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This is my battered old Atomic Coffee Maker. As you can see, I’m missing a handle for the coffee catcher. The seal split the other day and water was leaking all over the stove. So now it is in for repair…actually, an overhaul. I took the Atomic down to Rita at Bon Trading in Woollhara (Sydney) and now her ‘people’ are taking care of it for me. My Atomic was originally purchased from Rita’s shop over 30 years ago and holds the Brevetti Robbiati badge, made in Milano. I have ten days until the Atomic returns so in the meantime it’s back to the old plunger style brew…

Continue reading Blog :: Atomic Overhaul Part 1

Podcast: Download (88.7MB)

This title of the show was inspired by Raymond Scott and a track from his album Manhattan Research Inc. The track Bufferin: ‘Memories’, narrated by Jim Hensen the muppet show man, features on the Rough Trade Shops - Electronic 01 CD. I’ve selected quite a few artists from this compilation for the playlist but have tried to list the original album that the track is from where possible, for the trainspotters.

We start the show with a great track by NYC band Big A Little a. Their music has been described as a “sonic battery of driving beats and ethereal electronics” by New York Magazine and from listening to their track Thirteen, I’m liking what I hear already. The drums, percussion and vocals in the track are just fantastic and the electronic sounds are really nicely integrated…cool recommendation, thanks Commie Love Child on Last.FM , come back to us!?! From Denmark, Badun have just released their debut self-titled album on Rump Recordings. If you like smooth electronic jazz, you’ll enjoy this. Their sounds remind me of Flanger and in fact if you read their press release Burnt Friedman has been quoted saying “Probably the most elaborate programming of cyper-jazz to date”…nice. Also, check out their cute website. Another new release is Apparat’s album Walls, on fantastically named German label Shitkatapult. What can I say? Beautiful album.

From Brisbane, Australia we have sound artist Tom Hall with the track Metallon from his album Fluere. The album is based on 6 months of sonic documentation by Tom of the Story Bridge in Brisbane. Using contact mics and attaching objects to the Bridge, Tom gathered a huge number of recordings and has produced some magnificent ambient sound pieces for this album. Read more about Tom Hall and check out the link to a great review by Lawrence English for Wire Magazine. Layered over Tom’s track we have a excerpt from a live recording of DJ Olive doing his “Terror” turntables at Liquid Architecture in Brisbane, 2005…thanks for the recording Lawrence. We close the show with the beautiful sounds of Akira Kosemura and his track Yellow Lawn. This track is from the Drifting Skywards 2 compilation available as a free download from netlabel Cold Room. This show was compiled by Yun Mei.

Australia’s premier sound arts festival is coming up again in June-July…yes folks Liquid Architecture 8. In Sydney, Liquid Architecture is presented by Alias Frequencies and Performance Space, and will be held at Carriageworks, a fabulous new contemporary arts venue in Sydney that most of us remember fondly as the old Eveleigh Railyards.

1. Tom Hall - The Story Of Awe Resonare [ Fluere / Nightrider Records ]*
2. BIG A little a - Thirteen [ www.myspace.com/alittlea ]
3. Allan Revich - A Red Circle with Nothing in it [ Fluxus Podcast ]
4. Deerhoof - Kidz Are So Small [ Friend Opportunity / Tomlab ]
5. Badun - Myg [ Badun / Rump Recordings ]
6. Scanner - The Spirit Of Speech [ Delivery / Earache ]
7. Scanner - Digital Anchor [ Delivery / Earache ]
8. Raz Mesinai - The Reanimator 1.0 [ Cyborg Acoustics / Tzadik ]
9. Christian Zanési - Marseille 2 [ Le Paradoxe De La Femme-Poisson / INA-GRM ]
10. Komet - Licht [ Rausch / 12K ]
11. Schneider Tm Vs KPT.Michi.Gan - The Light 3000 [ 7" / For Us ]
12. John Cage - Radio Music (Edit) [ Rough Trade Shops / Mute ]
13. Oval - Kardamom [ Rough Trade Shops / Mute ]
14. Apparat - Birds [ Walls / Shitkatapult ]
15. Raymond Scott - Bufferin: ‘Memories’ [ Manhattan Research Inc. / Basta ]
16. Rod Freeman & The Blue Men - I Hear A New World [I Hear a New World, An Outer Space Music Fantasy / Triumph]
17. Okkyung Lee - Anything You Say Anything You [ Nihm / Tzadik ]
18. DJ Spooky Vs Scanner - Dialogic [ The Quick And The Dead / Beggars Banquet ]
19. Rzep - Scrale With S Gard… [ Fluxus Podcast ]
20. Time Of Orchids - Sinecure [ Sarcast While / Tzadik ]
21. Christian Marclay & Otomo Yoshinde - Lucky Seven [ Moving Parts / Asphodel ]
22. 16 Bitch Pile Up - The Brown Soil [ Bury Me Deep / Troniks]
23. Tom Hall - Metallon [ Fluere / Nightrider Records]*
24. DJ Olive - Terror [ excerpt of live performance at Liquid Architecture 6, Brisbane 2005 ]
25. Akira Kosemura - Yellow Lawn [ Drifting Skywards 2 / Cold Room ]

* Denotes Australian Made

Link to StraightUp episode

Accessible Arts launches the new Western Sydney project on Thursday 10 May
The Accessible Arts Western Sydney Project launch was a great success. Many thanks to all those who came along to help us celebrate. Alison and I had a pretty hectic day organising workshops, people, food, ballooons, elvis wigs, etc. All the workshops were booked out and we had about 150 people turn up to the event. We even had to do speeches…

As you can see, Elvis was there and so was the Auslan interpreter.

Continue reading Accessible Arts :: Elvis is in the building

Alison and I are modeling the lucky door prize for the Accessible Arts Western Sydney Project launch. Yes folks, an Elvis wig and glasses!!!

I think Al pulls it off better than I do…I look like something out of Akira. Gangster Elvis.