Xavier Dunn has established himself as one of the most exciting, multi-instrumentalists to come out of Australia of late, and with the Sydney based artist impressing us with a brand new EP today, Isic Tutor, we figured we’d learn a little more about the musical motivation he sought to build his unique soundscapes.

Dunn has gone into detail on 10 tracks from the likes of Jon Hopkins, Bon Iver, Coldplay and more, unravelling them and discussing how each track has influenced the music he makes today. Check it out below, and listen to his new EP, Isic Tutor out today via Warner Music Australia.

Bon Iver – re: Stacks
Only the most beautiful and heartfelt song ever to be created. It makes me wanna birth something warm and cozy like this baby. Imma striving for that.

Coldplay – Yellow
Biggest banger ever. Makes me wanna cry and make pancakes for everyone. No other song does that to me.

Sigur Ros – Fljótavík
Nothing says quiet time like Sigur Ros. They make me wanna create something with space and weird words all the time. Their use of synths and organic instruments is like no other. Inspirational goals.

James Blake – Easy Thunder
His use of chords inspires me to think more out of the box with my progressions. He mixes standard jazz chart progression with a pop sensibility which is delicious.

Volcano Choir – Comrade
This song shows me the power one can push with the right use of instrumentation and repeated quirky motifs. It gives me such a sense of relief hearing this song for some reason.

Olafur Arnalds – We Too Shall Rest
Strings. Hearing this bad boy makes me wanna record strings and do nothing but get back to composing chamber groups. It’s how I started producing music in the first place. I was writing string group music in Uni, but it would cost too much to find a studio and players to record my songs. So I ended up learning how to record music on my own. And boom. Producer.

Jon Hopkins – Immunity
I’ve never heard the sonic spectrum bend to someone's will as it does for Jon. His choice of piano chords and skill, plus his amazing production ability is what gets me up in the morning. Somehow he breathes life into each and every one of his records.

King Creosote and Jon Hopkins – Bats In The Attic
The mixture of that folk voice and subtle Hopkins’ production creates the most perfect heaven space I’ve ever sat in. Everyone needs to listen to this song asap.

Asgeir – In The Silence
When I first heard his English album, I was like “fuck”. He took everything I wanted to do and smashed it. It’s soooo good, I died. Rinsed his whole album, but this is one of my fav songs of his. His waving melodies are everything they need to be. Plus his weird accent gives it that believable essence that you know what he’s talking about.

Hans Zimmer – S.T.A.Y
Ehhhh, this song is crazy. How he puts in a father’s loss and daughter’s wanting into this entire piece kills me every time.

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Listen to Isic Tutor by Xavier Dunn here, and let us know what you make of it.