Ash Wednesday approached the 80's with considerable enthusiasm and had previously 'combined experimental analog synthesizer textures with punk/rock rhythms' in seminal Australian groups JAB and Models.

  An independent single 'Love by Numbers/Boring Instrumental' was released shortly after leaving Models. The advent of the programmable drum machine, digital sequencing and advancing music related technology enabled all sorts of possibilities to experiment with ideas, many of which hadn't previously been put into practice. It was indeed a brave new world, and Ash Wednesday steadfastly embarked on a number of new projects.
  Perhaps the most important was a collaboration with his ingenious compatriot T.E. Power.

 

They called it Thealonian Music. The concept being to generate music of a spontaneous nature, with the rhythmic foundation being provided by a programmable drum machine, sequence and synthesizer combination (the former two programmed in a rapidly impulsive, wreckless manner).

The chosen equipment set-up incorporated the (then cutting edge technology of) Roland TR,TB, SH, CSQ series as the rhythmic foundation of the music. Rhythm patterns were written to the
TR-808 drum machine . This machine allowed 2 separate trigger sources to be written into each respective pattern. Each trigger source was connected to an independent CSQ 600 digital sequencer, which, in turn would advance 1 step upon receiving the trigger. Related song patterns were then written to the 808 in a un-premeditated and wreckless manner . The plan behind this  was to endeavor to utilize sequencers in a manner which would offer an element of surprise. Just prior to recording, an elected series of notes was mutually nominated. These notes were then rapidly and impulsively entered (in any particular amount and order) into the CSQ sequencers. With song tempo randomly selected (808) play was activated - voila!

Composition and performance were a simultaneous and live procedure, with no overdubbing or remixing incorporated into the process. They met, and recorded on a number of occasions throughout the early eighties. They would record continuously over a period of several days. Everything was recorded. They were determined to keep working methodically once we had exhausted all predetermined ideas. This was when things became interesting.

  An assortment of some of the choice results of this process was released in the form of an independent cassette titled 'Project X Chromosome X' in 1982 Another cassette titled 'Syno Cat' was compiled but never released. Independent music Australia was somewhat of an isolated island at the time. However apart from local distribution, they managed to distribute some cassettes, and individual tracks throughout the European 'mail order' underground (for example 235 Media in Cologne)
 
  Ash was enamoured by the process of spontaneous music/song composition, particularly when mated with the unexpected results enabled by pre-midi technology. However, T.E. Power and Ash agreed that it was unlikely that they would put this process into regular practice, nor live performance. Ash was keen, however to employ some of the improvised lessons learnt into performance, and thus devised a group that would constant change form, the 'musical chairs' group Modern Jazz.

Due to the haphazard computer rhythm section employed along with the 'blind date' improvisationary ideals adopted, the name was specifically descriptive. I invited musicians/non musicians, electronic/acoustic to my studio to 'jam' on skeletal song structures, usually 'modal' in the manner of Thealonian Music. Ash particularly liked working with relatively, if not completely naive musicians.

He found himself working with a pool of 50 or so people. He would secure a concert situation and then decide on the lineup for the performance by literally drawing the names from a hat. Sometimes the members hadn't even met before walking on stage. There was no bottom line. They sometimes included performance artists into the performance as well as drum machine triggered lighting, projections or other synced visualizations.

   An independent three track cassette was released - simply titled 'Modern Jazz' , but often referred to as 'The Black Tape' due to it's totally black appearance -
2 identical sides Boom Boom Baby / Life In Paris / The Galvanized Garden of Inner Peace. Two other songs, Hairstyle Exploding and Eighteen Creature were recorded at the same time but not included on the cassette.
We are pleased to include all five songs on this Vinyl On Demand release. Also included is the Modern Jazz song, 'Radio Scream', recorded for the compilation album, 'The Signal To Noise Set'

   Ash is overjoyed that Vinyl On Demand has agreed to share this selection of songs with you. There is magic within Thealonian Music and Modern Jazz which has shaped his subsequent musical adventures. Even today, Ash is extremely comfortable with notion of 'not knowing what is going to happen next' -

I take it with me everywhere! (Ash Wednesday July 23 2014)

 

LP1A: THEALONIAN MUSIC a selection from "Project X Chromosome X", Tape 1981/82)

A1:  Science (and How to get it) 3:52
A2:  Chromosome X 5:53
A3:  The Science Set 6:11
A4:  Charlie Charlie 6:05
A5:  An Aspect of Intercourse 1:29
A6:  Useless Information 6:25