Catalogue

2023

Assembling disconsonant

“I liked the lyrics… the the way meaning gets assembled through shattered snap shots of a picture we may never see”

Dr Emit Snake-Beings

The Troubled Times: Hill Road in Winter

“a loud and noisy nocturnal romp through the hills and onto the gravel back roads of one of Aotearoa/New Zealand’s least visited regions. All recorded ‘New Zealand style’ in [my] garage.”

Antony Milton

Poems & Lyrics by John Collie (1856)

recordings with my nephews Hans and Rhys Landon-Lane – words written by our Scottish poet ancestor John Collie;

“T’were a noble sight to see the mighty men of old, who bled that their countries might be free from the tyrants’ fatal hold – yet I’d deem it a nobler sight by far to behold the sons of the harp & lyre!

“[…] If aught can claim a spirit’s admiration, Sure it must be this beautiful creation

John Collie (1834-1893)

2022

águas brilhantes: 2018​-​2022

fiffdimension vol 4 – made in Featherston, Masterton and Suva – ft  Antony MiltonJames RobinsonDr Emit Snake-Beings, Campbell Kneale, Hans Landon-Lane, and lyrics by John Collie (1834-1893) 


“We go from bossa nova rhythms to folk to RIO to indie to, what is interesting listening if nothing else, a dog howling along to a banjo […] It is unusual to find someone playing so confidently in such diverse areas and anyone into independent music will certainly find something on here to enjoy.”

Kevin Rowland

2022′s been a productive year here… we’ve made two albums by

The Troubled Times

Masterton band ft Antony Milton , now a trio with David Heath on drums;

[send us your review]

Negentropic Diatribes – w/ James Robinson

and a multimedia spoken word + improvised music collaboration with award-winning painter James Robinson ; (a semi return to the style of my solo albums from 20 years prior)

“I like it as a intunal thoughtthread outloud with phrases that wriggle with sounds that wobble. Dave Edwards is quite good at this… and its to his professional and integrity driven playful collaborative openness that arts breathe in the smoggy clutter of the dense forest of synthetic posed narratives. Hmm, good on you guys – may th gods be with you”

James Robinson

and an album of solo instrumentals and dog duets

2021

The Troubled Times

Started as a duo with Antony Milton in Masterton, NZ

[send us your review]

Dave Black solo EP Glimpses of Utopia


subscribe to listen

2020

Ruasagavulu

by Dave Black & Snake Beings in Fiji

Made in Fiji, with Dr Emit Snake-Beings tropical avant-garde instrumentals for keyboards, ukulele, dholak, duduk, harmonicas, DIY kitchen gamelan, and video.



“So easy to get totally lost in this music, recommend for helping with your inner peace”

Andi Verse

John Collie‘s poem ‘Solitude‘, written in 1856 and recorded in 2020, also features on

Psi-solation: a global compilation of music made in lockdown

From Featherston NZ and around the world, capturing the moment the world as we knew it ended, curated by Campbell Kneale.

“Something about this global pandemic is inspiring people to create and/or curate art on a massive scale…. and this compilation, being offered for free/name-yr-price, is indeed M A S S I V E.” – Howard Seltzer

2019

Live 2019

solo acoustic set + an interview, live at Wairarapa TV and online

“Great skills and a refreshing beatnik sensibility – this is folk the way folk should be” Andi Verse

2012-2018

Other Islands: 2012-2018

vol3 – made in New Zealand, Western Australia, Fiji, Indonesia and Okinawa , by Dave Black with The Winter, The Electricka Zoo, Snake Beings, Nat da Hatt, Campbell Kneale, Gamelan Padhang Moncar, Gareth Farr and Gamelan Taniwha Jaya

“The 20 song album covers traditional Javanese and Balinese gamelan, Asia-Pacific folk music, free jazz, and free noise…. If you have an open inquiring mind and love hearing a variety of sound, this is excellent.

Darryl Baser, muzic.net.nz

w/ Campbell Kneale: A Ton of Feathers

Free noise duo with NZ’s undisputed master of the genre

The Electricka Zoo

The duo of live electronica by the Digitator, and Dave Black on bass and electric guitar (2017)

“A totally original, mind warping album that smacks you across the face with big sound…. I salute anyone that makes a whole album out of EDM post-punk avant-garde rock / jazz, reggae, Balkan, [and] Portuguese music” –

http://www.muzic.net.nz

Ngumbang

Our first collaboration with the even more legendary & underground artist Snake Beings (2015)

[send us your review]

The Winter

Wellington free improvisation trio with Simon Sweetman and Mike Kingston

“A strange sonic brew that includes dissonant rock textures, rough outsider folk-blues mysteries, electric and acoustic improvisations and a considerable part of tasty feedback. Imagine equal parts Derek Bailey, New Zealand’s Pumice and classic ’60s blues/folk and you’re in the right ballpark.”The Broken Face

in the non-idiomatic idiom in Norway

Wellington free jazz

Free (in both senses) jazz from Wellington, Aotearoa, by Dave Edwards and Simon O’Rorke with Blair Latham, Chris Prosser, Julie Bevan, and Michael Hall (1999 / 2014)

[send us your review]

in a wildflower state (Western Australia)

[send us your review]

ネオン列車の風景 Neon Train Landscapes (Japan)

Japanese psychedelic rock made by kiwi expats Dave Black & Nat da Hatt (2014)

[send us your review]

2005-2012

Fame & Oblivion: 2005-2012

vol2 – made in New Zealand, Australia, South Korea, Thailand, Mongolia, and Japan, by Dave Black with Ascension Band, The Winter, Nat da Hatt, Wellington’s Most Famous Orchestra, and Cylvi M

“Experimental and avant-garde…. There is a clear passion, and a commitment to pushing the boundaries… This will challenge your perceptions of what constitutes music and open the mind to new possibilities of sounds that surround us – muzic.net.nz

The Winter: 2011

Acoustic trio improvisations on banjo, ukulele, clarinet, piano, guitar, harmonica and percussion by Dave Edwards, Mike Kingston, and Simon Sweetman (2011)

[send us your review]

First Time Around: East Asia

Field recordings, sketches, soundscapes and stories from South Korea, Japan, Thailand, Vietnam, China and Mongolia, by Dave Black and Cylvi M (2008)

[send us your review]

First Time Around: South Korea

Field recordings, electro-acoustic ethnography, Asian industrial soundscapes from the land of morning calm – made in Suwon and Busan, South Korea, by Dave Black and Cylvi M (20072008)




[send us your review]

South Island Sessions

Steampunk folktronica from an alternate 19th century – made in Nelson, NZ by Dave Black with Cylvi M, Hayden Gifkins, Matthew Thornicroft and Frey (2006)

[send us your review]

After Maths & Sciences (Australia)

An Australian double-album novel for the ear, recorded in Melbourne VIC, and Sydney and Gosford NSW, by Dave Black with Cylvi M, Mike Kingston and Francesca Mountfort (2005-2006

“There are New Zealand artists working in this medium (Montano, Seht, Audible 3) combining concrete poetry, field recordings, found-sounds and electro-acoustic manipulations to sit as aural wallpaper, but Dave Black’s debut release (and a re-birth, if you like, for David Edwards) is an actual document – as much a post-modern piece of Performance Journalism as it is a static batch of “songs” or tracks, After Maths & Sciences is a pleasing challenge of an album. It lives up to the cliché of presenting something new with each listen,”

Simon Sweetman

Ascension Band: Evolution

Award-winning electric symphony for post-punk big-band – by organist/conductor/arranger Nigel Patterson (The Black Seeds, The Manta Rays, Fly My Pretties), guitarist & organiser Dave Edwards (fiffdimension, The Winter), and over a dozen musicians including Ryan Prebble, Bell Campanita, Warwick Donald and more on guitars, basses, drums, electronics, keyboards, trumpets and vocals (2005)

“The 50-minute piece of music, broken down into six movements, was performed live over a few nights for the Fringe Festival in 2005; the group taking out the Best Music Award.

“It was stunning. ”

Simon Sweetman

1997-2005

Gleefully Unknown: 1997-2005

vol1 – songs, spoken word and improvisations from the early phase of my gloriously unsuccessful career, by Dave Black with The Winter, Ascension Band,plus Chris O’Connor, Paul Winstanley, Simon O’Rorke, Chris Palmer, Sam Prebble, Francesca Mountfort and more

Rough outsider folk-blues mysteries, dissonant rock textures, electric and acoustic improvisations… Edwards strikes me as one of the most overlooked musicians from the fertile lands of New Zealand and if you need a fresh start this might very well be the place.” –

Mats Gustaffson, The Broken Face

Articulation Incommunicate 

 dictaphone cassette recordings, Wellington NZ, 2004 – spoken word and improvised guitar; a journey down the road not taken for New Zealand music.

[send us your review]

Loose Autumn Moans

Semi-acoustic songs orchestrated with a string section, made on all-analogue equipment in Wellington NZ, by Dave Edwards, with Sam Prebble, Mike Kingston, and Simon Sweetman (2003)

“Here Wellington, NZ composer Dave Edwards mostly goes it solo with some able assistance from duo or trio the Winter. […] verbose spoken word expositions over acoustic improvisations. Guitars, violin, cello, and percussion all stack up… He’s got a persona that’s all his own.”– George Parsons, Dream Magazine #5

The Winter: Parataxes

The Winter trio’s debut: electric and acoustic trio improvisations for guitars, cello and percussion, by Dave Edwards, Mike Kingston, and Simon Sweetman (2003) subscribe to hear, or start with the compilation

After the Filmshoot

Idiosyncratic Wellington NZ spoken word + instrumental voyages into inner space, by Dave Edwards with Simon O’Rorke (2002)

+ Mantis Shaped & Worrying

subscribe to hear, 

“spoken word and instrumental colour, with the latter lurching from acoustic strums to occasional cacophony. On the final track, ‘Revenge of the Smur‘ Edwards uses a primarily percussive accompaniment whose impact is as dramatic as his wordplay”

Real Groove

The Marion Flow

Electric and acoustic songs, spoken word and instrumentals – an almost-recognised New Zealand classic, featuring Chris O’Connor, Paul Winstanley, Simon O’Rorke, Chris Palmer, Joe Callwood, the Digitator, Steve Duffels, Dean Brown, and Brian Wafer.

Made in New Plymouth
and Wellington

It’s lo-fi, organic and about as eclectic as one could manage. Kind of reminds me of Nick Cave if he had grown up in Timaru. No pretentious American accents or catch phrase choruses, just a bunch of people making music. A little beauty!” – NZ Musician, August/September 2002

Live 1999

“If only I could play guitar like that… bastard” – Chris Knox

dAdApApA: Waiting for the Drummer

Taranaki improvised rock/noise deconstruction with sputtering synth, air-sucking turntables, didgeridoo and sundry toys providing layers of surreal abstraction, by Paul Winstanley with Dave Edwards, the Digitator, Paul Winther, and Brian Wafer (1999)

“after recording tracks for The Marion Flow at Wafer HQ in New Plymouth, an ad hoc group of associated locals assembled to record… the only rock references here come from the guitars… throw in some spoken word and a special guest appearance by N.P. record mogul Brian Wafer on vacuum cleaner and the dAdApApA nova had blazed and fizzled in the blink of an eye” – Eden Gully

Scratched Surface

The debut album – a genuine lo-fi postpunk teenage singer/songwriter artifact from the ’90s Taranaki underground, by Dave Edwards with Tim McVicar (1997-1998)

“Worth searching out coz this lo-fi singer/songwriter oddball has a unique take on the genre. He’s pissed off, a tad fucked up (as usual), but not full of lugubrious self-pity (as unusual) and is happy to get raucous & obnoxious in just the right kinda way.”

Chris Knox

…and the story goes back further, to

1856

Poems & Lyrics (in the English and Scotch Dialects) by John Collie,

a 19th century epic acoustic work-in-progress – adapted from the book, written in Scotland in 1856, by my great-great-grandfather,

in the English

and Scotch dialects

and set to music along with some of his other descendants.

Other pieces inspired by my ancestors include:

    • Fiji 1976, a soundtrack to a film by my father, Alastair Edwards (1936-2010).

“If aught can claim a spirit’s admiration, Sure it must be this beautiful creation.”

John Collie (1834-1893)

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