CLAN ANALOGUE

A HAVEN FOR ELECTRONIC MUSIC CONNOISSEURS AND AN AUSTRALIAN MUSIC INSTITUTION

By Sosefina Fuamoli

As the indie rock movement of the 1990s took its stronghold over Australian music, a desire for opportunities to explore different sounds would soon emerge. Electronic music in Australia went through a particular moment of evolution during this period and fuelled by a noticeable lack of venues and avenues to perform and release material, the Clan Analogue collective was born. Here, music journalist Sosefina Fuamoli takes us back to the beginning and explores the origins of an underrated, yet still impactful, Australian music institution.

It may be difficult to conceptualise a time when electronic music wasn’t a dominant artform. We hear its influence threaded through so many genres of contemporary music today. And yet, Australia in the early 1990s was a different scene with electronic music still very much relegated to the club environment. While a healthy and burgeoning culture around the genre was beginning to flourish, the mainstream had not yet caught on to the endless possibilities electronic music had to offer.

Enter a small group of individuals, passionate about electronic music, who would become a pioneering force in Australian electronic music: Clan Analogue.

Their story starts in Sydney in 1992. With producer/broadcaster and artist Brendan Palmer at the helm, Clan Analogue began filling a void in Australian music by providing a platform for electronic musicians to release their music and to perform at special event nights. Early releases via Clan Analogue during this early period (1992-1995) included the seminal compilation Cog, as well as various vinyl releases and cassette tapes.

These early years of Clan Analogue began attracting some of the country’s most interesting and forward-thinking musicians including, but not limited to, Kate Crawford and Nicole Skeltys of B(if)tek, Ali Omar and Andy Fitzgerald of Atone, and Garry Bradbury of Severed Heads.

Nick Wilson, Clan Analogue’s current label manager, reflects on this developing period – a time where, at best, live electronic music was seen as a ‘quirky throwback to new wave pop revivalism’.

“Clan Analogue provided a safe space and outlet for young artists who were interested in exploring the new sounds of techno and house music, and who were enthusiastic about experimenting with synthesizers or other forms of music technology. There was also a productive cross-pollination of ideas with older artists from the post-punk era who also had a forward-looking attitude to experimentation with technology. This provided the two main influences on Clan’s founding members – new styles of dance music and a tradition of experimentation in electronic music.”

Built upon a core ethos that genre lines and stylistic boundaries did not need to be adhered to, Clan Analogue became an early champion for indie labels and distribution. The impact of their work can be seen represented in the work of collectives including Vibe Tribe, Club Kooky and Elefant Traks.

The collective wasn’t simply a meeting point for the like-minded to share and get their music out there; Clan Analogue was born to enable collaboration and to build a strengthened and dynamic electronic music community. To date, Clan Analogue has spearheaded over 50 releases, all of which represent the collective’s diversity in sound as well as their unified mindset.

Nicole Skeltys remembers the rush of finding her tribe in discovering Clan Analogue for the first time during B(if)tek’s formative years. For Skeltys and bandmate Crawford, it was incredibly encouraging to discover that there were other groups of like-minded people and musicians elsewhere in Australia, and overseas, who were just as passionate about interesting sounds and the endless possibilities of electronic and experimental music.

“It was a golden era for innovations and taking risks. Everything was very fresh; everyone was finding their way. We were all listening to stuff coming out of Berlin, what would eventually become known as acid and trance. I wasn’t aware of anything like that happening in Australia.

I thought the sounds they were creating were amazing; it was really mind-expanding to me. There also seemed to be this intellectualism, there was a real community spirit and a sense of humour. They weren’t taking themselves too seriously but at the same time, what they were doing was amazing. It blew my mind, they were my tribe. This was of the same quality as the stuff being imported from Berlin that we were hearing in Manchester and London. It was here, it was right here in our backyard.”

Even now, as electronic music has become a defined and popular presence within the mainstream, the mentality of Clan Analogue remains the same. They remain as connected to the DIY scene as they are to international markets continuing to produce innovative and standard-setting new sounds.

It’s not just about the music either. Clan Analogue has also provided a platform for its members to produce works of visual and written media that have traversed both traditional and new media forms. Whether it be in the form of zines, radio shows, podcasts, video and live performance events, Clan Analogue have developed a reputation for forward-thinking artistry over the decades.

The relevance of the collective has reached a new apex in its 30th year. Now existing in a space where music creatives and consumers alike are more connected than ever thanks to digital media, Clan Analogue has been exploring new ways to produce innovative works.

For Wilson, the more recent history of Clan Analogue has been inspiring to be part of. Artists who weren’t even born when Clan Analogue started are now planning releases through the label.

“Today, Clan Analogue still aims to provide an outlet for artists who want to work in electronic music outside of mainstream channels of production and distribution. Many aspects of how Clan Analogue operates have become accepted practice in the music industry. Electronic music is an established musical artform, even a default production method in pop music. And today, artists can maintain successful careers while remaining self-managed and independent.

We’ve always aimed to provide opportunities for new people to get involved and avenues for anyone to throw in ideas for new projects, new releases, new events or any other brain waves they may have! We also don’t believe in barriers-to-entry. Lack of experience or any other ideas regarding ability or competence don’t preclude getting involved, having a go and making a contribution.”

From the small group who saw the need for electronic music in Australia to find permanence to Australia’s longest running innovative electronic collective, Clan Analogue has become larger than they ever anticipated.

Cultivating a new generation of artists who are free to develop and evolve their artistry outside the bounds of traditional industry standards, Clan Analogue stands as a unique music institution and its legacy speaks to their open minded and forward-thinking approach to the craft.

Celebrating their 30th anniversary in 2022, Clan Analogue is part of an exclusive group of labels whose core ethos persists in an era of digital music making and are more excited than ever to see what new music and ideas are on the horizon. The collective will commemorating this important milestone in October with Electronic Weekend – two epic events taking place as part of this year’s Melbourne Fringe Festival.

Find out more about Clan Analogue at clananalogue.org and visit the Australian Music Vault to see instruments, sound machines, posters and recordings from Australia’s rich history of electronic sound and music culture now on display in collaboration with MESS Studios.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Sosefina Fuamoli

Sose Fuamoli is an award-winning music journalist, radio host and publicist. An ardent supporter of young writers and music professionals, she has been a champion of a more diverse Australian music culture, while also profiling and reviewing some of the world’s biggest music festivals and artists through the United States and Europe. Sose's titles include the AU Review, triple j, Rolling Stone Australia, Time Out, The Big Issue Australia, NME Australia, Beat Magazine and Music Feeds. She currently hosts Window Seat on 3RRR. She is an Australian Music Prize judge and has served on the judging committee for the South Australian Music Awards, the Hilltop Hoods Initiative, NT Song of the Year and the ARIA Awards.