Green & Gold vol. 2

29 Feb 2012 — Holly Friedlander Liddicoat

If there’s anything my experience as a music blogger has taught me, it is that people can make fantastic music no matter what their background or locale, or whether they are under the strict umbrella of management or tied to a label of any sorts. This, of course, has been understood and recognised for years before I landed amongst the musings of online publication, however, it is important to emphasise that a multitude of uninhibited and sincere sounds can be found if one chooses to look for them. So today I have decided to bring to you the most secret of Australian gems – all the shiny $2 dollar coins you find tucked inconspicuously between couch cushions. Delving straight into a city that perhaps, unfairly, has been dubbed the unlikeable relative by the ‘cool’ coastly cousins, Adelaide has had to struggle more than most to create a platform for their producers. An honest example of Adelaide’s hard-working, barrier breaking music comes from Gab Strum aka Japanese Wallpaper. At only 15 years of age (yes!), Strum has managed to put out a handful of dreamy soundscapes and remixes for the pleasure and critic of the ever-intangible Online Community. This is his latest, a staccato-like interpretation of Bon Iver’s “Woods”. Bon Iver – Woods (Japanese Wallpaper Remix) Moving in a sweeping northeast direction now, we travel to the Gold Coast, home to many a tanned beach-goer and the central party destination for the end of high school festivities. Nestled amongst the beautiful and the beer bongs, solo producer Jaocb Rohde delves into an expanse of electronic sounds. This track, Buzzin, is from his latest Moving Colour EP, relying more on his production skills than his vocals like in Lovers or I Get This Feeling. Jacob Rohde – Buzzin Sailing now down into Sydney, Jake Antoun sets up shop as soloist Silica Cove. Amongst the jittery beats and vocal snips, Antoun harnesses the essence of waves crashing into the shore combined with lost musings of bewildered teenage souls. Lather that all in gallons of ambience and you have Set Sail; the second song from this 18-year-old’s self-titled EP. Silica Cove – Set Sail While Oliver Tank is Sydney’s new poster boy for electronica, releasing a string of more than favourable releases and being interviewed last week on Earmilk, there are a few equally as talented producers who have remixed his work. On one hand there is the mysterious True North (who producers stunning solo work) and on the other there is the crazy talented BASKE (his remix of Bon Iver’s Perth you definitely can’t go without hearing). All in all though, there is definitely something bubbling in Sydney’s water. Here is MONAS’ interpretation of Tank’s Embrace. Laminating a splatter of pan flute with his glitchy signature style, MONAS is definitely one to keep an eye on. Oliver Tank – Embrace (MONAS Remix) Phondupe is a duo that has kept somewhat under the radar despite a few plugs from the good people over at FBi Radio. Slowly building in an acoustic manner, harrowing vocals turn into a delectable beat overlayed by looping vocals in their monstrous track (in both title and length) Hideyoshi's Seven Skillful Spearmen of Shizugatake. With houses/residencies/beds/etc in both Sydney and New York, it might explain their musical absence over the past few months, but hopefully that is soon to change. Phondupe - Hideyoshi's Seven Skillful Spearmen of Shizugatake Ending out this month’s Green & Gold is something a bit more quiet and a lot more magical hailing from the quiet region of Geelong. Thomas Guida is Leaks, a soul nurturing and ambient teen, whose music looks like this. Stranger here is his latest, a lo-fi bedroom number which breathes as his vocals slowly dissipate to leave only sound. Leaks - Stranger In a country so geographically large, it can be difficult to bring creative people together, to find an avenue for your voice, for your talent, or just to have a space of your own to share your wonders. With each state acting sometimes more like a separate country rather than a friendly neighbour, the ability to unify on one single platform is challenging to say the least. Continuing however, at the fabulous rate we're going at, one day soon we will be able to come together and truly present ourselves to the rest of the world. Download the mixtape below.