Blog : Bruce Clarke - The Jingle Workshop

Bruce Clarke - The Jingle Workshop

##Artefacts Communique 5##

Artefacts of  Australian Experimental Music: 1930 – 1973 is a landmark  compilation CD documenting the forgotten pioneers of Australian music.  For full  details, track listing and audio samples, go to http://ShameFileMusic.com

This Wednesday night  from 10pm, myself and Warren  Burt will appear on 3RRR-FMs Symbiosis  programme to chat about the Artefacts project.   Stream from http://www.rrr.org.au  .  

Bruce Clarke – The  Jingle Workshop

A major landmark in the history of  Australian electronic music was not the result of an extensive research project,  but of a musicians strike.

In early 1960s  Melbourne, Bruce  Clarke discovered the electronic works of Stockhausen, and was inspired to begin  exploring electronic music himself.

Clarke was one of the first Australian's to work with  early  synthesisers, like the Moog.  Clarke  worked in a "Jingle  Workshop", where advertising jingles were written and recorded.  A strike by the Australian Musicians Union in  the early 1960s led  to Clarke creating a completely electronic soundtrack for a cigarette  commercial.   Clarke is one of those rare cases in  Australia of  experimental music coming from a commercial industry.  He expressed doubt regarding the notion of  'art for art's sake', favouring more practical applications of problem-solving  experimentation.  Clarke said  experimental musicians could only overcome the conservative Australian artistic  climate by presenting their work as a saleable  commodity.  

Artefacts  of Australian Experimental Music: 1930 – 1972 features Clarke's "Of  Spiralling Why", one of the first completely electronic compositions produced in  Australia,  commissioned for the Adelaide Arts Festival in 1966.

Clarke continued to work in both  experimental music and jazz.  He worked  extensively with composer Felix Werder, including Werder's excursions into electronic music, also featured on  Artefacts.


The Melbourne CD launch  approaches:   Friday 13  July,  North  Melbourne  Town  Hall, from  7:30pm –  Robin  Fox on analogue  synthesisers again, and a panel discussion on the history of experimental music  with Robin, Pauline Oliveros,  Warren  Burt & Rainer  Linz.  

Artefacts of  Australian Experimental Music: 1930 – 1973 is available now from  http://ShameFileMusic.com for  AU$27ppd (US$23ppd).  Look for it in  shops in the coming week.

Added by shamefile on 8 July 2007