águas brilhantes: 2018-2022

“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 (Oscar’s Blues) […] and songs taken from Poems & Lyrics (in the Scotch dialect) (1856), where Dave paid tribute to his ancestor John Collie who wrote a book of poems more than 150 years ago.

“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 – Kev Rowland, muzic.nz

Listen

About

fiffdimension compilation vol 4 (a followup to Gleefully Unknown: 1997-2005, Fame & Oblivion: 2005-2012, and Other Islands: 2012-2018)

Made in Featherston, Masterton and Port Chalmers (NZ), Paris (France), and Suva (Fiji)
Includes tracks by The Troubled Times, Campbell Kneale & Dave Black , James Robinson & fiffdimension, Oscar (the dog), and poems & lyrics by John Collie (1834-1893)

águas brilhantes (or ‘glistening waters’ in English) is the Portuguese translation of Wairarapa, the Māori name of the region where I’ve lived the last few years.

My ancestors arrived here in the 19th century – one was a Scottish poet, another a stowaway from the Azores islands.

This compilation includes pieces inspired by the region and my ancestors, and new and old collaborators – including a torch-passing to younger members of my family.

Credits¹

by Dave Edwards – guitars, bass, banjo, harmonica, vocal, lyrics

with

Antony Milton – keyboard, electric guitar (The Troubled Times)
David Heath – drums (The Troubled Times)
Campbell Kneale – electric guitar & analogue synthesiser on ‘both chords’
Hans Landon-Lane – ukulele, accordion, vocal (Clever Hansel)
Celeste Rochery – guitar & vocal on ‘My Native Land’
James Robinson – bell drum on ‘June’s Lounge‘, lyrics & vocal on ‘the edge‘ and ‘old brain‘
John Collie (1834-1893) – Poems & Lyrics (in the English and Scotch Dialects, 1856)
Dr Emit Snake-Beings – keyboards & percussion (in Fiji)
Elario Irava – acoustic guitar & vocal (from Fiji)
Nat da Hatt – electric guitar & thumb piano on ‘June’s Lounge‘
The Digitator – keyboards & vocal on ‘Inverno‘
Oscar – vocal on ‘Oscar’s blues‘
Rhys Landon-Lane – classical guitar & vocal on ‘by my faith sirs this canna lang dee‘

released December 22, 2022

Tracklist

	1.	Nat da Hatt + James Robinson + Dave Black – June’s Lounge, part 2 02:08
	2.	The Electricka Zoo – Inverno (live at Escape Velocity, 2018) 03:47
	3.	Campbell Kneale + fiffdimension – Both Chords 02:07
	4.	Celeste Rochery – My Native Land (John Collie, 1856) 01:56
	5.	The Blast of a Wintry Day (John Collie, 1856 – live at Wairarapa TV, 2019) (bonus) 03:44
	6.	Clever Hansel – Sonnet on Summer (John Collie, 1856) 03:19
	7.	snakebeings + fiffdimension – Walu (Fiji) 03:02
	8.	snakebeings + fiffdimension – Io (Fiji) 01:31
	9.	Larry Irava – Isa Lei Lia (Fiji) 04:38
	10.	Ilhas Atlânticas (Manuel José Bernard, das Flores, 1862) 03:12
	11.	Here’s a Health to my Cronies (John Collie, 1856) 02:46
	12.	Auld Satan when ye first gae through (John Collie, 1856) 02:02
	13.	Logistical Torrents (lockdown 2020) 03:07
	14.	Guitar Ringtone 02:07
	15.	The Troubled Times – Blinking in Daylight (return of the sun, 2021) 03:05
	16.	Clever Hansel – The Land of my Youth (John Collie, 1856) 03:57
	17.	The Troubled Times – Wairarapa Bossa Nova 03:18
	18.	James Robinson + fiffdimension – Old Brain (metadada of Oceania remembering) 03:21
	19.	The Troubled Times – The Dying Monarch (John Collie, 1856) 03:05
	20.	Ilhas novos (do sul) 01:20
	21.	Classical Rain Bucket 01:41
	22.	James Robinson + The Troubled Times – The Edge (a Negentropic Diatribe) 03:25
	23.	Tony Was Here (live at the Miracle Room, 2022) 03:25
	24.	Oscar – Oscar’s Blues 01:28
	25.	By my faith sirs, this canna lang dee (John Collie, 1856) 04:04
	26.	さくらさくら / Paetumokai (Pua pua i te Kōanga) 02:10
	27.	O Henry Ending (live at the Miracle Room, 2022) 08:00

Features previously unreleased recordings, and tracks from

Further listening: the albums

Continue reading →

The Troubled Times: A Second Sun

about

Loosely a sequel to The Troubled Times’ debut, Return of the Sun (2021) –

These new recordings were made exactly one year later – again on the first day of daylight savings, Spring 2022 in the southern hemisphere – now joined by David Heath on drums.

The anniversary prompted the title – then possible alternative meanings of which (binary star systems, colonising other planets) led down a science fiction wormhole…

credits

Antony Milton – electric guitar, keyboard (1,4), drums (4), painting
Dave Edwards – bass, electric guitar (4), vocal (6), harmonica (7)
David Heath – drums
John Collie (1834-1893) – lyrics (6)

Recorded in Masterton, New Zealand, 25 September 2022

T-shirt – order here!

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A post shared by Dave Edwards (@fiffdimension)

The Dying Monarch

The album also features a key crossover track, with the Poems & Lyrics by John Collie (1856) project:

This track links the various spoken word, electric improv, and folk strands of fiffdimension music. While the rest of Poems & Lyrics by John Collie (1856) is acoustic based, in this case, the electric arrangement seemed to add a ‘kingly’ majesty, and pathos – as the monarch discovers the limits of his worldly power.

“The monarch ceased. The courtier train shook, muttered, gazed and shook again.

They saw life’s dying embers fade, they felt the sting of horror’s blade.

Before them lay a lifeless form, which once with life had passions warmed.

The hand was stiff which oft had reigned, the warhorse and the prisoner chained.

A lifeless lump of senseless clay, the stern despotic monarch lay.” – John Collie (1834-1893)

(track also appears on fiffdimension.bandcamp.com/album/poems-lyrics-in-the-english-dialect-1856 )

Tracklist

Continue reading →

w/ James Robinson – Negentropic Diatribes (2022)

Multimedia spoken word and music collaboration between two unique NZ artists:

Listen

About

James Robinson is a mid career contemporary New Zealand mixed media artist, exhibiting widely since 1989 – www.jamesrobinson.nz

fiffdimension is music and multimedia by Dave Edwards (aka Dave Black) and collaborators, since 1998 – www.fiffdimension.com

We met in the early 2000s, and finally collaborated 20 years on. Negentropic Diatribes was recorded in Otago in 2022, as James used spoken word recordings to discuss his creative process and innermost thoughts.

The musical settings were created by Dave in Featherston – plus contributions from other collaborators.

credits

James Robinson – words, voice, paintings & drawings, bell drum
Dave Edwards – electric guitar, bass, loops (2,6,9), midi (9,13), ukulele (11), harmonica (14)

with

Antony Milton – electric guitar (4)
David Heath – drums (4)
Dr Emit Snake-Beings – percussion (5), keyboard (11)
Jody Lloyd – beats and mixing (12)
Nathan Palmer – electric guitar, thumb piano, jaw harp, banjo, and synth (14)
‐‐——-

Tracklist

1.	Telescopic Misanthropy (take 1) 02:10
2.	Tendrils of Glowing Memory Filaments 04:31
3.	Nothing Can be Threatened by Nothing 04:19
4.	James Robinson + The Troubled Times – The Edge 03:25
5.	James Robinson + snakebeings + fiffdimension – Dialogue with the Divine 05:30
6.	Well Done Son! 00:54
7.	Old Brain (metadada of Oceania remembering) 06:19
8.	James Robinson – Is Not Art 03:29
9.	Existential Threat 01:02
10.	Got Razed 07:34
11.	James Robinson + snakebeings + fiffdimension – That which is itself nature 05:00
12.	James Robinson + Trillion – Bath poem 10:31
13.	Psychocultural Glossalalia 01:39
14.	James Robinson + Nat da Hatt + fiffdimension – Ake Ake Amene 18:20

James Robinson

James won 2007 paramount prize in the wallace award for
” Taniwaha dragon mother ( spirit bones)”

‘… a great big flatulent belch of fresh air amongst all the tight-sphinctered, deodorised boys and girls of the accepted national art world….. off-kilter and threatening but always sumptuously, gloriously beautiful.’
– Chris Knox.

Continue reading →

Spastic Rhythms ’22 (2022)

Featherston, NZ – early 2022 – spontaneous compositions, two wet weekends in a row.

Listen

A sequel to Spastic Rhythms vol 1 (2021)

second in a series of ‘quickfire’ DIY solo albums, created in a couple of days each.
This one features interspecies guest collaboration with Oscar the huntaway.

credits

Dave Black – guitars, bass, banjo (2), clarinet (6), sanshin (10), loop pedal, e-drum

Oscar – vocal (3,9)

released February 13, 2022

Featherston, New Zealand

Tracklist

1.	Drums on Waitangi Day 00:54
2.	Estado Novo 01:20
3.	Oscar – Oscar’s Blues 01:28
4.	fiffdimension / snakebeings – Arising (into Fragments) 03:51
5.	Black Mountain (Црна Гора) 00:59
6.	Shuffling the Tarot 03:39
7.	Classical rain bucket 01:41
8.	Rebooting 02:52
9.	Oscar – At home pants ft. cannon bone 02:12
10.	Removing a bandaid 00:51
11.	Shuri Jo (琉球諸島) 01:03
12.	Waiting for Dovi 05:24

Further listening

águas brilhantes: 2018-2022

A compilation of tracks from the Wairarapa in these years.

“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 – Kev Rowland, muzic.nz

Escape Velocity: the Electricka Zoo live

New live album!

With New Zealand in lockdown this might be the next best thing to an actual gig..

Track 1 recorded live at the Fringe Bar, Wellington NZ, 27-02-18

Tracks 2-7 recorded live at Escape Velocity, Featherston NZ, 10-03-18

As part of the New Zealand Fringe Festival

credits

The Digitator – midi, laptop, vocal
Dave Black – bass, electric guitar

www.fiffdimension.com/the-electricka-zoo

Outono 21

A new multilayered Dave Black electric improv / xenochronous composition.

The track continues the evolution of my Wairarapa one man band 2020s ‘late style’, which began with Glimpses of Utopia (2020) and Spastic Rhythms (2021)

It was originally created for the Psi-solation+1 – 2021 compilation album curated by fellow Featherston resident Campbell Kneale. He’s known for his noise music, paintings of cats, and as proprietor of the Miracle Room.

Continue reading →

Spastic Rhythms vol1 (2021)

A quickfire Dave Black solo EP, recorded one summer morning, 24 January 2021

Listen

[send us your review]

It includes ilhas Atlânticas, a tribute to my Portuguese ancestor Manuel Bernard.

Tracklist

1.	banjo trio 24/1/21 03:01
2.	drums 1 24/1/21 00:49
3.	guitar trio (ringtone) 24/1/21 02:07
4.	gritches blerk 24/1/21 01:12
5.	spastic drum solo 24/1/21 04:38
6.	ilhas Atlânticas 03:12
7.	Outono 21 08:49

Further Listening

The album adds banjo and electric drums to the 2020s Wairarapa DIY solo electric improv style begun in

Glimpses of Utopia (2020)

The first of the ‘late period’ solo instrumental albums.

águas brilhantes: 2018-2022

A compilation of tracks from the Wairarapa in these years.

“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 – Kev Rowland, muzic.nz

Campbell Kneale & Dave Black: A Ton of Feathers

Listen

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.