eclectic and experimental australian music

Collarbones960x400

NWA Podcast #9. Collarbones, Live-to-air Performance & Interview

(June 2010) Well known experimental musicians in their own right, MARCUS WHALE (also known as SCISSOR LOCK) and TRAVIS COOK (who performs as CYST IMPALED) moved into unique territory in 2010, recording as alternative pop duo COLLARBONES. With a debut album shortly to be released, Marcus and Travis joined Stu Buchanan on NEW WEIRD AUSTRALIA in June 2010 to talk about their evolving project and to play live in the studio. They also discussed their (then) forthcoming live appearance with Melbourne’s PSUCHE. In addition to hearing the tracks ‘Kill Off The Vowels’ and ‘Beaman Park’, we also hear them play a cover of the PSUCHE track ‘I See A Wolf’ and preview the new album from PSUCHE with the track, ‘Recognise’.

DOWNLOAD: NWA Podcast #9. Collarbones, Live-to-air Performance & Interview (June 2010)

The New Weird Australia Podcast Series features selected interviews and in-studio recordings from our FBi radio show, as well as live performances from events, video interviews and more.  Subscribe to our podcast feed by using this URL: http://newweirdaustralia.libsyn.com/rss or click here to subscribe directly in iTunes.

Video: Kusum Normoyle at New Weird Australia vs Refraction, June 2010

Kusum Normoyle is an artist and musician working in the area of extended vocal techniques and noise for both performance and installation. Core to Kusum’s practice is the idea of intervention, displacing normal expectations of female body and voice. In performance these incursions are brief, extreme and physical. The female scream takes a much heavier tone; more like metal than hysteria, dragging the audience into a harder, faster display of screaming, amplification and feedback. This is a punch in the stomach whilst being massaged at high volume.

This performance was recorded live at New Weird Australia vs Refraction, Tuesday 29 June 2010 at Serial Space, Sydney.

Video: Horse MacGyver at New Weird Australia vs Refraction, June 2010

.

Horse MacGyver (formerly known as ///▲▲▲\\\) released his debut cassette ‘Void’ on Dream Damage in June 2010. This live performance was captured shortly thereafter, at New Weird Australia vs Refraction, Tuesday 29 June 2010 at Serial Space, Sydney.

Horse MacGyver info at dreamdamage.com

actual-russian-brides

NWA Podcast #8. Clan Analogue & Actual Russian Brides, Live-to-air Performance & Interview

(June 2010) Formed almost twenty years ago, CLAN ANALOGUE remains one of the most prolific and interesting collectives in Australian electronic music. ANT BANNISTER and ADRIAN ELMER (Telafonica) join Stu Buchanan on this NEW WEIRD AUSTRALIA Podcast to talk about the Clan’s new career-spanning retrospective album, and its launch party in June 2010 in Sydney. Performing two exclusive tracks live in the studio are Clan members ACTUAL RUSSIAN BRIDES (pictured).

DOWNLOAD: NWA Podcast #8. Clan Analogue & Actual Russian Brides, Live-to-air Performance & Interview (June 2010)

The New Weird Australia Podcast Series features selected interviews and in-studio recordings from our FBi radio show, as well as live performances from events, video interviews and more.  Subscribe to our podcast feed by using this URL: http://newweirdaustralia.libsyn.com/rss or click here to subscribe directly in iTunes.

refraction-flyer

Refraction, Curated by New Weird Australia

REFRACTION feat. Tom Hall, Horse MacGyver, Kusum Normoyle and Jordan Dorjee
Tuesday 29 June 2010, 19:30 – 21:30
Serial Space, Chippendale, Sydney
Entry by donation

Curated by New Weird Australia, organised by the UTS Sound Collective and proudly supported by Sound Travellers.

TOM HALL (Only show in Sydney!)
Tom Hall is a media artist based in Brisbane, Australia. Hall’s eclectic works flourish by utilising a variety of mediums, each that reflect on his varied background and interests. With a strong focus on elements of the ‘everyday’ Hall’s practice involves considered explorations into place, space and time. In a live performance context Hall projects multi-channel video pieces drawing from a data base of found footage, composing and layering in real-time, this imagery is at times linked directly and indirectly to the sound, that Hall is also producing in realtime, through amplitude control.
tomhall.com.au/
myspace.com/digi_destroy

HORSE MACGYVER
After releasing a CDR through US label Disaro earlier this year, Horse Macgyver (Tim Dwyer) has recieved some genuine interest both locally and internationally – most recently in a Pitchfork article covering the emerging Witch House/Drag “genre”. His new tape is released via new label Bad Sound, established as a part of last year’s “Lets Paint TV” tour. More releases are planned including a vinyl compilation featuring Sniggle and Jonny Telafone. (info via Dream Damage)
myspace.com/_v_o_i_d_

KUSUM NORMOYLE
Kusum is a musician and performer who works with voice in volume, feedback, tension and noise. She has developed a vocal style recognisably her own, set out to disrupt, divide, that is devoid of language but makes up in texture, density and ferocity. Working mostly as a solo musician she also produces vocal noise performances specific to site such as the city streets, laneways and hill-tops and also works collaboratively with local and international musicians, and is one member of Sydney based “Hard Hat”. Having recently performed In Japan and New York, and for the Biennale of Sydney 2010, these performances are too short to miss; don’t blink. Turn up on time. Think twice about bringing your mum.
myspace.com/kusumnormoyle

JORDAN DORJEE
Fighting against traditional perspectives of the DJ, Jordan Dorjee has fathomed how the turntable itself can become a musical instrument. Sculpting collaged works that re contextualise fragments of sound to create new musical structures, utilising sounds that vary from traditional instruments, spoken voice, machinery, nature or any other sound objects he can gather together. He is currently completing his BA Sound and Music Design at the University of Technology, Sydney.

Refraction is dedicated to the support, mentorship and development of student projects as they take their practice from the classroom to the community. New Weird Australia is assisted by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body.

Graphics by Daniel Stone.

UPDATE, JULY 2010: View video of event performances from Kusum Normoyle & Horse MacGuyver.

KateCarr960x400

NWA Podcast #7. Kate Carr, Live-to-air Performance & Interview

(May 2010) Sydney artist KATE CARR has been making music since 2007, developing a pallate of drones, soundscape, glitch, opera and pop. In this podcast edition of the ‘New Weird Australia’ radio show (recorded in May 2010), Kate talks about her work to date, including her 2009 album ‘First Day Back’ released via German label ‘Retinascan’, and plays two tracks live in the studio.

DOWNLOAD: NWA Podcast #7. Kate Carr, Live-to-air Performance & Interview (May 2010)

The New Weird Australia Podcast Series features selected interviews and in-studio recordings from our FBi radio show, as well as live performances from events, video interviews and more.  Subscribe to our podcast feed by using this URL: http://newweirdaustralia.libsyn.com/rss or click here to subscribe directly in iTunes.

mbhk_nwa_logo_grey

New Weird Australia – (Re)Made By Heath Killen

We’re on the cusp of celebrating our first birthday at New Weird Australia, and thus we felt it was a perfect moment to stare lovingly at ourselves in the mirror for a few hours.  Alas, our reflection was not all that we’d hoped for, and so we decided to get under the butcher’s knife and give ourselves something of a makeover.

Inspired by his exceptional work over the last few years, we called up our favourite Newcastle designer Heath Killen and offered him as much candy as we could muster, luring him to come on board as de facto Art Director for the project.  Thankfully, he turned out to be a truly awesome bloke and he agreed straight away – and the first fruits of our ongoing collaboration are now available.  For the initial instalment, Heath has developed a New Weird Australia logo and a exquisite poster for our next event at The Red Rattler in Marrickville.  Next up, remaking the web site and developing a new publication series, slated for launch later in the year.

Heath has written an extensive essay on the process and influences on his blog at madebyhk.com – here’s a taster:

“Stu and I share a strong love of classic Swiss modernist design, and this formed the core of the visual direction for the project, with sans-serif typography, simple shapes and clean layouts built on grids and formal structure. From day one there was the desire to use the simplicity, functionality and beauty of this design theory as a foundation, and build something new, unique and personal from there.

“We also looked at Julian House’s work for Ghost Box as a point of inspiration, which itself has a particularly evocative and unique take on Swiss modernism. The Ghost Box artwork is interesting in that it retains a certain amount of formal structure and sameness with each edition, however it also changes and evolves over time while still somehow maintaining its essence and identity. The imperfections in the designs and the overall ambience of the collection is something that provided great inspiration too.

“Other points of design inspiration have come from the work ofKim Hiorthøy, German studio Hort, and Sydney based Mark Gowing, who have all done extensive, ongoing design work for musicians and record labels. These designers share a commonality in their work in that it is often strikingly modern while also featuring quite gentle, handmade qualities. It is this philosophy and style that I have worked on achieving with New Weird Australia.”

View the full post at at madebyhk.com.