Glimpses of Utopia (2020)

Palette-cleansing electric solo improvisations.

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About

Recorded solo in Featherston, New Zealand, 2019-20.

Not specifically a ‘lockdown album’, but nonetheless recorded solo at home during the pandemic.

It marked the emergence of a new ‘late period‘ solo style.

I’m not a trained jazz musician, but nor do I fit neatly into the ‘NZ noise‘ genre.

Tracklist

1.	Abbadebdab 03:00
2.	October ring 03:37
3.	11 through the viewer 7 (acoustic) 01:24
4.	Torrential logistics 04:05
5.	Usquebaugh 03:53
6.	Walking through an aye (in Paparoa national park) 03:53
7.	Solstice Shards 19 05:07
8.	Teenager 01:39

Further listening

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Campbell Kneale & Dave Black: A Ton of Feathers

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About

Campbell Kneale – electric guitar, analogue synth

Dave Black – bass, electric toothbrush, key ring

One continuous piece, unabridged, no overdubs – the first time we’d played together.

Featherston NZ, 2018.

Featherston, New Zealand

Two 3min excerpts appear on the compilations Other Islands: 2012-2018

and aguas brilhantes: 2018-2022 :

…but you need to hear the full length version to truly enter Campbell’s world.

Campbell Kneale is an internationally renowned sound artist, a prolific recording artist and performer and relentless collaborator. He currently releases albums as Our Love Will Destroy The World. Previous projects include Black Boned Angel, Birchville Cat Motel, Ming and Brilliant Swords.

Further Listening

Campbell curated the epic 119-track Psi-solation compilation during the Covid-19 pandemic:

Dave contributed an acoustic track, John Collie‘s poem ‘Solitude’ from 1856.

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.

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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.

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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

Continue reading “Gar mar par da nee sa” →

Fiji 1976, by Alastair Edwards

Film footage by my father, Alastair Edwards (1936-2010), in Nadi and around Viti Levu in 1976.

It’s from my parents’ honeymoon, 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 (2008)

– field recordings, electro-acoustic ethnography, Asian industrial soundscapes

by kiwis in South Korea, 2007–2008

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Before there was ‘Gangnam Style‘ there was 영통동버스 노래 (Yeongtongdong Bus Song)

Credits

Recorded in Suwon and Busan, Republic of Korea, 2007-2008

Dave Black – field recordings, laptop, gayageum, loops, bass, acoustic guitar, vocal

Cylvi M – tangso, shakuhachi, shaker, vocal

Busan, South Korea
Dave and Cylvi at Dadaepo beach, Busan, South Korea
Korean gayageum, 2007
Busan, South Korea
Busan, South Korea
Geumjeong, Busan, South Korea
Busan, South Korea
Suwon, South Korea

The pieces here are made from remixed field recordings of traditional Korean musicians, and instruments such as the gayageum, taepyongso, buddhist chants and samulnori drumming, plus our live version of the folk song ‘Arirang’.

Busan, South Korea

Tracklist

1.	영통동버스 노래 (Yeongtongdong Bus Song) 02:30
2.	음악에 귀 결정적인 음악 관리자 (A Decisive Music Administrator (with an ear for music)) 03:18
3.	물주세요 (Mool Chuseyo (give me water)) 01:47
4.	동래의 행정 장관의 사무실 (Office of the Dongnae Magistrate) 03:34
5.	동쪽에서 서쪽을 충족 (Konglish Cananglish (east meets west)) 01:49
6.	부산 대학교 땅땅 (PNU Pounding (Arirang Blues)) 03:28
7.	아리랑 (Arirang (live in Busan)) 04:43

Further listening

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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!

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.

Continue reading “11 through the viewer 7” →

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.

Continue reading “Solstice Shards 19” →

2005

The year got off to a good start, with Ascension Band: Evolution

The successful collaboration with Nigel Patterson, Ryan Prebble, and over a dozen other musicians, from jazz-schooled to untrained punks, won the best music award in the NZ Fringe Festival.