Laughing Hands

Biography

Early 80s experimental music from Melbourne, Australia.

A short-lived but disproportionally influential group active throughout the early 80s, Laughing Hands’ ghostly collages of murky atmospherics, processed vox and softly insistent rhythms remains one of the high watermarks of the antipodean underground. Though without anywhere near the amount of attention posthumously piled onto the likes of Vanity Records (specifically Tolerance, Sympathy Nervous), Wire’s Cupol, Chris Carter +++, their stripped-back narcoleptic soundscapes share much of the same DNA. Ranging from dizzying ethno-tribal percussion to pulsating proto-techno, there’s a sense of unease in the air through that’s somewhat detached yet inviting enough to incite repeat listens. It’s no surprise that Australian super-talent David Chessworth (→ ↑ →, Essendon Airport, etc..) was involved, much like in most of the most enduring experimental music to emanate from Australia.

Biography text from Last.fm, available under CC BY-SA.