“A Conduit” reviewed by Noise Not Music

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At the heart of Clinton Green’s latest is the humbly bewitching sound of several broken Walkmans looping over themselves and each other in a jittery, microscopic dance. According to the Shame File star himself, “Loose internal speakers from the Walkmans are positioned between the spindle and play-head. The parts cling together magnetically, yet are agitated by the turning spindle, creating not-quite-regular rhythms punctuated by magnetic/electronic interference.” It’s an approach that has a lot of potential despite its minimalism, a potential that is explored in depth throughout. But in a surprising turn of events (literally; beware the jump scare), the textures and twitches of the miniature motorized network are just one element of A Conduit, especially in eclectic opener “Allegations of Ventriloquism.” I already thought it was a great title, but the lengthy track—described as “a psychodrama; an opera”—delves into said allegations in  a much more concrete manner than I expected, introducing a paranoid narrative via beamed-in speech scraps (provided by Michael McNab, Allan Stewart, Michael Zulicki, and Green himself), slurred tape delirium, and abstract turntable tactility. This last element acts as a kind of structural glue for the loose-strung collage, harmonizing with the miniscule rattle of the Walkmans as the skips and clunks respond to the bass and color of the sampled bits. The much briefer “Emucounter” is stripped down but no less mysterious, bringing the unmistakable buzz of an electromagnetic swarm to the foreground while guitars and reeds cavort upstage. And “Stopcock (Alleged)” is an almost scientific meditation, examining the effects of different placement configurations in a patient lead-up to a twist ending. I would be interested to hear a release that focused on the Walkmans on their own, but they also work so well here as both vital organ and connective tissue. – Noise Not Music

A Conduit is out now on Shame File Music

“A Conduit” out now (CD and digital)

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A Conduit consists of three linked works honed from Green’s recent explorations of broken Walkmans playing themselves.

Loose internal speakers from the Walkmans are positioned between the spindle and play-head. The parts cling together magnetically, yet are agitated by the turning spindle, creating not-quite-regular rhythms punctuated by magnetic/electronic interference. Green gently nurtures this kinetic and sonic phenomena by changing the positioning of the Walkmans, and applying subtle EQ and effects. The musical results are accompanied by episodes of aleatorically-constructed cassette collages, processed text and turntables.

“I feel this is quite a different direction in some ways; broken Walkmans playing themselves and inviting you to (sorta) dance” – Clinton Green (on A Conduit).

Allegations of Ventriloquism – a psychodrama; an opera for Walkmans and turntable

Emucounter – an interlude; an encounter

Stopcock (alleged) – a valve; flow control; no outlet

Availabile now on Shame File Music digitally and on pro-produced CD with 4-panel sleeve housed in PVC sleeve. Limited edition of 100 copies.

“A Conduit” (pre-order and preview track)

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My new solo album “A Conduit” is now available here for pre-order. It will be released on limited edition CD and digitally.

The albums consists of three linked works honed from recent explorations of broken Walkmans playing themselves, along with aleatorically-constructed cassette collages, processed text and turntables.

A psychodrama…An encounter..A valve…

Preview track “Stopcock (alleged)” can be streamed now:

Quiet Noise XII

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Quiet Noise, the annual experimental backyard/house show returns for 2024, with:

  • Carolyn Connors
  • Jennifer Callaway & Clinton Green
  • Levi Liauw & Mia Alexander

Saturday 3 February, 2pm – West Footscray private residence (contact cdgsham AT gmail.com for address). Free entry, contribute $5-10 for a shared meal afterwards.

Sky Needle + Clinton Green – Long Play, Thurs 14 Sept 2023

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Sky Needle + Clinton Green

Thursday 14 September 2023, 8pm

Long Play Cinema – 318 St Georges Rd, Fitzroy North.

Tickets

Sky Needle is an improvising band that originated in Brisbane in 2009, taking its name from the ‘sky needle’, an architectural oddity built by the Japanese pavilion for Expo 88, which remained abandoned for many years. Mainstays of the group have been Sarah Byrne, Alex Cuffe, and Joel Stern, joined over the years by Ross Manning, Michael Donnelly, Glen Schenau, Daniel Jenatsch, and Alan Nguyen amongst others. The band’s performances feature an array of self-made and invented instruments, including ‘leg horns’, ‘speaker box bass’, and ‘the plank’. Sky Needle’s sound is difficult to place but instantly recognizable; a confounding and detuned hybrid of rhythm, noise, repetition, and wordless vocalization that oscillates between broken motorik grooves and psychological collapse. Since its formation, Sky Needle has released various LPs, 7″s, and tapes, including works such as “Rave Cave” (Negative Guest List), “Debased Shapes” (Bruit Direct Disques), “Neckliner” (Albert’s Basement), and “Acid Perm” (Nihilistic Orbs). The band has performed extensively across Australia, Indonesia, and Europe.

Clinton Green is an Naarm/Melbourne-based experimental musician who has worked with hacked and faulty equipment and idiophones, including turntables, bowed metal and telephone pole infrastructure. His latest work involves drawing rhythmic minimalist music from decrepit Walkmans playing parts of themselves.

Long Play – Thurs 10 August 2023

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Clinton Green presents a new work for sound generated from the insides of broken Walkmans.

Jasmin Wing-Yin Leung plays various huqin (erhu, zhonghu, yehu), presents material from her ‘Fishing Songs’ series – fingertip precision, patience, and Cantonese folk aesthetics.

Studio Norwood Lab (Colin Hodson) debuts a new instrument that detournes the bicycle as a sonic object.

Long Play, 318 St Georges Road, Fitzroy North – $15 on the door.