Creative Practices in Australian Techno and other Electronica : a Folio of Original Compositions and Supporting Documentation

Fred Cole

This thesis consists of a creative folio of eight original compositions, and a written component. This documents the creative process and includes a critical survey of commercially released Australian electronica CDs as well as a study of the creative practices of Australian electronica artists. The first track of godfish: electronica 1, carsover, is a minimalist trance composition incorporating various automobile samples, using only four basic elements and developing each element solely by means of repetition, volume balance and timbral change. The second composition, burn (k'ai), is based around a slowed-down sample loop of a laser-gun blast sound effect, and incorporates quasi-baroque interludes, breath percussion, and a driving techno pulse. The final track on electronica 1 is batsymphony, an extended soundscape which explores the interplay between an electronic interpretation of the chaotic sound of bat-screeching and wing-flapping with field recordings of a bat colony, sparse choral jazz harmony and Mongolian horse-viele samples. godfish:electronica 2 commences with intrigue, which consists of a static, flowing sixteen bar sequencer loop containing five discrete elements, each of which ebbs and flows through the mix while being fed through various effects, gates and filters. The next track, hop hip, explores the interface between various gemes, using a bed of solid breakbeats and incorporating elements of jazz fusion, dub production techniques, and free improvisation. The last three tracks are the product of a collaboration with DJ Paul Chambers. The whole of the track astr*Lanarchy was created from a driving trance techno beat combined with a funky electro bass and a single analogue synthesiser loop which cycles through extreme timbral change and textural colour by means of inserted MIDI program-change commands. The next work, L*emental, makes use of a rhythm track, which slowly increases in intensity, as a backdrop to two sinewy lead synth ostinatos with constantly varying filter characteristics alongside gated, sampled special effects noises. The final track of the electronica project, heavymet*L, pushes the boundaries of timbre exploration and tone colour to a new level, starting with an original two-minute harmonically-shifting electronic drone, combined with jungle-influenced reakbeats, and evolves into a heavy-metal inspired riff which gradually dissolves into a chaotic mesh of shifting ostinatos, rhythms and frequencies. In the written documentation component, the Introduction details the candidate's early musical training and influences, gives an account of his Honours-year creative work and presents a background to the current project. Chapter Two, the literature review, focuses on studies of Australian electronica and on studies of electronica in general. It is confined to literature dealing with genres such as techno, electro, trance, house and experimental electronica, because this study is primarily concerned with purely instrumental electronic composition. In Chapter Three, a background to creative arts research practice is given and compared with specific types of traditional research. This is followed by an account of the methods and processes used in this creative project and its documentation. In Chapter Four the styles and sub genres of Australian Electronica are defined, and conclusions are derived from the CD database to be found in Appendix One. The formulation of questions for a survey of Australian techno composers is explained, with the data derived from the resultant interview database being analysed in the following fourteen categories: electronica styles, work practices, methods, experimentation, musical training, equipment, sounds, computer techniques, collaboration, marketing, live performance, DJing, illegal drug use and contemporary relevance. The creation and analysis of each of the original techno compositions that makes up this project is documented in Chapter Five. Aspects of the compositional process such as sound selection, creation and manipulation, textural and structural organisation, the special uses of music computer applications and related technologies, and the nature of the collaborative process (where relevant) are discussed. This is followed by Chapter Six, Conclusions, which summarises the creative and documentation aspects of the project. The thesis concludes with a Bibliography, a Discography, a Glossary and six Appendices. Appendix One contains a summary of a survey of commercially released CDs of Australian electronica. Appendices Two, Three and Four are third party accounts of either collaborations or memorable events pe1taining to the thesis, Appendix Five is a compilation of equipment distribution statistics, and lastly Appendix Six lists other occupations held by electronica exponents.

Creative Practices in Australian Techno and other Electronica : a Folio of Original Compositions and Supporting Documentation

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Creative Practices in Australian Techno and other Electronica : a Folio of Original Compositions and Supporting Documentation

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