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Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio
Electronic music in Australia has a long history. From the early experiments of Percy Grainger, through the radical works of composers like Keith Humble, Ros Bandt and Cindy John to the more recent work of the Severed Heads, Alison Wonderland, Kardajala Kirridarra and Jannah Quill, electronic instruments have provided musicians with the means to work beyond the boundaries of traditional music making.
Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio (MESS) is a unique not-for-profit organisation dedicated to the creation of electronic sound and music in all its forms. At the heart of MESS is a significant collection of over 500 rare electronic sound and musical machines. MESS is dedicated to the preservation and accessibility of these machines with the collection used both to highlight and preserve the history of electronic music, and to support the creation of electronic sound and music in all its forms in a welcoming and accessible space. As a living collection, all the instruments at MESS are available for everybody and anybody to play at their publicly accessible studio in North Melbourne. They are also used in live performances by members, resident artists and by the MESS Synthesiser Orchestra.
The MESS collection holds instruments from many important moments in the history of electronic sound. This includes the invention of the internationally significant Fairlight Computer Musical Instrument, the ground-breaking curriculum of Melbourne’s La Trobe University Music Department, and the creative output of the Clifton Hill Community Music Centre.
