Clan Analogue have provided the osmotic foundation for boundless new media enterprises in this country, albeit a fiercely progressive and thus indefinable crew who cannot be touched by the junked mainstream hodads. This is easily exemplified by the release of their new compilation CD, Cognition, "A collection of twisted grooves and reconstructed beats". Cognition is truly a group effort, the liner notes divulging tag-team beatsmithery, familiar cooperations and likely design partners-in-crime. But that's simply what Clan Analogue stands for, always available to each other for a cup of sugar and an 808, mate.
With members entrenched in Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra amongst others, linked through electronic mailing lists, the 'net and monthly meetings over a pint, Charlotte's giggle and the tongue-in-cheek sternness of similar communications with Clan members Benjamin Askins (AKA Genlevel, AYU, ex-Infusion), Scot (AKA Rex Bellator, the Dread King, the Kinky Boot Beast, Nerve Agent, Metal Hurlant and Now:Zero), Kazumiuchi Grime (AKA Telharmoneom, Barouche Landous, Erni Butweed and BackSpace), Gavin Angus-Leppan/Andrew Jones/Steven Scott (Telemetry Orchestra, alphabug, Marsprojekt and Negative America) and Nicole Skeltys (Artificial and B(if)tek) belay a powerhouse of modern communal productivity. Clan Analogue, the collective of electronic sound composers, visual artists, coders, djs, video artists, writers and designers are taking over the fringes and establishing the boundaries of non-mainstream prowess.
"Constantly the fringe will be cut and the left over hair will be recycled and distributed to the masses," says Askins. "I predict the Chemical Brothers and Prodigy will form supergroups doing covers of 70's progressive rock hits - whereas Clan Analogue will traverse the hall of tortured souls and find the answers in a 24dB/Octave filter thus providing them with the means of global domination..." Ah, yeah. Gavin from Telemetry Orchestra, with a little less grandiosity, confers: "I don't know if capitalism will allow anything to remain at cottage industry level for long, it remains to be seen. I 'spose Clan's security lies in the fact that it's not about money.
"Our dissatisfaction with the endless rounds of demo tapes, narrow minded rock promoters and our sense of alienation grew," says Gavin. "But so too did our enthusiasm for the enormous breadth of sound that our electronic instruments provided... electronic music seemed to open up to us as genre straight-jackets exploded at the seams. To its credit, and very much as a product of its flexibility and self determinacy as a collective, Clan also evolved. Partly through the evolution of the TO's musical tastes and partly through the need to communicate musically in vivo, electronically and through releases and performances, we found ourselves at home with the Clan."
The Clan stand out in their bond with each other and through their use of machines to progress this. Scot from Nerve Agent (etcetera etcetera) agrees. "Technology is just a tool. It's not an end. An end, is for example, to make great music, or video art, or cartoons or a magazine or whatever.
"Using a computer to make that music is NOT an end, or a goal. It's just a way to realise your desires, and half the time, it's a built-in design feature to try to short circuit this realisation."
Nicole ices the cake with valuing the support the Clan gives her. With the backup of dozens of members who can virtually do anything in the electronic realm (oops, unintentional generic link to Team Knight Rider), plus their experience in running fine events and media spectacles, an excuse for inaction such as gender inequality is brushed off with ease. "Clan is all about underground vibes and encouraging creativity and innovation in electronic arts. It's a different story I imagine if you're trying to break into the 'mainstream' dance charts. But there are just as many pinhead no-talent sexist egomaniacs (particularly DJ's and promoters) in the dance/club scene as any other part of the music industry, that's for sure.
"But we (herself and Kate Crawford AKA B(if)tek) are getting attention first and foremost because we are good. We got a European licensing deal for our first album (Sub-vocal Theme Park) within months of our independent Oz release. We now have tracks on compilations worldwide with artists like DJ Shadow, Autechre, Derek Carter, Ken Ishi. Juno Reactor has been asking for more B(if)tek to use in DJ sets. Jammin Unit sent word that Artifical tracks are seriously, baaadly good. Our tracks are being used for promos on JJJ and Radio National...
"We are well aware that we are one of the very, very few grrrls writing and producing original techno, but any profile we have is due to our own efforts, Geekgirl and Clan Analogue." And shall be the whole of the law.