It’s already May which means it’s time for the PBS annual Radio Festival.

Between the 12th to the 25th of May, Melbourne music institution PBS fm is inviting all listeners to the party and asking you to sign up as a member of the station and help them stay on air for another year.

Always at the forefront of new, undiscovered and emerging sounds we asked a few PBS fm presenters to educate us on what artists we should be looking out for during the next half of 2014. If you like what you hear, be sure to consider supporting the station, because with your support PBS will be able to continue to do what it does best- program incredible and diverse music for years to come.

Erica Dunn – Mixing Up The Medicine

The first 7” from Empat Lima is a splash into rock n roll with a South East Asian backdrop. High melodic vocals float over a thumping rhythm section and clean cut, go-go dance inducing shreds.

Essentially a garage pop ensemble, Empat Lima gleans inspiration from psychedelic Thai, traditional Japanese epics and dreamy Indo pop. They even dip into the back catalogue of legendary 60s Indonesian girl group Dara Puspita which only adds a giant gold star in my eyes. Live, the three girls Sooji Kim, Carla Ori and Steph Brett endear themselves to audiences with their own theme song (a ost art) and the occasional haiku. Catch them live before they depart for an Indonesian tour.

Mixing Up The Medicine is on the air Tuesdays from 5:00pm to 7:00pm.

Edd Fisher – Tomorrow Land

Originally releasing music under Mike Kay, Harvey Sutherland aka Mike Katz had a small string of releases on This Thing, a local Melbourne label before PPU picked him up and re-released Low Altitude which was originally a lathe cut 7″. His new material surfacing soon on Voyage recordings is of a very high calibre, a very promising young Producer and DJ.

Kirkis recently signed to Floating Points and Alexander Nut’s Eglo Records. He’s an affiliate of the Hiatus Kaiyote crew. Kirkis is a bassist, vocalist and composer. He is analogue and eccentric and has all the makings of someone who will push musical boundaries with his eclectic fusion of styles. Really looking forward to his new material!


Tomorrow Land is on the air Fridays from 1:00pm to 3:00pm.

Moses Iten – Space is the Place

Dengue Dengue Dengue! have exploded on to the global club circuit, regularly touring around Europe and hosting some of the biggest bass and booty shaking parties in their home base of Lima, Peru.

Picking up from (and being directly influenced by) the Argentine producers on ZZK Records, this Peruvian duo are essential for anyone obsessed with bass, cumbia and dancehall. Their latest release is out on Buraka Som Sistema’s Enchufada label, and for all the fans of Major Lazer these guys are the real deal. Expect to see Dengue Dengue Dengue! in Australia soon, their live shows are explosive.

Space Is The Place is on the air Tuesdays from 11:00am to 1:00pm.

Press Gang- Zen Arcade

The local music scene here is Melbourne is currently thriving. It’s an exciting time for us punters, as there such a vast array of different sounds the delight event the most particular of eardrums. Trying to narrow this multitude of talent down to a singular creative entity is a task of Herculean proportions, so I am going with a group that has lived strong in my mind since I first heard them back in 2012.

NUN have released their debut album this year on Aarght Records and, in my humble opinion, it’s a bit of a corker. Their self-titled effort presents a subtle blend of pop sensibilities and underground synth-punk experimentalism, which comes across as both monstrous as well as minimal. It’s an exciting and dark ride that you just don’t want to stop.

Zen Arcade is on the air Mondays from 5:00pm to 7:00pm.

Richie 1250 – Stone Love

The Pink Tiles, they write these perfect fuzzy bubblegum pop songs and they are so immensely likable on stage you want to hug them all at once. They have a new album almost ready and I am scared to listen to it cause if I am disappointed I just don’t know what I’ll do with myself.

The Braves, young fellas from up in the hills who don’t fit into the current scene at all but have something I hope people can catch onto nonetheless. It makes me think of things like Johnny Thunders and Thin Lizzy and Guns ‘n’ Roses, but it doesn’t really sound like any of those. They all play really well, but it’s still super loose and chaotic. They sound like a real band.

Ciggie Witch, I still haven’t seen this band but I heard some demos that made my brain tingle plenty. Fits in with all the other “I was sad, I went to the milk bar to buy some chips, I thought of you” type bands around at the moment, but with a real nice country-pop flavour and a mess of slide guitar over everything that makes it stand out.


Stone Love is on the air Fridays from 5:00pm to 7:00pm.

Chelsea Wilson – PBS Music Director

Can Quantic aka Will Holland do no wrong? Yet another fabulous album from prolific composer/performer/instrumentalist/DJ, ‘Magnetica’ is released this month on the Tru-Thoughts label. Returning to his roots as electronic producer, the new album continues on Holland’s world music exploration combining elements of highlife, reggae and soul with a heavy cumbia influence via digital navigation. Guest artists include Britain’s soul diva Alice Russell, Sydney’s Dereb The Ambassador and Columbian music legend Michi Sarmiento assisting with Quantic’s fusion of analogue tropicalia with dub-beats, synths and electronic production. Cumbia + electronic + soul = yes please.

Crispian Winsor – The Breakfast Spread

The Livingstone Daisies. After releasing their sensational debut album, Don’t Know What Happiness Is, in 2013 which was my #1 album for the year, the Daisies have already got a second album due out mid-year. Led by the ever-prolific Van Walker and also featuring his brother Cal, Liz Stringer and Michael Barclay, the second album was actually recorded before the first album but not released until after! If you can make sense of that, good luck!!

The Livingstone Daisies are all about melody and songs you can sing along to. If you’re into Tom Petty and Teenage Fanclub, then definitely check out the Daisies and look out for the second album!

The Breakfast Spread is on the air weekdays from 6:00am to 9:00am

Jenny O’Keefe – Homebrew

Strine Singers. You like harmonies? Feeling good? A familiar accent? Check, check, check-ity check check. Full album expected this year (or maybe the next, but keep an eye out). Full on beautiful sounds created by two dudes and two ladies, a double brother sister combo situation. Welcome to dreamy town, population Strine Singers.

Fraser A Gorman. I’m not going to lie – I’m a fan of a young fella with big hair who isn’t afraid to express love for a chicken. Look up Fraser’s new video clip Book of Love to see what I’m talking about. Or just let it remain a delightfully puzzling mystery. Either way, Gorman’s got game. Sweet, laconic, alt-country game.

Homebrew is on the air Mondays from 3:00pm to 5:00pm

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