Lilivm rewrite ‘Colonial Song’

Mixing electric guitar and cello Lilivm perform an abstracted version of Percy Grainger’s ‘Colonial Song’ (1911) to articulate a truer characterisation of the Australian landscape today. In this rendition Lilivm dispense Grainger’s singular colonial perspective, of lonely white settlers lost in the vast and empty landscape, rewriting the song with the knowledge that sovereignty was never ceded and that multi-culturalism has characterised Australia since colonisation. Through the use of electro-acoustic processes, extended techniques, and the implementation of drone and other minimalist compositional techniques, Lilivm recontextualises ‘Colonial Song’ to better reflect our modern cultural landscape. ​

Lilivm is an emerging ambient project featuring Emma Maguire (Azure) and Louis Smith (GUSH, Resenter). Via the combination of sound abstraction, minimalism, drone, and shoegaze, Lilivm strives to transport the listener through a dreamscape of beauty and reflection. For fans of William Basinski, Duster, Kali Malone and Oren Ambachi. ​

This performance is supported by IgniteLAB Grants from the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music.