That was 2025, another International Year of Music…or something like that. For me, the year bought much listening and mastering joy from old and new friends; some more thought/refinement on process, practice, and art making; and, a couple of choice performances.
Mastering:
Through ENCODER Sound and out were plenty of records, with stellar full lengths including:
Michael Terren — It Ends In A Crypt
Gap Year — In Light
Odlaw — mi(l)d life crisis
Brix — Grand Brix
Sophie Lilah — Busy Being I Love
Cryptids — Cryptids
L0k & Peter Panspermia — Something About The Weather
L0k & DEHNOE — 6000-TB.
A few ripper EP:
Nika Mo — Panicle
Teen Angst — Cerulean.
Oakabella Mae — Complimentary Ghosts
And, a number more singles from Moth Swatter, Ohmu, Stuart Orchard, Jack Haynes, throw stones, Gentle Duel, The Manbergs, Navisha, Parclo, TRIBES Worship. With other sound work including Jacobus Capone’s 4-channel video, 4-channel audio work End & Being (2025), premiering at the National Centre For Environmental Art (VIC).
Well deserving was RTRFM Local Features for Michael Terren, Gap Year, Brix, Nika Mo, Teen Angst, and Odlaw — as well as a smattering of RTRFM Sound Selection inclusions from many others. Nika Mo’s ‘Divination’ and Gap Year’s ‘In Light’ in the top 10 most played tracks of the year on the station. RTRFM remain fundamental to the new music scene in Boorloo, and they are doing the work so well!
Studio:
Through the year there was continued refinement of the studio, with the addition of dual subwoofers, the building of a massive bass trap, and fine tuning of speakers placement and listening position. Discussion and collaboration with James Bradbury has been helpful in the quest for a balanced listening environment. I lent a little more into trusting my ears in the refinement process, whilst also approaching intellectually and scientifically. I’m feeling more and more comfortable in the space and sure of my sonic decisions.
Live shows:
I caught some amazing live shows in 2025. Highlights included the Brix launch at the Buffalo Club and O, D, E at The Blue Room. Completely different experiences, but maybe at their core they share a genesis story of an artist making the thing they really want to make, and an ensemble of friends combining their spirit and skill to make it happen.
Shoutout to Tone List who’ve gone from strength to strength in putting together a new board and new strategic plan, whilst maintaining a rigorous schedule of shows — I note many with visiting artists! My love to the TL Team.
Performances:
As an improvising trumpet player I played a couple of sets in 2025, the first a duo with James Bradbury at Astral Weeks for the Audible Edge Festival program launch in April. James is a long time collaborator and it was interesting to work slowly toward this performance over a couple of months, sketching out concepts and form, testing, evaluating, and settling on a kind of shared aesthetic of noise and change. Development continues towards a duo record along similar lines.
More recently I hit with Windhover (aka Eduardo Cossio and me) at Outcome Unknown. Eduardo and I have collaborated in many different formats through many phases of our musical careers. Windhover has been a thing since late 2021 with a debut performance back in 2022 at Audible Edge Festival. The concept has been developing in the background of our other projects and here too we are working towards a record in 2026. When you take your time, the dust settles and reveals an interesting form.
This is certainly the fewest live sets I’ve played in a calendar year since about 2012. A significant shift in focus towards listening and mastering. It feels to me that I’m just in less of a rush to make art, but no less committed to the pursuit, preferring to let things percolate, letting time filter various ideas, and building a greater connection to the ideas that will become something.
Workshops:
I was honoured to be invited by the Tone List friends to facilitate a workshop at the Audible Edge Night School series. Taking folks through my breath centring exercises for trumpet playing and improvising — foundational to my trumpet practice. In the room were sound artists and movement artists of a wide variety of arts practice, and the interest is really in how the technique transfers to these other disciplines. The challenge I find is in communicating how total, fundamental, and world opening the practice feels to me. When I reflect on it now, perhaps the message is not, “do what I do,” but “find some stabilising practice that allows you to explore your art and make the work.”
Happy New Year:
All the best to everyone, see you in 2026!