Perth Voice Interactive

THE cello and the synthesiser may seem like odd bedfellows.

In fact, I’m struggling to think of a song where they both heavily feature.

But this makes them the perfect combo for Audible Edge, a three day festival of experimental music held across Fremantle and Perth.

The cello in question will be played by Perth muso Sophia Hansen-Knarhoi and the synthesiser by her young partner-in-crime Liam Downey.

They met while studying Music Composition and Technology at WAAPA, where a musical romance soon blossomed.

“He ran up to me in the car park to congratulate me on a presentation I was not so proud of. We hit it off instantly,” Hansen-Knarhoi says.

“He is the first person I go to for feedback on my solo work, and we’ve always been on the same page in terms of artistic vision and integrity.

“Liam and I have been great friends for a number of years now.”

In her solo work, Hansen-Knarhoi combines her cello playing and soothing voice, creating a dreamy tapestry of sound, while Downey is known for his harder hitting electronica.

So what will this clash of genres produce at the festival?

“Although I perform and compose regularly on the cello, I still have a vulnerability with it, as if it’s safer when attached to my voice,” Hansen-Knarhoi says.

“In this piece I will be examining and pushing that vulnerability, in conjunction with Liam’s budding exploration in live electronics and electronic ambience within his work. Our piece explores attention – how we use it and what we give it to.

“The fusion of us as artists is an interesting one – me an ambient folk composer working within minimalism. Liam, a maximalist electronic music producer. We have been finding the common ground in this piece but also highlighting our differences through our approach.”

Hansen-Knarhoi, 24, grew up in Mosman Park and completed the last year of her degree studying in London, while Downey, 23, is a Hillarys lad. They both like “boundary-pushing, genre-defying” artists like L’Rain, Jenny Hval, Arca, Julia Holter and Kali Malone, as well as artists on the fringe of the mainstream like Cassandra Jenkins.

“We are also continually inspired by the local artists we are surrounded by, many of which are also performing exciting exploratory works in the festival,” Hansen-Knarhoi says.

The up-and-coming duo are just one of the experimental bands at this year’s Audible Edge, which features a mix of international and local underground performers.

The festival is presented by the label Tone List – who champion Perth artists outwith the mainstream – and was first held in 2017.

Covid played havoc with the format of the artist-run festival, but it’s back with a bang with a great line-up including Anaxios, Nick Ashwood, Rebecca Lloyd-Jones and Ayo Busari.

North of the river, the festival will be held at venues including the State Library of WA, The Bird, Local and Aesthetic, and Astral Weeks.

“It’s a three-day long party where you’re invited to listen, dance, cry, ask questions, be moved, move, meet new people, arrive at new discoveries, get wild and get weird,” says Audible Edge co-curator Annika Moses.

“Instead of party bags you leave with a burgeoning feeling that new ways of listening and being are more than possible; they are probable and within our reach.” 

Audible Edge is on April 26-28. Downey & Hansen-Knarhoi will be playing at Local & Aesthetic in Mt Lawley on April 27 at 8pm. For the full program and more info see ae.tonelist.com.au.

by STEPHEN POLLOCK