Helen Franzmann and Nick Huggins - Public Holiday at You Yangs National Park

Public Holiday at You Yangs Regional Park is a new collaboration between Helen Franzmann and Nick Huggins. Helen is known for her ongoing projects McKisko and Mess Esque. Nick, for his self-titled solo releases and his respected work as a producer and engineer. This is their first release as a duo. Long conversations led to improvisa-on and several recordings were made outdoors followed by further work in the studio. AIer the first of three sessions a list of assump-ons and boundaries were decided upon. These included:
1. All playing and decisions should be made together in the same place.
2. Bird noises and forest noises are good if we were there in the sounds also.
3. Improvising and then improvising over the improvising is good.
4. Sounds that change over time instead of loops
5. Vocoder is okay when it sounds like flute, not when it sounds like a robot.
6. Casio CZ5000 and Elopan with delay.
7. Space is good, space with implied structure is preferred.
A crude motor driven percussion device and muted keyboard tones were played with a
conversa-onal rhythm that isn't heading anywhere in particular but could go in any direc-on at any time. Repetition, gradual shiIing changes, Helen's half sung/half internal vocalising and an appetite for space remained at the centre. This record feels like a respectful pause in an ongoing discussion.