Lawrence English is a brilliant artist, composer and curator based in Australia. In this wide-ranging interview, Lawrence spoke to me about many topics, touching architecture, philosophy, field recordings, running a record label, and emerging biotech. One of his many projects is the record label Room40, which is celebrating 25 years, and punctuating this podcast are some clips from some of Lawrence’s albums, including Even the Horizon Knows it’s Bounds, Shell Type, and Observation of Breath. You’ll fine several links in the show notes so you can explore each project more fully.

Like all my episodes, you can watch this on my YouTube channel or listen to the podcast on all the podcast platforms, and I’ve also linked the transcript to my website where you'll also find all the separate links for the albums featured in this episode.

Lawrence English website

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(00:00) Intro

(01:42) commission for Naalu Badu Art Gallery of New South Wales

(15:39) excerpt from Even the Horizon Knows Its Bounds

(20:00) architecture and design of cities, Metabolism, Japan

(28:24) Young Person’s Guide to Hustling in Music and the Arts

(34:03) sound art

(38:13) Room40 label, Akio Suzuki

(45:43) the importance of curiosity

(47:30) other episodes and ways to support this series

(48:20) about Field recordings, with clips, relational listening

(57:40) biotech cerebral organoids

(01:07:03) clip from Shell Thype

(01:08:35) Lawrence’s different musical phases and collaborations

(01:16:31) recording the organ Queensland

(01:21:28) And a Twist from Observation of Breath

(01:24:10) ambient music, harmony and pulse, Merzbow

(01:27:19) childhood musical memories

photo T. Pakioufakis