experimental australian music

Contents Chapter synopsis & additional background material

Acknowledgments & Imprint

CD contents

Artist Directory

Resource List A list of books, publications and websites on Australian Experimental Music

Written by artists, producers and participants in alternative music-making, and including a companion CD, explores the development of forms, ideas and scenes from the 1970s to the present. It brings together a wide range of musical experimentation, from post-punk, noise, appropriation, electronic dance and listening music, to free improv, computer process music, experimental radio, instrument building and audiovisual fusions. illustrates how these forms have influenced each other to create a fertile and diverse musical culture in Australia, and highlights why it is vital to question, experiment and break the rules.

Here you will find additional information, images, sound and video files to further augment the publication.

Experimental Music: audio explorations in Australia , published by UNSW Press RRP $34.95

Experimental Music: audio explorations in Australia is one of a series of books commissioned by the Music Board of the Australia Council.

RealTime 93  by Stephen Adams

"Experimental Music: audio explorations in Australia fills a cultural gap, documenting local audio culture and providing a useful taxonomy of the main modes of practice in Australia frequently understood as ‘experimental music.’"

Experimental Melbourne by Clinton Green

" Experimental music: audio explorations in Australia arrives as a well overdue but welcome resource to anyone interested in the outer limits of Australian music."

MC Reviews: Culture and Media by Adam Dodds

"Whether you are part of the scene, a casual observer, or simply interested in what 'music' actually is, Experimental Music: Audio Explorations in Australia will undoubtedly leave you with a greater appreciation of the aural realm, and a better understanding of the cultures invested in constantly expanding it."

The Wire 301   by Nick Cain

"The accompanying nine-track CD is evenly split between genres, with recordings from 1971-2007. Taken together they certainly convey the richness and diversity of Australia's history of experimental music." While enjoying the vibrant tunes of Experimental music, you can find yourself immersed in the thrilling experience of playing online slots or just relaxing at your sofa. Such music creates a symphony of relaxation and excitement, making for a truly enjoyable pastime.

This site is independently created and maintained by the editor to accompany the printed publication by UNSW Press.

Music of our time: let’s embrace experimental music once and for all

Head of Research, Higher Degrees and Creative Practice, Western Australian Academy of Performing Arts , Edith Cowan University

Disclosure statement

Cat Hope has undertaken projects that havereceived funding from The Australia Council for the Arts, and is the Chief investigator of the ARC Linkage project, the Western Australian New Music Archive. She is the artistic director of the Decibel new music ensemble.

Edith Cowan University provides funding as a member of The Conversation AU.

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Uh Oh. Experimental music. Weird, challenging, complicated, ugly, silly, out of control, academic, or at best – conceptual. Is it even relevant?

Music presents a cultural complexity that is arguably unique in the arts. It is ubiquitous through a complex network that touches different people, cultures and purposes. We all engage with a range of music in some way or another, and it can play a pivotal role in our lives.

Our experience of music is very broad. From bumbling through the Australian anthem before school assembly, to a hymn at church or your footy team song; from TV jingles and Muzak, to stadium bands and orchestras, we live in a world of music.

The very broad appeal of and engagement with music is part of its power. As part of the arts, there is a place for a music that questions the very notion of what it can be. Visual art embraced innovation years ago – pushing abstraction, conceptual and performance art into the mainstream.

Its hard to imagine the Australian music scene without diverse pioneers such as Jim Denley, Carolyn Connors, Lucas Abela, Ros Bandt, Warren Burt or Joyce Hinterding.

Ongoing innovation in all forms of music is essential to ensure music remains relevant to our ever-changing cultural identity. Imported and adopted forms have an established role in our cultural fabric – but should they be the centre of it?

Attempts to make a music that is our own have never been privileged in Australian culture. Gail Priest’s book Experimental Music: Audio Explorations in Australia (2008) was an important step from within the community itself, and when long time violin experimenter Jon Rose deservedly won the most prestigious Australian music award, the Don Banks Award in 2012, it seemed possible there could be change; it seemed innovation and experimentation could be recognised as a central to our musical heritage.

Yet it remains difficult to get experiments of the musical kind out into the public arena in way that is any more than a curiosity or “fringe” activity. When we use the word music, most of us are referring to something that’s made for and played on established musical instruments, with certain “musical” qualities such as melody and harmony.

Music has a role in reflecting contemporary life, our interests and concerns. Experimentation is required to keep this reflection accurate and relevant, and challenging the idea of what is “musical” is an important part of this. We have to push music in unexpected directions.

Unabashed attempts at challenging the status quo struggle for any real public attention, because they break the perceived link between music and entertainment. Yet for experimental music to be relevant, it has to be shared, debated, and subjected to critical review. This requires opportunity.

The infrastructure for music has a challenge ahead in this regard. This too is a complex web of education, facilities and communities. Venues are designed to serve a variety of what our previous art minister referred to as heritage music: orchestras, and recitals – to which I would add bands.

Which is to say: massed audiences ushered into plush seats in darkened wood-lined rooms, crushed with lights in their faces or standing on sticky carpets listening to a bad PA with a beer.

Such venues aren’t generally very conductive to making or experiencing “experiments”. Our future venues need to be more flexible, accessible and adaptable. They need to be “art” venues, not just music venues.

In specialist tertiary music degrees, three to four years is hardly enough to touch on this heritage music, let alone the exploration of new ideas, the range of Australian music, or music of different cultures. Experimentation has become a luxury, and any framework for understanding it is off the agenda.

Music students are the innovators of the future – they need tools to turn their craft into art as they mature and engage with the world beyond the student experience. Artistic research in music offers some hope, as this is adopted across a range of universities, but it is a work in long progress.

But the main obstacle could be cultural respect. Respect for innovation and curiosity, for the ability and necessity to make something that belongs to our time, for us, that’s relevant to our world. With respect comes support. Australians – as a unique mix of people, experience, and place - have the rare opportunity to check the bulk of the heavy baggage of past masters at the door, with respect and gratitude.

We should be forging infrastructure that facilitates and celebrates our attempts at innovation, to enable excitement, challenges, debate and our own version of new. That is the possibility experimental music presents us with, and it needs to be celebrated.

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Artefacts of Australian Experimental Music Volume II: 1974​-​1983

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Australian Experimental

Australian Experimental music is a genre of music that combines elements of traditional Australian music with experimental and avant-garde sounds. It often incorporates elements of folk, jazz, and classical music, as well as electronic and ambient sounds. It is characterized by its use of unconventional instrumentation, improvisation, and exploration of sound. Artists in this genre often use found sounds, field recordings, and soundscapes to create unique sonic textures.

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New Weird Australia

Host Stu Buchanan (Resonance FM / FBI Radio) talks with artists and labels across a wide spectrum of eclectic and experimental Australian music. Neither one genre nor another, New Weird Australia challenges our collective understanding of what music can and should be. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Divide and Dissolve, Vacuum, My Disco + | NWAP125

In episode 125, Divide and Dissolve get remixed in an excellent companion package to their 2020 record 'Gas Lit'; traditional Southeast Asian instrumentation meets dark metal courtesy of Rinuwat; and we listen to debut releases from electronic experimentalist Jannah Quill and Sydney percussionist ilex. There's also dark, experimental synth wave from Melbourne duo Vacuum; Aphir gets exploratory in an improvised series of choral works; and Canberra artist Sebastian Field parks songwriting for experimentation on his new album 'Sandcastles'. Plus we take tracks from new albums by Low Life and My Disco; and Various Asses drops an unheard remix of Sarah Mary Chadwick's 'I Won't Say Goodbye'.   Featured in this episode: Divide and Dissolve - Denial (BEARCAT Remix) (from Gas Lit - 3 Part Remix)Vacuum - I'll Call You (from Vacuum)My Disco - Irreversible (from Alter Schwede)Rinuwat - Sewu (from Dua Naga)Low Life - Moments (from From Squats To Lots: The Agony And XTC Of Low Life)Sarah Mary Chadwick - I Won't Say Goodbye (Various Asses SIS Remix) (from I Won't Say Goodbye)ilex - Morning Bells (from Visions of Elsewhere)Aphir - Jelly Gun (from Plastichoir)Sebastian Field - Ceres (from Sandcastles)Jannah Quill - View of Granite (from Jannah Quill)Cover image: Divide and Dissolve Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Makeda, Tangents, Robin Fox + | NWAP124

In episode 124, we take in a preview of the new EP from Brisbane electronic experimentalist Makeda; as well as the debut release from Canberra's E Fishpool and the new album from Sydney's unclassifiable quartet Tangents. We expand our genre expertise by delving into psychedelic dark wave from Ov Pain, vaporised stretched electronica from Planktan Sanquin (battling the demos of King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard) and molecular gamelan from Astasie-Abasie. We also hear two cuts from the Flash Forward project out of Melbourne, featuring releases from Female Wizard and Mindy Meng Wang; and two different tales from the world of modular, featuring Robin Fox and the various artists from Modular Theme Time Sessions. Featured in this episode: Tangents - Survival (from Timeslips & Chimeras)E Fishpool - Under Flecked Light (Emily) (from E Fishpool)Makeda - Professors, Lovers, Critics (from Venus Leak)Ov Pain - Daytripping (from The Churning Blue of Noon)King Gizzard and The Lizard Wizard x Planktan Sanquin - Tezeta (Pumpking Seedle Eloping Mix) (from Music To Eat Bananas II)Robin Fox - Quarantine Variation II (from Waking Fever Dream)Female Wizard - Post Post (from TIE-EE-YIE-EEYIE-EE-YIME)Mindy Meng Wang - Activation 异变 (from Phoenix Rising)Modular Theme Time Sessions - MTTSS#005 Blue (from Sharewave Session #005 - Three Module Challenge)Astasie-abasie - Expulsion (from Molecular Gamelan)Cover Image: Makeda Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Marcus Whale, HTRK, Shoeb Ahmad + | NWAP123

In episode 123, we hear an exclusive premiere of a new track from Marcus Whale’s upcoming third solo album; Shoeb Ahmad collaborates with Angus Andrew from Liars on a remix of their new single; and Melbourne’s Jake Blood drops dark, moody electronics on his new release, Prix.  We hear from MXMARS, blending experimental pop with power ambient; as well as two cuts from the Sydney netabel e-quarium from DBR and User754492117; and new outsider electronics from Subclavia. We also take a quiet and somewhat lo-fi detour with both Leighton Craig and HTRK; and check out new work from both Mookoid and Digital Penetration. Featured in this episode: Shoeb Ahmad - Skating On The Way (Liars Remix) (from Skating On The Way)Jake Blood - Apartment (from Prix)MXMARS - Regen (from Can't Take Me Off The Earth)Marcus Whale - Raining Blood (from The Hunger)DBR - Simple Reaktionz (from e-quarium)User754492117 - Tyrells Anode Pill (from e-quarium)Leighton Craig - Diamond Eye (from Diamond Eye)HTRK - Kiss Kiss and Rhinestones (from Rhinestones)Subclavia - Walkers Of Flesh (from Cold and Flu Meditation)Mookoid - Sentinel At Dawn (from Jungle Temple)Digital Penetration - Superimpose (from Strata)Cover Image: Marcus Whale Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Michelle Nguyen, Snawklor, Megan Alice Clune + | NWAP122

In this episode, NWAP 122, we listen to ritual electronics from Melbourne artist Sandpit Alias; as well as new solo work from PVT’s Richard Pike. Sydney saxophonist Jorja Chalmers unites with David Lynch collaborator Dean Hurley on her new album; and we hear new work recorded in Korea from interdisciplinary artist Melanie Eden.   We also check out the new release from Little Songs Of The Mutilated collective, featuring Nat Grant and Michelle Nguyen; as well as the first album from visual-art duo Snawklor in over a decade; and a piece taken from the new retrospective collection by Adelaide’s Panoptique Electrical.  And to round out the episode, a preview of the new album from Megan Alice Clune on Room 40 and the latest ‘decolonial ambient’ work from Amby Downs. Featured in this episode: Sandpit Alias - Gawl Mountain (from Spinal Data)Richard Pike - Goodbye, Good Luck / Xerust (from How To Breathe)Jorja Chalmers - Underwater Blood (from Midnight Train)Melanie Eden - Dreaming (from 공 空)Nat Grant - Slow Motion Storm Roll (from A Tightfisted Molten Sellout)Michelle Nguyen - Baby Fog (from A Tightfisted Molten Sellout)Snawklor - Language Laid Bare (from Perfumed Ground)Panoptique Electrical - Never Sleep Again (from Decades 2001-2021)Megan Alice Clune - The Swirl of the Void (from If You Do)Amby Downs - Quietly Quietly Catchee Monkey (GUK) (from Liminal)Cover Image: Michelle Nguyen Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Omega Point, Jobfit, Loose-y Crunché + | NWAP121

The New Weird Australia radio-not-radio show returns in its original form, for the first time since 2012, with sixty minutes of new mutant music from the upside down, presented by Stu Buchanan. In this first episode of the rebooted show, we hear the new single from agitprop synth-punk duo Laughing Gear; plus two cuts from a new compilation from Oxtail Recordings from Loose-y Crunché and OVRSCN; experimental jungle meets dark and delirious storytelling courtesy of Jobfit; and Altered States Tapes gives us something old and something new with releases from Carnage and Low Flung. We also listen to a wild brand of apocalyptic art-music from Melbourne’s Omega Point; beautiful broken piano and dismembered electronics from London based ex-pat Laila Sakini; a cut from the new album from violinist and vocalist Happy Axe; and we take a journey into alt-pysch and freak-disco on the debut release from Glass Beams. Featured in this episode Laughing Gear - New Estate (from Freak Lemons)Loose-y Crunché - It's Got a Groove (Industrial Murk) (from Undercurrents)OVRSCN - Chromium (from Undercurrents)jobfit - Strike Pneumatic Tension (from Longer Form Cat Calls)Carnage - Lung Cancer (from Untitled)Low Flung - Stub (from Reflections From The Campsie Centre For Electronic Music Research)The Omega Point - High Rise (from High Rise)Laila Sakini - Into The Traffic (from Into the Traffic, Under the Moonlight (Vinyl Edition))Happy Axe - The One That Remembers (from Maybe It'll Be Beautiful)Glass Beams - Mirage (from Mirage EP)Published on 24 July 2021 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bridget Chappell / Hextape | NWAP120

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, now resident in Melbourne; Bridget has a diverse practice that also encompasses writing, teaching and curating, as well as sound art for installations and performances; most recently for their first solo exhibition No Comment, which investigated the science of phase cancellation and its potential role as an act of sonic resistance. Music featured in this episode: Hextape - I Just Wanna Race (Friendships Remix) Hextape - Yubaba Hextape - 200 Fast 200 Furious (Corin Remix) Hextape - Revenge (Gabber Modus Operandi Remix) Bridget Chappell - Elizabeth Street Mark Temple - The Sound of the SARS-CoV-2 Genome Bridget Chappell - Freshwater Falls https://www.bridgetchappell.com/   Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sia Ahmad | NWAP119

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 Orchestra) - from im/modesty - "mask-ed" - from "quiver" - double checks against the corner (b) - from A Body Full Of Tears - team pressure - from A Body Full Of Tears - blown out / trace out (Remix by Lorraine James) - from Realignment - deficit - from A Body Full Of Tears shoebahmad.bandcamp.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jessica At Birth | NWAP118

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 information.

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• Creator Stuart Buchanan
• Years Active 2019 - 2021
• Episodes 125
• Rating Clean
• Copyright © Stuart Buchanan
• Show Website New Weird Australia

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Experimental Music: Audio Explorations in Australia Paperback – December 1, 2008

• Print length 192 pages
• Language English
• Publisher University of New South Wales Press
• Publication date December 1, 2008
• Dimensions 7 x 0.7 x 9.25 inches
• ISBN-10 1921410078
• ISBN-13 978-1921410079
• See all details

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• Publisher ‏ : ‎ University of New South Wales Press; Pap/Com edition (December 1, 2008)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 192 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1921410078
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1921410079
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.62 pounds
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 7 x 0.7 x 9.25 inches

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Australian Experimental

Australian experimental music is a genre that encompasses a wide range of styles and approaches. It is characterized by its willingness to push the boundaries of traditional musical forms and structures, and to explore new and unconventional sounds and techniques. Australian experimental music can include everything from avant-garde jazz and noise music to ambient and electronic music, and often incorporates elements of improvisation, experimentation, and collaboration. The music is known for its innovative and daring approach, and for its ability to challenge and expand listeners' perceptions of what music

Artists in genre Australian Experimental

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Genre: australian experimental

Australian experimental music is a genre that pushes the boundaries of traditional music structures and explores unconventional sounds and techniques. It often incorporates elements of ambient, electronic, and avant-garde music, creating a unique and immersive listening experience. This genre is known for its use of field recordings, found sounds, and unconventional instruments. The music is often atmospheric and evocative, creating a sense of otherworldliness.

Most popular australian experimental artists

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• australian jazz
• fourth world
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Instruments used

Releases by year.

Here you can see the popularity of Australian Experimental genre over time. This graph shows albums and singles releases count by year and decade.

Popular australian experimental Songs

Lawrence English

Oren Ambarchi

Mark Pritchard

Wilson Tanner

Andrew Tuttle

Top New australian experimental Songs of 2024

Most popular australian experimental albums

australian experimental music by decade

Explore australian experimental history by listening to songs from every decade. Click on the decade to view songs.

List of australian experimental artists

Here is a list of australian experimental artists on Spotify, ranked based on popularity, who exemplifies the australian experimental genre. You can find out what australian experimental genre sounds like where you can preview artists or sort them the way you want, just click the headers to sort.

--> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> --> -->

#	name	popularity	followers
1		31	18631
2		40	38410
3		24	22805
4		48	50966
5		30	36491
6		30	66910
7		25	6672
8		35	39841
9		17	2714
10		16	25678
11		29	3146
12		11	163
13		26	5934
14		5	1965
15		8	1099
16		1	554
17		3	1385
18		18	6844
19		4	898
20		17	2160
21		1	311
22		1	253
23		14	2529
24		12	6126
25		9	4659
26		7	1679
27		7	523
28		6	1230
29		5	3815
30		1	613
31		4	1073
32		4	836
33		3	1887
34		2	831
35		2	1809
36		3	269
37		2	376
38		1	1825
39		1	300
40		2	922
41		2	107
42		1	242
43		1	190
44		1	162
45		1	324
46		1	92
47		1	191
48		1	335
49		1	136
50		1	620

australian experimental playlist created by Chosic

Enjoy this playlist of popular australian experimental music. We made this playlist using an algorithm created by our team.

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A home for experimentation: new music in Adelaide

In the second of two articles on experimental music in Adelaide — the first featuring Dan Thorpe — Chris Reid interviews Stuart Johnson aka Wolfpanther , curator of Metro Experimental Night. RT

A cornerstone of contemporary and experimental music in Adelaide is the series of monthly concerts titled Metro Experimental Night held at Adelaide’s Hotel Metropolitan . Stuart Johnson curates evenings of mainly electronic music that can range across ambient, drone, noise and all kinds of instrumental work. Importantly, Metro Experimental Night is open to a variety of performers and thus encourages emerging artists and new developments. Three acts featured on 12 July this year are good examples: sympathetic | DIVISION using synthesisers and electronics, Little-Scale also using synthesisers and electronics but stylistically quite different, and a high-intensity solo performance on guitar and effects pedals by Insomnicide .

On another evening, Wolfpanther himself performed — on miked banjo mediated through an array of electronics —with Melanie Walters on flute. Walters has a significant profile in the Adelaide scene, works with Dan Thorpe in the duo Stereo Mono and was a member of the Australian Bass Orchestra in the workshop production of Cat Hope’s new opera Speechless . The 8 November Metro Experimental Night program included a stunning solo recital by Walters who alternated between bass flute, flute and piccolo in works by German-Australian composer Felix Werder (on whose music she is writing her doctoral thesis) and Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho. Wolfpanther pointed out that it is unusual to include composed music in a Metro Experimental Night program, but the audience was enchanted.

The music in the program can be variable in quality but is always interesting and sometimes exhilarating. I spoke to Wolfpanther about Metro Experimental Night, his own work and Adelaide’s contemporary and experimental music culture.

Outline for me your curatorial approach to your program.

I took over the Experimental Night from the previous organiser in early 2016, so I inherited something of the approach it already had and particularly the name. Of course the question of what “experimental music” means is not necessarily a simple proposition; my approach was to have a very broad interpretation. I don’t have a clear-cut definition but generally it’s about genres that aren’t usually well represented in a pub live music environment, uncommon instruments; improvisation, genuine experiments… There is likely a bias towards the sort of things and people I’ve been involved with, for example a bit of modular synth, but I try to keep the nights open to as many different approaches as possible. Certainly if someone approaches me with a genre that hasn’t been represented before I’m very keen to get them involved. My aim is to be very inclusive. Doing somewhat unconventional music in a regular pub show can be pretty daunting, so I think it’s good to have a chance to get people to play to an audience open to different kinds of music and understanding that occasionally a performance might not be particularly polished. I think it’s also interesting to get people from the academic side of music to come and play a pub show.

I gather you receive no government funding for the show, but the hotel does pay the performers?

The event exists thanks to the ongoing support of the Metro which provides a guarantee that goes to paying the artists [which] allows the event to be free, and it pays for a sound tech which makes a big difference. Sometimes there are fairly straightforward setups which I could probably handle myself, but when instruments, particularly drum kits, need to be miked up it is great to have someone who knows what they are doing.

Hotel Metropolitan, Adelaide

Tell me about your own work: your ensembles and musical interests.

In the last few years I’ve played in about a dozen or so groups, ranging from Thom Bordism Group — who played regularly for a couple of years and released an album — to bands which existed for one or two gigs. I can’t really settle on one particular approach to playing music so instead I try to do lots of different things with lots of different people. Not all of it is particularly experimental; I spent some time in the Loose Cannons, a singing group which sang traditional sea shanties, and I’ve played lead guitar in a rock band, Stable Vices. I’ve also played solo, mostly in an exploration of various electronic instruments I’ve been collecting for a while, though occasionally on guitar as well. Often I’ll develop an approach for a particular show and work on that before moving on to something else immediately afterwards. Most recently I played a no input effects loop at Metro Experimental Night, which is about the most literally experimental thing I’ve done.

The experimental scene in Adelaide is small and rather fragmented. Do you think that it has the potential to develop, perhaps with targeted funding of some kind? 

I guess my approach to music is as a sort of folk art. I’m not looking to do it professionally; I just think it’s really good to be involved with a community of artists and listeners and I always try to encourage a strong participatory aspect to the scene. But I acknowledge I am in a privileged position to be able to have this attitude. I would like better support for experimental music, but it’s difficult to make a living even in more popular forms of music.

The helpful thing for musicians is to be able to perform, to record, to have the opportunity for those recordings to be heard. While anyone can release online this also means everyone does and it’s hard to get noticed, so radio stations and record labels are still important. Being able to have a regular event is a big benefit since most gigs get an audience by advertising a genre, like jazz, or an established name, whereas we have a mix of genres and quite often a whole lineup of musicians almost nobody has ever heard of. Being on every month has meant being able to build a regular audience.

I think it could be nice to have funding to help bring interesting acts from interstate and have them play with locals, which would be good for creating networks for Adelaide artists to tour. We’ve had a couple of interstate acts just through good luck and with local support, for example Ancient World, an artist-run venue, brought over Helm/Croatian Amor who otherwise would have only toured the east coast and put them together with a lineup of great local acts. There have also been great small-scale festivals like Lost City, Half Strange and Bungsound bringing interesting interstate acts together with locals. These sorts of endeavours are always pretty risky and some financial support would be beneficial. I think the Adelaide Festival under Artistic Director David Sefton has done a lot for the local experimental scene — exposing audiences to very interesting music and inspiring musicians with the Unsound program to try new approaches.

Read Chris Reid’s comprehensive review of the recent Unsound Adelaide , curated by David Sefton and Mat Schulz.

Coming up: Metro Experimental Night, Tumut Trio , Lauren Abineri , Vlad & Rei ; Metropolitan Hotel, Adelaide, 10 Jan, 2018

Top image credit: Shakey and Rosie from Insomnicide, photo © Noa Gfrerer Photography

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Australian Music in the 2000s

There are countless ways to start exploring our extensive website. This brief overview presents two different perspectives on some significant works and people in the Australian music scene in the 2000s.The first looks at Australian notated music during this period and the second discusses Australian experimental music .

Australian Composition in the 2000s

The inclusive optimism, with which Ross Edwards ’s Dawn Mantras greeted the year 2000 and Australia later celebrated the Olympics, was soon dispelled by the realities of September 11, the Madrid, London and Bali bombings. A retreat into types of political and cultural conservatism was probably inevitable, at least institutionally; as the decade has progressed and the economic boom subsided, there has been a notable reluctance on the part of some organisations to take artistic risks.

Nevertheless, many composers continue to produce a variety of work that has an increasingly international reach. Some explore those  concerns – with national identity, Aboriginality, Asian culture and so on – established in the music of earlier decades, but in ways which reflect current musical languages and aesthetic ideas. There is also, however, a broader exploration of past and future, of individual and cosmos.

Significant Works

	Work	Notes
	(2004) by	is an award-winning song cycle to poems of García Lorca for soprano, lutes (including theorbo and baroque guitar), percussion and tape.
	(2006) by	this violin concerto won its composer the Grawemeyer Award – the world’s most prestigious – further underlining his position as one of the most important composers working anywhere today.
	(2000) by	uses DM Thomas’s translations of the Russian poet’s excoriating account of Stalinist terror in this orchestral song cycle for soprano.
	(2003) by	won the Tōru Takemitsu prize that year, showing how new music has overcome its Oedipal struggle with the past.
	(2005) by	proves that late modernism has nothing to prove beyond its elegant rigour and glitteringly beautiful sound-world.
	(2007) by	is a large scale song cycle for soprano and mixed ensemble which finds both delicacy and humour in Yves Bonnefoy’s poetry.

Australian Experimental music in the 2000s

By Peter Blamey

Given its history, it is no surprise that the current state of experimental music in Australia is characterised by diversity, adaptability and innovation. Artists operate free of the constraints of genre, instrumentation or technique, happy to adopt, combine or discard elements as they see fit. While it is possible to identify trends within current practices, the demonstrated ability of experimental artists to hybridise, to make connections between genres and techniques, means that these distinctions can serve as guidelines only. Improvisation remains a crucial tactic for breaking new musical ground. Important regular events such as the Make It Up Club and the NOWnow have provided a forum for established and emerging musicians to meet, collaborate and engage with an audience. Tim Catlin, Dave Brown, Clayton Thomas, Clare Cooper, Jim Denley, the Splinter Orchestra, Tony Buck, Jon Rose , Will Guthrie, Sean Baxter and Natasha Anderson are just some of the artists defining new and original approaches to real-time musical construction. Many, such as Dale Gorfinkel, Rod Cooper and noise duo Faber Castell, perform on instruments of their own design. Controversies surrounding the use of laptop computers in performance in the early part of the decade have dispersed as they have found a place with artists that focus on the vernacular, rather than exclusive, use of electronics within experimental music. Employing both improvised and compositional strategies, musicians such as Joel Stern, Minit, Shannon O’Neill, Thembi Soddell, Philip Samartzis, Robin Fox, Stasis Duo, Lawrence English, Anthony Pateras and Ben Byrne develop and deploy software, or reconfigure and reroute electronic devises to achieve their ends. 2001 saw the launch of the Australian Sound Design Project , overseen by artists Ros Bandt and Iain Mott at the University of Melbourne, which aims to provide a comprehensive database of audio activity across the country. Festivals have become a crucial element of the experimental audio landscape. Capitalising on the successes of What is Music?, festivals such as Liquid Architecture, Totally Huge New Music festival, Open Frame, the NOWnow festival, Unsound and Sounds Unusual have provided platforms for the performance and exhibition of sound art and experimental music around the country. Electrofringe (part of the broader This Is Not Art festival) extends this ambit to include seminars and workshops aimed at introducing participants to both concepts and practices in contemporary audio arts. These festivals perform an important social function, allowing for connections between artists and audience members. This sense of connection has also been fostered by regular weekly or monthly events around the country, such as the Make It Up Club, ¼ Inch, Impermanent.Audio, the NOWnow, Fabrique, Small Black Box, Club Zho, Stutter, and Audiopollen Social Club – all of which serve to invigorate and vivify experimental music in Australia.

	Work	Notes
	by Stasis Duo
	by Anthea Caddy & Thembi Soddell
	by Joel Stern & Anthony Guerra
	by Natasha Anderson
	by The Splinter Orchestra
	by Pateras / Baxter / Brown
	by Lawrence English
	by Anthony Pateras
	by Robin Fox & Clayton Thomas
	by Philip Samartzis

The Australian Music Centre acknowledges First Nations people as the Traditional Owners and sovereign custodians of the lands on which we work and live. We recognise their continuing connection to Country and their respective nations across this continent and pay our respects to their Elders past and present. All content © 2024 Australian Music Centre Ltd | ABN 52 001 250 595 All prices are in Australian dollars and are inclusive of GST Ph +61 2 9174 6200 | Terms & conditions | Privacy policy

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• Introductions to Australian music
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• Repertoire navigator
• Subject navigator
• Prize & award winners
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• for Students
• for Teachers
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• for Composers, improvisers & sound artists
• View calendar
• Add an event
• Digital sheet music
• Sheet music
• Education resources
• Artist representation
• Projects and Awards
• Funding and Support
• Donate to the AMC
• About this website
• Introductions to Australian Music

Australian Music in the 1990s

There are countless ways to start exploring our extensive website. This brief overview presents two different perspectives on some significant works and people in the Australian music scene in the 1990s.The first looks at Australian experimental music and the second discusses Australian notated music during this period.

Australian Experimental music in the 1990s

By Peter Blamey

While some established experimental composers, musicians and practices found broader success on the contemporary music stage during the 1990s, new ideas were emerging that would continue to challenge mainstream assertions as to the nature of music, and extend the programme of diversification implicit within any notion of musical experimentalism. Where support for experimental or electronic music practices within tertiary music departments had begun to stagnate (with perhaps the exception of electroacoustic and computer music), the increasing acceptance of installation, media art and time-based art within fine art colleges, along with the emerging academic focus on sound within both cultural studies and sound studies, positioned experimental music within a broader context of sound arts. Also, in 1995 the Museum of Contemporary Art in Sydney hosted 'Sound In Space: Adventures in Australian Sound Art' curated by Rebecca Coyle. With the demise of NMA publications in 1992 important writing on experimental audio practices was published by the Contemporary Sound Arts group in their three issues of Essays in Sound between 1992 and 1997, along with their online journal Soundsite . (The influential contemporary arts journal Art & Text also published numerous articles on Australian sound art and music in this period.) Another revitalising factor was the cross-fertilisation between experimental music and those artists inspired by the nascent experimentalism within the punk and post-punk ‘unpopular music’ underground of the 1980s. One prime example of this was the What is Music? festival, established in 1994 by Robbie Avenaim and Oren Ambarchi, which provided an important opportunity for this meeting to take place, embracing free improvisation ( Jon Rose , Chris Abrahams, Greg Kingston, Michael Sheridan), tape manipulations and electronics (Rik Rue, The Loop Orchestra), larger established exploratory ensembles (Machine for Making Sense, austraLYSIS), noise music (Lucas Abela), industrial music (John Murphy), and all points in between, such as sound poet Amanda Stewart and extreme vocalist Nick Kamvissis. What is Music gradually extended beyond its Sydney roots to become a travelling festival, along the way setting the benchmark for future experimental music festivals. The ubiquity of the personal computer established a stream of computer and digital music outside of the academy, aligned with more popular forms of electronic music as often as with the experimental scene. Artists such as Julian Knowles and Pimmon (Paul Gough) pursued live, real-time computer based performance that crossed genre lines and presaged much laptop-based music of the following decade.

Significant Works

	Work	Notes
	by AustraLYSIS
	by Machine for Making Sense
	by Jon Rose
	by Amanda Stewart
	by Oren Ambarchi
	by Michael Sheridan
	by Alan Lamb

Australian Composition in the 1990s

Despite some unedifying brawls between modernists and traditionalists in print and in public in the early 1990s, a state of détente soon established itself between artists of very different compositional and aesthetic orientation. The early 1990s saw dedicated new music concerts and series added to the programs of major orchestras; composer residencies became more common; festivals such as the Sydney Spring introduced new works from overseas as well as Australia. The Keating Federal Government initiated the devolution of the state orchestras from centralised ABC management in 1994; the ramifications of that for composers are still being felt. The Howard Government (1996-2007) tended to make the support of major organisations its priority in arts funding.

The proliferation of composers and styles nonetheless continued unabated, and Australian music – regardless of its aesthetic or ideological program – grew ever more competent in craft and confident in manner, and increasingly enjoyed performances on its own merits on the international stage.

	Work	Notes
	(1990) by	a vintage example of this composer’s individualistic diatonic palette and dancing rhythmic vitality.
	(1991) by	shows masterly orchestral skill in responding to WA artist Brian Blanchflower’s intriguing littoral installation.
	(1993) by	a disturbing portrait of the Virgin’s grief at the foot of the cross, composed for Sydney’s The Song Company
	(1994) by	displays this composer’s move from a febrile modernism to a more frankly sensual style often overlaid with Latin American elements.
	(1994) by	a complex late-modernist piece for clarinet, violin, flute and amplified guitar, based on Psalm 96 ‘Sing to the Lord a new song!’
	(1997) by	is part of series of orchestral works cultivating an energetic and populist manner.

The Australian Music Centre acknowledges First Nations people as the Traditional Owners and sovereign custodians of the lands on which we work and live. We recognise their continuing connection to Country and their respective nations across this continent and pay our respects to their Elders past and present. All content © 2024 Australian Music Centre Ltd | ABN 52 001 250 595 All prices are in Australian dollars and are inclusive of GST Ph +61 2 9174 6200 | Terms & conditions | Privacy policy

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Experimental music : audio explorations in Australia

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