Tralala Blip


Location: Lismore, NSW

Challenge: Various Disabilities

Website: facebook.com/Tralala-blip

Tralala Blip come from Lismore on the far north coast of NSW. Tralala Blip play experimental electronica music.

Tralala Blip are comprised of differently-abled artists working together in a manner that blends sound, fantasy, obsession, electronics and everyday life into a potent mix that feels truer, weirder and more engaging than almost any other music made today. Hearing is believing.

A former member of Sydney hardcore group Massappeal, Randolf Reimann has grown the group from fairly humble beginnings into a unit which has now toured Europe as part of the Unsound Festival.

Using a variety of midi controllers, computers, digital and analog musical instruments, Tralala Blip discover new forms of musical expression that are accessible, experimental and most of all, fun.

The Tralala Blip set up is all about immediate and spontaneous access to sound and music making.

Randolf says "It started with me giving electronic music workshops for people with intellectual and physical disabilities. At that time I became aware of how bad existing music programs were for people with disabilities living in regional areas around Australia. At the time, music programs usually meant a singalong situation with a facilitator strumming their guitar while others sung along or banged a tambourine. When I witnessed this, I just got angry. It seemed lazy, patronising and was obviously boring for the people who were participating. I had a lot of gadgets at home from years of making electronic music and i knew a little about singing from my years as vocalist for Sydney thrash/punk band Massappeal. So I started taking the bits along to a disability service in Lismore and encouraged people to start composing their own original songs".

By the the end of 2008, the disability service that we got together at every week informed Randolf that none of the 16 participants were interested in continuing the project. He adds "Something did not seem right to me because i knew that some of those 16 or so people were developing very quickly and were very passionate about Tralala Blip".

Over the next couple of weeks Randolf was approached by at least five people from the ensemble asking him why they were no longer coming to the hall to make songs. His response was "well according to the day service, you chose not to continue". He adds "The look on these artists faces was total bewilderment. Something was obviously flawed in this services procedure regarding people making informed decisions about their choices".

In 2009 Tralala Blip began operating independently of the disability service. Randolf adds "We stopped operating as a program and naturally began functioning as a band". At that time, Accessible Arts in Sydney encouraged Randolf to deliver some workshops so along with Jacqui O’Reilly of Accessible Arts NSW we delivered workshops at ElectroFringe Festival Newcastle, Sydney Powerhouse Museum and Carriageworks Theatre Sydney. He adds "We became good friends with local sound art collective Sound Crucible and began doing regular gigs too. Our first gig in Brisbane was with Sound Crucible head honcho MuttBoy and was at a Disembraining Machine night at Alchemix Studio. After that gig, as we were loading gear back into the van, Joel Stern of Disembraining Machine asked us if we would like to record an album for their label. It took a couple of years but our new LP Aussie Dream came about from that initial conversation".

In 2011 Tralala Blip recorded a beautiful collaboration with Muttboy called Tralala Blip Meets Muttboy In Atlantis. It's a 12 inch on Blue vinyl and is available through Sound Crucible.

The band toured Melbourne and Bendigo for that record in 2012, playing with friends Mad Nanna.

Through their association with Sound Crucible they came in contact with Lawrence English of Room40 records. Randolf adds "Lawrence has been very supportive of us and has given us quite a few gigs in Brisbane over the last few years". Tralala Blip also recently released a cassette on his A Guide To Saints imprint. that cassette is called Submarine Love Songs.

Randolf adds "Lawrence also work with us on a theatre work titled My Radio Heart. This work featured music by Tralala Blip as well as us performing as main characters in the show".

In 2013, Tralala Blip were invited to perform at Unsound Festival, Krakow, Poland. Randolf adds "Which of course was absolutely amazing!"

 


Diffuse 2012: Tralala Blip + Muttboy