pop landscapes from the sanctity of his bedroom-bound laptop. Or so the whole generalised romantic image goes.

Though the American taste-makers can claim they got to him first, now we can all catch-up one on his fine album You Are All I See; as it's just been re-released locally in a deluxe edition with four extra tracks.

So you get winners like Hanging On...

Active Child: 'Hanging On' by Ragged Words

...as well as the wonderful sparkle that is new track Diamond Heart.

Active Child - 'Diamond Heart' by SpunkRecords

Active Child's appeal is that it mixes a sort of nostagic gloss with it fuzzy syths and warm meoldies, with a distinct mix of fresh sound and mood. Its shimmering ambience at once comforting and in Grossi's choral vocals, chilling. If you really need another reason to dig his blissed-out sonics, then how about the fact that he's currently touring with M83 (y'know the French elector meister who's bringing the 80s sax back to music?), he's also set to bring his unique live show to Aussie shores as part next year's Laneway bill.

He's even doing a sideshow, thanks to the fine folk(s) at Viceroyalty, at the East Brunswick Club.

Ideally, I imagine it's going to be an intimately awesome show, that looks and sounds a little something like this: