His work is diverse and exemplifies the intersection of practice and theory, incorporating both practice-based and practice-led methodologies. We chat with him about the new and emerging possibilities in music and the creative process.
- DAW operation (programming, synthesis, sampling, recording);
- Artistic oversight.
Reflect on a time when you questioned or challenged a belief in your creative work practice. What prompted your thinking? What was the outcome?
Most recently I questioned the idea of recording the music I make. In many ways, this was not a ‘successful’ project. I made an ‘album’ of compositions (a book of music scores), and of course, the audience for such an album is much smaller than for recordings.
We performed the music at a number of shows and the people that were there heard it the only time it could be heard. I like that idea and I prefer live music to recordings.
It has made me think about different formats for future albums.
List the top 3 attributes you appreciate in creative industry professionals.
- Openness
- Kindness
- Fierceness
Name an emerging use of technology in the creative industries and why it’s a game-changer.
I think that the online environment is exciting and there is more we can do. At the start of the COVID pandemic, I ran an online jazz club for a couple of months, and it was a very intimate, vulnerable and immediate kind of experience – entering musicians’ homes to hear them play.
There are so many ways to use multimedia and the ‘data’ of our lives for art – just look at interactive documentaries like pinepoint or these www.sbs.com.au/features
Who inspires you?
This is Miles Okazaki, a guitarist from NY. He has a really disciplined and multilevel approach to making music. When he recorded the album ‘Work’ for Thelonius Monk’s centenary for example, he set up a recording zone in his home for a year, and recorded every tune Monk ever wrote.
Anything else?
I think it’s an exciting time for music production. The technology is good enough to be transparent and by that, I mean that we can make things and have it not be about the technology, but to see what new aesthetics and feelings are possible.
