Flowerdrum bloomed from a chance spark between Filipino-Australian producer Juno Mamba and Indonesian-Australian artist Rino — a fusion of nostalgia, identity, and club emotion that flickers like memory under neon light.
Out now via Mushroom Music, the four-track project drips with feeling — 2-step rhythms, glowing synths, and basslines that hit as deeply as they move.
What began as a one-off jam evolved into a creative home — a pulse for Asian voices in electronic music to grow, connect, and redefine the scene. We caught up with the duo for a FM 10Q on belonging, balance, and building community from the dancefloor up.
Flowerdrum feels like more than music — what sparked it?
Rino: Realising that we had similar formative memories definitely sparked this project. From the first session, it became clear that we shared this dual experience of growing up as Asian immigrant kids; that mix of belonging and displacement. It wasn’t just a creative connection, it felt personal.
Juno Mamba: Yeah, that sense of shared history made everything click. We both understood the feeling of nostalgia, of looking back at our upbringing with warmth and a bit of distance. Flowerdrum became a way to reframe those memories and turn them into something dreamlike and communal.
How does the EP build the community you both wished you had?
Juno Mamba: Flowerdrum was born out of a desire to create the kind of community we didn’t always see growing up, a space where Asian artists could freely explore creativity without explanation or boundary. It’s not about defining what “Asian music” is, but about celebrating shared experiences and the fluidity of culture. The project invites others across the diaspora to express themselves, to find common ground in the intersections of migration, creativity, and cultural identity. It’s something that we feel has been lacking historically in the electronic / dance music space and we are hoping to bring more representation in the scene.
What was the instant spark behind Meant2Be?
Rino: That was the first track we wrote, and honestly, it came together almost effortlessly. Vinci (Juno Mamba) brought his Moog Sub 37, I started with a 2-step rhythm and bass idea, and within hours it felt like the track had written itself. There was no overthinking, just pure creative flow.
Juno Mamba: Yeah I remember that day vividly, there was an instant sense of trust. No ego, no second guessing. It captured the spirit of our collaboration perfectly, two worlds meeting and finding a perfect balance. The title Meant2Be really says it all.
Citrus hits like sunlight — what gave it that nostalgic glow?
Juno Mamba: Citrus came right after the momentum of Meant2Be as we were still riding that creative wave. The early version had a minimal, percussive intensity, but when we started exchanging ideas, it transformed into something luminous. The reworked mallet loop became this emotional thread running through the track, while layers of synths and subtle textures added warmth and depth. The name Citrus perfectly captured its feeling, bright, sharp, and nostalgic, like sunlight hitting your face and stirring up a memory you can’t quite place. We actually got inspired by the citrus fruit Calamansi, that’s mostly prevalent in the Philippines.
All I Need sounds like teenage emotion reimagined — what’s the story there?
Rino: We both played in alt / indie rock bands early in our careers, so we naturally gravitated towards writing something that was a nod to those roots. The track started from a simple arpeggiated pattern and a chopped vocal that said All I Need, which instantly gave it this tender, sentimental pull. We leaned into that emotion, blending electronic production with more organic textures and live-feeling elements. It carries the melancholy of looking back, but with a sense of peace. It’s less about longing and more about acceptance. It feels like reconnecting with your younger self and saying, you made it.
Why did Let Go feel like the right way to close the record?
Juno Mamba: Let Go felt like the natural resolution to the story. It began as an old demo that was completely reimagined into a more UK bass-inspired track, expanding the sonic world of the EP while staying true to its emotional core. Conceptually, it’s about release, about letting go of what’s familiar, of old expectations, and allowing space for something new. After all the reflection and nostalgia of the previous tracks, this one feels like the moment of clarity after revisiting the past. It closes the record with movement and renewal.
How did Rel Pham and Jordan Coles translate your sound into visuals?
Rino: Both Rel and Jordan completely understood the emotional DNA of Flowerdrum. Rel is Vietnamese-Australian, and Jordan is Chinese-Australian. Rel’s visual identity captured the balance between nostalgia and futurism. It’s that meeting point of organic and digital texture that defines our sound. Rel’s art has always been rooted in his Asian heritage too and when we first discovered his stuff we instantly knew he was the one we wanted to work with. Funnily enough, Jordan introduced us to his art.
Jordan’s photography brought the human element to it: warmth, intimacy, and atmosphere. We were heavily inspired by the visual aesthetics of Wong Kar Wai, and Jordan has such a good eye for that kind of slightly saturated look. They really helped us achieve the perfect visual world for Flowerdrum that feels like an extension of the music.
Classical roots meet club energy — how do you fuse those worlds?
Rino: That balance comes from our shared background as both producers and live performers. During the creative process we had lots of discussions about musicality and functionality, how compositional techniques can help build tension and how to insert those peaks and troughs into a groove. We’re always striving to make electronic music that still breathes. It’s rhythm-driven but alive, detailed yet human. That’s why we use an array of precise soft synths and tactile analog synths. It’s about energy that moves the body, but filled with chordal movement that also lingers in the heart.
How does Flowerdrum evolve in your live set?
Juno Mamba: Because we both come from performance backgrounds, translating Flowerdrum live feels like a natural extension rather than a rework. The live sets blend DJ sensibilities with live instrumentation and reactive visuals, so each track transforms depending on the space and the crowd. The drums and bass hit harder, the synths and textures are constantly moving and never static. We like leaving room for improvisation, letting the nostalgia and emotion of the music breathe differently each time.
One sentence — what do you want Flowerdrum to mean for Asian creatives?
Rino and Juno Mamba: To feel seen and know that their stories belong here too.
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