fiffdimension*, from Aotearoa / New Zealand, is an umbrella label for audiovisual projects by Dave Edwards (aka Dave Black) – solo, or in bands such as The Electricka Zoo, The Winter, Ascension Band, Gamelan Taniwha Jaya, Gamelan Padhang Moncar, The Slab Septet, and more.
Projects may include acoustic songs, spoken word, distorted postpunk, free jazz, gamelan, lo fi electronica, Eurasian folk music, 19th century ballads, video installations, or all or none of the above.
1997-2005
vol1 – songs, spoken word and improvisations from the early phase of my gloriously unsuccessful career
“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.” – The Broken Face
2005-2012
vol2 – made in New Zealand, Australia, South Korea, Thailand, Mongolia, and Japan
“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“
2012-2018
vol3 – made in New Zealand, Western Australia, Fiji, Indonesia and Okinawa
“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. – muzic.net.nz“
2019
In 2019, a work in progress is adaptations of Poems & Lyrics by my great-great-grandfather John Collie, written in Scotland in 1856.
Collaborators
Most of this music is not just a solo effort. I’ve also worked with a range of talented collaborators including (in no particular order) Mike Kingston (cello, acoustic guitar, charango), Paul Winstanley (fretless bass, turntables), Simon Sweetman (percussion), Nigel Patterson (hammond organ), Cylvi M (percussion), Simon O’Rorke (percussion, synthesiser), Francesca Mountfort (cello), Jeff Henderson (clarinet), Blair Latham (alto sax), Sam Prebble (violin, percussion), Chris Palmer (electric guitar), Chris O’Connor (drums), Antony Milton (violin, keyboards), Campbell Kneale (electric guitar, synth), Frey (laptop), Dean Brown (drums), Nat da Hatt (electric guitar, keyboards), Hayden Gifkins (electric guitar), Ryan Prebble (tone generator), Matthew Thornicroft (electric guitar), Cylvi M (vocal, field recordings, percussion, shakuhachi), Emit Snake-Beings (vocal, percussion, flute, electronics), Blair Latham (bass clarinet), Chris Prosser (violin), Julie Bevan (acoustic guitar), the Digitator (electric drums, keyboards & loops), and more…
Thank you all!
The bulk of the music is available for free downloads, and I hope you enjoy the ethnomusicological field studies and other assorted adventures shown in the videos.
This site is an online compendium of music and video projects, currently sprawled across the internet on sites like youtube, last.fm, myspace, reverbnation, jamendo and so on. It’s also interactive – please drop me a line and let me know which parts you’d like to see, hear and read more of. Thanks also for visiting!
*”fiffdimension” was originally a nickname from high school – over 20 years on I just run with it.
10/01/2015 at 2:15 am
hello,
found the name of Totara Jack claimed as you ancestor, curious ” who are you, how are you related to him????
My name is Andrew McEwen, farming in the Manawatu, Totara Jack belongs to my Mums’s family tree, he was my 2nd Great Grandfather, he had a son Thomas Edwards, who also had a son Leonard Edward Edwards, who was my granddad on my mum’s side, her dad.
Just curious, because seen you got some old photos in your collage, of Totara jack, his son Thomas Edward and his wife Philadelphia Benge, who are some of the others in the photos?? Cheers Andrew