All posts tagged no zu

New Weird Australia, We Are After All Here, NWA008

DOWNLOAD FREE at newweirdaustralia.bandcamp.com

1. CAMRYN ROTHENBURY, Racing Across The Void (3:37) from Patina (Grave New World)
2. THE CARNAGE VISORS, Ledge (3:15) from Wailing Walls EP (self-released)
3. RITES WILD, Rites Wild Theme (4:12) from Ill Health & Rites Wild Theme Cassingle (Faux Friends)
4. STITCHED VISION, Healing Pattern (5:38) previously unreleased
5. GUERRE, Travellers Home Blues (2:41) previously unreleased
6. NO ZU, Horoscope (7:02) from New Age EP (New Editions)
7. STRANGE FORCES, Soul Window (6:04) from forthcoming debut EP
8. COLOURS, I’ve Watched You Suffer (6:22) from s/t EP (Free Loving Anarchists)
9. JAVIER FRISCO, Mad Flutes of Strange Incensed Lands (Excerpt) (6:18) from Opiate Southern Gardens of Orchids C60/CD-r (Emerald Cabal)
10. PANEYE, Misery Portholes (2:30) from Lost In A Dark Aquarium (New Editions)
11. YOLKE, Sunrise Eyes / Western Star (7:32) from Poppy Wash EP (Fallopian Tunes)
12. MARK BARRAGE, Rubicon Drive (2:32) from Rubicon Drive EP (self-released)
13. ANDREW SINCLAIR, Ritual Beat / Stolen Drums (5:30) previously unreleased
14. DESFONTANE, Cannibal Cod (3:56) previously unreleased
15. MUNDARING WEIRD, So Hard (6:00) from So Hard (Grave New World)
16. ORBITS, Feel Burn It (3:39) previously unreleased
17. EDWIN MONTGOMERY, Alone In The Museum (2:17) from Travel Ideas (Lesstalk Records)

Compiled by Stuart Buchanan.
Artwork by Camryn Rothenbury, gravenewworld.net

All music donated by the artists for use in this compilation only, all rights reserved.

Sleeve Notes, February 2011:

Last year, we shifted the focus of the New Weird Australia compilation series away from a free-for-all approach to something that would have a sharper curatorial focus. Something you could put handles around (so to speak).  Something you could clearly identify as “a compilation about X or Y or Z”. “We Are After All Here”, volume eight in our compilation series, does have a theme and identity of sorts, but defining it becomes increasingly problematic. Let me explain:

Throughout 2009 and 2010, we were listening to a heap of bands and artists that were clearly starting to coalesce into some form of vague and abstract grouping. Either through sound, technique, image, a reverence for the past, or just a common, skewed take on a hauntalogical notion, there was a broad church emerging that would count these artists among their flock.

Fortunately, no one dared to define it. If you speak of the devil, he’s sure to appear, thus keeping quiet and refusing to conform to definition worked well for all concerned. Having no such definition, and thus having artists co-opted or excluded based solely on the whims of the individual listener, was the perfect scenario.

But, of course, someone had to define it, and in doing so, they killed it. Hipster Runoff dropped ‘chillwave’, The Wire started talking about ‘hypnogogic pop’.  Then followed glo-fi, witch house, drag, screw gaze and so on and so on. (Our favourite remains ‘crunk shoegaze’ – meaningless, yet somehow quite endearing).

The list of artists lumped together under these various microgenres was often contradictory and bafflingly random – they were subsumed to the will of the writer, desperate to force round pegs into square holes. And once this grouping was anointed with such dubious definitions, the scrutiny began – spotlights were shone in all manner of places, and backlashes naturally came thereafter. The edifice soon crumbled.

We, on the other hand, are (after all) here – ‘down under’ – doing our own thing, far removed from such recklessness. We have our own obliquely connected and amoebic group of similar artists, remaining unaffected by trend, hype or weak stylistic interpretation. And it is to this group that we turn for this compilation. If, by virtue of their geography, they had birthed their projects in North America, they might well have all been raped and pillaged by now – raked over the blogeratti coals for their part in an ill-defined ‘scene’.

Although our upside-down location can often be a curse, in this case it’s a blessing – all these artists survived unscathed, their mission no more or less impossible, living another day to ‘fight the good fight’. And we shall leave this group unnamed, for all our sakes. Suffice to say, it’s another new, weird slice through the unsung underground of abnormal Australian music.

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Postscript: At the time that this compilation was looking for its own defining title, we were saddened to hear of the passing of Trish Keenan from Broadcast.  As a band that pursued its own unique investigation of such territory and no doubt inspired many of these artists in whole or in part, we chose to draw on a highly pertinent track title from their 2009 release ‘Broadcast And The Focus Group Investigate Witch Cults Of The Radio Age’.  And it is to Trish that this release is respectfully dedicated.

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Press for ‘We Are After All Here’:

Reviler (U.S.) [present] “a track-by-track description of the release in its myriad glory”

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New Weird Australia announces the fifth release in the artist release series New Editions – the sophomore EP release from Melbourne’s NO ZU, titled ‘New Age EP’.


NO ZU first came to the attention of the label with their debut release, the ‘Graffiti EP’ in 2009, displaying early indications of their wild, ‘heat beat’ sounds, where delay-drenched trumpet meets worldly percussion & squalling synths jam with unashamedly plastic funk-dub bass-lines. This fusion has led to NO ZU being perfectly described as “a stoned Albert Ayler jamming with Konk”.

The ‘New Age EP’ sees the band exploring sound-scapes of rhythmic repetition in five variations, from uncomfortable synth meditations and percussion workouts to exercises in relentless, dark funk. Informed by their first year of live collaborative performances in 2010, the new EP displays a band pushing their sound with absolute freedom, in all directions, while still maintaining a focus on the overall themes and intent of the project. 

NO ZU began as a solo recording project for Nicolaas Oogjes in 2007 and has since also evolved into an ever changing collaborative live band of like minded Melbourne-ites. Andrew Noble (Rat VS Possum) and Adrian Vecino (TTT) provide the core rhythm section for the live shows, while other collaborators come and go. It has also become a collaborative recording project, with Noble and Vecino co-writing and performing on two tracks for the ‘New Age EP’ and Chris Morris co-writing and recording with Oogjes on the latest release, as well as on the debut ‘Graffiti EP’ release.

The five track ‘New Age EP’ is available in two formats: a run of limited-edition CDs – housed in a gatefold card sleeve, with photo inserts by the band – available from NO ZU shows & New Weird Australia events; and a 320kbps / FLAC digital release, available free from the link below. 


New Editions, Edition Five.
NO ZU, New Age EP.
Catalogue, NWAED05.

DOWNLOAD FREE at newweirdaustralia.bandcamp.com

1. Acropolis 05:04
2. (Reservoir) Psychic 00:53
3. Ghastly Blank 04:05
4. (Coburg) Mystical 02:31
5. Horoscope 06:59

Nicolaas Oogjes: Vocals, Trumpet, Percussion, Synth, Drum Machine
Andrew Noble: Drums
Adrian Vecino: Bass
Chris Morris: Synth, Programming, Bass

Tracks 1 & 3 written and performed by Oogjes, Noble & Vecino. Recorded by Nao Anzai & Oogjes. Mixed by Anzai, Oogjes, Noble & Vecino. Track 2 by Oogjes & Morris. Track 4 by Oogjes. Track 5 written by Oogjes, Morris & Vecino. Performed, recorded and mixed by Oogjes & Morris.

All songs mastered by Nao Anzai

Sleeve design by Heath Killen.
Inlay photograph by Callum Ponton and Oogjes

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Press for ‘New Age EP’

“A warped and wicked, slanted psych dance collaboration of unsettled horns, itchy drums, plunky bass and seriously sun-damaged synths, New Age is a mind-bending, lighthearted listen. Standout ‘Ghastly Blank’ installs My Disco-style brutal bass chunks with The Fall’s brand of spontaneous and distant vocals with foghorn melodies. It’s other-world dance, alien trance and visceral punk all rolled into one.”
Einstein Music Journal, February 2011

“drifts between Talking Heads-alike funk rock grooves and modern tribal music a la Gang Gang Dance and full-electronic krautrock. Lots of whimsical yet meticulous rhythms and drums, dynamical bass undercurrents and stirring synth overthrows.”
Recent Music Heroes, March 2011

“One of the most exciting bands to be rumbling away in the Melbourne underground music scene”
Waves At Night, March 2011

New Weird Australia Volume Four, January 2010, NWA004
DOWNLOAD FREE at newweirdaustralia.bandcamp.com

1. TEXTILE AUDIO, Some Kind Of Mininova (5:32)
2. PAINT YOUR GOLDEN FACE, Television Is About Picture (4:12)
3. REUNION SACRED IBIS, Sing It To The Mountains (2:11)
4. TANTRUMS, Beat The Happy Pavement (4:08)
5. SCATTERED ORDER MK 1, Ruined By Me (5:44)
6. ALISTER SPENCE TRIO, Two Halves Of The Moon (3:26)
7. SCISSOR LOCK, Codify (2:05)
8. GUTTER PARTIES, Sashi (2:15)
9. NO ZU, Lay Of The Land (4:25)
10. THE TOWNHOUSES, Jigsaws Under The Clouds (4:08)
11. SEAWORTHY, They’re Cicadas You Know? (3:55)
12. GENTLEFORCE, Our Last Day Together (4:30)
13. GOLD TANGO, Telescope (3:26)
14. ALPEN, A Meditation On Flight (3:16)
15. RED_ROBIN, The Surveyor (4:36)
16. AUTOMATING, When Use Becomes Abuse (9:19)
17. SILVER BULLETIN, Minding Time (4:13)

Compiled by Stuart Buchanan & Danny Jumpertz.
Artwork by Anna Vo, annavo.wordpress.com.

Click artist title for background information and links.
All music donated by the artists for use in this compilation only, all rights reserved.
All tracks previously unreleased, except: 6. from ‘Fit’ ; 8. from ‘Marooned EP’ ; 9. from ‘Graffiti EP’; 13. from ‘Gold Tango EP’.

Sleeve Notes, January 2010:

What’s in a name?

In attempting to find answer that question, and thus establish a title for this very project, there was a solitary guiding idea – that the artists shared a deep common bond, beyond just an experimental approach to music making. In their own unique ways, we believe that each artist on New Weird Australia shares a disdain for any cabals of musical ‘authority’, an irreverence to established industry etiquette, a rejection of art neutered for acceptability, and ultimately a dismissal of ‘rules of behaviour’ in contemporary music practice. Their music exists in an autonomous zone of their own construction, unburdened by any sense of what ‘should’ or ‘shouldn’t’ occur.

In broader Australian culture, the comedic variant of this sensibility is often referred to as ‘larrakinism’ – characterised by the mischievous or outlandish ‘larrakin’, who gleefully flaunts regulations and standards set down by society. The nemesis of every po-faced ‘do-gooder’ in the country, the larrikin takes the piss, flaunts convention, and pushes buttons and boundaries with great abandon.

Although this action is universal, the word ‘larrikin’ is perceived as a quintessentially Australian definition, with roots as far back as the 1860s. In one of its earliest occurrences, the larrikin is beautifully cited as a “young urban rough”, although its lexicological roots suggest it was born of a conjunction between ‘leery’ (‘wide awake’ or ‘knowing’) and ‘kinchin’ (‘youngster’). Most of its recorded use in the late nineteenth century always seemed to involve both thievery and mischievousness.

Transgressions against boundaries or conventions, rejection of norms and standards handed down by an authority, all wrapped in a roughish youthful spirit – whichever way you cut it, the larrikin sensibility is writ large in New Weird Australia. No more so than in this particular volume – where Textile Audio takes both classical and operatic blueprints, and weaves them around found sounds and abstract electronica; Tasmanian duo Paint Your Golden Face rethink and reshape the fundamental essence of the male voice choir; Reunion Sacred Ibis cuts a sharp sheath through archival sounds in a spirited slice of plunderphonics; Gold Tango reinvent Kraftwerk with an unexpected tribal swagger; and Scattered Order stick two well-placed fingers up against the very idea of ‘heritage rock’, their original line-up reforming after over 25 years, with their innovative touch still absolutely to the fore – delivering an exclusive cut from their (very) long-awaited new album.

This entirely Australian larrakin paradigm – an irreverence to a learned authority, maverick thievery, a rejection of etiquette – it may help to explain why ‘New Weird Australia’ is ripped directly from ‘New Weird America’, a phrase coined by Scottish journalist David Keenan in 2003 to define a new breed of American psychedelic folk or ‘free folk’. Since then, ‘New Weird America’ has been used in a variety of ever changing contexts – cited in artandpopularculture.com as “[finding] inspiration in such disparate sources as heavy metal, free jazz, electronic music, noise music, tropicália, and early- and mid-20th century American folk music”. Any perceived rules of definition are clearly dubious.

‘New Weird Australia’ does what it says on the tin. It’s new, weird, Australian music. Thus, we felt compelled to appropriate (nay, thieve!) Keenan’s nomenclature for our own ends. Sure, it’s a bastardisation. Sure, it’s wrong-headed. But if in the rejection of a guarded sense of ‘what is right’, we put even more noses out of joint, then more power to us. And while the odd prude may cry ‘plagiarism’, they might well be missing the point.

Consider it even more broadly, reduce it to its simple acronym. The letters N,W and A. And, there once again, for a second time over, we steal where we shouldn’t steal from, we tread on toes that we shouldn’t tread on – in fact, we clearly reject any notions of what we should and shouldn’t do. An ideal I’m sure both the American freak folksters and the late Eazy-E would readily connect with.

New Weird Australia is a not-for-profit initiative designed to promote and support new eclectic and experimental Australian music. Our current projects include a free compilation series (available to download every two months), a weekly show on Sydney’s FBi Radio and an irregular program of live events. Contributions from Australian artists are welcomed and encouraged -submission details and terms can be found on the About page.

Press for New Weird Australia Volume Four:

Cyclic Defrost “favourite of the series so far… some brilliant music from both known and unknown artists always lurking around the corner”

Now Like Photographs, Minneapolis – Record Of The Week “If you need a primer on what is fresh from Australia’s music scene, look no further than New Weird Australia.”

Electrorash “More eclectic, eccentric and often amazingly beautiful tunes … pick up the whole shebangabang for $0.00 AUD. That spells value in 4568 of the approximately 5000 recorded spoken languages known to linguists.”

Daily Beatz (on Tantrums from NWA4) “Could New Weird Australia be the Australian counterpart to Ann Arbor’s Ghostly International? Based solely on this song, I would say yes.”

Throw Shapes Interview