Stu Buchanan talks with artist Bridget Chappell - raver, musician, writer and organiser - who makes frenetic and febrile electronic music as Hextape , and has been organising parties in drains, observatories, and other fascinating locations for many years. In 2020, they released their debut album under their own name titled Undertow , which blends sonified data from the City of Melbourne’s Open Data Platform with Melbourne's public sound sculpture, the Federation Bells. Brought up in Canberra, n...
Jul 12, 2021•49 min•Ep. 120
Stu Buchanan talks with Sia Ahmad, one of Canberra's most prolific experimental artists, curators and producers, and relentless advocate for the local independent, DIY and underground music scenes. She discusses her recent body of work including 2018's ground-breaking " quiver "; the 2020 albums im/modesty and A Body Full Of Tears ; and the upcoming remix collection Realignment. Music featured in this episode: - flaw, featured (Remix by Dijit) - from Realignment - im/modesty (with Australian Art...
Feb 28, 2021•1 hr 3 min•Ep. 119
Jessica at Birth is the solo outsider art project of multi-instrumentalist, producer, songwriter and performing artist Hanna Jenkin. Fusing vintage tape loops with in-the-box electronic production, Hanna blends spoken word stories with guitar, bass loops and experimental indy-punk percussion. Music featured in this episode: - Paperdaisy In The Spring Rain - To The Teeth - Waterburds - Speedway Queen - Windy Louvre jessicaatbirth.bandcamp.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more inform...
Nov 28, 2020•34 min•Ep. 118
Having dedicated much of her early career to the electronic duo The Golden Filter, Penelope Trappes released her solo debut Penelope One in 2016 on the Optimo label; a release she described as "percussion-less, reverb-heavy haunting atmospherics with dystopian themes". She signed to Houndstooth for Penelope Two , which mixed field recordings, meditations and guitars with synth drones, piano and layers of reverb. Earlier this year, she released Gnostic State , a commissioned sound work for Longfo...
Oct 30, 2020•40 min•Ep. 117
Laurence Pike is a Sydney-based artist who for the last twenty years has been investigating the worlds of electronic music, jazz and leftfield rock; initially as founder and drummer of Pivot (latterly PVT); through various collaborative projects including Szun Waves and Triosk; and more recently as a solo artist, release three albums in as many years. Using this new album 'Prophecy' as a backdrop, Laurence reflects on the place and purpose of art amidst apocalyptic events; how underlying shifts ...
Oct 08, 2020•42 min•Ep. 116
Sumn Conduit is the duo project of Indigenous Australian improviser and experimental vocalist Sonya Holowell , and modular synthesist and composer Ben Carey . Their debut release 'Track' highlights the unique marriage of their two worlds, and in this episode we embark on a wide-ranging discussion that covers the 'oneness and multiplicity' of their approach; using visual stimuli in improvisation; the meaning and contradictions of 'experimental music'; and Sonya's recent long-form article, 'Decolo...
Aug 31, 2020•40 min•Ep. 115
Party Dozen is the sonic partnering of saxophonist Kirsty Tickle and percussionist Jonathan Boulet. Loosely based around improvisation, the duo create a mesmerising collision that is wild, weird and well out of the park. Stu Buchanan talks to the duo about creating colour out of chaos and breathing new life into the sax. Featured in this episode: - Auto Loser - Party Dozen - Scheisse Kunst - World Prayer - The Great Ape - Auto Loser (Mogwai Remix) https://party-dozen.bandcamp.com/ Hosted on Acas...
Jun 29, 2020•29 min•Ep. 114
All of Amby Downs’ recordings are made with a decolonial intention, and engage with deep listening and deep historical thought to explore that which lies beyond the settler-colonial surface. Her latest album “Cylical” continues the connections first explored in her debut “Kinjarling Studies”, channelling ‘place’ through ambient soundscapes, radio recordings, improvised guitar and manipulated vocals. Featuring: – tornderrup kep (time-lapse with boyu) – terraformed land – violent cops attacking pr...
Jun 08, 2020•29 min•Ep. 113
Reuben Ingall is a prolific artist, musician and maker of mischief and supports the experimental music scene in his home town of Canberra through both a long-running radio show and monthly gig series. His latest project is ‘NIMBY2’, a second collection of recordings made with no-input mixing board, and swiftly follows on from ‘Tuft’, an album of layers and loops and lo-fi acoustic instruments. In this episode, Stu Buchanan talks to Reuben about both projects, as well as his recent adventures in ...
May 18, 2020•36 min•Ep. 112
Perth artist Amber Fresh has been making music as Rabbit Island for over ten years, blending simple songs with experimental, improvised and lo-fi approaches to production and sound design. Her latest record 'Songs For Kids' is a re-release of songs recorded direct to tape by Amber in a kitchen in Melbourne in 2013. In this first episode of a new run of New Weird Australia podcasts, Stu Buchanan talks to Amber about the story behind the record, listening to lullabies in Kalgoorlie and mixing the ...
May 04, 2020•34 min•Ep. 111
Stu Buchanan talks with Cooper Bowman - musician and artist, and founder of the Australian cassette label Altered States Tapes. The label, which recently celebrated its 100th release, features music that sits across punk, industrial, experimental, electronic and noise, with a roster that spans both Australian and international artists. Cooper talks about making music and making tapes, and pulls out a selection of tracks from the label’s past, present and future - including a number of unreleased...
Jun 16, 2019•59 min•Ep. 110
Taking a radical detour from her early work with Sydney bands Songs and Bushwalking, Ela’ Stiles’ remarkable debut self-titled album mixed acappella folk, drones and tape loops, and she has subsequently layered dark synths, harmonium and drum machines into the mix. With two new albums due to be released soon - each representing dissimilar aspects of her work - we check out a selection of tracks from Ela's back catalogue, and listen to exclusive previews of new material. Originally broadcast on '...
Jun 02, 2019•59 min•Ep. 109
Stu Buchanan talks with Andrew Khedoori, the founder of the Sydney based project, Longform Editions. Described as a “collective for deep listening”, the project surfaces prolonged exploratory and immersive pieces, each guiding us towards a re-evaluation of the ways in which we listen to music. We’ll hear music from a number of Australian artists in the collective, such as Kate Carr, Felicity Mangan, Paul Mac and Andy Rantzen, and listen to a Longform Editions commission in its entirety - a compo...
May 05, 2019•59 min•Ep. 108
Stu Buchanan talks with Sydney quintet Tangents , a band that collide between genres and forms, taking cues from electronic production, post rock, jazz and free improvisation and more. We’ll hear from cellist Peter Hollo and electronic producer Ollie Brown and spool through cuts from the Tangents catalogue. Originally broadcast on 'Out From Under' on Resonance Extra. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information....
Apr 28, 2019•59 min•Ep. 107
We explore decades-old Australian music, made available for a new generation of listeners via the unique archival label, Efficient Space. We talk with label founder Michael Kucyk and listen to a selection of off-kilter Australian music from the archives, exclusively curated by Michael. Originally broadcast on 'Out From Under' on Resonance Extra. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Apr 14, 2019•59 min•Ep. 106
We meet Melbourne musician and composer Carolyn Schofield, aka electronic artist Fia Fiell. We’ll be listening to tracks from her two albums on the Nice Music label, and sharing an exclusive selection of rare and unreleased music. Originally broadcast on 'Out From Under' on Resonance Extra. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
Apr 06, 2019•59 min•Ep. 105
In the second episode of a two-part Out From Under special, Stu Buchanan talks to Mitchell Jones; founding member of both seminal Australian experimental band Scattered Order and the early 80s record label M-Squared which balanced the prevailing sounds of post-punk with lo-fi punk electronics and experimental explorations from a close knit community of artists. We hear from M-Squared artists Makers Of The Dead Travel Fast, Systematics and Ya Ya Choral, along with Prod, A Cloakroom Assembly and S...
Sep 07, 2016•59 min•Ep. 104
Whilst the legacies of post-punk, DIY electronics and proto industrial are widely known and documented in the UK and US scenes, their impact in an Australian context is less widely recognised. Bonding over the discovery of Cabaret Voltaire imports in Sydney record stores, Scattered Order formed in 1979 and gorged on a wide range of inputs to create a sound and visual aesthetic that was unique in Australia at the time. Together they also formed the label M Squared and fostered an impressive roste...
Aug 31, 2016•59 min•Ep. 103
Brett Thompson has been the guiding force in the Australian band Rand & Holland for nearly fifteen years, but it's been a tumultuous and often torturous ride. Widespread love for their lo-fi folk debut led to a polished pop follow up that furthered their critical acclaim whilst also setting in place a chain of events that led to the band conducing an artistic volte-face. They recorded a dark, intense and experimental third album, polarising audiences at a short series of live shows before ab...
Aug 24, 2016•59 min•Ep. 102
Andy Rantzen and Jochen Gutsch discuss their new collaborative project, which fuses Andy’s poetic spoken lyrics and Jochen’s diverse musical background, recording and performing as Hinterlandt. Highly conscious of the potential pitfalls of fusing poetry and experimental music, Andy and Jochen carve a path to an outcome that is tense and fascinating and compels you to listen close. We also hear music from Jochen’s Hinterlandt Ensemble and take in back catalogue work from Andy’s Pelican Daughters ...
Aug 04, 2016•59 min•Ep. 101
Electronic artist Martyn Palmer has been recording calm and tranquil sounds as Broken Chip for many years, but in recent months something fundamental has changed – precipitating a shift from light to dark, from tranquil to anxious, culminating in a new project under the alias Hidden. In this week’s episode of Out From Under, we hear from Martyn Palmer about his new work, the impetus for the shift in direction and how it contrasts with his work as Broken Chip – taking in an exclusive mix of brand...
Jul 13, 2016•59 min•Ep. 100
For six years, Nathan Jenkins was part of Australian extreme metal band The Amenta, known for their refusal to fully commit to any sense of what a metal band should be. After working within those extremities and contradictions, Nathan established the solo project titled Host, fusing dark ambient, noise and drone. In this episode of Out From Under, Stuart Buchanan talks to Nathan about this transition and his highly ritualistic approach to music making, as well as his role as curator for the upco...
Jun 15, 2016•59 min•Ep. 99
Marcus Whale has been straddling the worlds of experimental music and alternative pop throughout his career, from his early improvisational work as Scissor Lock, through the densely layered electronic pop of Collarbones to the taut, politically charged BV project he formed with Guerre aka Cassius Select. In this episode, we celebrate Marcus’ debut solo release under his own name, as he talks about his work, his personal growth, and his political intent, and reflects on the outcomes – one foot on...
Jun 08, 2016•59 min•Ep. 98
Brainbeau are a Brisbane-based underground electronic duo featuring Chelsey Charlton and Kat Martin aka Chelvis Chesley and Kat Martian, aka Dust Storm Jogger and X in O, aka Emotional Hoon and El Crumple Dash. There are vestiges of classic Detroit and Chicago techno in their music, riffing off Warp and Rephlex, Not Not Fun and 100% Silk, muddied with a lo-fi aesthetic redolent of a slew of North American tape labels. Stu Buchanan talks to Chelsey and Kat about Brainbeau and Brisbane, the world ...
Jun 01, 2016•59 min•Ep. 97
Sydney artist Jannah Quill works in electronic installation and performance, exploring and exposing hidden energies, predominantly through the photo voltaic process – translating light into electricity and ultimately into sound and music. Through her work she begins to “uncase electronic music for what it really is”. In this episode of Out From Under, I talk to Jannah Quill about her work and her process, and listen to her solo sound works – including a set recorded for the Liquid Architecture e...
May 18, 2016•59 min•Ep. 96
Andrew Tuttle is an artist who for twelve years has been exploring the relationship between the electronic and the acoustic – primarily by marrying the worlds of laptop processing with that of banjo and acoustic guitar. He has played live with artists such as Matmos, Mike Cooper, and Blank Realm, and recently released the album ‘Fantasy League’ on the Room40 imprint, Someone Good. Andrew discusses the inherent tension in his work and his relationship with his home city of Brisbane. In the second...
May 04, 2016•59 min•Ep. 95
Curator, musician and sound artist Lawrence English founded his Room 40 label over fifteen years ago, and in the intervening years has nurtured over 150 releases in a roster that includes David Toop, Tim Hecker and Grouper and Australian figures such as Oren Ambarchi, Chris Abrahams, and Ben Frost. In a wide-ranging interview, he talks about his long-standing relationship with the city of Brisbane, his deep commitment to opening the doors to seemingly inaccessible music, and the ways in which he...
Apr 27, 2016•59 min•Ep. 94
Sydney label 3BS Records was originally created by Blue Mountains-based musician Jonathan Pizzay as an outlet for his Mannheim Rocket and Klangberg projects, but has subsequently grown into a home for other artists sharing their label manager’s respect for experimental techno, ambient exploration, dystopian noise and low-end sonics. In this episode, we’re guided through the back catalogue taking in fellow Mountains resident Broken Chip, New Zealand’s Borrowed cs, Simon Unwin aka Hence Therefore,...
Apr 06, 2016•59 min•Ep. 93
Two Australian artists working at the fringes of popular music; both on radically different musical trajectories, but nonetheless equally compelled by a deep desire to protect their own creative freedom. We hear from Via Tania, who discusses her twenty year career, playing with artists such as Prefuse 73, Tortoise, Marcus Popp and Jori Hulkonnen, and weaving her way from nineties grunge, through alt.jazz and Finnish techno to her recent work with a Chicago orchestra; and we talk to Sydney produc...
Mar 30, 2016•59 min•Ep. 92
Two artists pushing back against the tyranny of the machine in electronic music – capturing inputs and processing outputs in ways that rely less directly on spending face time with the laptop screen. Alex White talks about Nadir, his noise collaboration with Ben Byrne, which rejects dark, power noise in favour of a light and bright counterpoint; and jazz musician Jacques Emery discusses the wide range of electronic output on his Sounds Are Sounds label, all of which favour art over craft, and – ...
Mar 23, 2016•59 min•Ep. 91
