Zen Paradox
Encyclopedia
Zen Paradox is an electronic music
artist, primarily involved in the production of techno
as well as other more experimental electronic sounds, from Melbourne
, Australia
. It is the principle name under which Steve Law records and performs electronic music. He also uses the names Mr. Suspicious, and Mutagenic Mind, and collaborates with a range of artists under other names as well, such as The Sonic Voyagers, with Voiteck.
Law is reputed to have been one of Melbourne's principle live electronic acts since 1994. His first musical efforts were released in cassette form for the Melbourne Ambient Music cassette release in the mid 1980s, then in the early '90s he was a member of industrial music group Foil
. He was also a principle act on local Melbourne labels Psy-Harmonics
and IF? Records
from the early 1990s, performing live throughout the 1990s, and on into the new millennium, at big warehouse rave parties like Every Picture Tells A Story
, Hardware
, Zoetrope, Omniglobe
, Technofest and TransAtlantic
, not to mention smaller, more esoteric gigs around Australia, and also overseas.
More recently, in 2008, Law's work has appeared on the Sydney
-based netlabels, Elektrax and Hypnotic Room.
The principle Zen Paradox releases have included Eternal Brainwave (1993), Catharsis (1996), From the Shore of a Distant Land (1995) and Numinosum (2005). Zen Paradox has more recently been a fixture at various large festivals such as Rainbow Serpent Festival
and Earthcore
and has many releases on various European record labels.
Of late Law has also been working as the touring keyboard player for Melbourne shoegazer act Black Cab (band), and in 2008 he released the Zen Paradox digital download retrospective EP, Corrosive Artifacts, through Sydney label Elektrax.
"Whilst many other Melbourne producers of the mid '90s had disappeared or relocated overseas by 2000, Law was still making stuff as Zen Paradox without the archetypal deejay hype or techno live act fanfare... as well as cutting a diverse swath of material under new aliases like Mutagenic Mind, Mr. Suspicious, Retreat Syndrome, and just plain Steve Law," noted Andrez Bergen in an article for Sydney's Cyclic Defrost
magazine.
Electronic music
Electronic music is music that employs electronic musical instruments and electronic music technology in its production. In general a distinction can be made between sound produced using electromechanical means and that produced using electronic technology. Examples of electromechanical sound...
artist, primarily involved in the production of techno
Techno
Techno is a form of electronic dance music that emerged in Detroit, Michigan in the United States during the mid to late 1980s. The first recorded use of the word techno, in reference to a genre of music, was in 1988...
as well as other more experimental electronic sounds, from Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. It is the principle name under which Steve Law records and performs electronic music. He also uses the names Mr. Suspicious, and Mutagenic Mind, and collaborates with a range of artists under other names as well, such as The Sonic Voyagers, with Voiteck.
Law is reputed to have been one of Melbourne's principle live electronic acts since 1994. His first musical efforts were released in cassette form for the Melbourne Ambient Music cassette release in the mid 1980s, then in the early '90s he was a member of industrial music group Foil
Foil (band)
Foil a grunge rock group from the Seattle, Washington area c.1990-1998 featuring Steve Wied, formerly of Tad, Skin Yard, Willard and Daddy Hate Box on vocals and drums....
. He was also a principle act on local Melbourne labels Psy-Harmonics
Psy-Harmonics
Psy-Harmonics is an Australian independent record label specialising in electronic music.When Psy-Harmonics began in 1993 it was the first local label to explore the sonic possibilities of the techno / trance sound...
and IF? Records
IF? Records
IF? Records, established in Melbourne, Australia in 1995 and based in Tokyo, Japan after relocating there in 2001, was a live gig and rave party organiser in Melbourne in the 1990s and one of Melbourne's first independent local electronic music labels....
from the early 1990s, performing live throughout the 1990s, and on into the new millennium, at big warehouse rave parties like Every Picture Tells A Story
Every Picture Tells A Story Melbourne
In Melbourne, Australia, in 1993, the Melbourne Underground Development crew started a series of warehouse/rave parties that continued for almost 10 years, with 21 of their own Every Picture Tells A Story parties in total - drawing thousands of people to each event.- Every Picture and other M.U.D...
, Hardware
Hardware
Hardware is a general term for equipment such as keys, locks, hinges, latches, handles, wire, chains, plumbing supplies, tools, utensils, cutlery and machine parts. Household hardware is typically sold in hardware stores....
, Zoetrope, Omniglobe
IF? Records
IF? Records, established in Melbourne, Australia in 1995 and based in Tokyo, Japan after relocating there in 2001, was a live gig and rave party organiser in Melbourne in the 1990s and one of Melbourne's first independent local electronic music labels....
, Technofest and TransAtlantic
Transatlantic
Transatlantic crossings are passages of passengers and cargo across the Atlantic Ocean between the Americas and Europe. Prior to the 19th century, transatlantic crossings were undertaken in sailing ships, which was a time consuming and often perilous journey. Transatlantic crossings became faster,...
, not to mention smaller, more esoteric gigs around Australia, and also overseas.
More recently, in 2008, Law's work has appeared on the Sydney
Sydney
Sydney is the most populous city in Australia and the state capital of New South Wales. Sydney is located on Australia's south-east coast of the Tasman Sea. As of June 2010, the greater metropolitan area had an approximate population of 4.6 million people...
-based netlabels, Elektrax and Hypnotic Room.
The principle Zen Paradox releases have included Eternal Brainwave (1993), Catharsis (1996), From the Shore of a Distant Land (1995) and Numinosum (2005). Zen Paradox has more recently been a fixture at various large festivals such as Rainbow Serpent Festival
Rainbow Serpent Festival
The Rainbow Serpent Festival is a large electronic music, art and lifestyle festival, located in Victoria, Australia. The festival is mainly known for Psychedelic trance and Minimal Techno music, but also features other genres of electronic music and non electronic music in the smaller stages...
and Earthcore
Earthcore
Earthcore was an Australian outdoor dance music festival and electronic music events organisation. The outdoor events were generally held in forest environments around Victoria, Australia, with some events held in Queensland, Australia and overseas in New Caledonia...
and has many releases on various European record labels.
Of late Law has also been working as the touring keyboard player for Melbourne shoegazer act Black Cab (band), and in 2008 he released the Zen Paradox digital download retrospective EP, Corrosive Artifacts, through Sydney label Elektrax.
Media feedback
"It is perhaps cliché to describe music of this sort science fiction-esque, but there's a ring of truth to that label that can't be denied, especially given the choice of song and album titles," wrote John Brassill in his review of the recent Zen Paradox album Numinosum, on About.com. "If this isn't music for nerds, nothing is. Allowing that song is yet another form of storytelling, Numinusom surely has a place alongside Clarke and Gibson, Asimov and Dick, or more likely, the lyrical razor wielded by the inimitable Ray Bradbury. If a tree falls in the forest, will it make a sound of thunder?""Whilst many other Melbourne producers of the mid '90s had disappeared or relocated overseas by 2000, Law was still making stuff as Zen Paradox without the archetypal deejay hype or techno live act fanfare... as well as cutting a diverse swath of material under new aliases like Mutagenic Mind, Mr. Suspicious, Retreat Syndrome, and just plain Steve Law," noted Andrez Bergen in an article for Sydney's Cyclic Defrost
Cyclic Defrost
Cyclic Defrost is Australia's only specialist electronic music magazine. It is edited by Sebastian Chan, Shaun Prescott and Alexandra Savvides, and covers independent electronic music, avant-rock, experimental sound art and left field hip hop....
magazine.
External links
- Solitary Sound, Steve Laws web site
- Zen Paradox / Steve Law discography on discogs.com
- http://www.cyclicdefrost.com/article.php?article=1081Article in Cyclic DefrostCyclic DefrostCyclic Defrost is Australia's only specialist electronic music magazine. It is edited by Sebastian Chan, Shaun Prescott and Alexandra Savvides, and covers independent electronic music, avant-rock, experimental sound art and left field hip hop....
] - Numinosum record review
- Steve Law interview (2006) @ de-VICE