Design and Music

After a hectic weekend, seeing Trevor Jackson, Aireoplane and Yen at Hyde Park Barracks and ducking into the back of a Spanish club to check out Shit Robot the night after, I thought I would post up a some articles from couple of other places to complete the rainy Sunday afternoon here in Sydney. With Australia day around the corner and your sick day notice in for tomorrow, no doubt, I'm sure some reading is in order.


While talking with some friends over the weekend the notion of design and music seems to be more prevalent today then ever. Designers and musicians, especically electronic musicians, seem to go hand in hand. Whether its cover art, web site design, graphic design or even the live visuals associated with a DJ act its seems the visual component is a side that can be skilfully used to 'enhance' the music; show a different aspect or perspective. While many people, at first, may just see the swirling live visuals as some sort of way to further trip out drunken (alcohol or otherwise) people the visual component is as much a valid art form as the music itself and needs to be taken more seriously in my opinion.

Becks festival bar was graced with the edgy visuals of VJ Morph which in many ways perfectly complemented the edgier sounds of spaced out disco coming from the time-code vinyls of Trevor Jackson. While in the background saw visuals projected onto the old Sydney Barracks building of which some were designed by visual artist, Julapy. Check it out below, but much of his designs come from code, rather than sampled visuals.

pachinko_02 from lukasz on Vimeo.

Ghostly International is another electronic label known for some unique and defined visuals. Cover art or live much of it is directed and created by Michael Cina who's work extends far and beyond that of underground music labels. Have a read of the interview with him below to gain some insight into this much overlooked industry.

Michael Cina: The Ghostly designer and type wrangler talks about the cosmos, getting loose, and Led Zeppelin.


Back to music, I can safely say Trevor Jackson at Hyde Park Barracks last Friday pumped out some great house and new disco. Steering away from the obvious, going down the slightly gritty but keeping it lively it was a set that was happily lapped up by everyone. Have a read of Dr Tad's review below;

Disco Dissertation: Stunning Output (Review of Future Classic Night with Trevor Jackson)

Culturally Vivid

Photos by Belinda Rolland

If your in Sydney the next month then your surely in for a cultural-treat, with our new winter festival of light and music VIVID Sydney (the biggest of its kind in the Southern Hemisphere!) accompanying Luminous at the Opera House as well as Creative Sydney kicking off this year for the first time we have quite a lot going down. Oh and I nearly forgot this weekend with We Love Sounds winter music festival featuring many a talented techno artist as well as the huge Sydney Film Festival touching down next week I could easily go out every night of the week doing something completely different.

Usually such festivities are reserved for our summer days but I think people have caught on to the fact that winter down-under (well in Syd anyway) really inst that cold or bad.

Without a doubt there are some really exciting events going down at the Opera House. Brian Eno seems to be the lips of every media station as he has being brought down to curate the first Luminous Winter Music Festival for the Opera House. While at first hearing this many were surprised and impressed at his appointment, in fact the entire Luminous festival as a whole, however it has not being with out controversy with some creative and art companies protesting to the fact that very few of them have being hired, consulted or included in the festival. Not that I'm against Opera House hiring over-seas talent, very much the opposite, I believe Sydney as city constantly looks outward for inspiration from all corners of the globe but I cant help but feel this inaugural Luminous festival does feel like something on the 'outside' or a festival being presented to us rather than being fully part of the city and its people. However Brian Eno did apparently tackle this issue head on in his opening speech a few days ago at the Opera House asking us the very question as to what purpose art serves and how should it be 'properly' incorporated into society and events. Regardless of these protests I still think the festival is an extremely bold one with some really great musicians booked as well as Local bands booked for support, to cut the guy a little a slack it is only the first year of this festival and assuming all goes well I would imagine there would be a lot of changes for next years instalment already. If you dont already know there are some extreamly unique performances going down from Jon Hopkins, Ladytron, Battles all of which have their own special additions making these gigs by no means 'standard-performances'.

Something else that has intrigued me greatly is the Creative Sydney FREE series of talks and presentations tackling issues that artists and people in the 'creative-industries' face every day such as funding, getting sponsorship, getting the right crowd and the like while also exploring the citys creative side and its people. Its something I and friends can easily relate to running a small club night, Space Cadets, as well as friends of mine involved in much larger events and festivals all of whom face these problems. I can easily say such a festival is well over-due with some of Asia's largest creative-companies being based in Sydney and Melbourne. The city is an extremely creative one when you look at it on a whole and such a festival will give this side of the city and its people a much needed 'face' to the 'general' public while hopefully encouraging more creative thinkers to come out of hiding.

Just some of the events I'm looking forward too:

• Electronica wizard Jon Hopkins 6th-7th June @ Opera House
• Lee Perry 11th June @ Opera House
  
• 77 Million Paintings by Brain Eno now-21st June @ Opera House, free entry
• Money Who has it and how you can get it! Thurs 4th June @ MCA - Creative Sydney talks, free entry
• Notes From The Underground Fri 5th @ MCA
• Art 2.0: Future of Art and Technology Fri 12th June @ MCA - Free

Vivid Sydney/Luminous Music Festival website
Creative Sydney website


Videos:


Check out our past guest VJ at Space Cadets, Lukas aka Julapy, own visual installation as part of the creative sydney launch!

Vivid Sydney has transformed the city into a spectacular living canvas of music and light in and around the Sydney Opera House, Museum of Contemporary Art, The Rocks, Circular Quay and the city centre. Make sure you get check out the following festivals that are all part of Vivid until June 14:

- Luminous, a music festival at Sydney Opera House curated by Brian Eno

- Smart Light Sydney, including a free 'Light Walk' illuminating the city with stunning low energy light art installations

- Fire Water, a free event featuring three nights of flame, food and spectacle in The Rocks

- Creative Sydney, a series of talks, showcases and performances

Another big festival coming up June 3-14 is Sydney Film Festival - the program is full of fantastic flicks so if you're a film buff be sure to get along. Then there's the Darling Harbour Jazz and Blues Festival plus countless arts events from both local and international companies… We really are spoilt for choice this June.

Plug N Play AV-VJ Social

Loving the idea of VJ jams as it creates the perfect environment forVJs to get in contact, builds the scene and transfer of ideas of this relativley new art form. With presentation from Morph one of/if not Australias most well known VJ as well as past Space Cadet VJs Darko showing off some of his new gear and Julapy with a audio-reactive demostration. Should be a very interesting night!