Sororal
recording begins
december 2011
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Three days in December were
spent recording rhythm section instruments for the Sororal
score. Two drum kits, electric cello, vibraphone and cimbalom were used
as the core of some of the more driving cues in the film. Ten piece brass and choir will be recorded early in the new year to go with modular synth elements. Sororal features an eclectic mix of prog rock, Kraut rock, atonal and Bulgarian influences. |
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calsquared perform The
4th Step
october 2011
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Vibraphonist Callum Moncrieff
performs my new composition The
Fourth Step
for vibraphone cassette tape and narration on the 14th of October
2011 in the foyer, Central Institute Of Technology, Aberdeen st
Northbridge. He will also be performing music for trumpet and
vibraphone as one half of Calsquared.
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| The piece has had a controversial
first performance at the Western
Australian Academy Of Performing Arts. In addition to this the
Australian Broadcasting commission (ABC) refused to record it
at a recent recording session with the percussionist. The work contains text adapted from Chuck Palahniuk's Novel Choke and explores the nature of sexual addiction. |
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soundscrips vol. 3
september 2011
| My paper titled "Scoring
Ménilmontant - new world soundscapes with French Impressionist cinema"
has been published in Soundscrips Vol. 3 The paper explores some of the techniques used by myself in scoring Dimitri Kirsanoff's 1926 silent film Ménilmontant. Soundscrips is edited by Cat Hope and contains the proceedings of the 2009 Totally Huge New Music Festival Conference. The journal can be purchased here. A PDF version is available for download here. |
noize maschin!!! #3
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I perform my first ever
experimental noise set at Noize Maschin #3
on September 15 at the Perth Artifactory. Noize Maschin is an
experimental night of noise music that brings together experimental
sound artists, musicians and groups interested in the visceral power of
sound.
My set will be constructed from a 1982 Sequential Circuits analogue synthesizer and Doepfer modular synth drenched in reverb. The 3rd Noize Maschin is officially part of the 10th Totally Huge New Music Festival presented by Tura New Music. For more information visit the Artifactory website or Tura |
vibraphone commission
Percussionist Callum Moncrieff and his family have commissioned me to write a new work for vibraphone. The Fourth Step for vibraphone and cassette tape will contain text adapted from the novel Choke by Chuck Palahniuk. |
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Sororal
begins
august 2011
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After a four week break holidaying in Europe I have begun work on my third feature film score. Sororal directed by Sam Barrett is a Italian Giallo inspired supernatural thriller set in the 1970s. The score will be composed for choir, brass, synth and rhythm section and will draw influence from early electroacoustic music, krautrock, and prog rock (among others). The score will also contain spatial elements and be recorded in surround sound. My chamber work "Sororal" was composed based on the dramaturgy of Barrett's screen play and performed by WASO's Echo Chamber Ochestra. Elements of this work will be used in the film score. |
decibel performs Agerasia
june 2011
| One of Australia's foremost new
music ensembles Decibel will be performing my new work Agerasia at the second concert in their
2011 series. Agerasia is a 10min work for cello, bass clarinet and four prepared vinyl records. Sustained tones often fade from cello to bass clarinet and meandering melody fragments in the cello are offset by stuttering passages from the bass clarinet. All of this inscribed on a cosmic background of static noise, skipping fragments of 80s pop music and percussive clicks and pops by way of the three vinyl records. Decibel perform in Perth on Monday, June 20, 8pm PICA, in the main Gallery Space. www.decibel.waapamusic.com/ |
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retirement announcement & album release
april 2011
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After "cutting-my-teeth" on
fifteen short films in the space of six
years, I've decided to retire from short film work as undefeated
champion. My efforts will now be concentrated solely on
feature films and various other musical projects. In celebration of my retirement I have decided to release the majority of my short film output (along with one feature length film score) on a free MP3 album. |
| Used
& Abused - the
selected low budget film scores of Christopher de Groot
has been drawn from fourteen short film scores and one feature length
score. The album contains a mammoth 60 tracks and comes complete with
album art work and liner notes. Enjoy! (click on pic to download)
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Used & Abused album cover (photography by Lisa Businovski)
WASA nomination
february 2011
My score for Sam Barrett's feature film Esoterica has been nominated for Best Original Music Composition at the 2011 Western Australian Screen Awards. Esoterica has also been nominated for Best Film and Best Cinematography.
This is my third WASA nomination in as many years:
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2009 - Best Original Music
Composition (win) "The
Director's Cut" 2010 - Best Original Music Composition (nomination) "Crow's Feet" 2011 - Best Original Music Composition (nomination) "Esoterica" A full list of nominees can be found here |
Sir Thomas play adelaide
january 2011
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On the back of several successful shows last year, Sir Thomas will be playing two gigs in Adelaide. ST are a unique band consisting of two keyboards, bass, drums, and vocals. Our music blends driving ostinato rhythms, layered textures and odd time signatures with well crafted lyrics and catchy melodies. |
When: Friday January 21, 2011 (8:30pm)
Where: Wheatsheaf Hotel, 39 George Street Thebarton Adelaide, Australia
Cost: $10 at the door
http://wheatsheafhotel.com.au/
AFTRS film score
Throughout January I will be writing music for Megan Palinkas' short film The Big Tip. Shot on location in Collingwood, Melbourne, the film is a beautiful tip-of-the-cap to classic noir films... but with a twist.
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Palinkas has studied and worked as an actor in New York and has stared in numerous short and feature length films. She recently finished studying at the Australian Film, Television and Radio School (AFTRS) where she applied her talents as a director.
This is the second collaboration between myself and Palinkas, the first being the very successful Crow's Feet (2010).
Audio samples can be heard here
2010 comes to a close
december 2010
From completing my Masters degree and presenting a paper in New Zealand, to composing for my second feature film and for WASO, to performing with some of Australia's promising new-music practitioners and gigging with Sir Thomas, 2010 has be a whirlwind of musical activity. I would like to thank all the musicians that performed in Annexia as well as filmmakers Sam Barrett and Megan Palinkas, the Nakatomi boys, sound engineer Ben Morris and master percussionist Callum Moncrieff.
News from 2010 has been moved to the archives section of the site to make way for all that 2011 has to bring!!!