IKIMBU

It's a delight to welcome close friend and MFM label designer Steele Bonus (@steelebonus) to the mix series. Q&A (short version) here below.

www.musicfrommemory.com

MFM: Hi Steele! Welcome to the series (that picture, haha!). People might know you from the numerous handsome artworks for our MFM sleeves and other labels as well. So far it seems like your graphic design talents are mostly (or only?) reflected via music related projects, is that on purpose? 

SB: I’ve actually been working in design and advertising agencies in Sydney and Amsterdam for well over a decade and during this time I’ve worked on a huge range of projects and for some large global brands. Music was always my life outside of ‘work’. Aside from DJing I’ve always been this guy that’s been quite involved behind the scenes – organising tours, throwing parties, scouting venues to set up sound systems, sourcing and selling records and making club flyers and gig posters late into the evening. In more recent years I’ve been designing a ton of record sleeves (I don’t organise parties any more). I’ve always tried to keep music and my job separate but the merging of the two has been kind of unavoidable I guess. This year I’ve left my 9 to 5 and intend to focus more on my own design and music related projects. It’s something I’ve been thinking about for a while and I’m excited for the times ahead.

MFM: In 2017 Oz Waves was released, which features a fine selection of forgotten Australian gems from the '80s all compiled by you. If you'd be asked to do another compilation, would there be a specific era, country or something you'd want to pick out and focus on?

SB: To be honest I don’t know if there would be. I am interested in a very wide range of music but I’m particularly drawn to this time in Australia. I think the music captures what the place is about for me. The harsh climate and environment, the cowboy attitude and culture, the huge distance from the rest of the world. These days I feel like it’s been replaced with something much more slick and dull. Of course there are always still good things happening there under the surface, but the cassette culture from Australia was something that I felt hadn’t been documented or covered a lot, especially in comparison with other parts of the world like Belgium or the States. Maybe there will be a follow up to Oz Waves. The music is there but there are still a couple of artists that are proving tricky to track down. I’ve also been hesitant because the reissue compilation thing has gone a bit overboard the past years. If anything, aside from that I’d probably focus more on working with current music and artists.

MFM: You're a skilled DJ too, which mirrors in your contribution for our mix series (thanks for joining!). Can you tell a bit about how your mix came about, did you have any ideas or inspiration in mind for it?

SB: It came together over a number of months. It’s mostly records that I picked up last year, including a lot of tips from friends and things I discovered while traveling around Europe djing on weekends. Towards the end of the year I started to assemble a pile on my living room floor that seemed to fit together. That pile sat there for a couple of months. I went to Australia for Christmas, came back and there was a back log of work to get done and so more weeks went by before I finally got around to making the recording. There was no real idea or inspiration but listening back to it now I think there’s a definite common thread. It's more or less a collection of pop tunes from the 80s and 90s, but there's a mood that's weird and dreamy, a bit sad but also a bit hopeful. I guess it matches the mood I've been carrying around most days lately.

MFM Mix 003: Steele Bonus

Born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina, UEUOQI is a musician, producer and DJ. His eclecticism took his musical experience through completely unequal projects, where the purpose was always the exploration of uncomfortable zones.
As UEUOQI, his work shows its most abstract form, where music leads to contemplation and reflection.

UEUOQI es un músico, productor, y DJ nacido en Buenos Aires, Argentina. Su eclecticismo lo llevó por proyectos completamente desiguales, donde el propósito siempre fue la exploración de terrenos incómodos. 
Bajo el alias UEUOQI, su trabajo muestra su forma más abstracta, donde la música conduce a lo contemplativo y a la reflexión.

IKIMBU

UEUOQI

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