The Null Device

Steve Law in Cyclic Defrost

Sydney-based electronic music magazine Cyclic Defrost has a profile of Steve Law, the Melbourne electronic musician best known for 1990s ambient-trance act Zen Paradox:
'[Melbourne] has developed enormously over the past ten years or so,', Law assesses of the city's electronic-attuned independent music scene. 'More experimental and improvised music has been flourishing in Melbourne over the past few years, with festivals like Liquid Architecture, What Is Music? and Anthony Pateras and Robin Fox's excellent Articulating Space events - as well as regular nights like Make It Up Club. It's a great city — I'm not sure why, but there has always been a great artistic vibe here.'
There have been drawbacks, however. 'Ten years ago there was a ton of techno happening, but very little on the electronic improv/experimental scene. Unfortunately the live techno scene itself is not as healthy as it was. Lately at the bigger parties — and in clubs — things have gotten a lot more commercial, and that doesn't leave much room for live performers who are pushing their own unique sound.' The result has been that, while Steve Law has no problem finding more abstract electro gigs for himself, there's been a dearth of opportunities for Zen Paradox...
He does, however, perceive another emergent problem. 'I think the biggest development, not necessarily a good one, has been the gentrification of electronic music. Back at the beginning of the 90s it was simply "techno" or electronic music, but since then a huge number of sub-genres have developed, each with their own dedicated following. I think this tends to fragment the scene quite a bit, and unfortunately people have a blinkered approach towards any music outside of the particular sound they're into.'

There are 1 comments on "Steve Law in Cyclic Defrost":

Posted by: Andrez ('http://de-vice-third.tripod.com',) Fri Jun 15 06:04:16 2007

Hey... nice words!!

;)