Dave Black
Glimpses of Utopia
Palette cleansing electric solo improv.
Recorded in Featherston, New Zealand, 2019-20.
I’m not a trained jazz musician, but nor do I fit neatly into the ‘NZ noise‘ genre.
Further listening
Read the rest of this entry »Campbell Kneale & Dave Black: A Ton of Feathers
releases October 17, 2020
Campbell Kneale – electric guitar, analogue synth
Dave Black – bass, electric toothbrush, key ring
Campbell Kneale 
Dave Black
27-Nov-18
(one continuous take, unabridged, no overdubs – the first time we’d played together)
A 3min excerpt appeared on Other Islands: 2012-2018 –
but you need to hear the full length version to truly enter Campbell’s world.
Read the rest of this entry »Gar mar par da nee sa
the opening track from Ruasagavulu
by Dave Black & Snake-Beings
recorded in Suva, Fiji, 2nd November 2019
This short warmup improv is based on an Indian scale, inspired by Dr Emit Snake-Beings‘ travels to Kerala in India, and harmonium lessons in Suva.
There’s an Indian influence throughout the album, as several sections are based on drones and modal improv (rather than the chord changes)… though this is not a traditional Indian album, we’ve borrowed ideas to inform our own experiments.
The temple in the photo is Sri Siva Subramaniya in Nadi. It’s built in the Dravidian style from southern India, which is also found in Singapore and Malaysia.
In contrast to other Pacific Island countries, Fiji has a large – almost half – population of Indian descent. Indians came to Fiji in the 19th century, as indentured labourers to work the sugar cane plantations.
The following videos are made in India, courtesy of www.snakebeings.co.nz
Fiji 1976, by Alastair Edwards
Film footage by my father, Alastair Edwards, in Nadi and around Viti Levu in 1976.
It’s from a couple of years before I was born.
There was no sound, so I’ve added a soundtrack from Ruasagavulu, which Dr Emit Snake-Beings and I recorded in Suva decades later.
My Dad’s interest in film (then video) and photography was one of the key influences on my own travel and videomaking. He was doing this long before youtube or instagram!
I miss you Dad…
First Time Around: South Korea
Before there was ‘Gangnam Style’ there was
– field recordings, electro-acoustic ethnography, Asian industrial soundscapes
by kiwis in South Korea, 2007–2008
Credits
released July 1, 2008
Dave Black – field recordings, laptop, gayageum, loops, bass, acoustic guitar, vocal
Cylvi M – tangso, shakuhachi, shaker, vocal
www.fiffdimension.com/category/korea
www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL26D01AF2105C675D
Further listening
The Electricka Zoo – new tracks, late 2019
Here’s a pair of new (late 2019) tracks from The Electricka Zoo
Keyboards & electronica by the Digitator
& Dave Black on electric guitar
in Upper Hutt, New Zealand, November 2019
Get our album if you haven’t already!
Spotify playlist – fiffdimension & friends
Here’s my first Spotify playlist… a mix of my own tracks and by other artists who I’ve had the privilege to meet and be inspired by, in several cases played gigs alongside and/or collaborated with.
Thank you all for the journey! And some great music here.
logistical torrents
31 July 2019
electric guitar and video by Dave Black,
Featherston, NZ.
One in a series of quickfire improvisations with video effects. Rather than finish an album before releasing anything in 2019, I’m opening a curtain on some of my demo ideas in progress.
11 through the viewer 7
11th July 2019
Improvised acoustic guitar and video effects by Dave Black,
Featherston, NZ.
Solstice Shards 19
I spent the longest night of the year at home and improvised this:
.
As I’d been doing mainly solo acoustic songs recently this was a palette cleansing electric improvisation from the other side of my coin.
I think of acoustic as yin and electric as yang forces.
