CIRCA 1979: SIGNAL TO NOISE
‘Signal to noise’ is often used to describe how much static or unwanted information clouds the main flow. So, in a web forum, it’s a meaningless diversion – like, spam. Musically, it denotes the ratio of desired to undesired sound – like, Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony to the five jackhammers outside. While all things are equal in love and music, and one person’s Crazy Frog is another’s Kumbaya, it is hard to deny that popular music is generally thought of as Signal, and experimental, rule-breaking sound as Noise. Circa 1979: Signal to Noise is an attempt to reverse the ratio by focusing on a time in Australia’s budding electronica musical scene between 1979 and 1985, through a series of talks and exclusive screenings. “Looking back at this period of time, it seems very mysterious, and it wasn’t very well documented,” says Tom Ellard, a member of seminal group Severed Heads. He resists any claims of nostalgia, citing the current popularity of electro-based bands like the Presets and Cut Copy as why we are now seeking out our non-rock roots. “It’s an archaeological experiment. When you dig into the ground, you find these artefacts, mummies, bars of gold – they’re digging through the noise to try and find the signal. It seems homely to me, but it seems almost exotic to them.” By ‘them’, Ellard means Modular Records, those pulling the strings behind both Circa 1979 as well as bands like the Presets and the minds of a generation increasingly looking outside the straight-and-narrow sound box. He describes the time as one where people realised, “Hey, there are no rules! You can do whatever you want, it doesn’t matter if someone’s not playing drums!”, an ethos that formed the foundation for a post-punk revolution conducted from the couches of inner-city Sydney. The program includes a keynote address and concert by Velvet Underground icon John Cale (Jan 15), a performance by Severed Heads at the Becks Bar on Jan 14, as well as a suite of free talks at the Seymour Centre on the 16th. Ellard will be taking part in the Experimental Video screening as well as the Postmodern vs. Modern debate, at which he promises to be as difficult and abusive as possible. “I want cream pies on stage … I will antagonistically insist on progress. Futurists talked and talked and produced very little, but all their talk inspired things. We will make fools of ourselves, but hopefully also inspire!” Which sounds like some signal and noise in one.
Jan 14 Severed Heads @ Becks Bar, Jan 15 John Cale keynote @ Seymour Centre, Jan 16 free talks @ Seymour Centre, Jan 16 John Cale concert @ Enmore Theatre, free-$95 (whole Circa package), modularpeople.com/circa1979/
