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LAS MAR

FIELD RECORDINGS: RESIDENT 01

Resident: Las Mar
Date: 2-4 Dec 2020
Location: Micah, VIC
Sonics: Hollow Trees, Long Grass, Water

@steve_JL-photography.

@steve_JL-photography.

If there’s one man that certainly benefited from some pandemic-imposed time out last year, it’s the stupendously talented Nick Martyn. Currently trading as Las Mar, the latest outlet for his eclectic, poly-rhythmic writing that seems to seep out of his pores, Martyn trained as a jazz drummer before picking up pretty much every other instrument we put down in primary school. As a session muso, he’s worked his magic with some of Australia’s favourites, from Gotye and Matt Corby to Husky, Nai Palm of Hiatus Kaiyote and D.Dumbo. 

Nick was our debut Field Recordings guest and he reckons taking time out from artistic work is pretty essential to making it. “I think there's pressure to be ‘on’ all the time these days, it's part of the sociological climate or something. But it doesn't work like that in my experience,” he says. “Deadlines are helpful for finishing tracks or working with others but for my solo process I need to have no time limits.”

Las Mar’s current output definitely reflects the benefits of unstructured time. Wildly original, trippy and unconventional, the work pings off every corner of Nick’s musical brain. A lot of that elasticity comes from being outside. “I never regret leaving town to get some country air. The cabin is a very special spot and the sense of isolation is incredible for being only 1 hour out of Melbourne!”

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No stranger to using field recordings in his own music, Nick spent his time at Micah in search of new textures. “Sometimes you get rhythms but they often dissipate as soon as you ‘identify’ them as being rhythms. Texture is a more general and therefore conceptually steady way to listen to the sounds of the bush - in my opinion.” That being said, many of his source material ended up being percussive anyway, like slapping water or striking the trunk of a big hollow tree - “any sound produced inside of it just had an incredible resonance”

Nick reckons more people should get out of their regular ritual more often, even if they can’t make it to an Unyoked cabin. “I always recommend nature time to my mates,” he laughs. “Even a 20 minute walk to a park during the day can make all the difference to your capacity to focus for hours on music.

Turns out tuning out for a bit can do wonders for those secret parts of your brain. “I need to be able to just muck around and explore. I often find it's best to be deliberately unproductive. Productivity is for sending emails....not making music - that mind set just won't work for me.”

Consider us logged out. Thanks for exploring with us, Nick.

Late to the party? Find out all about our debut Field Recordings residency & EP here.

 

Field Recordings I was made possible by our friends at SEARCH PARTY, DupeShop, Good Manners, NLV Recordings, Spirit Level and of course, our amazing Unyoked hosts.