Spoonbill

There is no denying that technology has had a huge impact on music. The way we record it, the way we perform it and the way we consume it.
Australian performers are just as prominent on the world stage in this arena as we are anywhere in the music industry. Some might even say more so.

I recently spoke with one of our leading electronic music producers and performers, Jim Moynihan, better known as ‘Spoonbill.’
Born and raised in the bush north of Melbourne in a house that his father built by hand, Jim’s background has had a significant impact on his approach to his craft.

“I live in the bush now, in a similar area to where I grew up. My Dad hand built the house I grew up in, and I have continued that legacy myself. I have built my house out in the forest north east of Melbourne. We back on to King Lake national park. My studio is here as well. There was nothing here when I bought the place. Putting in power, water , buildings, It was a lot. “It’s good though. There’s always a lot to do on a rural property. Making music means spending a lot of time in my head, sometimes for hours, weeks, even months, so having to break that up with splitting firewood, grading the driveway, all of that practical stuff, its healthy. It gets me out of my head and lets me relax. There’s no time for over-thinking. The water tank needs fixing, or the solar is out or whatever. You just have to get on with it. It’s a relief, and it creates a good balance.

“My music is electronic, but it doesn’t have a lot in common with E.D.M. as such. I record a lot of different instruments, and a lot of friends who play various instruments, and create a collage of sound from that, and a lot of fragments of recordings. It’s like conscious sampling, I suppose.

The economic benefits and convenience provided by modern formats for recording and performing have all but created the space for electronic music. What once had to be achieved by live sampling of records on turntables can now easily be done from a laptop. I asked how these tools have impacted Jim’s creative palate.

“I’ve been using Cubase editing software for about 20 years. It’s my go-to. You can get professional results now without paying five grand a day for a studio. Less overheads.

The economic challenges many musicians face with the changes that have happened over the last 20 years create barriers that few people outside the industry really understand.

“With the impact streaming services have had, and the cost of living crisis, it’s. harder to make a living. It’s across the board globally now. It’s harder to sell tickets to live shows, and the revenue from recordings is almost non-existent.”

This led to the inevitable question of how Artificial Intelligence is likely to affect the landscape for musicians and audiences in the future.

“I think the demand for live music won’t be affected that much by A.I., but it is already swamping the industry with music for games, and background type music. We are probably listening to it a lot more than we realise already. “For composers who used to licence their music for film and television , A.I is probably infringing on their capacity to generate income”

“I think people will still want to go out and gather and have a good time. They will still want to see things in the flesh. We may see a renaissance of people who know how to play instruments. Anything that is generic or formulaic will easily be mimicked by A.I., but music that has its own flavour and personality will be harder to replicate. Musicians have souls.”

Australia has an active and enthusiastic audience for electronic music. Spoonbill has toured extensively overseas, so I enquired as to how our festivals and gigs compared to the international scene.

“There are definitely parallels, but we have our own unique flavour here. The events that I am booked at are more alternative style festivals. I’ve been touring a lot in America lately. We are half way between America and Europe. It borrows from both, but sculpts those elements into something uniquely Australian. We are a lot more easy going and laid back,”

Considering his long history of touring internationally, it was interesting to hear that one of his most memorable gigs was in our region.

“I played ‘Burning man’ some time back, and I met a guy named Soul Brown. He invited me to come and play at a Winter Solstice gig north of Cairns. It was my first real outdoor gig, and it was a long way from anywhere. I wasn’t expecting that my music would be as well received at that kind of event. It was more Trance and Psych , whereas my stuff is more funk and jazz based. The energy was great”

I asked what was on the bucket list.

“I would like to play on the giant spider stage at Glastonbury. That would be a good one. A french guy I know had his music pressed on to gold and sent into space with the Apollo program. That would be great”

For anyone that has a passion for cleverly crafted and intricate electronic music that is infused with real instruments and crafted with the intent of taking the listener on a journey across a new soundscape, Spoonbill is definitely not to be missed.

Spoonbill will be performing with fellow artist Dropbear, who has been dragged out of retirement for this one gig at The Tanks on Friday August 22.

Tickets are available through TicketLink or at the door if not sold out.