Welcome to the Australian Art Music playlist! A monthly playlist of classical, jazz, experimental and electronic music focused on contemporary Australian composers, musicians and sound artists.

Ar Music Playlist Jan

Belle Chen, Elena Kats-Chernin, Shubha Mudgal and Aviva Endean.

Welcome to 2023! Sitting here in the peak of an Australian summer, fire seemed an appropriate theme to start the year with. Whether we’re remembering the Black Summer bushfires or musing on the dance of a campfire’s embers, I hope this month’s playlist stirs something elemental in you while listening.

We open with Tito Tries to Light A Fire by Belle Chen. The Mussorgsky homage immediately clear in the Old Castle quote (a favourite of mine), alongside the rhythmic and expressive language of Tito Puente. Chen weaves these influences together seamlessly to create an ever-evolving fabric of groove for which she is well-known.

Inspired by an early chemical theory on the nature of fire, Phlogiston by Peggy Polias seems to fit our theme of representing fire through...