Crankthesteza.org is a new brisbane Net / independent label in Brisbane. I am looking for the unusual, usual, weird and bizarre forms of music. Check it out and drop us your tracks on the drop box..

We also hire P.A's and production gear with a community approach. Will soon have a production library and memberships are coming soon.

Drop by and have a look.. any feedback would be greatly appreciated..

Thanks Stoicdee

peas :)

greg jenkins - composer and performer

greg jenkins composes directly with the inherent musicality of sounds, making harmony, melody and rhythm subservient to sonic texture and spatiality. He will often extrapolate sonic minutiae into whole compositions for example by "zooming in" on a tiny fragment of recorded voice then using this as the basis of a droning musical weft.

greg also likes to hit things; things such as suspended arrays of inverted flower pots; things such as beer kegs; and things such as midi percussion controllers which allow him to subversively remap non-percussive sound objects to percussive performance gestures. He frequently makes use of "micro-gestures" - subtle physical manipulations of computer hardware which control software synthesis engines allowing him to perform directly on the software in real time. greg is also known as "cactusman" due to his penchant for using a cactus as an amplified acoustic instrument.

Tim Gruchy is a prolific Australian video art, music & installation artist who has performed since the 1980s. his website has examples & listings of his video works, exhibitions, fashion events, parties, corporate events, theatre & opera works, and academic lectures & courses. http://www.grup.tv

280920082113, originally uploaded by AliaK

this is Sydney / Newtown artist SYKE - her myspace is www.myspace.com/syke23

SYKE started an outdoor art area in newtown (sydney) where she and other artists paint and then people can donate what they can for the art works. I think they'd suit the as often the works are on sections of cardboard boxes. the article mentions sometimes kids save up their pocket money to buy some... nice way to start kids appreciating art & craft / creating things instead of buying mass produced wares

280920082112, originally uploaded by AliaK

this is a print from Peter Strong - one of the Ohms Not Bombs crew

"These canvas's are mixed media works by Peter Strong.

I visited the Sticky Institute in Melbourne yesterday and bought a few zines and recorded a video asking the team a few basic questions about zines. The store has a wide selection of zines, and there's a membership / mail list where you can sign up and receive zines in the mail. If you're a zine-writer, you can contact the store and have them stock your zines. Their website also includes an impressive "Zineopedia" of Melbourne based zines which is a great resource for anyone wanting to find out more about zines. Though the best way would be to visit the store if you're in Melbourne, their website if you're not in Melbourne, or a local zine-festival and buy & read some zines. Or even better, start your own!

visit http://www.stickyinstitute.com for more details
store details :
Sticky Institute
Degraves St Subway
Shop 10 Campbell Arcade Melbourne
stickyshop @ gmail.com (remove the spaces)
(if you're not from Melbourne like me, it's opposite the train station on Flinders St, about half way (Flinders between Swanston & Elizabeth) - go downstairs towards the station subway and you'll see it)

PO Box 310 Flinders Lane Vic Australia 8009

One of the zines I bought was the "Anyone can.. " zine (anyone can make a zine) which launched the same day by the City Library Street Press. The City Library Street Press are quite active, having a few projects on the go and regular meetings at the library for zinesters and writers to get involved with. The "Anyone can.." zine also includes a MAP of Melbourne city showing writers & zinester spots of interest eg libraries, stores, artist spaces.

I also bought Anna Poletti's book "Intimate Ephemera : Reading Young Lives in Australian Zine Culture" whilst at Sticky. I've been to some of her panel sessions at the National Young Writers Festival in Newcastle & Critical Animals as part of This is Not Art (TiNA) over the years, so was glad to find her PhD book in the store too. The book is also available as an e-book (pdf) or d-book (pod / print on demand) from Melbourne University Publishing e-store

I haven't finished the book yet, but here's one passage about what a zine is [pg 11-12] :

"Personal zines do not share many of the characteristics of he texts that make up the bulk of sources studied in literary or cultural studies and, more specifically, scholarship on auto/biography. Of central importance to these non-traditional texts is the fact that sines are not mass-produced; they are not published by a professional publishing house, and thus not 'sanctioned as significant by [their] status as a mass produced commodity' (Huff 510). Moreover, zines are not easily available, do not participate in standardised modes of presentation and distribution, and are not well recognised within literary communities or among the reading (most commonly constituted as 'book-buying') public. Zines are homemade, ephermeral and amateur. They circulate among communities of readers through the mail, in out-of-the-way spaces, and are passed around hand-to-hand among social groups. They are also non-traditional because of the modes of emplotment that characterise them; in the case of personal zines, we find a unique mixture of established modes of life writing, such as the diary, alongside zine-specific narratives such as cut'n'paste collage. These material and textual idiosyncranasies challenge the literary critic to practise 'connected reading', which Gillian Whitlock describes as a practice which 'pulls at the loose threads of autobiography, and uses them to make sutures between, across and among autobiographical narratives' (Intimate Empire 204)".

I also like this definition by Richard A Stoddart and Teresa Kiser in Poletti's book [pg 27]
"Zines are a written product of the human need for self-expression. Beyond that, zines are hard to define."

on page 7-8, Poletti gives Duncombe's list for a 'zine taxonomy'. I thought this was very similar to the original definitions of video blogs when they'd first started (video blogs came after zines of course!) - my attempt was this video blog mind map before I realised it was crazy to try and define all the combinations - a simple all encompassing definition of 'video on a blog' was more appropriate, and did it matter anyway.. every now and then the videoblogging list starts up a new 'what is a video blog' thread - I suppose it is the same for all sub-communities that are less commonly known / new. the response below also reminds me of the videoblogging list arguments towards a simpler definition (or no definition), and at least a step away from a taxonomy.

"genres of zines: fanzines (broken down into subcategories by subject, that is music and sports), political zines, personal zines, scene zines (covering local and community events in the zinester's area), network zines (which review zine publications), fringe culture zines (covering UFOs, conspiracy theories and so on), religious zines, vocational zines (detailing 'life on the job'), health zines, sex zines, travel zines, comix, literary zines, art zines and 'the rest'"

... "the collapse of Duncombe's taxonomy into 'the rest - a large category' underscores the futility of attempting to solidify or organise a definition of zines based on their content. As Kirsty Leishman argues: 'Duncombe's work reveals that zines are ill contained and thus it is useful because it relieves subsequent researchers from pursuing such an arduous, yet futile, endeavour'(7)."

The phone chat is split into two parts & hosted on archive.org

part 1 archive.org page, where you can select the format to listen or download the mp3 via direct link

part 2 archive.org page, where you can select the format to listen / download or download the mp3 via direct link

I had written a profile for Robin on www.pulseradio.net years ago, but unfortunately I don't have a copy any more.

I love music by bluetech and have been listening to it a lot whilst in Israel having bought a few of his cds from the music stores here and ripped them to my laptop. his music is available on aleph - zero label and he's remixed other great artists such as Shulman & Pitch Black.

his website says "my name is evan. i make sounds. rivers of music ancient & delicate flow through me.". he has 3 myspace pages for the different artist names he uses : bluetech, evan bartholomew, evan marc

Erik Davis is an award-winning journalist, independent scholar, and "performance lecturer" based in San Francisco. He is the author, most recently, of The Visionary State: A Journey through California's Spiritual Landscape, with photographs by Michael Rauner. He also wrote Led Zeppelin IV and TechGnosis: Myth, Magic, and Mysticism in the Age of Information, the latter a cult classic of visionary media studies that has been translated into five languages. His essays on art, music, technoculture, and contemporary spirituality have appeared in over a dozen books, including AfterBurn: Reflections on Burning Man, Zig Zag Zen, The Disinformation Book of Lies, 010101: Art in Technological Times (SFMOMA), and Prefiguring Cyberculture. Davis has contributed articles and essays to a variety of publications, including Bookforum, ArtForum, Salon, Blender, the LA Weekly, and the Village Voice. For many years he was a contributing writer at Wired, and he is now the editor-at-large for Evolver magazine.

A vital speaker, Davis has given talks at universities, media art conferences, and festivals around the world. He has taught workshops and seminars at the UC Berkeley, the California Institute of Integral Studies, the New York Open Center, and Esalen. He was one of the original minds behind Planetwork, an organization devoted to cross-fertilizaing information technology and global ecology, and continues to bring these passions to bear on the Evolver Project. He has been interviewed by CNN and the BBC, and appeared in Craig Baldwin's underground film, the SciFi media critique Specters of the Spectrum. He occasionally plays guitar in front of microphones.

-- bio from the techgnosis website

The second edition of the Streaming Festival ended on the 28th of October 2007.

The festival broadcasted four programs; documentary, fiction, animation and art plus three special programs.
Composed by the KAN festival was a special program presenting a select number of films including films from Agnieszka Smoczynska, Anna Maszczynska and Anna Pankiewicz.

CultureTV brought a special program with selected international video art works. Including works from Pipilotti Rist, Grimanesa Amoros, Gaelle Denis and Bathtime in Clerkenwell by Alex Budovsky.
Visit : www.culturetv.tv

Isfth broadcasted in a special program films from James Harvey, The City of Photographers by Sebastian Moreno and four recent works from Dré Didderiëns www dredidderiens nl. This program was curated by Mak Kapetanovic.

We screened 18 hours of independent films from more than 100 filmmakers from over 20 different countries. The Festival was proud to present these films and their makers to you.

Watch the video

a chat with Richie, from Melbourne band / crew WD40, who builds sound toys and instruments for outdoor parties and festivals - for both kids and adults. he discusses his thoughts on the importance of play. midway through some people walk past and one starts playing a piano down the other end of the room so there was a nice chat about instruments and the piano Richie has at home.

TAIYO is an electronic music collaboration encompasing live trip-hop, trance, drum 'n' bass, acid house, DJs and sound engineers. Based in Brisbane, Australia. visit http://www.systemrecords.com.au for more details (old site is http://www.taiyo.thehub.com.au )

Mashed up & glitch songs, combining different pop songs and distorting them has become popular of late and one of Australia's most well-known artist is DSICO and the label SPASTICATED RECORDS. On today's briz:b:e:a:t:s we highlight some of the tracks that have been cut-up by the artists, including some from the infamous "Ministry of Shit" release which has caused quite a stir with the legal department of UK's Ministry of Sound. Just goes to show how far a small-run independant release can go. Artists featured on the label include Girl Talk, DSICO, AC/3P, Mark N, 7u?, DJ Smallcock, Toecutter, Ascdi, Wobbly, Skkatter, Knifehandchop & Kevin Blechdom, DSP Wanker and Trotters.
listen to this showMashed up & glitch songs, combining different pop songs and distorting them has become popular of late and one of Australia's most well-known artist is DSICO and the label SPASTICATED RECORDS. On today's briz:b:e:a:t:s we highlight some of the tracks that have been cut-up by the artists, including some from the infamous "Ministry of Shit" release which has caused quite a stir with the legal department of UK's Ministry of Sound. Just goes to show how far a small-run independant release can go. Artists featured on the label include Girl Talk, DSICO, AC/3P, Mark N, 7u?, DJ Smallcock, Toecutter, Ascdi, Wobbly, Skkatter, Knifehandchop & Kevin Blechdom, DSP Wanker and Trotters.

Tune in to listen to Spasticated Records original songs plus the infamous versions of tracks by artists such as Nelly, Beyonce, Kylie, Madonna, Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, Nirvana, J.Lo + more

listen to this show via archive.org page

:::

[briz:b:e:a:t:s]
this saturday from 11am-midday [AEST/sydney/brisbane]
http://www.pulseradio.net

On today's show I'll be stepping back in time to feature SURGEON's 1996 'Balance' album. Being a favourite techno artist of many Pulse crew and regulars, it's time to play the album in full and share it with others. Also on today's show I'll be featuring Sydney band EZMERELDA - just in time for their single and film clip launch 'Moment of weakness' being held at the Annandale Tuesday 9th December.

::: SURGEON :::
http://www.dj-surgeon.com/

DJ and producer, Surgeon aka Anthony Child has released on many of the respected techno labels including Dynamic Tension, Tresor, Counterbalance, Downwards as well as many others. He's remixed for Dave Clarke, Hardfloor, The Advent, Pacou + more. Surgeon also tours as 'British Murder Boys' with Regis - they have released an EP on Counterbalance called 'Don't give way to fear' (out in November) and have been busily touring this year. Keep an eye out for more great things..

::: EZMERELDA :::
http://www.ezmerelda.com.au

Ezmerelda is a Sydney based independant outfit with female vocals, beautiful guitars and energetic, passionate, well-crafted songs with a social conscience and soul. Two girls (Tammy Ingram - lead vox/guitar and Deb Spinocchia - Drums, two guys (Craig 'Hip' Schablon- bass and Oli Allard - lead guitar) great songs! Think PJ Harvey, Bettie Seveert and Deadstar.

'Moment of weakness' is the follow up single to their debut album '11:11' and was mixed by Jonathan Burnside (Nirvana, Melvins, Grinspoon, Depeche Mode, Oscarlima etc) and promises to be a sonic feast for new listeners and old fans alike. (from MGM release Nov3, 2003)

Ezmerelda has also staged many of their own headline shows at various Sydney venues including The Annandale, The Cat & Fiddle, The Hopetoun & Bar Broadway. No stranger to the road, Ezmerelda toured to Woolongong, Newcastle, Canberra, Brisbane, Melbourne and most stops along the way during April/May 2003. They continue to go where some bands fear to tread!

Ezmerelda are playing at The Annandale Hotel (cnr Nelson & Parramatta Roads, Annandale, Sydney) on Tuesday 9th November supported by Amaya with visuals by video artist Kate Murphy. They will be launching the 'Moment of Weakness' single and film clip. Visit http://www.ezmerelda.com.au for more info.

listen to this show via archive.org page

briz:b:e:a:t:s ::: today's show features music from Trapazoid + Tim Kochbriz:b:e:a:t:s
08/11/2003

Trapazoid + Tim Koch

Trapazoid is Matt Trapnell of the popular song "Ella's Uncle" fame. This song brought Trapazoid to the public's attention with it's jazz guitar and harmonica playing. http://www.trapazoid.com is his site - you can download songs and find out more about the artist.

Tim Koch is well known in ambient and IDM based electronic music circles. He now runs a couple of labels - Surgery Records
http://www.surgeryrecords.com.au/profile_timkoch.html has more details, links and a list of his recent albums

listen to this show via archive.org page

briz:b:e:a:t:s ::: today's show features music from The Wire Tapper 10 + Benny Benassi presents Hypnotic the bizbriz:b:e:a:t:s
01/11/2003

The Wire Tapper 10 + Benny Benassi

The Wire Tapper 10 is a cd distributed with The Wire magazine - more information at The Wire's website

Benny Benassi's album was a hit in 2003 with songs being featured on Australian beer tv commercials and played in the clubs. more information and sounds can be found at Benny Benassi's website

listen to this show via archive.org page

TKCB - Its Not a Drug, It's a Light Show

Travelling KaleidoscopiK Candle Bonanza, or Damo as he is known by his friends has being hiding behind the scenes in Brisbane for longer than most of us have being listening. Specializing in light as an artistic medium, Damo started out by doing "cans" and "spots" for some of Brisbane's more rock and punk orientated bands before moving into rave and dance culture. Responsible for many shows at some of Brisbane's earliest "old school" parties, he programmed lights and rigged bank upon bank of strobe and other rave orientated effects at parties such as NASA, Creation, Adrenalin and Black Out at venues such as The Site, B.E.C (Nasa/Adrenalin) and The Roxy.

[briz:b:e:a:t:s] ::: this week's show features music from Labrats and the Beat and Squelch 02 release[briz:b:e:a:t:s]
25/10/2003

listen to this show via archive.org page

Labrats and Beat and Squelch 02

2008 update :
information about Labrats can be found at the Combat Wombat website
there's also a great interview at Insurgency Cynema site

Combat Wombat's bio - from the elefant traks - Combat Wombat media kit :

COMBAT WOMBAT
UNSOUND $YSTEM

Introducing the second album from Combat Wombat: Unsound $ystem an album
set to drop a political bomb on these conservative times. Armed with only
samplers, mics and turntables, powered by solar energy and an uncompromising
belief in 'truth' over 'spin', these desert nomads are the real deal, creating an
album that reflects the frontline activism they have become famous for.

Unsound $ystem is a bullet to the dark heart of the Australian psyche.

Sonically rugged and funky, Monkeymarc’s beats draw their influence from '70s
reggae, Public Enemy's Bomb Squad and the golden era hiphop of the early
1990s. The album moves from A-grade head thunkin' hiphop to seriously heavy
dub reggae, all laced with relevant and politically charged vocals and samples,
with ARIA award winning DJ Wasabi providing cuts.

MC Elf Tranzporter (ex Metabass 'n Breath) flows marvelously throughout the
album, rhyming with the gift of enviable flexibility. MC Izzy's approach is the
perfect contrast: her stand and deliver take-no-prisoners approach, injects
high-spirited passion into the mix. Together they add a potent combination of
hiphop, ragga and punk political flows.

Unsound $ystem delves into issues of national identity, the government's treatment
of refugees, Indigenous sovereignty, US military force and uranium mining
with a sense of urgency that is balanced by Combat Wombat's ability to turn
words into action. They’ve brought in some high profile friends including
Ozi Batla (The Herd) and Seed MC (TZU) for the ride.

At Combat Wombat's core is the Lab Rats Solar Sound System, which was
formed at the Jabiluka uranium mine protests in 1998. Monkeymarc and MC Izzy
are Australian pioneers utilising vegetable oil conversions for diesel engines
(which will also fuel their upcoming national tour). Their fully equipped mobile
studio runs off the solar panels on the van's roof, and Unsound $ystem was
written and recorded using this same eco-friendly energy.

Unsound $ystem is a step forward for Combat Wombat, mixed and mastered at
the ever impressive Containers Studio in Melbourne. The end result is a beautifully
packaged rich sounding CD made of completely recyclable material, and for the
vinyl lovers, a double LP available shortly after CD release.

briz:b:e:a:t:s ::: today's show features music from DJ Tr!p and BOTY 2003 BBoy Beats n Breaks Annual
briz:b:e:a:t:s
18/10/2003

DJ Tr!p and BOTY 2003 BBoy Beats n Breaks Annual

2008 update :
bio via http://www.djtrip.finder.net.au

DJ TR!P is an independent electronic musician who creates & composes for an eclectic range of projects. TR!P performs his music live & also works as a DJ, remix artist, workshop tutor & composer for theatre, dance, film & radio.

briz:b:e:a:t:s ::: this week's show features music from The New Pollutants & Slower than Light
briz:b:e:a:t:s 11/10/2003

The New Pollutants & Slower than Light

2008 update :
info about D Tr!p from The New Pollutants can be found here

:::

Tracklisting

briz:b:e:a:t:s ::: today's show features a couple of DNB sets from Brisbane DJ Shards
briz:b:e:a:t:s 27/09/2003

today's show features a couple of DNB sets from Brisbane DJ Shards
http://www.myspace.com/d_appleseed

Tracklisting

briz:b:e:a:t:s ::: today's show features music by Brisbane based artists Jandy Rainbow and Paul Abadtoday's show features music by Brisbane based artists Jandy Rainbow
and Paul Abad

briz:b:e:a:t:s @ www.pulseradio.net
also broadcast via QUT's EMIT radio, http://emit.qut.com
[internet radio show]
[saturdays 10am-midday: brisbane & sydney time]
[http://groups.yahoo.com/group/brizbeats for show details & maillist]

saturday 6th September 2003

Now that Spring has finally made it, it's time to shake off those
winter woolies and hit the dance floor - and to what better
soundtrack than one of my faourites from Brisbane the "Travellers" album by
Jandy Rainbow. http://www.soundhive.com.au/jandy/ for more info as well as
details of her more recent release H.2.Oscillate.

2008 update : Jandy Rainbow is now part of the band illume in essence and can be found @ http://www.myspace.com/illumeinessence

briz:b:e:a:t:s - this week's show features Macromantics album "heart over mind over matter"
listen to this show

http://www.macromantics.com.au

photos from Ladies First, female hip hop night @ Bar Broadway, Sydney, 15/05/2003

bio from http://www.macromantics.com.au/bio.php (09/09/2008)
Out of Melbourne Australia, Macromantics is one girl with a lot to say - Romy Hoffman.