in a wildflower state (Western Australia, 2013)

In late 2012, after leaving Japan, I moved to Australia for the second time - this time to Western Australia for a couple of years… in a wildflower state is a lost album - recorded in Perth WA, 2012-2014 - unreleased at the time. The music here is rustic, reflecting the vast ancient arid landscape, overlaid with … Continue reading in a wildflower state (Western Australia, 2013)

The Winter: 2003-2015

Simon Sweetman - drums, percussion Mike Kingston - guitars, cello (2-5), clarinet (7,11,14), charango (7,10) Dave Edwards - guitars, vocal (3), harmonica (4,7,9), banjo (7), ukulele (7,9,11), saxophone (10,14), piano (10), bass (12,13), electronics (6,8,13) Wellington, New Zealand,free improv music trio, formed on winter solstice day June 2003. An archive compilation, of excerpts from the … Continue reading The Winter: 2003-2015

2012

2012 part of Other Islands: 2012-2018 - a compilation of recent highlights, recorded in New Zealand, Western Australia, Fiji, Indonesia and Okinawa In 2012 I was home in New Zealand for a total of seven days, in July/August. Oherwise it was very much a year of two halves. Until the end of June I lived in … Continue reading 2012

Other Islands: 2012-2018

fiffdimension vol3 (see also Gleefully Unknown: 1997-2005 and Fame & Oblivion: 2005-2012) brings us into the current decade - with further wide-ranging experimentation and exploration sonically, temporally and geographically, in New Zealand, Western Australia, Indonesia, Okinawa (Japan), and Fiji. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTMQw7roXH0&list=PLtbrBpNjlOHOfvink1dJANU_UFOs6My4Y by Dave Black (acoustic & electric guitars, banjo, harmonica, laptop, bass, tenor saxophone, field recordings, piano, ukulele, sanshin, saron, … Continue reading Other Islands: 2012-2018

安里屋ユンタオーバードライブ Asadoya Yunta Overdrive (Okinawa)

Here's a new bonus track we've added to the album ネオン列車の風景 Neon Train Landscapes - our version of a traditional shima uta (island song) from 沖縄 (Okinawa). Dave Black - sanshin, harmonica, field recordings Nat da Hatt - acoustic & electric guitars, electronics Cylvi Manthyng - shakuhachi As you can hear, the music of Okinawa … Continue reading 安里屋ユンタオーバードライブ Asadoya Yunta Overdrive (Okinawa)

East to West: Japan

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCj6pHh96aA Back in April we performed Dave Black & Snake Beings: East to West at the Audio Foundation in Auckland.  Here's a first excerpt from the show, which took the audience all the way from NZ to Portugal.  This chapter is set in mainland Japan, and takes in Kyoto, Mount Fuji, and 1990s Tokyo.  The … Continue reading East to West: Japan

Fame & Oblivion: 2005-2012

"This is something that he has to do, that he will do, come fame or oblivion" -Chris Knox Now available on Spotify, iTunes, Bandcamp, Deezer etc fiffdimension vol2, a sequel to Gleefully Unknown: 1997-2005, sees increasingly wide-ranging experimentation and exploration both sonically and geographically, from New Zealand and beyond to Australia and East Asia, and a … Continue reading Fame & Oblivion: 2005-2012

The Winter: Flying Visit

Acoustic instrumental music by Wellington, New Zealand, improvising trio The Winter. Mike Kingston: charango, guitar, clarinet Dave Edwards: ukulele, sanshin, tenor sax, piano Simon Sweetman: xylophone, percussion In 2012 we lived in three different countries.  This was recorded during a one-week window of opportunity when we were all back in NZ, in August (the southern … Continue reading The Winter: Flying Visit

Okinawa, Japan 沖縄日本

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rk_Bw6mHWSs&list=PLB7B9A1E503D846D8 ハイサイ! イチャリバ チョデ!  よろしく おねがいします。 きょ-ねん 那覇市に すんでいました と にほんご ちょっと べんきょしました。 In 2011-2012 I lived in Naha (那覇市), the main city of Okinawa Prefecture (沖縄県) in Japan (日本). The soundtracks to these videos are snippets of live Okinawan music I recorded there, such as eisa drum dancing and shima uta island songs.  Spot me on … Continue reading Okinawa, Japan 沖縄日本

Kyushu, Japan 九州日本

Videos from a solo trip across Kyushu (in March 2012, on holiday from work in Okinawa).  Accompanied by Japanese music such as koto, shakuhachi, yokagura and hip-hop, recorded live. Four videos - 1) from sugi (Japanese cedar) forest with 3000-year-old trees on Yakushima Island, 2) heading north via Kumamoto and its castle, to 3) a … Continue reading Kyushu, Japan 九州日本