Pausing for reflection in January 2016, a mix of tracks that I couldn’t include in the feature shows of ’15, that are still on high rotation in my mind.

For the Kulin Nation, Melbourne has always been an important meeting place. And it continues to be a place of connection for people from all around the world.

Collaborative poetic jazz, organic electronics. From New Orleans to New York; France to Brazil; Poland to Trinidad; Mali to Cape Town; Portugal to Suriname. Stretching and tensing, sincopando.

Sung poetry, the oral tradition, passed down from generation to generation, continuing today, no break in the chain…

Eclectic electronic, folk and poetic wavelengths from Greece. Featuring electronica pioneers Lena Platonos and Stereo Nova, fascinating composers and bands Carte Postale, Imam Baildi, ION, Anna Stereopoulou, and May Roosevelt (mixing the poetry of Dinos Christianopoulos), hip hop / low bap from Active Member with Luka Lesson, and Poetic [Low Bap], a new album from Savina Yannatou, postcards from the multicultural history of Thessaloniki, and honoured ghosts, rebetika singers Stella Haskil and Sotiria Bellou, who are the waves beneath all of our boats. 

Australia is, on the ground and in the streets, a place of amazing diversity. We celebrate the multitude of voices speaking up. Two new spoken word LPs from Joel McKerrow and Adam Gibson, and a new compilation from Melbourne Spoken Word. Poets Sean M Whelan, Andrew Galan, Randall Stephens, Eleanor Jackson, Sista Zai, Ebony MonCrief, Jacky T, Common Ground Collective (L-Fresh the Lion, Nayana Bhandari), REMI, NYUON, Cazeaux O.S.L.O. Diverse musical threads woven into the fabric of a still-evolving Australian identity - from Iran to Oz, Amin Payne; from Punjab to Caribbean to Oz, Sikander; from soul to Oz soul, Hiatus Kaiyote; from Tatarstan-Udmurtia to the Universe, Starship Z! And from the absolute heart, Jimblah re-calls Yothu Yindi’s anthem for Aboriginal sovereignty. This is Australia, a land of many cultures, beholden to one.

Following on from #6, Northern Soul dives into the deep, orchestral spaces and provocative political and social stories of Canada.

"Words can be bullets or butterflies. The truth uplifts, while lies destroy. So, say what you mean and mean what you say."—Piri Thomas

From the 15th until the 21st of December 2014 a series of events were held in various spaces and venues in the city of Athens, beginning with the release on 15th December of the album 'Vuelo Libre' - a “family work” album of nine tracks composed by sound artists and musicians from ten countries. This edition of the podcast is the one-hour mix I made of the album for this exhibition. Modern electronic classical music, organic sounds and poetics in six languages.

Raining sounds and stories across the planet. Many honoured ghosts this month, including the poets Rumi, Federico García Lorca, TS Elliott, Badr Shākir as-Sayyāb, Jorge Luis Borges, and Pablo Neruda. Ambient folkloric beats, Afro Latin jazz and soul, hip hop and spoken word poetry, from Ecuador to Barcelona to Melbourne, from New York to New Zealand to Rapa Nui, from Campodia to the Czech Republic to the rainy streets of Paris and London.

Many cultures, languages, religions, rhythms make up the continent and the neighbouring islands of the oceans of Australia. This is a rich tapestry of a place. Enjoy some of the threads...