Cyclic Defrost issue 29

?Cyclic><Defrost}

¬Issue~29\

© ®FREEin Australia

Cyclic Defrost Cover.indd 2 19/08/11 4:14 PM

Contents04 Cameron Baird|AlexandraSavvides

10 Live and Let DIY|AlyssaCritchley

16 Benedict Moleta|JoshuaMeggitt

22 Part Timer|BobBakerFish

26 Home Normal label retrospective | SuneelJethani

30 Plaid|ChrisDownton

34 Maria Minerva|LyndonPike

38 AXXONN|TomHall

44 Cyclic Selects|DonnyBenét

latestreviews

Nowallonlineatwww.cyclicdefrost.com/blog

EditorialFromEstoniatothestreetsofMarrickvilleinSydney,thisissue

ofCyclicDefrostcoverssomeverydiversesonicground.

AlyssaCritchleytakesalookinsidetheburgeoningSydneyDIY

sceneandinparticulartheeventsaroundDecolonisefestival.

FollowingthedevastatingearthquakeandtsunamiinJapan

earlierthisyear,SuneelJethanitakesalookatitseffecton

HomeNormal,thelabelrunoutofSaitama,JapanandtheUK.

Ourphotofeatureinthecentreofthemagazinefeaturesthe

workofTomHall,whodocumentedhistouraroundAustralia

earlierthisyearasAXXONN.DonnyBenetprovidesaneclectic

andveryentertainingtakeonCyclicSelectslateroninthe

issue.

Don'tforgetcyclicdefrost.comwhichhasallthecontentfound

inthisissue,aswellasadditionalbonusmaterialincludingan

interviewwithSeunKutiandaprofileofMelbournebeat-maker

ElectricSeaSpider.

Thanksforreading,

ShaunandLex

Editors

Stockists

ThefollowingstoresstockCyclicDefrostalthougharrivaltimes

foreachissuemayvary.

NSW

AllMusicByron,CastleRecs,ElectricMonkeys,Explore

Music,FishRecords(innercitystores),Freestyle,Freestyle2,

GongRecords,HumonKing,HumonOxford,LeadingEdge

Penrith,LeadingEdgeWarriewood,MallMusic,MarketMusic,

MuseumofContemporaryArt,Metropolis,MusicBizarre

Lismore,PlumMusic,TheRecordStore,Recycled,Red

Eye,Redback,Reefer,SalamanderSound,SoMusic,Spank

Records,SpotMusic,VoyagerIvanhoe

VIC

CentralStationMelbourne,Greville,Heartland,JFPorters,

LeadingEdgeBendigo,LeadingEdgeGeelong,LicoricePie,

Metropolis,MissingLink,NoiseExchange/Synaesthesia,

Northside,Polyester,ReadingsCarlton,RecordCollectors

Corner,SisterRay,Slap,VoyagerPortMelbourne,WeSell

Music-Mildura

QLD

ButterBeats,Caneland,CC-Harbourtown,Cosmic,Leading

EdgeMusicScene,Revolver,Rockaway,Rockinghorse,

Skinny’s,Sunflower,Taste-y,ToombulMusic

SA

BSharp,BigStar

WA

ChinatownRecords,Dada’s,Mills,

PlanetVideo

TAS

ChilliDJ,Mojo,Ruffcut,WillsMusic

ACT

Landspeed

NT

Casurina,Chatterbox

Ifyourstoredoesn'tcarryCyclicDefrost,contact

[email protected]

Theviewscontainedhereinarenotnecessarilytheviewsofthe

publishernorthestaffofCyclicDefrost.Copyrightremainswith

theauthorsand/orCyclicDefrost.

Cyclic Defrost MagazineIssue 29 | October 2011 www.cyclicdefrost.com

Editor-in-Chief

SebastianChan

Editors

ShaunPrescott|AlexandraSavvides

Art Director

ThommyTran

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Downloadatcyclicdefrost.com

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Web Hosting

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Cover Design

CameronBaird

Issue 29 Contributors

AdrianElmer,AlexandraSavvides,AlyssaCritchley,Benedict

Moleta,BobBakerFish,ChrisDownton,innerversitysound,James

Horsfall,JoshuaMeggitt,LyndonPike,NickGiles,OliverLaing,

PeterHollo,ShaunPrescott,SuneelJethani,ThommyTran,Tom

Hall,WayneStronell,WyattLawton-Masi,YifengNi

Cyclic donors

HugethankyoutotheadditionalfinancialsupportfromMurray

Woodman,BenAskins,DanielBrophy,AlanBamford,Kath

O'Donnell,ScottBerry,JohnIrving,AlexCameron.

Thank You

Asalways,ourheartfeltthankstoallsubscribersofCyclic

Defrostandalldonorslargeandsmall,aswellasour

contributorsfromourregularwritersandreviewers,toguest

photographers.ThanksalsogotoHughandallthestaffat

UnikGraphics,DonnyBenetforagreatCyclicSelectsand

CameronBairdforastunningcoverforissue29.

This project has been assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia

Council, its arts funding and advisory body.

?Cyclic><Defrost}

¬Issue~29\



4 CYCLICDEFROST 5CYCLICDEFROST

“Quote. ”Olobore dunt am digna feugiat la consequi el ullaor in utatem iriliquipit in veraese conullu ptatue faci tatiscillan venibh erit adignim incilla facidui bla feuis autationsed eliscilit do coreril eniam, conse venim in.”

t’sedgingtowardstheendofwinterastheinkyblueskyaboveSydney’sCamperdownushersinthatpromisinginterimbetweenduskandeveningproper.ThecolouralmostperfectlybringstomindtheimagerythatCameronBairdcreatesforanumberofalbumandEPdesignsonTheFrequencyLabimprint.Imagesofthecosmosspliceddelicatelywitharchivalphotosallseemtolinkbacktothisonecolourthat’spermeatingthenightsky,likeareal-life

recreationofoneofhisrecentcovers:JonnyFaith’sBlue Sky On Mars.“IthinkI’mextremelyinterestedincollage,”hesays,aswesitdowntochat

inthecornerofthewarehousespacethathouseshisdesignconsultancySensoryCreative.“AsasmallboyIprettymuchwallpaperedmybedroomentirelywithmagazinescraps,themajorityofthemwerewomenandsportsstars,itwasabitofahilarioussightatthetime.ThatprocessofthefoundobjectbeingcutoutandappliedinamashtoanoveralllandscapeissomethingIwasextremelyfondofdoingatthatage.“

DesignsforreleasesliketheFictitiousSevenseriesof“digitalvinyl”(twotracksoneither‘side’imitatingtheethosof7-inchsingles)certainlyseemtoechothisneo-decoupageaestheticthatBairdfavourssohighly.Thevisualenvironmentismadeupoftextures,photographicelementsandtypographyalloverlaidinresponsetothemusiccontainedwithinthesleeve.“AlotoftheFictitiousSevenstuffhasbeenverymuchbasedontheorganic,theearth,the

I

CameronBaIrd

Cameron BairdLocal

byAlexandraSavvides


land...Ithinkit’stryingtobuildonathemebutatthesametimealotofthemusichasdictatedthatthat’sthedesignidea.”

ThiscomplementaryrelationshipbetweenthevisualsandmusiccanbetracedbacktoBaird’sloveaffairwiththesaxophone,whichheplayedfor12years.”Inawayjazz,whichbecamesuchathoroughparttomypractice,wasarealgenreofcollage.Itwasamix-matchoflearningdifferentstylesofthatinstrument,butitwasalsoinitselfquitevariedinitsexecution.”ThisinfatuationhasslowlyevolvedintoBaird’sever-growingcollectionofCDsanddigitalreleasesthatnowname-checksartistsontheFatCity,StonesThrowand!K7labels(justtoscratchthesurface)and“everythingyoucannodto.AlthoughoverthelastfewyearsIhavebecomemoreandmoreunhappywithcertainstylesofdancemusicwhichIthinkaregenerallyquitebadontheears.

“Ihavethepleasureoftorturingallmembersofourstudiospacewithmymusic,Iprettymuchdominatethelibrary,”hesays,hisvoiceechoingaroundthenow-emptyroom.It’snowclearastohowimportantbeingthemusiccontrollerreallyis,giventheexpansivespacebeforeus.“Ibuymusiceverydayofmylife,prettymuch,whetheritbeoneofthemanydownloadsthatIfindthroughanynewslettersthatI’mreadingormonthlysubscriptionsofmusicthatIhave,andI’vealwayswishedIhadmoreofavehicletoplayit.”

Ontopofdesigning,BairdalsorunstheSoundNotSeenartsandmusicblogwithHuwEllis,RobSomatikandThomasStuddy.It’s“alongoverduemusicdump”accordingtoitsaboutpage,andactsasavehicleforallinvolvedto“bangheads”abouttheirmusicloves.“Mymaininterestatthemomentisabithardtopigeonhole.I’mfindingalotoftimeforactslikeLetherette,andthat’sinarealfusedkindofbeat-scape,thelatestEPisreallyflexible,lotsofupanddowntempos.Thatkindofinstrumentalhip-hopisreallymyflavour.”

Outofallthemusic-relateddesignwork,Baird’srelationshipwithTheFrequencyLabseemstoproducetheoutputhe’smostfondof.Iaskhowthecollaborationbegan.“It’sagoodmemorytotryandrecount,”hesays.“IfirstgottoknowChris[Hancock,akaMonkFlyandlabelhead]throughJonnyFaith

andthroughtheHeadroomprojectthattheguyswereworkingon.IhadbeenworkingwithLorna[Clarkson]doingCDRandknewLornathroughgraphicdesignworkfromherpreviousdaysatFloatingPoint.Lornawasareallygoodfriendandshedecidedshewasgoingtodomorethanjustlabelwork,shewasgoingtodoCDRandwantedmetobeinvolvedinthat.I’mabigfanofthewholeCDRprocesssoIgotinvolvedfromthebrandingallthewayupbutatthesametimewassuchamusicenthusiastthatIlovedtheidea.

“ChriswasinvolvedintakinghismusicdowntoCDRandsotoowasJonny,sotheysawmystuffandgotintouchandsaid‘we’regoingtobedoingaHeadroomgig,wewanttoknowifyouwanttobeonboard’.Ithoughtthemusicthatthoseguyswerepushingwasreallyforwardthinking.Iwasreallypassionateaboutthefactthatitwasquiteeclecticandonahip-hoptip,whichisabitofapetloveofmine.Buttobebrutallyhonest,justmeetingtheguys,theyareextremelylovelyguys,withgoodspiritandheartforshowingpeoplenewmusic.ItbecameprettybasicthatIwouldbeinvolved.Iwouldmuchratherdoitfortheinvolvementthanforthepersonalbenefit,andthat’sevidentbythefactthatthoseguysreallyrunonashoestringtogetthingsdone.

“WhatmadeiteasierwasthatIenjoyedthemusicsomuch.Ithinkwhattheyweredoingwasreallyunique,pushingtheboundaries,notnecessarilycallingeveryonetoadancefloor,makingeveryonereallyhaveathinkaboutwhattheywerelisteningtoandtobeabletodesignforthemusicaroundthatwasabitofafunthing.Igetanopenbriefforthemtoowhichisarealpleasure,it’slovelytobetrustedtodoyourjob.”

ImbuedwithinBaird’sworkforChrisandJonnyisanoverarchingsenseofnostalgia,whichcomesfromusingarchivalfootage.It’saninterestingjuxtaposition,fromavisualandideologicalstandpoint,consideringthemusicheisdesigningforisfarfromathrow-backtothenearpast.Futuremusic,futurebeats,forward-thinkingtunes,Bairdexplains,isn’tasseparatedfromthisvintageimageryasyoumightfirstthink.“I’vealwaysbeenfondofjustthestyle,colouranddesignofthingslikelandscapesandthecosmos...it’s

“It’s lovely to be trusted to do your job”


somethingthatgivesyoualotoffodderfortextureandissomethingfuntoworkwith.Ialsoliketothinkthatahugepartofalltheirmusicalsoundsharksbacktooldersounds.There’snotoneofthoseguyswho’snottryingtofindanoldsynthoranoldfilterthatcanbereworkedintooneoftheirtrackstotryandcreatenostalgiaofsomeform.

“It’sreallyinterestingtoknowhowyoucanplaywithdifferentperiodsoftime.It’snicetoknowyoucanstillrunincycles.Inessenceit’sawaytotryandcreatesomethingdifferenttowhat’scurrentlytoomodernaboutotherthings.“

ApartfromdesigningvisualsforTheFrequencyLab,BairdisalsoinvolvedwithcreatingtourworkforNicheProductions,andhasdoneartworkforMadRacketandFutureClassicevents.There’sadefinitelyadifferencebetweenthecommercialsuccessesofNichewith,say,CDR,whichBairdrecognises.“AlthoughIlovetheprocessdearlyforthehistorythatwe’vehadandIrespecthowsuccessfulJames[Browning]andNichehavebeenIdostrugglewiththefactthatI’mlimitedtothechancesandrisks[they’re]preparedtotakeonmyartwork.”

Commercialviabilityissomethingthatclearlyaffectswhatappearsonthepagebeforeus,onatourposteroronthefrontofaphysicalrelease.Buthowdoyouknowwhatwillsellyourtourorproductinadesignsense?

“ItwouldbefairformetosayI’mnotthegreatestdesignerintheworld,Imean,IoftenwanttobebetterthanIamandIthinkIoftenlookatalotofpeopleoutthereandIseethemasbeingtrulygreatdesigners,”Bairdoffers.“Locallytherearetonsofreallytalentedpeopledoingsimilar,doingbetterworktomeandIlookatwhatthey’redoingasbeingfarmorecommerciallyviablebecauseit’sjustbetter.

“ButIthinkthedisappointingthingaboutSydneyperhapsisthatIthinkfartoomuchofwhat’sbeingproducedisjustthesame.Yeahyou’reinspiredbywhatyoudigestouttherebuttoomanypromotersarefartoosafeandtoomanypeopleexpecttoseestuffthey’vealreadyseenandthereforethey’renotgivingthedesigneranyofthat‘you’rethedesigner’creativefreedomthatyou

“I have the pleasure of torturing all members of our studio space with my music, I pretty much dominate the library”

want.“ChriswasalwaysreallyfondofmeasapersonwhichIthinkhelps.

Relationshipsarehugelyimportantbutatthesametime,theboyscametobebecausetheysawsomethingthatIdidthattheyliked,anditwasajobthatIdidthatIliked.Itwouldbegreattoseecommercialviabilitybestowedtothedesignerbecauseit’ssomethingthattheylike,andIthinkthere’ssomuchcreativejuiceinSydneywhereitshouldbeletgoof,itshouldbegivenitsreignstogo.Ihavebeatupsinthisofficespaceallthetimeoverwhatlooksgoodandwhatlooksbadandwhetherornotadesignerknows.ButIthinkonaverage,aseasoneddesignerknowswhensomethinglooksbetterandwhensomethingdoesn’t...andthenbetrustedtotakethatdirectionandriskfortheclient.Commerciallyviabledesignworkissometimesextremelylimited.”

Currently,BairdistakinginspirationfromconceptualartistJohnBaldessari(whowasmostrecentlybehindtheYourNameInLightsprojectatthisyear’sSydneyFestival)andmoderncollageartistssuchasMarioWagner,Hugo&Marie,LaBocaandRedDesignwhoareheavilygraphicintheirmethodofsplicingimages,textandthefoundobject.Themixedmediaaspectisparticularlyappealingforhim,andforthisissue’scoverreflectsthatinmanyways.“IguessI’vebeenextremelyfondofarchivelibraries...andtheshapesandthelinesthatappearwithinthatandbuildingthatintoanalmosttongue-in-cheeklandscapewhereindividualseitherchangetheiridentity,cuttheirheadoff,orIgivethemanewposition.Thisonewasacomputercompany’sarchivelibrarythatIpulledapartandwantedtogenerateitinawaythatatleastreferencedcycles,henceCyclic,butitwasmoreinthewaythattherewasasymmetrytothedesignandtherewasanindustryparallelwithmusicandthereweregadgets,knobs,sounds,generalplayinvolvedwithindividualsthatwerefromthisfoundlibrary.”

Cameron Baird is a director of Sensory Creative. His portfolio can be viewed at www.cambaird.com or www.sensorycreative.com.au


enjoyapunkfestivalfullofpunkmusic.SomeonemakesafriendlyremarkIdon’tquitecatch,butIhearapatterofapplauseandsomemorebanterandthentheband,Lena’sband,Tangle,beginplaying.IthinkofhoweasyitwouldbetosaythatDIYhappensforonereason,andtheseautonomous,independentlyorganisedfestivalshavesimilaraims,butthetruthisthatthereasonsarevaried—a‘tangle’—andthepeoplewhomakeupthesecommunitiesoftenhavedifferentagendas.Thereshouldbeno‘shoulds’inwhatautonomousperformanceachieves,butLena’swordstriggerthequestion:whatarethevariousaimsofautonomousperformance?Tobrutallysimplify:whyDIY?InarecordshopalongthestretchofroadthatissaidtohaveoncebeenapathwayforlocalAboriginalcommunitiespriortocolonisation,thefirstnightofthefestivalramblesonandwhenthebandsluggearaway,thefestivalmovesontoliberateanex-squataboveashoponamainarteryintheInnerWest.

TheDecolonise(Decol)festival,cameoffthebackofAlex’sidea(anotherfestivalwiththesamename,largelyorganisedbyAlexSzorka),

eep-redwallscoveredinpostersfromshowsoldandnewandlongshadowscastontheceiling.Ablack-cladcrowdstartstowardsthebackoftheroomwithhead-

noddingsolitude,herewhereIamstandingonafold-upchairnearthecurtainthatdividesusfromfluorescentlightandthehighway.Closertotheband,theaudiencebecomessilhouettesraisinglongnecksinbrownpaperandhairwhippingback-and-forth;bodiesbumpingandpushingandtwistingandstomping.

Sheisatthemicstand.Sheprobablytwistsittowardsherlips.InaloudvoiceLenarecognisestheindigenousownersofthelandandstressesthispoint:sovereigntywasneverceded.Sherepeatsit.Andregardingthenameofthisfestival,Decolonise,onthefirstnightoftheQueen’sBirthdaylongweekend2011,sheraisesthispoint:perhapsafestivalwhosename,inadvertentlyornot,referencesthestrugglesofthefirstpeopleofAustraliashouldaddresstheseverystruggles.Ornot.Wecouldfindanothernameandsimply

D

Live and Let

dIYLive and Let DIY

LocalbyAlyssaCritchley

PhotographsbyYifengNi


ofbuildingafestivalaroundindependentspaces,saysJasonwhositsonadroopingloungeinthelivingroomofhisInnerWestsquat.Onthewallsandalongthestaircase,clippingsofdewy-eyedsealsandseascapesaretackedup—thedecorationsvestigesofthisspace’stimeasamarinescienceoffice.NearbysitshousemateFez,whoseNativeAmericanfeaturesareaccompaniedbyclustersofearrings.Abullringthatisadelicatesilvercurvethroughhernostrilsglintsassheleansforward,elbowsinherlap.ShecraftsherargumentswiththecornerstonesofMarxistandanarchistrhetoricandJasondisagreeswithheronalmosteverypoint.ItisnotDIY/punklifestyleasaresponsetothewasteinsociety,asoppositional,orasameanstoescapecapitalismthatthetwoagreeupon.Instead,theirDIYpunkfestivalisanopportunityforpeopletocometogetherunderaspaceortoimposeanethosonasite

—apaddock,awarehouse,analleywayintheindustrialarea.Anautonomousfestivalislivingtothefullestpotential.Sunkintothecouchandsittingbesideme,Jasonreferstothefestivalasa‘spotoffun’,achancetobringfriendsfromalloverAustraliatoshowthatSydneydoeshavesomethingtooffer.ThatfirstnightatBlackwire,Fezsays,betweenthosedeepredwallsandtheremindersofalongDIYpunklegacyintheformofhand-drawnpostersonthewall,shecharacterisesthefestival’sfirstnightaslike“afamilyreunion”.Itisthefestivalasopposedtothestandalonepunk/DIYshowthatisaninvitationthatdrawsinterstatersandout-of-townerstogetheragain.Onthiswinter’snight,theconversationmovesonwardsasFezpresentsneatanswers,articulateandclearinheraims,whileJasonresists,tuggingatthetornelbowofablackhoodie.Hisanswersarefrayedattheedgesincomparison

tohishousemate—almostnon-committalandheapologisesforthisfromthegetgo—buthespeaksmoredirectlyofplansfornextyear’sfestival.Iamsurprisedbyhisconviction.Itwillhappen.Itishappening.I’mhopingit’llbemorecentredononespace;thisyear’sfestivalfeltlikerenterscominginonanotherspace,thoughitisnotaboutthespace,assuch,butbringingtheethicsandideastothespace,hethinksandFezadds.LiketheSuchIsLifefestival,Fezmentions,wheretheorganisershiredoutapaddock—somepatchoflandonthestretchbetweenMelbourneandGeelong—andthepaddockbecomeseveryone’sandthefestivalbuildstobesomething‘magical’,withover300peopleconvergingonasiteawayfromthewailsofsirensortheorangehazeofpollutionthatappearsasthesunlightfades,thestreetlightsbrightenandthecity’snightcreepsin—‘itcreatesanintensityyou

“Their DIY punk festival is an opportunity for people to come together under a space or to impose an ethos on a site”

intersection”ofmusicculturesandcommunities.“TogetherwithBlackwireitbecameastaple,”heannounces,alongneckbalancedinthecrookofhisarm.“DecoloniseIandIIwereintendedtobecelebrationsofDIYspaces,acelebrationthatthecommunityhasenoughvenues,bands,people—resourcestopoolandbeselfsufficient.Acelebrationofwhatwe’vegotandacalloutforwhatwecando”.ThoughtheSundayeventwashastilymovedtoMidianduetobadweather,insomeone’shandwrittenprint,alongsideasimplifiedmapoftheInnerWestareademarcatingbottleshops,venuesandLebanesepizzajointManoosh,thefestival’sprogramhadincludedaPunkOutsideevent,whichisanongoingaffairBendescribesas“generallyanafternooneventwherepeoplewouldcomealong,laydownanddrinkafewbeers”withmusictakingplaceinalanebetweenwarehouses.TherewasoneparticularshowwheretwoIrishbrothersplayedsongs,someaboutconstructionworkersdyingonsitesbackhome,ferociousbreaththroughtinwhistleandthestrumofanacousticguitar.Thesunhadslippedbehindthehorizonandthecoldhadcreptintothebrickandconcretelanewayandthestillbodyofmurkystormwater.Itwasfreezing,hesays,andpeoplehadtohuddleinrealclosetohear.

don’tseeanywhereelse,’Jasonsays.Thentheconversationsettlesatthepointitalwayswould,onthecontentionoverthenamethatIcan’tquiteshakethememoryof.Oftheirfriend,Lena’svoice,amplifiedandpoppinginthemicasthoughcloseandfizzinginmyearandthequestionposed,asIsawit,innotsomanywords:whatdoweasacommunitywanttoachieve?Tothis,Jasonconcedeshe’dbeinterestedinpoliticisingthefestivalnextyear,andheandFezmentionanotherpunkfestival,aone-offeventinBrisbane,LiveandLetDIY,whichfeaturedascheduleofthreedaysfullofworkshops.Itisbothfestivals,one‘messy’and‘magical’andtheother‘intense’,‘powerful’and‘political’thatareheldupasinspirations.

Therewereallthesevenuesspringingup,AlexsayswhenIfinallyspeakwithhimaboutDecolonise,andheputshimselfbackinthecontextofJanuary2009.Butitwasaprecarioussituation,withthesemi-legalvenuesgettingintroublewiththecouncilandacouple—Louie’sandCosmo’sRockLounge—pullingoutofhostingsomeofthefestival’seventswhichwereplannedtospreadacrossthevibrantnew“colony”.TherewerearticlesintheInnerWestCourierabout‘raves’happeninginthelocalareaandthepiecespublishedreferredtotheverystreetssomeofthesevenueswerelocated

on.LivingatMgtvleatthetime,avenueandresidencefortheDIYpunkcommunityinSydney,Alex’sDecolonisefestivalgrewintoameanstogetadialogue“happeningbetweenothervenuesintheSydenham/Marrickvilleindustrialareathatwereall,atonetime,withinwalkingdistancefromeachother,downwidestreetssmotheredinpotholedasphalt,streetsofutilitarianbrickfacades,anareathatreekswiththesweetnessofcommercialbakeriesanddimsumfactories.Venuesthatcateredtodifferentscenescametogethertoshareinformationandfoundouthowtosurviveinaclimatehostiletosemi-legaloperations.

Mgtvlewasevictedsometimeafterthefestival—photosontheinternetshowedawarehouseguttedofitspersonality,justabareconcretefloor—butin2011,venuesthatarefiercelyprotectedorsomehowlegitimisedandutilisedasvenuesallowedasecondDecolonisefestivaltotakeplace.Outsideonesuchvenue,BlackwireRecords,huddledinthenookattheshopfrontofahi-fisystemsretaileralongthewindtunnelofParramattaRoad,IspeakwithBen,amemberofThylacine,whichwilllaterplayitsfinalshowonthefinalnightofthefestival.HetellsmethatthisfestivalwouldnothaveexistedwithoutMidian,aspacewhichcaterstoan“interesting


IthinkofthePunkInside eventheldonthelastnightofthelongweekendandIamdisappointedthatthestreetswereslickwithaJunedrizzleandthatIwasn’tpartofahuddleinalanewaysurroundedbyemptybuildingsandlongweeds,watchingbandsperformassensorlightsflickered.Itisonthisfinalnightofthefestival,nexttothescreenprintingsection,thatIspeaktoLena,besidefreshlyprintedpatchesofthebandsthathadperformedoverthethreedaysandnights,andinMidian,anautonomousspacemadeavailabletothepunkcommunitybutnotquitetheirown.Aroundusandamongstthefestival-goersinblackhoodiesarethevenue’sorganisers:amaninaleatherjacketandgreyingponytailensurespatronsleaveandenterdiscreetly,awomenservessnacksandbeverages,anothermanwithaleatherwristcuffsitsatthesounddeskandanothermemberrushesaboutwearingabowlerscapandpatchworkdenimpants.Lena’svoiceisinmyearagain,“In2009therewerediscussions,workshops,filmscreenings–itwasmuchmoreaboutthevariedcommunitiesandthespacesinvolved,”shesays.“Thisyear,fromwhatIobservedbeinganinterstatecontingentandsomeoneaskedtobeinvolvedwithcontactingbands,itwasverymuchfocusedonhavingaDIYpunkfestinDIYspaces…DIY

“Venues that catered to different scenes came together to share information and found out how to survive in a climate hostile to semi-legal operations”

punkenthusiasm.”Nearus,theseveredheadofHRPufnstufisproppedupandleeringfromthecorner.“Idon’tthinkthere’sanythingwrongwithhavingaDIYpunkfestforthesakeofhavingaDIYpunkfest,”shecontinues.Later,whenIaskforcommentsonhervisionforDIYspacesandcommunitiesshesendsmeanemailclarifyingwhatshesaidthatnight,analmoststream-of-consciouschunkofparagraphsinlowercaseletteringendingwiththis:“IthinkDIYandallagesspacesaresoimportantandweneedtotakecareofthem.peopleneedtobechallengedsothatwecanprogressinourcommunitiesandinourlives.stayingstagnantisnotpunk,beingapoliticalinthesecommunitiesdoesn’twork.wecan’thavecommunitythatisjustaboutlookingatstuffandgettingdrunkandnottalkingtoeachotherortakingcareofeachotherwhenwethinkwe’rewrong.we’vegottogrowuptogether.”

AndIthinkofthenightIspokewithJasonandFezandtheconvictiontheyhadintheneedforautonomousspaces,especiallytomakethesefestivalshappen.EBL,theex-squatwhichwasliberatedthatfirstnightofDecolonise,willbecomeanon-residential,afterhoursspace,theyhadrevealed.Andspacesarealreadysetup,servingvariouscommunities,hostingartandbandsandzinefairs.ThereisCarrier,avenueinRozelle

whichtakesitsnamefromtheboldletteringontheroof–thenameofacompanythatvacatedthebuildingyearsago.I’veseenphotosofthespaceandthebuildingssurroundingit,surrenderedtotheinevitabledecay.Anofficebuildingturnedgreenhouse,chlorophyllgreenbloomingfromdullgreycarpetandmildewflourishingacrosswalls.ThereisMidian,thereisShirlows…AndnowinmymemoryIamspeakingwithAlexoverthephoneinmylunchbreakafteramorningofsortingthroughpressreleasesfortoursandupcomingfestivals,speakingwithsyrupyPRgirlsandhoveringonpromoters’websites–theslickmachinerybehindproductions,especiallythevariousAustralianmusicfestivalthathaveproliferated,freshinmymind.HespeaksonDIY,onorganisinganindependentfestival,onsupportingall-agesspacesthatarenotas“stifling”aspubvenues,asthewintersunshinestreamsdown.AbovethesoundofchildrenplayingintheparkaroundmeheagreesthattheDIYfestivalisinherentlypolitical.“It’sreallyempoweringtoknowthatyoudon’tneedsomeonetovalidateyoutodothethingsyouwant,evenifit’sjustputtingonshows,”hesays.“Ithinkit’sanimportantthingtoknowandIthinkforalotofpeopleit’snotthatobvious”.

CD

17CYCLICDEFROST

LocalByJoshuaMeggitt

Benedict moleta


Bragg,whosealbumDon’t TryThisatHomehadjustbeenreleased.Someofthesethingshavestayedwithmeovertheyears.ButIwasonly13atthetime,andIdidn’tstartwritingsongs,orreallygettingintomusicuntileightornineyearslater,afterschoolandafteruniversity.Asfarasearlymusicalinfluencesareconcerned,theTravelingWilburysalbumwasabighitterforme.That’sthefirstalbumIbought,IguesswhenIwas12.ThefirsttimeIheardHandle with Care,Iknewthattherewassomekindofmagicgoingon.AlsothesoundtracktoStandByMe–IwatchedthatmovielotsoftimeswhenIwasgrowingup,andBuddyHolly’sEverydayalwayssoundedlikeperfectmusictome.”

Giventheseunusualstartingpoints,Iwonderwhatpromptedthemovetostartmakingmusic?

“StartedprettylateIguess.Iwasn’tmadintomusicinhighschool–skateboardingwasreallymywholeworld.Iwasalsointoart,andafteruniversityIhadacrackatbeinganartist,settingupastudioathomeandexhibitingafewtimes.IonlystartedwritingsongsandplayingguitarwhenIwasabout20or21.SeveralofmyfriendstoldmeIshouldkeepatit,andgraduallyittookovertheartwork.Istartedplayingshowsin2001,andreleasedmyfirstEPin2002.”

Moleta’smusicisaninterestingblendofslow,confessionalacousticballadryandmoredynamicgroupinterplay.TheBenedictMoletaBandisnowhisfavouredavenue,providingamorevariedsonicpalette-helistsseventiesAmericanAORartistslikeTomPetty,Heart,BobSegerandBonnieRaittamonghisinfluences.Unlikethem,however,there’sameasuredausterityto

erthisafunnyoldplace.Themostisolatedcityintheworld.Thisfact–amongmany–contributestothebizarresocio-culturalmakeupoftheWesternAustraliancapital.Because–orinspite-ofthis,Perthhasauniqueandthrivingartandmusicscene,onelargely(althoughdecreasingly)divorcedfromhappeningsinotherpartsoftheworld,fosteringcloserelationshipsfrompractitioners,strongdomesticnichepursuits,andthecreationofpersonal,originalwork.

Thiscityisasubjectclosetomusician,artistandPerthnativeBenedictMoleta’sheartandwork.GrowingupinthebeachsidesuburbofSwanborne,Perthicons–bothbreathingandgeographic–populatehissongs,andheremainsastalwartperformeronPerthstages,longaftermanyofhisfriendsandbandmateshaveleft.

“Perthhasundergonesomequeerdevelopmentsinthepastfiveyears,thankstothelatestmineralboom.There'salotofmoneyaround,andalotofbrashfrontiertypebehaviour.NeverthelessIlikelivinghere.Someofmyfriendshaveleftovertheyears,butalotofmyfriendsarestillhere,andtherearealwaysnewfriendstobemade.Therearelotsofunusualplacestogoforwalksontheweekend.Ifindallthisinspiring.”

ImetBenedictwhenwewerebothskating,inthedeeplyunpopular‘skaterfaggot’daysoftheearlynineties.AsascrawnykidthreeyearsyoungerthanmeIwasimpressedwithhisdedicationtocreativepractice,theyoungest‘zineproducerandclothingmanufacturerthatI’veeverknown.Iwonderwhetherthisperiodinfluencedhislatermusic?

theband;analmostintellectualrestraint,evenintheirliveliermoments,thatvaguelyrecallsclassicallieder.

“Mylatemotherwasapianistandpianoteacher,andmydadhasalwaysbeeninvolvedinorganisingclassicalmusicevents.Mythreesistersalllearnedinstruments,andmyeldestsisterSophieisasongwriterwhohasreleasedabunchofalbums.IgrewupwithCatholicparents,andsanginschoolandchurchchoirs,plusChristmascarolsathome.Sotherewasalotofmusicaround,butasakidreallyIwasmoreinterestedindrawingandpaintingthanmusic.

“Asfarasclassicalmusicinfluencingtheactualstyleofmysongs,Iknowit’seasytodrawfancifulcomparisonsinretrospect,butcheckthisout.MydadsanginaplainchantchoirwhenIwasgrowingup,andIheardthemrehearsingandsingingweekafterweekthroughoutmyhighschoolyears.Iguessoneofthemoststrikingthingsaboutplainchantisthemonophonicvibeithas–onemelodyline.I’vealwaysbeenattractedtosingerswithverystraightsingingstyles,likeNeilTennantorTraceyThorn,andmysongsusuallyhavelotsofwords,withthesyllablesfittingintothebeatinaverystraight,sometimesrepetitiveway.ThisstyleofsingingmightberelatedtohearingalotofplainchantwhenIwasgrowingup.ProbablyalsowhyIfindhip-hopsoappealing.ThewaythewordsfitintotherhythmsinmysongsalsoprobablyhassomethingtodowiththefactthatImostlymakeupthesongssingingtomyselfinmyhead,whilewalkingtowork,orgoingforawalkontheweekend.The

“Idefinitelyheardalotofcoolthingsonskatingvideosoundtracks.That’showIfirstheardTheSupremes,SteveMiller,AlGreenandTheMamasandthePapas,andlotsofgreatearlyninetieship-hop.Butit'sreallytheskatingitselfthat’sinfluencedmymusic-oddasthismaysound.Inthoseweirdteenageyears,whenIguessalotofpeoplearediscoveringrock‘n’rollandpartying,Iwasspendingmyweekendsgettingbusesouttothesuburbstogoskatingatprimaryschoolsandshoppingcentres,usuallywithabunchofolderskaters,whowerefinishedwithhighschoolandwerekeenonsmokingtheweedetc.Comefivepm,theotherdudeswouldcontinuetheiradventures,endingupcrowdingintosomeone’shatchbackandfoggingupthewindowswhilelisteningtosomedopehip-hop.ButIhadtogethomebeforedarklikeagoodboy.Thosetraintripscominghomealone,withscabbyshins,SuzanneVegaontheWalkman,andschoolloomingthenextdayarebigmemoriesforme.SinceIgotintotakingphotosafewyearsago,IoftengowalkingaroundthesekindsofplacesonSundayafternoons,takingphotosofthebuildingsandthestreets.”

AmongtheseolderskaterswasDanielEricksonofslowcoregroupBluetileLoungeandlaterMukaizake.Didthesebands,andthemyriadmusiciansintheircircle,makemuchofanimpactthen?

“IspentsometimelivingwithDanandhisfamilyoverthesummerof’91-’92.ThroughDanIheardalotofearlyninetiesindiebandslikeUncleTupelo,SonicYouth,AmericanMusicClub,TeenageFanclub,RedHousePainters,Slint,PalaceBrothersetc.Dan’syoungerbrotherTimwasmadintoBilly

P “I wasn’t mad into music in high school – skateboarding was really my whole world.”


stage?“Iwaskeenonnormalpubshowsinthefirstcoupleofyearsof

playing(2002-2003).Beingnewtothemusicscene,Iwasstokedonseeingpeopleplay,andmakingfriendswithpeoplewhowantedtohangouteverynighthavingagoodtime.But10yearslaterIhaven’texactlygatheredabigregularfollowingatnormalpubshows,andmymusicsometimesfightsalosingbattleagainstnoisefromthebaretc.Ofcoursethereareexceptions–therehavebeengreatpubshowsovertheyears,andthereareafewvenuesinPerthatthemomentwhicharedefinitelydevelopingalisteningenvironmentforabroadrangeofmusic.ButIgottasay,alltheshowsI’veputonoutsidethenormalvenuessince2005havebeen100percentsatisfying.Asmallregularfollowingfortheseshowshasdevelopedovertheyears,andwhennewpeoplecomealong,it’sgoodtobeabletohangwiththeminafairlyneutralenvironment.It’snicetoplaymusicforpeopleinaninterestingoldbuilding-itfeelslikeinthiskindofenvironmentexcitingandsurprisingthingsmighthappen.Don’tgetmewrong–Istilllikedoingnormalgigs,butdoingitthisotherwayoftenfeelsmorestraightforwardandeffectiveinpresentingthesongstoallsortsofdifferentpeople.

“ThisyearI’vestartedtaketheseshowsoutofthemetroarea,hiringhallsininterestingtownsandlocalitiesoutsidePerth.I’vebeenenjoyingtheprocessofcorrespondingwiththelocalnewspapersandradiostationsinadvance,andmeetinglotsofnewpeoplealongtheway.I’vegotafewoftheseshowsbookedthisyear,withtheband,onmyown,andwithabunchofothercollaborators.Ofcourseonceyou’vemadetheefforttogotosomesmalllocalityandputonashow,andafewpeoplehavecomealongandlikedit,thebestthingyoucandoistogobacktheresixmonthslater,soyougraduallydevelopsomethingrealwiththepeoplethere.Ifindallthisexcitingandsatisfying,andIwanttodomoreofitastimegoeson.”

Benedict Moleta’s Timesheet is available now through iTunes.

songstendtohaveawalky-talkykindofvibe.”Beyondtheseinterestinglinkages,theinfluenceofclassicalperformance

hasclearlyinfluencedthewayinwhichhechoosestoperformlive.“Therewasalotofclassicalmusicinmyupbringing,andI’veworkedina

classicalCDshopsince2003.Ofcoursethesethingshavesomekindoflong-termeffect,butIdon’tlistentomuchclassicalmusicathome,anddon'treallygotoconcerts.Idoorganiseshowsoutsidethepubscene,whichhavemoreofaconcertvibethanagigvibe.Alotofmymusicisprettyquiet,andsuitsalow-noiseenvironment.SoI’vebeenputtingonshowsintownhalls,yachtclubs,artgalleriesandthatsortofthingsincemyfirstalbumlaunchin2005.Iguessyoucouldsaythisstyleofshowowesalottogrowinguparoundseated,silentlisteningenvironments.I’mnotintocultivatinganatmosphereofphonyreverencearoundthemusic,butit’salotoffunputtingonashowinayachtclubbytheriver.Theenvironmentisbeautiful,youcanstartearlysothatpeopleofallagescancomealong,theacousticsoftheroomarenaturallygood,sosettingupthePAiseasy,etcetc.Likewiseit’sfuntohireahallinacountrytownanddrivingouttherewiththeband,havinganadventure,meetingnewpeopleoutthere–allsortsofdifferentpeople,andnotjusttheoneswhowouldnormallygotoshowsinestablishedcityvenues.

“Italsomeansthenightcanstartat7:30pminsteadof9or10.Soby9or9:30themusicisover,andthere’sanopportunitytohangouttogetherproperly-notbeinghustledoutthedoorbysecurity,notdealingwithpubcarparksatmidnightetcetcetc.TheshowsareBYO,sothere’snoboozemoneyfactor–peoplejustbringeskiesandsnacks.Theretendstobeamoresocial,easyvibe.Itseemstoopentheshowstoalotofdifferentpeoplewho,forwhateverreason,aren’treallykeenongoingtopubshows.

HavingattendedanumberoftheseIcanattesttothededicationandcommitmentthatgoesintotheirstaging,andit’safarbetterenvironmentforseeingmusic,suchasBenedict’s,concernedwithdetailedsoundandlyriccontent.ButPerth’spubsceneremainsvitalforemergingandestablishedbandstoperform-howisthemusicsceneinPerthtoday?Andwhatofthefutureforstandardpubrockshows,andthetypesofeventsMoletaliketo

“It’s nice to play music for people in an interesting old building - it feels like in this kind of environment exciting and surprising things might happen.”


Craig[Tattersall]wouldtalkaboutstartinguptheMoteerlabel.Idon’tthinktheyhadanyconcreteplans,butmeandJohnnythought‘whydon’twegetsomethingtogetherandgivethemtoAndrew’,whichwedidoveracoupleofmonths.Theylikedit,anditbecamethefirstreleaseonMoteer.Itwasa12-inch.Alittle-heardEP.ThentherewastheManyFingersreleasewhichwasthefirstproperrelease,Ithinkwewerejustabitofatest.”

“Wewerebothreallyexcitedaboutit,”hecontinues.“Johnny’sanintenselittleguy.ItcameoutjustafterImovedtoAustraliawithinthefirstcoupleofmonthsofmebeinghere.Ireceivedsecond-handstoriesthatinafitofpeakandartisticanguishoverthisreleaseheactuallywentintothedistributorsandaskedforalltheremainingcopiessohecouldburnthem.Idon’tknowwhy.He’sjustabitofalunatic.”

ThesedaysMcCaffreyisalittlecircumspectaboutClickits,suggestingthatitwearsitsMorrMusic/CityCentreOfficesinfluencesonitssleeve.In2005theywouldreleaseExpress Gifts,afull-lengthalbumdespiteMcCaffrey’srelocationtoAustralia,witheachoftheduocreatingfivetracksseparately.ItwasduringthistimethattheseedsofPartTimerwereplanted;inspiredtosomeextentbythemusicalcultureshockthatwasMelbourne.

“Itwashugelydifferent,”hereflects.“Whenwe

”Iseemtoreleasealotofstuffearlyoninlabelcatalogues,”hereflects,“it’slike‘ohweneedsomeartists,’it’stheonlywaytheyacceptme.I’makick-startalabelkindofartist.”

AsforBlue,McCaffreyhassomereservations.“It’saweirdoneforme,”heoffers,“there’slotsofbitsandpieceschuckedtogether.Idon’tthinkit’sascoherentasReal To Reel.”Butyoucan’tlistentoMcCaffrey;Boomkatdescribeditas“treadingthatfinelinebetweenlonesomeacousticcompositionanddelicateelectronictampering,”whilsttheSilentBalletcalledit“abuffetoftracksthatareasconfidentastheyarefragile,callinguponfolkandelectronicexperimentaliststocreatesomethingintimateandsincere.”

Yetit’shismostrecentwork,againwithanewlabel,thistimeUSA’sLostTribeSound,whichMcCaffreyviewsashismostaccomplished.“RealtoReelisthesoundIenvisagedforPartTimer,”heexplains.“Ittookshapeoverafewyears.Icompileditdownfrommyfavouritetracksoverthelastfewyears.I’mthehappiestwiththatone.Ithinkithangswelltogether.”It’salushalbum,withgentleacousticguitarlinesandthoseeverpresentPartTimerdustysoundscapesoverwhichNicolaHodgkinson(TheEmpress/Hood)andhiswifeDaniellesing.Infactit’sanalbumthatfeaturesmorevocalsthanever.

artTimeristheself-deprecatingnomdeplumeforJohnMcCaffrey,aNorthernEnglandernowresidinginMelbourne,Australia.Tosomeextentit’sanaccuratename,hismusicaltimelimitedasafatheroftwoandoccupationaltherapistwhoworkswithpeoplewithbraininjuries.“There’snothinglikepeoplewithdamagedfrontallobestomakeinteractionsinteresting,”heoffers.“Yougetsuchgreatexperiencesthatyoujustcan’treplicateinanyothersetting.”YetMcCaffreyviewshisotherlife-hismusic-asareaction,anescapefromhisdailylife.“It’sawaytoloseyourselffromallthatshittobehonest,”McCaffreylaughs.“Iguessmakingmusicisalotscarcerinmylife,alotmoreofarareactivitythesedays.WhenIgettheopportunitytodoitit’sabitmorevaluedbecauseofthat.”

Givenhisremarkablyprolificoutputitmaycomeassomesurprisethatthesedaysit’saboutputtingthekidstobedandgrabbingeveryopportunitytoretreattothe‘mancave.’“I’mnotawoodworker,Idon’tdoanyofthosekindsofthings.It’smylittleseal-off,togetinthereandgetinmyownhead.Getintothemusicwork.”Whenhedoesstraphimselfintothecavehissoundsdon’tbetrayanyofthestressorsofhisotherlife.Whatinevitablycomesoutispure,gentleandhighlybalanced.There’sastillnesstothemusic

firstgothereIwasquiteblownaway,especiallyinMelbournebytheindietwee,rocky,veryguitar-basedkindofmusic.InthosedaysIwasveryelectronicallyinclinedinmylistening.AndIfounditquitestrangetocomesomewherethatitwasararitytogetanelectronicgig,andexceptionallyrareforaninternationalelectronicact,especiallyoneoftheobscureones.Ithinkinsomeways,movingherekindofinfluencedthemusicIwasmakingbecauseoftheguitarinfluencethatwashappeninghere.Iwasstillverymuchinanelectronicheadspaceinthefirstcoupleofyearsofbeinghere.InthattimewemadetheClickitsalbumthenslowlybutsurelygotintotheguitar.”

ButMcCaffreyisn’tyourtypicalguitarist.He’smuchmoreinterestedinmoodandtexturethantechnique.Infact,truetoformhemayalsobethemostself-deprecatingguitaristyou’llevercomeacross.“IthinkI’veprobablyalwaysharbouredasecretdesiretobeanaxemaster,androckitoutYngwieMalmsteenstyle,”helaughsbeforecontinuingmoreseriously.“Ithinkthere’sacertainmoodtotheacousticguitar,there’sacertainfeeltothosekindsofsounds.IthinkaftersubjectingmyselftoalotofelectronicmusicforagoodnumberofyearsIstartedtowanttoreturntosomemorenaturalsoundsandincorporatethatwiththemoreelectronicsounds.”Hisplayingis

ofPartTimer,compositionscraftedviaaseriesofoften-tentativegesturesthatallconspiretogethertoresonatewithmelancholiaandemotion.

“Ithinkthatcomesfromthewayit’smadetobehonest,”McCaffreysuggests.“It’sjustasedentaryparalysis,justsittinginfrontofthecomputer.Idon’treallyunderstandhowpeoplecanmakeupbeatelectronicstuffthat’spoundingclubfriendlywhenyou’reessentiallyinyourspareroomtappingawayonyourkeyboard.Itmakesalotmoresenseformetomakesomethingalotmoresedate.”

McCaffreybeganmakingmusicintheUKaspartoftheduoClickitswhohadthehonourofhavingtheirdebutEPreleasedasthefirstinthecatalogueoftheinfluential(thoughnow-defunct)UKlabelMoteer.UltimatelyMcCaffreybelievesthatitwasallaboutgeography.GrowingupinAccrington“averysmallvillagepartofasmallnortherntown,therewasn’tawholelotgoingonthere,”heoffers,“soevenifyou’reremotelylike-mindedyougravitatetowardsoneanother.”TheonepersonhegravitatedtowasJohnnyRussell,withasharedloveofthefracturedelectronicareleasedontheWarplabel.“AndrewJohnstonlivedveryclosetoJohnnyandAndrewJohnstonistheRemoteViewer.Wewoulddrinkatthesamepubandwewouldchatwithhim.Andheand

oftenquiterepetitive,subtle,restrained,simplelines,freefromanyexcessiveflourishes.

“That’sbecauseI’mnotverygoodatit,”helaughs.“Icouldnotplayyouatunefromstarttofinish.Evenifitwasthesameriffoverandover.I’mawful.Myprocessistorecordquiteabitandthenstitchittogetheronthecomputer.There’snowayIcouldplayacoherenttuneforanyone.Evenafterseveralyearsofmakingguitar-basedmusic.”

It’sthiscombinationofbrutalhonestyandself-deprecationthatmakesaconversationwithMcCaffreysorefreshing.“I’mhappytotellpeoplethat,”hereveals.“IthinkthatwhathappenswiththePartTimermusicisthatsecretlyit’selectronicmusic.Iknowithasanacousticfeeltoit,butit’sallstitchedtogetherandmodifiedonthecomputer,that’swhereIdomyworkonit.”

“That’sthebeautifulthingaboutworkingwithcomputersisn’tit?”Hecontinues.“Itgivesyoutheopportunityifyou’repreparedtospendthetimetoputanythingtogether.Icertainlywouldn’tbeabletomakemusicwithoutthecomputer;it’satoolanorganiser,andacontributingfactor.IconsiderthestuffImaketobecomputermusic.”

PartTimer’sfirstLPappearedonMoteerin2006;continuinghisridiculouslyprolificreputationhissecondalbumBlueappearedjustayearlaterasJapaneselabelFlau’ssecondeverrelease.

In reel Time

Part TimerLocal

byBobBakerFish

“There’s nothing like people with damaged frontal lobes to make interactions interesting”P


afewremixesasUpwardArrowstoo,asIquiteliketheprocessofstretchingsoundsandstickingbigreverbywashesovereverything.”Speakingofremixeshe’screatedsomethingofanicheforhimselfasaremixerofchoiceforyourdreamypastoralindiefolkmusic,everyonefromThe

DecliningWintertoTokyoBloodworm,ChildrenoftheWave,Underlapper,evenUScellistAaronMartin,whoseremixturnedintoanongoingcollaboration.

“ThetworeleaseswithAaronMartinareessentiallyremixesthatgotoutofhand,”hereveals.“OnbothoccasionsAaronsentmestemsforanumberofhistrackstoseeifIwantedtoremixone.ThenIjustgotbusyandremixedeverythinghesent.”Thefirstreleasewasalimiteddouble3-inchCDonMobeercalledSeed Collection.OnedisccontainedMartin’soriginals,theotherMcCaffrey’sremixes.ThesecondreleasewasonUndertheSpire.

“AaronhadreleasedanEPcalledGrass Wounds -thenhesentmethestems.IremixedthemandthelabelreleasedtheremixEPasGrass Rewound(myterriblepunofatitle).”

Sowhyallthesedifferentguises?“It’swhenIdon’twanttoknockoutanother

‘folktroniclaybackandcrytoyourselfthing,’”helaughs.“That’swhenthingsdon’tfitintothatPartTimersoundIguesssoIstickitunderdifferentartistnames,”hepausesforasecondseemingtoreflectonthisbeforeadding,“mybreakcorestuffisverylittleknownbuttrustmeit’sgroundbreaking.”

Part Timer’s Real to Reel is released through Lost Tribe Sound. CD

“I’dlovetoworkwithvocalistsalittlemorewhenIgetsometimeandjustdoentirelyasong-basedkindofalbum.I’vealwayslikedmusicwithvocalists.Idon’tnecessarilytrustmyselfalottocommitmyownvocalsallthatfrequentlytorecord.”

PartTimerisn’tMcCaffrey’sonlynomdeplume.HecanalsobefoundasUpwardsArrowsandScissorsandSellotape.InfacthehasanimminentreleaseforScissorandSellotapeontheFrac-turelabel.Itbeganasarequestfromfrequentcollaborator,Melbournemulti-instrumentalistHeidiElva,torecordherplayingpianoinachurch.“Heidihadbefriendedthevicar.Hispianowasoutoftune,shegothimapianotunerandsheaskedifshecouldcomeandrecordsomepiano,hesaidyeahsowewentinthere,satthereforthreehoursandplayed,recordedsomebitsandpiecesfromaroundtheplace,anditwasahugesamplelibraryfromonethreehoursitting,anditformsthebasisforallthetracks.”

“Okay.I’manabsoluteasshole,”offersMcCaffreyelectingtocomeclean.“TheideawastogointhereandrecordHeidiplayingsomefairlystraightsimplepianomelodiesandthenafterwardsI’dgoinandaddabitofambiencetothemandeditoutsomeduffnotesandaddalittlebitofpixiedust.”Butitdidn’tgoentirelyaccordingtoplan.

“IgottherecordingshomeandIjustcouldn’thelpmyself,justchoppingitstretchingit,totallyre-arrangingphrases,”helaughs.WithinthespaceoftwodaysIhadthreetracks.SoIsentthemtoHeidiandshewaslike‘Nothat’snotwhatIwantedatall.’”

“Shewasallabouttheambienceofthechurch,

recordingitreallyquitesimplyandhavingthefeelofthetracks,andIjusttotallyobliteratedthatandmadePartTimerwithpiano.IthinkIhitacreativedownatthattimeanditwasarealburstofinspirationtomakemusicagainIguess.Shedidn’twanttostandinthewaysomorepower

toher,butsheneverdidgethercleanrecordings.”ScissorsandSellotapebeganonCraigfrom

Moteer’scraftlabelCottonGoods,asalimitededitionof100EPsmadeoutofhardbackbooksandothercuriousmaterialswitharealhandmadeaesthetic.“ItwasabunchoffieldrecordingstakenonhoneymoonandIjustchoppedlittleloopsoutofitandstuckitalltogether.Itwasn’tacomposedprocessIsuppose.Ididn’tplayaguitarlineseventeentimesandchoosethebestone.Ijustgotthefieldrecordingsandchoppedthoseintoloopsandstuckthemtogetherindifferentways.”

Yetthisisn’ttheendofhismusicalpersonalities,itseemsthemoreyouscratchthesurfacewithMcCaffreythemoreprojectsappear.Whenheiscontactedacoupleofdaysafterourinitialdiscussionhejokesthat’swhytheycallhimtheonion.“NotbecauseIhavesomanylayers,butbecauseIsmellandmakepeoplecry.”

UpwardArrowsislessmelodicandmoredrone-based,apseudo-classicalandexperimentalsidetohispersonality.It’ssomethingthathehashintedatmorerecentlyinhisPartTimerguise,yetit’sfullyexploredunderhisothermoniker.TheprojectemergedafterbeingofferedareleasefromtheUndertheSpirelabel,whichatthetimewasmoredronefocused.

“I'dbeenlisteningtoalotofmodernclassical/droneystuff,”heoffersandIfanciedgivingitago,somadethosetracks.SincethatI'vedone

“When we first got here I was quite blown away, especially in Melbourne by the indie twee, rocky,

very guitar-based kind of music”


inceitsfirstreleasein2008,theHomeNormallabelandstablematesTokyoDroningandNomadicKidsRepublichavekeptupanimpressivescheduleofreleases.Theirback-cataloguescontainworksofcinematicelectronica,looselyminimalorganicfolkandstunningdrones,allwithadistinctpurityofspiritbothmusicallyandinthehandmadeprinciplesappliedtodesignandpackaging.Labelboss,curatorandcreativeenginebehindtheHomeNormalstable,IanHawgoodhasconsistently

assessed,adjustedandreinventedthewheelinhisowncreativeoutputincludingthatunderthemonikersApocomeno,KoenPark,OhNoNuno!andthatofhislabelsinordertobringtogetherhisvisionofmusicandimage,grounded,normalisedandintegratedasawhole.IanandIcaughtuponlinetotalkaboutthelabels,creativecontrol,hisbusyscheduleandpost-quakeJapan.Althoughwe’venevermetinperson,inhisresponsestomyquestionsHawgoodisreflexiveandhasadeepsenseofrespectforhiscraft.Thissubtletyandhonestyisconsistentbetweenhismusic,labeloutputandouremails.Hawgoodtellsmethathisinspirationhasalwayscomefromthecloseinteractionwithfriendsandmusicianswhomherespectspersonally.HawgoodisbasedinSaitama(acoupleofhoursfromTokyo)andmaintainsdailycontactwithBenJonesintheUKwhohandlestheprintinganddistribution.HealsoservesasIan’ssoundingboardforcreativedecisionsrelatingtothelabel.HawgoodalsoworkscloselywithwebdesignerChristianRothandAntony

S

To Build

a HomeHome Normal label retrospective

InternationalbySuneelJethani

“Music is essentially built upon primitive memory structures” - Morton Feldman


Harrison(aka.Konntinent),whoworksonthelabel’sliveevents.IaskaboutHomeNormal’steamdynamicandrecentexpansionandinparticulartheissueofmaintainingcreativecontrol.“YesIcontroltheevolutionofthelabelandI’mnotsurehowIshouldrelinquishcontrol,”Hawgoodsays.“IwishIcouldbutoftenittakestheobsessivebehaviourofonetorunthesethingsinapureway.SayingthatIhaveactuallyrelinquishedcontroltodemandingartistsandit’snotsomethingIhavecometobeparticularlyhappywith,socallmeacontrolfreak,butit’squitetheopposite.Iamintheprocessofregainingthespiritofthelabelback.”Thatspiritrelatestoprinciplesthatarebothvisualandaural,andHawgoodstronglydifferentiatesbetweenHomeNormal,TokyoDroningandNomadicKidsRepublic.ForHomeNormalhesaysthat“theonlythemeIreallyhadwastopresentworkinaverysimpledesign,withthefocusbeingonphotography.Thiscameaboutthroughaccesstomyverygoodfriend,JeremyBible’swork,aswellasgoingthroughimagesIhadtakenovertheyears.Theseweretobe

thefacesoftheworkIfeltwasheartfeltandpersonalastoooftentheartandmusicareverydisparate”.AlthoughIlearnthatmaintainingpurityinaestheticprincipleshasbeenoneofthechallengingaspectsofrunningthelabel“...artistssometimesarefartoorigidinthepresentationoftheirworkinmyopinion.Thishasaffectedtheoverallartofthelabelintermsofhowitappearsasacompleteseries,orwholerather.Musicallyhowever,Ihavekepttotheidealsbycrossingstylesandforms,focusingonmusicwhichIthinkhasauniquevoiceandgenuinespirit,andhaveneveracceptedapositionwithin‘thescene’whenitmayhavebeeneasiertodoso.”“Presentationisfarmoreimportanttomenowthanbefore,whenIhadmuchmoreofapurebeliefthatthemusicwasallthatmattered.It’showIfeelandhavealwaysfeltbutsadly,mostartistsarenotofthesamemindset.Theartistswhoareofthesamemindsetareclosefriendsofmine,andoftenpeoplewhohavebeenaroundtheblockafewtimesbefore.SopersonaltastehasbecomemoreenvelopingIsuppose,notonlytobetasteinthemusicbutinthepersonpresentingthework.WhenBenandItalkedaboutthescheduleforHomeNormalwesaidwewouldpairupone‘larger’releasewithalesser-knownartist’swork.Bythismeanswefeltthatitwouldgiveattentionandhelpsupportneworemergingartists.However,astimehasgoneon,IhavegottenalittlewearyofworkingwithpeopleIdon’tknowonapersonallevelforavarietyofimportantreasons.Assuchnow,the‘whole’ofeachreleaseisimportant–forexample,theworkitself,theartist’spersonalityandintentionsorattitude,their

approachtothe‘industry’sideofthingsandabunchofotherstuff.”TheTokyoDroningimprintbeganasasisterprojecttoHomeNormalthatendedupbecomingquitedistinct.Eachreleaseconsistsofaseriesofsixworks,thenextduesometimebetweenAugustandSeptember2011.Hawgoodsaysit’sfocusedonhisown‘geekiness’andhisrulesforgoverningitarethatthebasematerialsmustbebroughtfromwithinatenminutecyclerideofanywherehehaslivedinJapan.Eachreleaseishandmadeusingoldhardbackbookswhereeverypartoftheoriginalbookisrecycled,spinesarereconstructedusinglocallysourcedmaterialsandtheinsertsaremadeofricepaperfromashopinhisoldneighbourhood.Eachreleasehasadifferentstampandphoto/negative/Polaroid/Kodachromethatisnotcopiedandthustotallyunique,andpackagingispureorigami,whichmeansnoglueortapeisused-onlyfolding.NomadicKidsRepubliccoverssomeoftheusualHomeNormalgroundbutismoreopentoelectronicworks.Thereleasesfocusonover-exposedor

verypurelylitimages.Hawgoodtellsme“theaimbeingtopresenttheoverallseriesasacollectionofwildPolaroidstyleshots.Inparticularthephotographyisfocusedonquitestarkimagesinways,verysimplebutwhichsayfarmoreunderthesurface,as[is]theJapanesewayIguess.It’sanaestheticthatfailedinthreeorfourofthereleasesduetomyownweaknessinnotbeingstubbornenoughwithcertainartists,andoneIhaveremedied(baronerelease)onNomadicKidsRepublic.MinimalismisverymuchaJapaneseaesthetic,butsoisavibrancyandrangeofcultureitabsorbsintoitselfwhilstkeepingitsidentity.Ithinkmusicallywehavethelatterandindesigntheformer.”Almostcompulsivelycreative,HawgoodworkshardrunningHomeNormal,holdingdownadayjobasahighschoolteacheranddoingstudioworkwhenhecan.Thisallowshimtofundthelabelsandhe’sthankfultohavedevelopedenoughskillsandconnectionstoalwayshaveoptionstoworkbothprofessionallyandcreatively.Hetellsmethatatypicaldaylookssomethinglike:“Getupabitbefore5am,leaveforworkat5:40am.Catch6:03amtrain,takeoutiPadorlaptop,catchuponemail,workonsomedesignorgothroughpreviousdays’photographyandwork,orlistenandmakeheadphonenotesonamasteringjobormusic.Gettowork(school)about8amandteachuntil3pmdependingontheday.Leaveschoolandtake2-hourcommutehome,againrespondingtotheday’semailsandalloftheabove.MywifeandIwillwalkourdogforabout30minutestoanhourbetween5pmand6pm,afterwhichwewillcookupdinner.AfterdinnerIwilleithergetshopordersready,

“Call me a control freak, but … I am in the process of regaining the spirit of the

label back”

whichwillnevergetmade”andpressedhimfurtheronhowimagesandtheimaginaryfeatureinhisworkandifhehasanyaspirationstosoundtrackafilm.“IhaveverystrongimpressionswhileIammakingmymusic,sometimesbefore,andthesedictatethedirectionIgoin.‘Wolfskin’forexample,wasbasedonaseriesofdreamsIhadwhichIwroteaboutandthenworkedonthemusicthefollowingday.‘SnowRoads’wasaboutaconstantimageIhadofamanwalkingdownaroad,everythingdeadinwinteraroundhim,grippedbyisolation,butintensedeterminationtokeepdownthatpath.Intermsofother[people’s]work,it’sverymuchthesametoo.Forexample,assoonasIlistenedtobvdub’sreleaseTribes at the Temple of Silence,IinstantlyhadavisionofthiskindoflostworldandproceededtogothroughphotographyIhaddoneonZamamiIsland,quiteadesertedplaceacoupleofhoursbyboatfromOkinawa,duringatyphoon.ItwasexactlywhereBrock’sheadwasforthereleaseandvisuallythiswasverysignificantofcourse.I’vewrittenthesoundtrackstoacoupleofshortfilmsalready,aswellasmakingmusicforsomeprettybigTVadvertisements,exhibitionpiecesandwebsites,sothisisnotnewtomereally.However,mydreamsinceIwasatuniversitywastowritethemusicforsomecrazyHongKongmartialartsfilms.Thathaschangedofcourse,butyes,ideallyIwouldlovetojustmakemusicforfilm,anditsstilladreamIholdonto.Ifagreatdirectorcamealongandaskedmetosoundtracktheirfilm,thatwouldbeallmydreamsrealisedandIwouldhavetogoaboutmakingnewdreamsandambitions.It’snotabadplacetobe”.Andforthefuture?“IwantHomeNormaltoregainitsidentityandpurityfully,butthistakestime.Havethepromotionalmachinebecomeself-awareandallowmetobeexemptfromevenhavingtothinkaboutitforasecond.Tobeallowedtotakemytimewitheachreleasewithoutconstantpressure,andforartiststoreallyunderstandtheyarepartofsomethingcollaborativeandwearenotjustamoneytree/workhorseforthemalone.ThelatteriseasyandintheprocessasIcutthingsuptoworkwithpeopleIknowmore.Thesecondisimpossiblerightnowandthefirst,well,itwillovertimeinrelationtothelatterandperhapsifthesecondcametruethenmyattentiontotheformerwouldbeclearer.”ThelastofouremailexchangesfindsHawgoodabouttojetofftoBaliforadelayedhoneymoonplussneakinginaweekofgamelanlessons-theresultsofwhichI’mlookingforwardtohearingonaforthcomingrelease. CD

domasteringwork,workonmusic,dolabel,design,orexhibitionworkuntilabout2am,sometimes1amattheearliestor3amatthelatestandthengotobed.That’satypicalweekday,andweekendsarereplacedwithabitmoredowntimeorstudiobasedworkratherthangoingtoschool.”TheHomeNormalHQwasbadlydamagedintherecentquakedisasterandonreflectionHawgoodsays:“wewereoutluckilyandourhousewasprettybadlytrashedaswehadjustmoved.Thingshadn’tbeenplacedproperlyandthatweekIhadorderedabunchofgearaftersavingupforawhileanditwaspoorlypositioned.Mystudiowastrashed;drives,computers,outboardgear,instruments,andourloungewasbadlyhit.Thankfullywefoundourpets,scaredbeyondbelief,surroundedbyshelves,CDs,glassetc,butaliveandsafe.Onapersonallevelit’sbeenhard.I'lljustsaythatinsurancecompaniesonthewholeseemtolackanymoralsandleaveitlooselyatthat,butneedlesstosaywehavebeenhitbadlybyit.NonethelessweweresoluckyandIamluckyinthatIhavebeenabletotakeonboardextrastudio-basedworktosupportthelabelsandourselves.OurcommunityisdoingOKbutweliveinanagriculturalarea,lotsofoldstylehouseswheremanyoftheroofsweredamagedandtherepairsaretakingalongtime.Ithinkpeopleneedtobefarmoreawareofhelpingindirectways,smallwaysthatshowtheytrulycare.ThishealsthespiritandIknowtherearemanydoingthat.ThehealingofthespiritreallyiskeywhichissomethingIhadnevertrulyunderstoodonacommunallevelbeforethisallhappened.”AsachildHawgoodsufferedsevereboutsofhearinglosscausedbyrecurrentearinfectionswhichweren’tfullytreateduntilhewastenyearsold.Itisperhapsfromtheseexperiencesoflongperiodsofsilenceandassociationsofsound-memorytomotionandvisualcuesthathasallowedHawgoodtonurturethestrongvisualaspecttohiscreativeprocess.“Itmaywellbeaninfluencingfactor,”hesaysasifmysuggestionhassurprisedhim.“YoumightbeinterestedtoknowthatBenJones(whorunsHomeNormalwithme)continuestohavequiteseverehearingissuesnow...hencehecanonlylistentoverylowvolumeambientmusicandit’soneofthereasonswhywestartedmakingminimalmusicwithouthavinganypointofreferencetogetheratuniversity.”Continuingwiththevisualstheme,I’dreadaninterviewwithHawgoodwherehe’dbeenquotedassayinghisworkislikea“soundtracktoafilminmyhead

“If a great director came along and asked me to soundtrack their film, that would

be all my dreams realised”


hilethey'reeasily

oneoftheflagshipactstoemergefromtheWarpRecordsrosteroverthelasttwodecades,London-basedelectronicduoPlaidhaveeschewedthehigh-profilemaverickstatusoflabel-matesSquarepusherandAphexTwin(noMTV-poisedChrisCunninghammusicvideosforthem)infavourofspendingthelasttwentyyearsamassingasolidbodyofwork.Despitethiscomparativelylowerprofile,sincetheirsplitfromtheirformerincarnationTheBlackDogalongsideKeithDownieintheearly1990s,they'vehadtheirshareofflirtationswiththemainstreamintheinterveningyears,remixingtracksfromBjörk's1995albumPost,aswellasjoiningtheliveline-upforhersubsequentworldtour.Despitethisaforementionedventure,Plaid(realnamesAndrewTurnerandEdHandley)haveneverquitemanagedtomountasoloAustraliantourunder

theirownname,asituationthat'sabouttochangewiththeirliveappearanceattheSydneyOperaHouseaspartofthisyear'sGraphicFestival.InthiscasetheoccasioninvolvesthemperformingtheirscorelivetoTekkonkinkreet,theacclaimed2006animemoviedirectedbyMichaelArias(thefirstUSdirectortoheadupJapaneseanimeproductionsandacclaimedanimationhouseStudio4°C),itselfbasedontheseminal'Black&White'mangabyTaiyoMatsumoto.Infact,Australianaudiencesareinforsomethingofanexclusivetreat,asthismarksthefirstandsofaronlytimePlaidhaverecreatedtheirfilmscorelive,withtheaddedinstrumentalinputoflocaloutfitsFourPlayandSynergy.

WhenIcallEdHandleyathisLondonhomeit's9AMlocaltimeandhe'sjustgottenup,apologisinginadvanceifhecomesacrossasslightly'boring'duetohislackofsleep.Hespenttheentirenightinthestudio.“Actually,you'reveryprecise–Icanhearthebellringingoutside,”heopens,beforegoingontoexplainthathe'sprobablygoingtogostraightbacktobedfollowingourinterview.HavingestablishedthatIhaven'twokenhimupwithmyphonecall,oneof

thefirstthingsI'mkeentofindoutaboutiswhatinitiallydrewbothhimandAndytoworkingontheTekkonkinkreetscore,andwhetherthey'dbeenparticularlyinterestedintheanimegenrepriortotheproject.

“Wecertainlyweren'tspecialists,andanimeisafairlyspecialistthing,”Edreplies.“Forus,thefirstlovewasreallyalwaysmusic,andsoweneverreallyhadtimetoexploreitproperly.We'dseenwell-knownfilmslikeAkiraandGhost In The Shell,andafewothersthroughfriendswhowereintoit.”Asitturnsout,theseedsthatledtotheircollaborationwithMichaelAriasonTekkonkinkreetweretheresultofapurelychanceevent,ratherthananyrealconsciousdesign.“WeplayedagiginTokyo;Ithinkitmighthavebeenthelate1990sorearly2000sandMichaelAriaswasattheshow,”explainsEd.“IthinkhewasworkinghiswayuptodirectingfilmsatthetimeandgraphicsforanimeinJapan.AfewyearslaterwhenhewasdoingTekkonkinkreetherememberedusandgotintouch.Itwassomethingthatallresultedfromacompletelyrandomevent.”

Thatinitialcreativecontacthasgoneontoforgeanongoingcollaborativerelationship,with

Plaid International

byChrisDownton

W

drawn to Life


“We've always been between the two worlds; dance music and non-dance music”

PlaidfollowingtheirworkonTekkonkinkreetwithasecondscoreforArias'2009filmHeaven's DoorandasoundtracktohissurrealshortfilmHope,whichapparentlycentresaroundastrugglinganimatorstuckinanelevatorovernight.WhenImentionthisworkthough,Edpreferstoavoidcomparisonswiththeduo'sTekkonkinkreetscore.“It'shardtorelatethesoundtrackwedidforHeaven's DoortotheonethatwedidforTekkonkinkreetbecauseHeaven's DoorwasreallyaimedalotmoretowardsaJapaneseaudience,”heoffers.“It'shardtoreallycomparethetwo.”

Onethingthat'salwaysstruckmeisjusthowwelltherhythmicflowofboththeimageryandthesoundtracksyncsupthroughoutTekkonkinkreet.AsEdexplainshowever,theduodidn'texactlyhavetheluxuryofbeingabletocomposetheiraccompanyingscoretofinishedvisuals,having

tomakedoinsteadwiththecreativeinspirationdrawnfrominitialconceptart.“Wewerebroughtintotheprojectataveryearlystage,”explainsEd.“Weworkedtostoryboardsandanimatics,aswellasshortclipsandstills.Wereadtheoriginal(manga)books;luckilythereweretranslatedversions,”helaughs.“OnethingthatreallyhelpedwasthatMichaeldidallofhisbackgroundsfirst;thereallydetailedbackgroundart.Thisreallyestablishedtheatmosphereandemotionaltoneofthefilm,evenifwedidn'tcompletelyunderstandwherethescenewouldeventuallybeplacedinthefilm,oritscontext.Wewerealsoabletoseethemaincharacterdesignsandtheirposes,whichreallyhelpedestablishwhatthemoviewasabout.”

Whilethere'salwaysbeenahighlycinematicqualitytoPlaid'smusic,themarriageoftheircompositionstovisualsfirstemergedwiththeir2006Greedy BabycollaborativeCD/DVDsetwithfilmmakerBobJaroc,somethingthatinretrospectstruckmeasaninitialsteptowardsworkingwiththemovingimage.Wasworkingon

cinematicscoressomethingthattheywerealwaysconsciouslymovingtowards?“Greedy Babygotususedtodoingmusictopictures,aswellasthedegreeofcontrastyouneedtohavebetweenthetwo,”repliesEd.“Especiallywiththeemotionalparts;ifyoudon'tgetthatcontrast,itjustgetsverypredictable.”WhenIsuggestthatworkinginafilmsoundtrackrealminmanysensesmustfreethemupfromthesortsofbpm-basedconstraintsinherentindancefloortracks,he'sinclinedtoagree.“We'vealwaysbeenbetweenthetwoworlds;dancemusicandnon-dancemusic.It'sdifficulttoDJourtrackstoo.They'remixeddifferentlyandinsomecasesperhapsthere'sabittoomuchgoingon,”helaughs.“Youdostillhearafewtracksoutthough,hereandthere.”

WiththeknowledgethatPlaidrecentlyemployedtheservicesofagamelanpercussion

groupforliveshowsintheUK,I'mkeentofindoutwhatsortsofthingstheyhaveplannedfortheirupcomingliveTekkonkinkreetscoreperformanceattheSydneyOperaHouse.Havetheyeverdonethissortofliveperformancebefore?“Thisisthefirsttimewe'veeverdonealivescoretoafilm,”Edexplains.“WedidanartthinginFranceafewyearsbackwithBunuelfilmsshowing,whichisprobablytheclosestwe'vecome(priortothis).PerforminglivetoTekkonkinkreetalsogivesusanopportunityto'touchup'bitsofthescore.We'llbeperforminglivewithFourPlayandapercussiongroupcalledSynergy;sofartheguywho'sdoingthearrangementshassentsomestuffbackandforthwhichwe'veseen.”

DespitebeingafanofPlaid'sworkdatingbacktotheirdaysaspartofTheBlackDog,Ican'trecallthemevervisitingAustraliabefore,apartfromsomeinitialtourrumoursaroundthetimeoftheir2003albumSpokes.“We'venevertouredAustraliaasPlaidbefore,”confirmsEd,“althoughAndycameandDJedinMelbournewithMark

Plaid - Double Figure (Warp, 2001)

TheirthirdalbumforWarp,andalsoperhapsoneofthemostconsistentfan-favouritestobefoundamongstPlaid'sdiscography.WhileDouble Figureshowcasedsomeoftheduo'smostambitiousworktodate,it'salsonotableforitsdeftbalanceofmoreenergeticdancerhythmswithintricatelydelicateheadphonelandscapes.Indeed,thebreadthofemotionalterritorycoveredbetween'Eyen'sfeatheryacousticguitarplucksand'Squance'sacid-technoflexremainsnothingshortofastonishing.

Plaid – Plaid Remixes (Parts In The Post) (Peacefrog, 2003)

GiventhatafairchunkofPlaid'sremixdiscographyisdeletedordifficulttofind,thisextensivetwoCDsetrepresentstheidealplacetostartforthosenotluckyenoughtoowntheoriginalvinyl.Thiscollectionalsomanagestohighlightthesheerstylisticdiversityoftheartistswho'verequestedtheduo'sremixskills,rangingfromGrandmasterFlash&TheFuriousFiveandearlyPlaidassociateNicolettethroughtothelikesofBjörk,UNKLEandGoldfrapp.Whileit'simpossibletotakeintheduo'sentireremixbackcatalogueoverjusttwo(admittedlypacked)discs,thissetdoesaprettygoodjobofdocumentingsomeoftheirbiggesthighlights.

Plaid/Bob Jaroc – Greedy Baby (Warp, 2006)

OntheheelsoftheirlivecollaborationswithvideoartistBobJaroc,thisCD/DVDsetsawPlaid'sninetracksbeingdesignedtoworkalongsideaccompanyingvisualmaterialfromJaroc.There'scertainlyawiderangeofmoodsexploredhere,rangingfrom'TheReturnOfSuperBarrio'smorecartoonish(butstillpoliticallybarbed)styles,throughto'ICitizenTheLoathsome'snightmarishracethroughthebackstreetsofLondonatnight.WhilesomecommentedontheslightlackofdepthcomparedtoprecedingPlaidalbums,Greedy Babyrepresentsanimportantstepintheduo'smovetowardsfilmsoundtracks.

Tekkonkinkreet Remix Tekkinkonkreet (鉄コン筋クリート Remix: 鉄筋コンクリート)(Aniplex Inc., 2007)

Generally,remixalbumstendtobeapatchyaffair.Whilethere'stheoccasionalinspiredcollectionthatmanagestothrowagenuinelyfreshtakeontheoriginals,manytendtobeexcusesforthemarketingguystosimplytakeasecondbiteofthecherry.Inthecaseofthisremixcollection,theresultsprovetobebothconsistentlyexcellentanddiverse,withthelikesofDerrickMay,Vex'd,AtomHeartandPrefuse73alltappedforreworkings.WellworthpayingtheheftyimportpricefromJapanfor.

Pritchardafewyearsago.Wehaven'treallybeenaskedtotourAustraliabefore,soI'massumingthattherehasn'tbeenthatmuchofademand,”helaughs.“WehadtheopportunitytoseeafewofthemajorAustraliancitiesbackinthemid-90swhenwetouredwithBjörk,whichasyoucanimagineisarathernicewaytotravel.”WhenImentionthatI'dforgottenabouttheirinvolvementwiththatparticularBjörktourandactuallyattendedit,helaughsslightlyasthoughit'sanassociationPlaidconstantlygetaskedabout.“I'dactuallylovetoseemoreofAustralia.WethoughtaboutdoingalargerAustraliantour,butwehavetokeeptheSydneyOperaHouseshowexclusive.Ican'tseeustouringAustraliaagainafterthisintheimmediatelyforeseeablefuture.”

Finally,withtheknowledgethatPlaidhavebeenhardatworkontheirupcomingScintillialbumfor

thelastcoupleofyears,Ican'tresistprobingEdforafewhintsofwheretheduoareheadednextwiththeirmusic.Aretheystillcontinuingtheirlong-runningrelationshipwithWarpRecords?

“Ican'tsaytoomuch;thetimeforallofthatwillcomeabitlater,”isEd'sslightlyguardedresponse.“ThenewalbumshouldbeoutattheendofSeptember.Itisdifferent;perhapsalittlelessbeaty.IhavetobecarefulwhatIsayhere,butitshowsusdoingquiteafewthingsthatwehaven'treallydonebefore.PerhapsI'msayingtoomuchherealready,”hemuses.“We'vere-signedwithWarp;ouroriginalcontractwiththemfinishedlastyearandwere-signed.It'sacaseofmutualsatisfaction;theylikeusandweliketheywaythey'vehandledourstuff.Forthemtosurvive(throughthewholelabelcollapse)isabigthing,andforalabeloftheircomparativesizetheycontinuetosupportsmallerartists,especiallyinthecaseofWarpFilms,whichhasputoutsomeincrediblestuffalready.Ican'treallyimagineworkingwithanotherlabel.” CD


allinnisthecapitalofEstonia.Itisbythesea.Population400000-20%ofitRussian.ItgetsverycoldinOctoberandthesnowusuallydisappearsinApril.Theclimateisreally,reallybad-endlesswinter.Wehaveabeautifulmedievaloldtownbutalsocrazycommieblocksintheoutskirts–allconcreteresidentialareasbuiltduringtheSovietperiod.”MariaMinervadescribestomehernativehomeofTallinn,Estonia,theBalticregionwhichaccordingtosomesourceshasthehighestlevelofinternetfreedomintheworld.

Perhapsitisthisfreedomandenvironmentalongwithafamilyupbringingfullofdeepmusicalriches(herfatherisarespectedmusiccritic)thatleadMariatohercurrentlifeasanartstudentinLondonandasaburgeoningmusician,gainingrespectandresponsesonmanywebsitesandseveralrecordinglabelsworldwide.

Todate,shehasreleasedacassette,‘TallinnAtDawn’onBritt&Amanda‘Pochahaunted’Brown’sNotNotFunlabel(“songsaboutTallinn,thestrangethingsinmyroom,Californiaand10

rockchickslisteningtoNeu!”,accordingtoMaria)andtheNobleSavages12”onBrown’s‘disco’label100%Silk.ShehascollaboratedwithseveralothersandputherhandtoremixingbandssuchasKeepShelleyInAthens.

Comingacrossassmart,savvyandwithaself-effacingattitude,allthewhilemaintaininganunderlyingconfidencethatiscommoninmanyEuropeans,IspoketoMariaMinerva(realnameMariaJuur)aboutmanysubjectsinasomewhatnon-linearmanner.Listeningtohermusic-amixof‘80sVHSghostlylonginganddefensivecool,coupledwithdiscobeatshiddenbehindagauzeofsoundsandwashes-it’sevidenthertrajectoryisdefinitelyontherise.

SomereviewersliketolatchontotheperceivedsexualenergywithinMaria’smusic.Hercould-have-been-a-modellooksandcooldemeanornodoubtaddtothemyththatit’sallaboutwhatgoesonbetweenthesheets.However,it’smusicthat’smoreimportantthansexfortheperformer.

“WAYmoreimportant.Ithinkthepeoplewhofocusonthatneedtodealwiththeirownunderlyingsexualenergies!I’mnotsayingthatitisnotthere,butIdonotthinkitisthemostimportantthing.Plus,thereisahugeamountoflike,“camp”,or“quotation”init.

“It’snotmemoaning,itisthedistantDonnaSummer.OrwhenItagmytrackonYouTube

as“slutwave”itisbecauseitwasaninsidejokebetweenmeandafriend,notbecauseIthinkthatIproduceslutwave.Whatisthatanyway?Ha.”

Iwasmorecuriousaboutwhatthe23-year-oldfeltwasthesoundtrackofromanceandthesoundofheartbreak.

“Whenitcomestoromance,peopletendtohavesoundtracksforthebeginningsandendings,thehighandlowpoints.Iamgettingoldandmoreinterestedinthepossibilityofaboringdailyco-existence.

“I'dpreferlisteningtomusicwithsomeoneIloveinsteadofthinkingaboutourrelationshipintermsofsongs.AlthoughonceIbrokeupwithaguyandforcedmyselftolistentoDionneWarwick's‘Heartbreaker’-ithelpedbecauseitmademyproblemsandmyselfappearasatotalcliché,evenmytongue-in-cheekapproachtothissongendedupbeingaclichéaboutacliché“.

How exactly does somebody feel old at the glorious age of 23?

“I'vealwaysfeltold.Beingateenwascool,butthetwentiessuck,especiallyinabigcitylikeLondon.YoucanseehoweveryoneisstrugglingsohardtofindtheirwayandIsensethispanicintheairallthetime,peoplethinkingintermsofnetworking,peoplebeingforcedtoworkforfreeandsoon.Verycompetitive.

“Ithinkthebiggestthingonehastofigureout

aria inerva

Maria Minerva International

byLyndonPike

“Tm


listeningtoanawfullotofmusic.Iwasatschoolthensoprobablyfirstdramasinvolvinghumanrelationships.Makingfriends.IthinkaroundthenIalsofellinloveforthefirsttime.ItwaswithmyclassmateEdgar.In2011heisstudyingtobecomeadoctor.Grandmapassedawayjustrecently.Myfatherisstilllisteningtoalotofmusic.”

Maria’scurrentstudiesaresometimesatwarwithhercreativeprocesses.WithaB.A.inArtHistoryalreadyunderherbelt,sheiscurrentlystudyingtowardsanM.A.inauralandvisualculturesatGoldsmiths.Despitethatshe’smanagedtocollectandcreateenoughmaterialtoreleaseanewalbum,Cabaret Cixous.

“I’minterestedtohearwhatthecriticsthathavenotreadthisinterviewwillsayaboutmy

‘development’,asthetracksontheLParemorelikepropersongs,eventhoughtheywererecordedatthesametimeastheearlierreleases.WhenIgotsigned,NotNotFunjustwantedtocurateandreleaseeverythingIhaddone,soprobablyI'llbefeelingpressurewiththisrelease.‘CabaretCixous’ishowitis-materialrecordedwhenIdidnotexpectthatmanypeopletoactuallyhearit,asitwaswiththetape(‘TallinnAtDawn’).Thelatterwasreceivedwell,soI'mhopingthatpeoplewilldigthenewLPtoo.

“CabaretCixousisverypop,orifyoulike,avantpop.I'dsayitisveryaccessible,leavingasidethesuperweirdalbumartworkthatIcannotwaitforpeopletoseecositisabsolutelyinsane.Ijustrealizedthatthemajorityofthesongshaveextremelylamelovelyrics,thetapewasabit

moresophisticated,butyeah,theLPisverymuchaboutmentalandphysicallove.However,Ihavetosay,itismoreinspiredbythehistoryofpopthanmyownexperiences.Itisstillsincereandit’slikelyyouwon'thearthelyricsanywaybecauseofthereverb!

“IthinkitismoreforgirlsthanboysbutmyaudiencesareopenenoughsoIshouldn’treallysaythat.ThetitleisareferencetoCabaretVoltaire,CabaretDerrida(anelectronicmusicfestivalonceheldinEstonia)andHeleneCixous,phallogocentrism,dadaismandyaddiyaddi.Yes,Ihavebeenintheuniversitysystemfortoolong,butIjustlovedthealliterationtoo.Ithinkpeoplewillrememberthis.” CD

iswhatthey'reactuallygoodat.Idon’tknowthatmanypeopleintheirtwentieswhowouldsaythattheyarehappy,butIknowmiddle-agedpeople,whoseemcool.Icannotwaittofinallychillout!”

Forsomeonestillsoyoung,Mariaisseeminglywisebeyondheryears.Sheisverywellversedinart,literatureandespeciallymusic.HertastesrangefromdeepDetroittechno,tothedronesofWilliamBasinski,tothrowawaydancepopandbeyond.

“Wisebeyondmyyears?MaybeIusedtobe,notanymore.Iwasprobablyjustabitmorepretentiousandcuriousabouttheworldthantheaverageteenager.IdonotthinkthatI'mthatsmart

anymore...butI'mstillcurious.Ithinkitcomesfrommyparents,theyarebothsmartpeople.

“Ialsowenttoagoodschool.Somefolkshaveaccusedmeofbeingaprepschoolkid.Well,whatcanIsay?AlleducationisfreeinEstoniaandIendedupthere.ButIreallylookuptothoseofmyfriendswhohavediscoveredtheworldofavant-gardeoralternativeculturewithoutcomingfromagoodfamilyorschool,somehowthisseemsmuchmoreinterestingtome.”

Maria’smusichassenseofhumouraboutitthatsometimescanbemisconstruedaspastiche.Sheexplains:

“SometimesIhaveahugeproblemwiththepastiche-elementinmyownmusic,sometimesInamelywanttoape.Ithinkinmusic,manythingscomedowntopersonalobsessions.Iamobsessedwithbothhighartandcheappastiche.”

Producingallofhermusicsofarinthebedroom,Iqueriedthepotentialriskofsendingoutacreationwithtoday'stechnologicalsimplicitiesandeasethatmayhavepreviously

remainedunderlockandkey.“Ithinkthewholeideaof‘releasing’haschanged.Insteadofreleasingonealbumayearoreverytwoyears,youngmusicians(meincluded)arereleasingeverythingallthetime.Ijust‘released’acompletelyrandomBeeGeescoverlastweekviaSoundcloud.Itwasdedicatedtomyfriend,andyes,itwasmadeveryquickly,asresultofhard-coreprocrastination.

“Atthesametime,Ihaveawholealbumoutnow(Cabaret CixousonNotNotFun).IhaveadifferentsenseofeverytrackIhavemade.Somehavetakensomuchtime,othersarejustrandombastardbabies.Theinterestingthingisthatthe

audiencesdonotknowaboutthesethings.AndImightendupgivingawrongimpressionofmy‘artisticprogramme’.Butconfusionissex,innit.”

How many songs DON'T you release?“Ihaveanexternalharddrivefullofcrapthat

Idonotwantanyonetohear.SometimesItrytorecyclethisstuffbutusuallyfail.What'sdoomedremainsdoomed.Mindyou,IjustrecycledatinybitofsomethingforaMariaMinervaandL.A.Vampirescollaborationanditsoundedreallycool-anexceptiontotherule.”

MariastatesthattheMariaMinervapersonaistheidealisticpartofherself.

“Itdoesn’tbleedintomydaytodayexistenceatall-Iwish!OnthestreetsofLondon,I'mlessthannobody.Popstarfantasiesremainsatisfiedonline.”

Withthatinmind,IquestionedMariaifattentionfromfansorwriterswasimportanttoher,orwaspraiseabyproductofacraftthatwascreatedtosatisfyherownartisticurges?

“Feedbackisso,soimportantandI’mblown

awaybythefactthatsomeoneisactuallylisteningtothisstuff.Whenitcomestowritersorbloggers,sometimesIwishthey'dsurprisememore,butI'malwaysflatteredbytheattention.Itisalsomakingmeverycurious–Iwanttoimaginethesituations,thepeople,everything.Initially,makingmusicwasjustmywayoflettingoutsomesteamanddealingwithmyobsessions.However,therewerenoexpectationsthatitwouldbereleased.”

Have you had any bad reviews? If so how did they make you feel?

“Ofcoursetherehavebeensomereviewsbyindividualbloggersthatwerenotthatenthusiastic.Theymademeabitsad,butatthesametime,

c’mon,musicisuniversalbutitisnotTHATuniversal.Everyoneisnotintothesamestuff.

“Somecommentshavebeenreallyfunny,theyhavenotevenbeenaboutthemusicbutratheraboutmylooksorsomethingirrelevant.AtAlteredZones,someonecommentingonmyCaliSchemingvideoandsaidIlookedlikeAnthonyKiedisfromRedHotChilliPeppers...orwhensomeonesaysI'ma"fuckinghipster"orsaysI'mFinnishandrepresentthe‘Finnishpost-structuralistrave-scene’.Ihaveawell-developedsenseofhumour,soIfindallthishilarious!AslongasIknowthatsomepeoplegenuinelylikethestuff,I'mokaywithit.”

Howdoyoudealwithdisappointment?“Itakeabath.”

Whatistheworstthingyoucouldbelabelledas?

“FAKE.”Tell me about Maria Juur at age 9. What

are some of your formative memories?“Summersatmygrandma'splace,mydad

I think the people who focus on that need to deal with their own underlying

sexual energies


aXXonn australiantour 2011

especiallythebass,isamazingformyears.Hisuseofsynthesisersisjustmasterful,thedegreeofsubtletyissomethingtoaspireto.‘TheSilentChorus’makesmeconjureupimagesofanelatedandsadVangelisrecordingmusicinhisstudiothenightafterhandingoverhisdaughtertohisfutureson-in-law.Verypowerful.KeeppushingonJohn.

Alan Vega – Saturn Strip‘Every1’sAWinner’.ThisistheonesongthatmotivatesmemorethanlisteningtoanyofTonyRobbins’motivationaltapes.Ithinkit’sgreathowheviewsself-developmentandimprovement.

LaurenzPikeofPVTlayedthisonmewhenweweredrivingnorthtodoagigatasmallgoodsfunction.Ittotallyblewmymind.WecouldbothvisualiseAlandressedinatracksuitthathe’dbeenwearingfor3dayspunchingtheairwhilerecordingthissong.Definitelydoneinonetake.KirinJCallinanintroducedmetoSuicideamongstmanyotherthings.ForthatIamdeeplyindebtedtohim.

Tonetta777 –777Tonettawasabeautifulaccidentaldiscoveryforme.IthinkIreadanarticleabouthiminTheVinewhilehavingmymorningespresso.Onehourlaterand30+YouTubeclipsIwashookedonhisgenius.Theclipsalonearesoconfronting!Ilovehowmostofthesongshaveanidenticaldrumbeatandguitar/basspattern.Hislyricsaremasterfulandheisamaninfullcontrolofhisemotions.It’ssohardformetopickafavouritetrack-‘MyBro’,‘RedWhiteandBlue’,‘GodTreatsYouRight’,‘YouGotTooMuch’and‘BelieveMePeople’arestandouttracksforme.Therestarejustasamazing.ItwouldbesofantasticforTonettatoonedayrecordaDonnyBenétsong,arealdream.

Prince – Dirty Mind/1999/ControversyThesealbumsseldomleavetheCDplayer.AsshowninmyloveforPrince,I’mahugefanofhismusic.Dirty Mindissoraucousandsexy,asalistenerIcan’tturnawaywheneverthisison.MyfatherandIfightoverthisalbum-hethinksit

45CYCLICDEFROST

Songssuchas‘SexyDancer’and‘IWannaBeYourLover’arethestandoutsforme.Theextendedjamon‘IWannaBeYourLover’isbasicallythebackingtracksminusvocalsanditspresenceinthebackendofthesongissuchateaseforthelistener.GettingChakaKhantocover‘IFeelforYou’inspiresmetohopefullygetanotherartisttocoversomeofmysongssomeday.ThisalbumisalsoafavouriteoftheBenétfamilytolistentowhenwe’remakingsauceonourannualtomatosauceday.

John Maus – Love is RealMausisagenius.IwouldlovetoseeJohnMausplayatanItalianweddingoneday.IwouldloveinvitehimovertoDonnylandstudiosforaspecialcollaborationandsomeofmymother’slasagne.Wecanonlydream.WhenIfirstheardLove is Real Iwastotallyblownawaybyhowsubtlethesongswere,especiallytheinstrumentationandproduction.‘HeavenisReal’and‘TheSilentChorus’arethestandoutsforme.Allofthesongsarereallygreatbutthesearetheonesforme.The“sound”ofHeaven is Real,

Prince – PrinceProbablyoneofmymostfavouritealbums–everythingfromthephotoofthenakedPrinceridingahorseandhisplayingofalltheinstrumentsonallsongsmakesthisalbumgreat.IthasinspiredmetomakesureIplayalloftheinstrumentsonmyrecordingsandhismusicalityhas

setthebarformetoaspireto.Hisuseofsynthesisersshowshoweffectivetheycanbeascolourinasong.AsawriterandrecordingmusicianIamdeeplyinfluencedbythisrecord.

Cyclic Selects e byDonnyBenét

crossesthelinelyricallyandwheneverweplayitdoingourworkoutsessionshehastoleavetheroom.Iguessthere’sonlysomucha1950sItalianmancantake!Personalfavouritesfromthisalbumare‘Uptown’and‘DoItAllNight’.

1999 isanincrediblealbumfromaproductionpointofview.ThisalbuminfluencedmydecisiontobuytheSequentialCircuitsDrumTraksdrumcomputer.Theuseofsynthesisersinthisalbumblowsmeaway.Mydadisahugefanofthisalbumalso.We’reworkingonre-recordingitatthemomentasakaraoketapeformymother’s60thbirthdayparty.

Controversy isalsoahugefavouriteamongsttheBenétfamily.Ijustlovetheattitudeofthesongs,nottomentiontheexcellenceinproduction.‘PrivateJoy’istheoneforme.

Phil Collins – No Jacket RequiredWheneverthingsgettoohecticinlife,‘OneMoreNight’getsplayedstraightaway.I’msoonblissingoutuponthesongtouchingmyears.It’sliketakingawalkonthebeachbutwithoutbeingthere.PhilCollinsisaninspirationashe’sproofthatamanwithathinningheadofhaircanmakeitinthistoughbusiness.‘Sussudio’issuchaclassic.I’dlovetocoverthissonginthefuture.Asasinger,‘Don’tLoseMyNumber’hasapunchthatiswellappreciatedinmyfamily.ThisisoneofmyNonno’sfavouritesongs,althoughhesingsitas“Youdonalosemynumber”.

Giorgio Moroder – Scarface soundtrackThisalbumisafavouriteofmineasitwasoneofthefirstrecordingsessionsmyfatherdidforGiorgioMoroder.They’dbeenfriendssincechildhoodbutthiswasafterGiorgiostoppedplayingtheItalianclubcircuitsintheearly70s.DadwasreallyexcitedashegottomeetAlPacinoduringthetestscreenings.Dadtookhimfishingafewtimesandtaughthimhowtomaketheperfectespresso.Askids,wheneverdadhadabittoomuchtodrinkhe’dplaythisalbumwithhisheadphonesonandsobquietlyinhisden.

Ariel Pink’s Haunted Graffi – Before TodayFantasticalbum,DaveMillerandLaurenzPikeofPVTlayedthisonme.WealsowenttotheSydneygigtogether,itwasreallygood.IfArielPinkiseverconsideredmainstreampopmusicthentheworldwillbeanevenmoreamazingplace!Thesongs,productionandindividualperformancesfromthemusiciansblowmeawayevertimeIlistentoit.‘Reminiscences’isthedarkhorseformeonthisalbum.EventhoughI’mtotallywrong,Icanjustvisualisetheold1970sstudiomusiciansrecordingthissongforsomekindofinfomercialabouttropicalgardeningproducts.I’dlovetogetArieltore-recordoneofmydad’searlysongsthatneverquitemadeit.Ithinkhiswarmthandmusicalitywouldreinvigoratethesong.Whatanartist!

46 CYCLICDEFROST

?Cyclic><Defrost}

¬Issue~29\



?Cyclic><Defrost}

¬Issue~29\



Cyclic Defrost issue 29

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