What Is Music

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For philosophical discussion of what music is, see Music and Definitions of music.

What Is Music is an experimental music festival held in Australia. It originally emerged in Sydney in 1994^[1] as a platform to expose unusual contemporary musical forms that were otherwise unknown to the general public at that point in time. Simultaneously, it challenged the prevailing preconceptions as to what in fact constituted music.
The festival has been coordinated by Oren Ambarchi and Robbie Avenaim since its inception.^[2] In recent years the festival has travelled to Melbourne and Brisbane. Oren Ambarchi has since left the What Is Music team.

1995

1995's festival featured another performance of John Zorn's Cobra "game piece" including many of the same performers from the previous year; Machine For Making Sense, which consisted of Rik Rue, Chris Mann, Jim Denley, Amanda Stewart, and Stevie Wishart; Lucas Abela's Pealed Hearts Paste project; percussion ensemble Utungun Percussion in performance with Oren Ambarchi and Robbie Avenaim; Tony Buck; performance art group Distraziione ed Innovazione; and Ear Rational Music.

1996

1996's festival featured an evening of solo guitarists including Peter Jones, Gary Butler, David Brown, Oren Ambarchi, Greg Kingston, David Watson, and Mike Cooper; violinist Veren Grogorov; John Murphy's Psychic Date project; koto player Satshki Odamura; jazz / punk outfit Lazy; a performance of John Zorns Locus Solus and Cobra "game pieces"; Loop Orchestra; Jay Katz; Alphabet Dream Noise; Rik Rue; Compression 100; Phoebe Jeebee; Galaxy Vamp; Deano Merino; Nasty Party] improvisation ensemble austraLYSIS; Chris Townend; Julian Knowles; Mesh; Azif Anon; the Charles Ives Singers; Anthony Maher; Bill McCoy Quintet; Antediluvian Rocking Horse; Brass Knuckle; Louis Burdett; Artheary; Wake Up And Listen; Arne Hanna's Computer Spectacular; Thierry G. R; Peeled Hearts Paste; Rubbercity; Hunter & Lacy; Fucka; and Chris Abrahams.

[edit] 1998

1998's festival featured Greg Turkington; Masahiro Koyanagi; Jad Fair; Martin Klapper; Empirical; Mrs. Green; Parmentier; Pleasant Livers; the Jaunties; KK Null with David Brown; Greg Kingston with Rik Rue; Chris Abrahams with Tony Buck, Shelly Hirsch and Michael Sheridan; Sportsbra; Roger Dean with Hazel Smith and Oren Ambarchi; Lee and Gary Butler; Lester Vat; Snuff Puppet Band; Greg Kingston Big Band; Jon Rose; Pealed Hearts Paste; Minit; Blunderbuss; Bruce Lacy 3; Bill McCoy Omniverse Orchestra; Crowded Foxhole; Michael Avenaim and Louis Peake; Eddie Bronson with Steve Elkins, Oren Ambarchi, and Robbie Avenaim; Daz G. Moore with Serge Emroll; Greg Kingston; Explosion of Memory; Funky Terrorist; Lint; Mutante Frequante; Intense Soundz of the Deep; Mummu Chao; Pink Virgins; Phoebe Jeebee; Lump in Your Throat; Shronk; and Oren Ambarchi with Robbie Avenaim, Dion Workman, and Rosy Parlane.

2000

2000's festival featured Fennesz; Pita; Farmers Manual side-project Skot; Rehberg & Bauer; Neil Hamburger; Keith Rowe; Simon Wickham-Smith; Lines; turntablist ensemble Techno Met Storingen; D. Haines; Rosy Parlane; Minit; Deck Collectors; How the Yabby Lost its Skin; Louie Burdett with Greg Kingston and Jon Rose; Rainer Linz; DJ Dexter; Pimmon; the Honourable Tinkle-Tinkle; Testicle Candy vs. Curse ov Dialect; Amanda Stewart with Greg Kingston and Rik Rue; APT; Tekkahada; Dr Metagroove (Roger Dean and Greg White); Poo Touchers; Gate; The Klaw (aka: Snawklor); Martin Ng and Jim Denley; Dworzec; Phoebe Jeebee; Max Lyandvert; Menstruation Sisters; and Poppenrosentein.