INTERVIEW: New Wave Infinity's ‘All Corners’ Is A Guide To Melbourne Music

New Wave Infinity. Photo supplied.

What do you get when you combine over 60 Melbourne creatives? You get New Wave Infinity. They’ve just released their debut album, All Corners, and it might just be the most ambitious projecth that’s ever been released by Melbourne musicians.

I spoke to Aaron and Rachael from New Wave Infinity to find out how their 2020 has been, as well as get the low-down on All Corners. New Wave Infinity are proof that no matter what you throw at Melbourne musicians, they’ll find a way to turn it into gold.

Ben Madden: Firstly, can I get you both to introduce yourself and your musical background?

Aaron: My name is Aaron, stage name Marlow. I'm a musician and a writer from Melbourne’s south-east and an active member of New Wave Infinity. I began making music about two years ago with my friends purely out of enjoyment, and out of that process our collective was born. I also play the drums in New Wave Infinity’s live band known as Hokusai, and am working on expanding my creative writing portfolio alongside my growing catalogue of musical releases. 

Rachael: Hey I’m Rachael, I’m a filmmaker/photographer in New Wave Infinity’s film crew. I primarily work with unearthed Melbourne musicians; making music videos, doing event photography, portraits etc. Working in the music scene, there’s so much creative freedom that I feel like my job description is always changing, especially within New Wave. 

All Corners might just be the most ambitious project to come out of Melbourne’s music scene. What was your initial reaction when you first heard the concept of what New Wave Infinity was going to be?

Aaron: New Wave Infinity has undergone many different iterations. We have had over twenty five people in the group in total, although through various forms of attrition we are down to a solid, tight knit ten members. The group was formed over what I can only assume was inebriated conversation between Tate Smirnakos and Nick Rae at a local house party, and the rest is history. When I was informed of the idea, it sounded like something beautiful born out of a love for collaboration. Plus all of my closest friends were involved so I was sort of along for the ride either way. Right place, right time. 

Rachael: Back in 2017 I impulsively decided to apply for a film course and was put in the same class as Nick Rae. When he pitched the concept of New Wave to me I had a similar attitude of ‘why not, sounds fun’. I was at a point in my life where I was letting fate take the wheel, everything was new and anything was possible. 

It probably wasn’t until the first meeting that I realised how special this group could be. As for All Corners, I loved the idea. Since meeting Nick I’ve become accustomed to his weekly 2am epiphanies and All Corners was one of those. 

I saw you’re donating all the profits from All Corners to charity – can you tell me more about that decision, and what it means to the both of you?

Aaron: One of the taglines of this project is “By Melbourne, for Melbourne”. It’s a line that reverberates through the documentary, all of the unused footage, the music, and those cramped little overheated rooms that we made it in. Our decision to donate all of the proceeds was asserted very early in the formative stages of the project, and reflects the group ownership of this work. Every single person who came through in that frenetic week added something to this project, so it would be simply wrong for any one person or group of people to own this project financially.

The choice to direct all proceeds to The Healing Foundation was a simple one, as they are a fantastic charity who do great work both in Melbourne and our nation as a whole. The fact that this project was recorded on stolen land is not lost on any of us. It is extremely important that we use our platform to both raise awareness of the systemic issues affecting Indigenous Australians, and provide tangible support through working with great organisations like The Healing Foundation. This is a community project, and it is important that the outcomes of the project reflect its creation. 

Rachael: The purpose of All Corners from the beginning was to have a project that would strengthen the relationships of Melbourne creatives and create a more unified culture in the scene which for me is priceless, and much more valuable than money. As All Corners was a project created to give back to the community it only seems right that we continue that and put the proceeds towards a cause that helps the community. 

The BLM movement has really shed light on the discrimination and lack of respect for the original custodians of the country I call home. Learning more about the intergenerational trauma stemming from colonisation, it’s become very apparent that there is not enough being done to support the indigenous communities in Australia. So for me, giving the proceeds to The Healing Foundation feels less like giving and more like repaying an infinite debt. 

We’ve seen a few collectives in hip-hop be successful – Odd Future, BROCKHAMPTON, etc. Did these groups have an influence on how you structured the collective, or were you content carving out your own lane?

Aaron: The idea of a Hip-Hop collective has a storied history back to the very origins of the genre, but applying the concept is by no means simple. BROCKHAMPTON and Odd Future are definitely both huge inspirations in that they solidified the sub-genre with commercial success in a modern context. But as much as these groups were definitely influential in our conception, New Wave Infinity is truly unique. The film crew holds just as much weight as the music crew, and actually outnumbers the music crew as per our current iteration. Not only is our output unique, but the American and Australian music industries are very different scenes.

To circle back to All Corners, Revenge of the Dreamers by Dreamville was a huge inspiration, but not necessarily a blueprint. Dreamville invited artists to create an album and a documentary showing that process, much like All Corners, but Dreamville has huge influence and huge amounts of capital to propel their projects. All we had was a temporarily vacant house and all the equipment that our little community could muster. Like New Wave Infinity itself, All Corners involved a lot of educated guesses and figuring it out as we went. And we wouldn't have it any other way, because the product is truly unique. 

Rachael: Those groups definitely served as inspiration for the creation of New Wave Infinity and All Corners. They proved that it was possible. 

Since then we’ve definitely carved our own lane. New Wave looks a lot different now than what it did 2 years ago. 10-20 diverse creatives working together sounds like a fun time but it’s really challenging. It’s so much more than just creating content because without a strong team we wouldn’t have lasted this long. We’ve built our own family and that’s something that can never be replicated, the genuine love and respect we have for each other is unique to us. And the gratitude we all have in being able to do this together is a feeling that we want to share. All Corners is us understanding that we are stronger in numbers, that winning as a community is more rewarding than winning as an individual, and we have the resources to be able to share that feeling with a scene that may not. 

The tracks on All Corners don’t feel bloated, which could have happened thanks to the sheer amount of people involved. How did you decide who would fit when and where?

Aaron: Musically, all of the credit for this incredible feat goes to the many producers that worked on this project. It didn’t take long after we finished recording the music for the iron curtain of lockdown to fall upon Melbourne, so much of this executive producing process was done over Zoom calls. There are too many producers to name individually but I would like to especially thank Tate Smirnakos (aka REYKO!) and AyoTrae, who spent countless hours on call mixing, mastering, and curating this project into the polished product that it is. It was an arduous, distanced process that involved selecting the right number of songs out of a huge pool, then getting those tracks to be perfect. From a mixing and mastering perspective, All Corners is a veritable miracle, as some songs were recorded outside, and many had the drone of an air conditioner to be smoothed out in this process. We couldn't be happier with the final product, and we are extremely proud of everybody who managed to pull this off. 

Rachael: I have NO idea haha. 

I do know that the recording process was a free for all. If someone walked into a room and liked the beat, they’d start writing. It was chaotic but there was this intoxicating energy in every room. Although I’m sure it made things difficult in the mixing and mastering stage, I think it enabled the musicians to explore their sound. 

The producers that worked on the album blow my mind. They worked for months to make the tracks what they are today, especially REYKO! (Tate Smirnakos) who not only mixed many of the tracks but coordinated it all and AyoTrae who mastered them. 

Forever in awe of the talent in this city. 

I wanted to ask you both - what was your favourite moment about being part of New Wave Infinity?

Aaron: My favourite moment about being part of New Wave Infinity is all those countless nights that blur together in the early days of its conception. We were young people partying in a garage, brainstorming, throwing ideas around, and nothing was off the table. It was before release dates, promo schedules, and expectations were even considered. It was a distillation of the collaborative spirit, unhinged creativity over some drinks and some laughs. And although the era of no expectations is truly over for us, it is that spirit that both centres us as a group and will push us to greater heights. 

Rachael: That’s a hard question to answer! Excluding covid lock downs I’ve seen these wonderful people every week since I was 19, we’ve been there for each other through our highs and lows both as a business and as a family. 

There’s been moments I’ll cherish forever, like December 1st 2018, the New Wave launch. The gig at revs when the crew performed to a packed out crowd. The nights after everyone left the house while we were recording All Corners and we would just sit and chat together, exhausted but content. I’m getting all sentimental, hon3y and I are the mums of the group. We have joint custody of 8 boys. 

I wanted to ask about the documentary as well. What do you hope people get from the doco?

Aaron: We hope that people can experience the energy in those rooms secondhand. There was a very special feeling in the air that entire week, that we were all a part of something truly unique, something great. We hope that although it's a documentary about making a collaborative album, that we’ve conveyed the cultural shift that began that week. A building of momentum for our relatively small underground Melbourne Hip-Hop scene. A celebration of multiculturalism, diversity, collaboration and shared experience. If it all goes well, it’ll be the first domino to fall to really raise this scene up to the exposure that it deserves. 

 Rachael: I hope that those who watch the documentary feel that energy that filled that house and feel inspired to create with the love and passion they have for their craft. Feel inspired to celebrate the talent in Melbourne and understand how much there is to learn from one another by working together. 

Following that, the doco’s been described as an ‘instruction manual’. What do people attempting to replicate the energy of New Wave Infinity need to keep in mind?

Aaron: That a project with that many moving parts, and opportunities for Murphy’s Law to reign supreme, is incredibly difficult to coordinate. It would make everybody involved incredibly happy to see an individual or a group replicate what happened that week, but the workload is not for the faint hearted. From conception to completion, the project took almost two years, and the brunt of the work was completed over very thankless, long ten months. But anybody looking to do something similar, know that there is so much joy in working with that many people, and to have it finally released is incredibly gratifying. 

Rachael: Aaron genuinely hit the nail on the head with his answer, I could’ve said it better.  Although I will say that there will be moments where you will feel like giving up, remember that you are part of something so much bigger than yourself and that your efforts are creating positive change. 

 Is there another New Wave Infinity project on the horizon?

Aaron: There has been murmurings within the group about the next step, but nothing is concrete or in the official planning stage. After such a brutal year, and such a huge workload, it's important for the group to put our feet up for just a little bit now that it’s released. It’s also important for us to give this project space to breathe, and the time that it deserves. We have a lot of unreleased film and music content waiting in the wings, so the next step is deciding when we want to jump back into the fray and come back better than ever. 

Rachael: For now we’re going to give All Corners the spotlight it deserves and also have a rest after a long year of hard work. But New Wave wouldn’t be New Wave if we weren’t sitting on unreleased content and a few ambitious ideas. 

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Finally, what’s next for the two of you?

Aaron: Keep making music. It’s one of the greatest sources of pleasure in my life, and I’ll never take it for granted. I'm personally unconcerned with where we end up, because the joy of creation is what fulfills me. I'm very, very, very excited to return to playing gigs again, getting back in the studio, and jamming with the band. I'm also looking into expanding my creative writing portfolio more, and hopefully publish some work in 2021. Whatever happens, I’m going to keep creating and hanging out with my friends, which is the essence of this collective. 

Rachael:  I’m sure many creatives are in a similar boat of feeling restless to get back on a grind. I’ve learnt so much and met so many amazing people through working on All Corners so I’m really hyped to get back into production! 

Short term: in iso I’ve been in pre and post production for a number of collaborations with artists that feature on the album that will drop over the next few months. 

Long term: All Corners very much feels like just the beginning, so what’s next? A lot.