There are no local artists on this year’s Unsound lineup. Ahead of this weekend’s experimental music festival, we thought we’d give the promoters some ideas on which Adelaide artists to book next year.
July 18, 2024
Culture
Heading to Unsound? Check out these local artists too
The annual gathering of Adelaide’s experimentally inclined music heads kicks off tomorrow, with Unsound 2024 once again featuring stellar international talent.
Remarks
Unsound Adelaide
19-20 July
Dom Polski Centre
Get tickets here
Like previous iterations of the event, Unsound Adelaide 2024 (officially part of Illuminate Adelaide) has a stacked lineup including the likes of ambient producer The Caretaker, Hyperdub artist Lee Gamble, and – sure to draw a crowd – former Sonic Youth frontwoman Kim Gordon.
There’s a nightclub component too, with The Lab set to host DJs like Crescendoll, Manuka Honey and Moktar until 3am on Saturday.
But as with most music festivals in Adelaide, there’s little local representation on this year’s Unsound lineup. In fact, there’s not a single local artist to be seen!
CityMag asked why that’s the case, and an Illuminate spokesperson said “across the whole of Illuminate’s music program there are more local artists than ever before”.
If you’re planning on entering the experimental den and checking out some (brilliant) international and interstate talent, make sure you also hit play on some local experimental artists making waves in SA.
Amamanita Axaxaxanax Glass Seer
Don’t worry if you have trouble with the name, just know it sounds a lot like the music they make.
Amamanita Axaxaxanax Glass Seer is a noise artist, and their shows are truly electric. Crouched on the ground over the top of a synthesiser, flute in hand, and a mic for good measure, Amamanita Axaxaxanax Glass Seer is a thrill to see live and best observed in the basement of a DIY venue.
Skorpion King
Three words to describe Skorpion King: Ferocious, savage, and biting. The artist/DJ/producer has been a mainstay on Adelaide club lineups across genres for years, but their live sets are something to behold.
Want energy, punchy bass, and delicious wub wub wubs? Call up Skorp.
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Jazmine Deng
Jazmine is a true performer. The Adelaide Central School of Art grad is a live performance artist and blends dance and movement with sound into gripping one-of-a-kind happenings.
Wellness Centre
Producer and DJ Anders Bogdanowicz – aka Wellness Centre – contorts soundwaves with a delicious twist. By combining ambient soundscapes with IDM beats, the producer has found a nice niche in the Adelaide scene. Check out his show Test Pattern on duck! Radio too.
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Eyes More Skull Than Eyes
To get a sense for the vibe of Eyes More Skull Than Eyes, have a read of these EP titles: ‘Mauled By Wild Dogs’, ‘Judas Isoceles’, ‘Plague’. Dark, doomy music is the theme here.
Check them out at Ancient World on Friday night after the first night of Unsound (alongside Amamanita Axaxaxanax Glass Seer, TARP and Myzerabel).
Myzerabel
It’s cold, wet, and, dare we say it, miserable at the moment. Perfect conditions for Adelaide’s Myzerabel: a DJ, producer and visual artist who thrives in the evenings. Catch her spinning deep cuts from across music history most weekends at Nearly, Ancient World or Smokelovers and in the parklands via a sneaky invite-only rave link.
Messianic Gloss
Bright strobing lights and bass hits that make your ribcage rumble are to be expected at a Messianic Gloss show. The duo, comprised of artists Matthew Adey and Brett Davis, are a perfect match for Unsound (in our humble opinion) and always deliver on the promise of killer visuals, stunning lights, and heavy beats to get you warm in midwinter.
MESSIANIC GLOSS from House of Vnholy on Vimeo.
Strict Face
It’s honestly a crime that producer/DJ Jon Santos (aka Strict Face) has not played Unsound yet. The local DJ has graced major stages in Australia and overseas, but if you ask him he’ll probably say he prefers the darker, underground venues. His technical mastery of beat-making has propelled the producer to cult icon status, and if anyone should get the Unsound co-sign, give it to Jon!
Sebastian Vivian
Local composer Sebastian Vivian loves a good beat. He’s been fiddling with drum ‘n bass and jungle sounds recently which help the dreary office-bound hours fly by for this writer. Think Aphex Twin via a cosy stop inside your favourite arthouse movie.
Dan Thorpe
Pianist, composer and self-described ‘weird unit’ Dan Thorpe makes me consider picking the piano up again. He draws on lived queer experiences to inform his glorious compositions. He’s a total whiz on the keyboard, and would make for a thrilling watch at Unsound.
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Michael Ellingford
Mike works as well behind the scenes as he does on stage. He’s also got a new tape – yes cassette tape – out soon called ‘Night Magick’. Noisy, crackly, doomy, and dark is the modus operandi for this veteran who is currently touring Japan.
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Lauren Abineri
From Melbourne via Adelaide comes Lauren Abineri. Her latest output is self-described as ‘fantasy drone pop’, but this writer remembers when she used to front a Jem and the Holograms-inspired project in the 2010s. Lauren is a total delight and an absolute sweetheart to boot.
Georgia Oatley
Another total sweetheart, Georgia makes dreamy, off-kilter pop music. Her tunes are doused in a hazy filter, giving the sense that you’re floating down a river of caramel. Maybe you’ve heard her hosting a weekly 3D Radio show called The Passenger.
Shuriken Cell
Shuriken Cell blends screamo tendencies with unrelenting electronic beats into a frightening but exhilarating live set. Watch out if you’re in the crowd; you might get a mic to the nose.
ming.
CityMag loves ming. His delicious beats regularly find their way into our Best New Music column and are best heard on a dancefloor at 2 am, a few tequila sodas deep.
Medea
Ancient World co-owner Hugh Scobie, who DJs under the name Madea, has been championing local experimental talent ever since taking over the Hindley Street den. His sets are kaleidoscopic, moody and subterranean – much like the venue that hosts the vast majority of artists on this list.
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