I’ve been a music fan all of my sentient life.
“After silence, that which comes nearest to expressing the inexpressible is music.”
The photo above of my vinyl collection was taken when I moved my studio out of warehouse space, at Ropa Lane in Maupuia, Miramar. Lots of dub reggae, electronic, drum & bass, OSTs and much sample-worthy weirdness!
At least one entire row is a huge Library Music collection, which I saved from being dumped when the National Film Unit closed down. ‘Music for Oceangraphic Documentaries’ is a favourite. Theres also some weird early electronic mini-scores…
I’ll see if I can write my history as a music fan, in chronological order…
TBW
First Musical Touchstones
As a little kid growing up in rural Canterbury, watching Doctor Who on a black & white Tv would be the first interesting music & sounds that I ever heard. I don’t know how my little brain would have assimilated Delia Derbyshire’s brilliant theme music but I love her work and the ideas behind the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.
DR WHO THEME
Making Of DR WHO THEME
Once each of us kids reached High School age, we went to a boarding school in Christchurch. My older brother began bringing home tapes like the Rolling Stones & Pink Floyd, and while hearing extreme stereo panning on PFs ‘Money’ for the first time is permanently etched into my psyche, none of that straight ahead rock music really appealed. My brother was also into early Taking Heads but one time brought home a tape of their new album, saying he didn’t like it much as it was too weird. I took one listen and was like wow!!
We’re talking 1980 since thats when Talking Heads – Remain in Light was released. And when My Life in the Bush of Ghosts was released the following year I was totally & utterly fascinated by it.
TALKING HEADS – REMAIN IN LIGHT (1980)
TALKING HEADS – MY LIFE IN THE BUSH OF GHOSTS (1981)
A year or two layer, my sister started high school & she brought home a weird album that also appealed to my imagination, Laurie Anderson – Big Science (1982)
LAURIE ANDERSON – BIG SCIENCE (1982)
Once I got to High School I got into a lot of UK bands like The Clash, The Jam and some early electronic like Kraftwerk, Gary Numan, Human League, Orchestral Manoeuvres…
Once I started at University I became a fan of a lot of local bands, such as The Clean, The Great Unwashed, The Gordons, Tall Dwarfs, Nelsh Bailter Space, JPSE etc…
I remember helping set up the PA etc for a JPSE gig at University and asking what was the amazing music they played through the PA during the break…
PRINCE – SIGN OF THE TIMES
PRINCE – SIGN OF THE TIMES (1987)
Similarly while helping set up the PA etc for a gig at University on the riverbank, Andrew Penman (Salmonella Dub) put a tape on through the PA and I had to ask what was this incredible music?
CAN – EGE BAMYASI
CAN – EGE BAMYASI (1972)
Next came DUB! I was playing bass guitar in a band while at University and every time we played live, Bryce our live engineer would use some dub reggae to check the PA with…. What is this Bryce?
BLACK UHURU – ANTHEM
BLACK UHURU – ANTHEM
By 1989 I was at Film School in Christchurch and a friend at Arts School turned me on to some really deep & experimental Dub music. I became a big fan of everything On U sound.
AFRICAN HEAD CHARGE – ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
AFRICAN HEAD CHARGE – ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES (1982)