Place-bound attributes in music scenes. Evolution of the independent electronica music scene in Brisbane since the mid-1980s

ABSTRACT

This paper analyzes the evolution of a small electronic music scene in Brisbane from the mid-1980s to the present. Drawing upon the concept of scene and highlighting its local and trans-local dimensions, we assess how the place-bound attributes of Brisbane (cultural and political history, climate, built form) are still relevant when analyzing the emergence and development of an electronic music scene. The place-bound attributes of Brisbane played a strong role in shaping this scene: the sub-tropical climate enabling outdoor parties; the development of a strong trans-local character due to isolation; ‘scene hopping’ strategies from electronic artists, as well as bands; the hostile political and social environment that characterized Queensland, have all influenced the development of its electronic scene and informed the local/interlocal/virtual dimensions of this scene.

KEYWORDS:

• Electronic music
• music scene
• Brisbane
• Australia

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.

Semi-structured interviews

1. Musician (Rock/pop music/Electronica), face-to-face, 10 March 2017. 64 minutes.

2. Musician (Electronic music), face-to-face, 24 March 2017. 47 minutes.

3. Musician and record label founder (Electronic music), face-to-face, 11 May 2017. 49 minutes.

4. DJ and Musician (Electronic music), face-to-face, 19 May 2017. 41 minutes.

5. Producer and musician (Electronic music), 23 May 2017 (Skype). 51 minutes.

6. DJ – event organizer 4ZZZ, (Electronic music), June 9th (Skype). 47 minutes.

7. Event organizer (Electronic music), 6 June 2017 (Skype). 49 minutes.

8. Musician (female) (Electronica), 27 September 2017 (Skype). 50 minutes

9. Musician/curator (Ambient), 28 February 2018 (Over the

phone). 39 minutes.

10. DJ (Electronic music and others alternative genres), 13 August 2019. 110 minutes.

11. DJ and volunteer at 4ZZZ radio, (Goth/EBM), 14 August 2019. 75 minutes.

Notes

1. Owning partly to the historical perspective privileged here.

2. On the link between dance music and tribal culture, see the work of Graham St-John (2010).

3. Figure 1 shows a ‘bush doof’ event taking place in Dayboro, 45 km from Brisbane.

4. See https://www.electrofringe.net/about

5. This finding echoes the analysis of the indie musicians in Brisbane by Rogers (2008)

6. This context is discussed in details by Green in his analysis of the collective memory building happening after a violent clash between police and audience members at a Brisbane festival (2018).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Sébastien Darchen

Dr. Sébastien Darchen holds a PhD in Urban Studies obtained in 2008 from INRS, Urbanisation, Culture et Société (Montréal, Canada). He was a postdoctoral fellow at the Canada Chair of the Socio-organisational Challenges of the Knowledge Economy from 2009 to 2010 and then an Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Environmental Studies at York University. He joined the School of Earth and Environmental Sciences (SEES) in 2011 where he is Senior Lecturer in Planning. His articles have been published in top-ranked planning journals: Urban Studies, Cities, etc. In 2019, he was the main editor for ‘Global Planning Innovations for Urban Sustainability’ published with Routledge as well as the first editor for ‘Electronic Cities: Music, Policies and Space in the 21st Century’ published with Palgrave McMillan in 2021.

Damien Charrieras

Dr. Damien Charrieras is Associate Professor at the School of Creative Media (City University of Hong Kong), one of the most prominent new media art school in Asia. He co-published recently a paper about Hong Kong musical and visual art spaces in the journal Cities. He co-edited a volume on underground music-making in Hong Kong and East Asia (Palgrave MacMillan) and he published several papers on underground musical scenes and electronic music performances, with a focus on South East Asia. He recently published a report for the Hong Kong government on the development of new media expertise in the creative economy of Hong Kong (2019). As a theorist, he is also interested in a variety of topics pertaining to digital creation. He also was an editor for ‘Electronic Cities’ published with Palgrave McMillan in 2021.

John Willsteed

Dr. John Willsteed is a musician and academic. He toured the world through the late 80s in The Go-Betweens, and has recorded and performed with many bands. He has been a guitarist in award-winning Brisbane group Halfway since 2011. He is also an award-winning composer and sound editor with over 90 film and television credits, and is Senior Lecturer in Music at Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane. He has presented papers nationally and internationally, and his academic interest is centred in concepts of curation and story-telling particularly in relation to Brisbane’s punk and post-punk scene. He was an editor for ‘Electronic Cities’ published with Palgrave McMillan in 2021.