She’s Hearing Mauve

In my entry for the Third Coast International Audio Festival Short Docs Challenge 2012 I collaborated with Kate Norquay to create a piece that concentrated on the search for the elements prescribed by the competition. We had to feature neighbours, three seconds of narrative silence, as well as a colour in the title. You can listen below or here where you'll also find my previous submissions.

   She’s Hearing Mauve by Shaun D Wilson

Sugar Mountain Festival

So I went to this Music Festival in Melbourne, Australia. It was pretty cool. You should listen to the documentary I made about it. The acts interviewed are Fox & Sui, Julianna Barwick, Lost Animal, Prince Rama, and The Harpoons.

Sugar Mountain Festival Documentary

Photos from Sugar Mountain Festival

In the same edition of Music 101 that my Sugar Mountain feature played; there was a lot of coverage of Camp A Low Hum 2012. I was there as a sound engineer for the programme and thoroughly recommend checking it out by clicking right here.

Christchurch Introducings

When I was last in Christchurch I recorded a few interviews for Music 101 on Radio New Zealand National's Introducing series. It's a slot that gives exposure to new acts, introducing them and their music to a nationwide audience. Here's three Christchurch acts you probably haven't heard before:

 

Teen Fortress 

 

Alexander Harmer

Psych Tigers

The Yule Vortex and Mix and Mash

I've been listening to the mad melodies that Andy Cirzan compiles each year for a while and I have to say no Christmas music has ever grabbed me as much as his 'Adventures in Holiday Obscura' with the possible exception of Bing Crosby and David Bowie dueting on 'Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth'. So it was a great pleasure to have a chat with Andy for Music 101.

Andy Cirzan on Music 101

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An Opal Dream Cave, by Jem Yoshioka, winner of the supreme NZ remix

Mix and Mash was a competition run by Digital New Zealand (a part of the National Library of New Zealand). It invited entrants to mix data, pictures, poems, whatever into something new and innovative. I put together a piece for The Arts on Sunday on Radio New Zealand National that gives a nice overview.

Zebedees

About a month before the Christchurch earthquake I went down for a brief holiday. While there I recorded a short doco for Music 101 on Radio New Zealand National about all ages venue Zebedees. Zebedees was more fortunate than many Christchurch venues (some of which need major work or even demolishing) in that it was back to normal by the Saturday following the earthquake. So luckily Zebedees is continuing in its important role in our sadly lacking all-ages music scene.

Zebedees documentary 

Book Odds

Once again I have entered the Third Coast International Audio Festival's Short Docs competition. My submission is a co-production with my Radio New Zealand colleague Sonia Yee who currently produces The Asian Report and Christchurch Story. It's a chance to make short form radio within carefully selected and creatively interesting parameters. You can listen to the co-production All You Need Is a Wall as well as other work I have previously submitted here.

Psyrok and Lil' Sister Jen

Wellington producer Psyrok with the help of Swedish vocalist Lil' Sister Jen has crafted a lovely collection called the Akinosuke EP. Though at 26 minutes in length I'd say it's a mini-album (I've spent far too much of my life contemplating the difference between albums and EPs). I thought seeing as the pair had never met it would be interesting to get them to talk about their music. Thus was a piece for Music 101 on Radio New Zealand National born.

Psyrok and Lil' Sister Jen on Music 101

I didn't realise it until I got his email address but Psyrok is one of my fellow DJs on Muse Radio. Listen to him on the Sidestream show on MUSE RADiO 12-3PM NZT on Sundays.

MSW

Here's a piece I did on Auckland band Moron Says What?!?! (order and amount of exclamation and question marks optional) for Music 101 on Radio New Zealand National.

Moron Say What!? on RNZ

I saw spin off band Lol-Fi recently and they're certainly worth a listen, if you're into joyful mentalism and distorted vocals. Which I am, particularly on the track Saaam.

Herculean Cauliflower

Herculean Cauliflower (Thursdays, 5-7PM NZT) is my radio show for Massey University’s Wellington campus radio station: Munt FM. Here is a vaguely typical show (though somewhat more poptastic and rewind heavy than usual).

Herculean Cauliflower - Episode 49 (20 August 2009) by Shaun D Wilson

There are a few minor digital glitches in the recording. All other things that sound wrong happened live due to equipment failure or my own personal inadequacies.

Tracklisting

Monkey - Monkey’s World

Janelle Monáe - Violet Stars Happy Hunting!!!

Phillip Bailey – Easy Lover (feat. P. Collins)

Chris Morris (The Day Today) – Uzi Lover

Radiohead - These Are My Twisted Words

Stef Animal - One Two Three Four Five

Bits of:

Running Up That Hill (A Deal With God)

Wuthering Heights

by Kate Bush

DJ Magnet - Love Comes Running Up That Hill Quickly (Kate Bush vs Placebo vs Pet Shop Boys)

The Travelling Wilburys - Handle with Care (only the first half)

Various - Land of the Long White Cloud

Moron Says What?!?! - Nathalie, Touch Me There Again

Be Rough – Shaun D Wilson

The Sugarcubes - Tidal Wave

Florence and the Machine – Rabbit Heart (Raise It Up)

An excerpt from Wiretap (Host: Jonathan Goldstein)

A bad mash up by a child (one of the songs guillotined is by Little Boots)

Girls Aloud – Biology

La Roux – Bulletproof (my stupid slow/fast mix)

Haunted Love - Sweet Baby

N.A.S.A. – Gifted (Feat. Santigold Kanye West; Lykke Li)

The Beach Boys – Good Vibrations

Speech Debelle - Better Days (Feat. Micachu)

Micachu – Turn Me Well

Amadou & Mariam - Masiteladi

Cansei de Ser Sexy - Art Bitch

Regina Spektor – Folding Chair

The Naked and Famous

On Herculean Cauliflower (Munt FM Thursdays, 5-7PM NZT) I play a lot of music and then talk about it. This is good… if fairly common in the music radio genre. Even better is when I get to talk about it to those who made it.

Thom Powers (The Naked and Famous) on Munt FM 24 September 2009 by Shaun D Wilson

I interviewed Thom Powers of Auckland group The Naked and Famous shortly before their excellent gig in Wellington. The Naked and Famous make fun, exciting and forward thinking music that should it not catch on with the wider public will prove once and for all that most of humanity are right ol’ fools. And that would be rather disappointing.

www.thenakedandfamous.com
www.thenakedandfamous.bandcamp.com

Radio Ephemera

In 2008 I entered a short audio item competition called ‘Radio Ephemera’ run by the Third Coast Festival in Chicago in collaboration with the Prelinger Library. You can find all the entries here.
I made two entries which made had to be in part inspired by ephemeral books in the Prelinger Library. I didn’t win but I got a nice T-Shirt, some stickers and dental equipment all of which was more than I was expecting.

The Great Tree Strike of 1934
Description: A record of one of the most significant cultural events of New Zealand's forgotten history.
Inspired by: The Big Strike / Trees as Good Citizens
Stranger: Lance, who was waiting for Lily.

Why Question the Facts?
Description: A tired teen talks in the second worst recording device he has.
Inspired by: Trailer Ahoy! / The Stork Didn't Bring You!
Stranger: Those who could be coerced into answering a weird question by a stranger.

Production Skite

In radio people have a ‘skite tape’ – which is essentially the audio equivalent of a show reel. Here’s one I made mid 2008 towards the end of my time at The New Zealand Radio Training School. This one emphasises my production skills. If there’s anything in there you want to hear the rest of just ask and I’ll try to track it down.

Shaun D Wilson - Production Skite by Shaun D Wilson

Ladyhawke and Holidays with Friends

Shortly after starting my Munt FM show ‘Herculean Cauliflower’ (5-7PM NZT, Thursdays) I went to a Ladyhawke (supported by Holidays with Friends) Gig at San Francisco Bathhouse here in Wellington. After the show I rather exhaustedly recorded my thoughts on the night into my crappy MP3 player's inbuilt mic. The next day I did some editing and put together this.