Two new songs are revealed from Midday Moon: Ambient and Experimental Music from Australia and New Zealand 1980-1995, including Ros Bandt’s ‘Starzones’ and John Heussenstamm’s ‘Sawan’. Midday Moon is a collection of recordings curated by Sanpo Disco, out Friday 2 November.
Ros Bandt is an internationally acclaimed sound artist, composer, researcher and scholar. Since 1977 she has pioneered interactive sound installations, sound sculptures, and created sound playgrounds, spatial music systems, and some 40 sound installations worldwide.
Ros Bandt’s compositions reflect different integrations of acoustic, live electronics and sonic manipulation, and her practice has taken numerous forms over her extensive career. On her 1989 album Stargazer, she explores the resonance of a hollow concrete cylinder situated five stories underground at Collins Place in Melbourne. The track ‘Starzones’ from this project is included here.
After working predominantly as a blues, soul and jazz guitarist in the late 80s for artists like Deniece Williams, John Heussenstamm’s music took a turn. He moved from the United States to Perth and released three ambient albums for his own record company Hammerhead.
Attempting to tap into what he felt was fundamental to his music – that ‘music is spiritual – and the more closely related to the heart it is, the more classic it becomes…it expresses something eternal.’ His contribution to this compilation, ‘Sawan’, feels like a nod to the Kosmische era, featuring a distorted guitar riff and ticking rhythm that rise above an ambience of thunder and circling seagulls.
Midday Moon is a survey of ambient and experimental music that emerged from Australia and New Zealand between 1980 and 1995. These recordings are sourced from micro-labels, private pressings, theatre soundtracks and artists’ unreleased archives.
To celebrate the release, there will be a live broadcast on Hope St Radio on November 12 at Rooftop Bar, Melbourne featuring DJ sets from Bayu, Corin, Fia Fell, Mousse, Nico Niquo, Sanpo Disco and Sui Zhen. Full details here.
Pre-order Midday Moon: https://middaymoon.lnk.to/album
Stream / purchase Ros Bandt – ‘Starzones’ here.
Stream / purchase John Heussenstamm – ‘Sawan’ here.
