Simona Castricum | |
|---|---|
 Playing live, February 2015 | |
| Background information | |
| Also known as |
|
| Born | Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| Genres |
|
| Occupations |
|
| Instruments |
|
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Labels |
|
| Website | simonacastricum |
Simona Castricum is an Australian musician, DJ, broadcaster and architecture academic.
Simona Castricum was born in Dandenong and grew up in the Mornington Peninsula area to attend local primary and secondary schools. [1] [2]
She cited her first music role model as disco performer Sylvester. [3]
Graduating from RMIT University with a Bachelor of Architecture (Hons) in 2001, Castricum has worked in exhibition design, architecture, and graphic design, notably with the Jewish Museum of Australia, [4] for Melbourne design firms Tom Kovac [5] and ARM Architecture. [6] Castricum began her PhD candidature in architecture at the Melbourne School of Design, University of Melbourne. Her creative and intellectual research practise explores how gender nonconforming, transgender and queer experiences and identity exist in architectural space and professional design practises. [7] She has presented her work 'When Program is The Enemy of Function...' at the 13th International AHRA Conference 'Architecture & Feminisms' at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden [8] and at 'Queering Architecture' for 2017's Melbourne Design Week at the National Gallery of Victoria International. [9] In 2019, Castricum was a festival ambassador for 2019 Melbourne Knowledge Week. [10]
Castricum started her music career as a DJ in the late 1990s playing in queer clubs in Melbourne. [1] [11] Castricum has cited artists, Depeche Mode, [12] New Order, My Bloody Valentine, Curve (band) and both Detroit techno and Belgian New Beat genres as influences. [13] She has stated her biographical song writing is influenced by articulating ideas about architecture and gender nonconformity, citing cinema soundtrack artists Vangelis and Wendy Carlos as influences [14] on her life and identity as a gender nonconforming transgender woman.
In 2002, under the name Fluorescent, Castricum began recording her debut album, Post Nuclear, which was released in 2005. In 2008, she released ‘Winter’, working with guest musicians including Melbourne DJ Viva L’amour on vocals. Fluorescent’s live line-up had several members over the years, with the band performing shows supporting Midnight Juggernauts, Cut Copy and Ladytron. In 2010, Castricum formed the band Ana Nicole with Melissa D’or, Masato Takasaka and Jacqui Moore. [15]
Their 2012 debut release ‘Twinkie’ is described by Chris Girdler of Beat Magazine as ‘doom-laden music… (luring) the listener into a cold, cruel world of cheating, scheming and excess”. [16] During this time, Castricum ran a club night, The Shock of the New at The Order of Melbourne, Gasometer and Liberty Social. [17]
In 2013, she began performing as a solo artist under her name Simona Castricum releasing her debut album ‘Exotic Ladies Of Birobidzhan’ on her own label Girls Who Smoke Poke [18] Her follow up ‘#triggerwarning40’ was released on Listen Records, [19] described by Rei Barker at the Interns as “pointedly different from previous efforts, stylistically diving deep into techno-pop with gorgeous, almost-disco synth lines and assertive, expertly-programmed drums”. [20]
Castricum’s third studio album 2020’s ‘Panic/Desire’ was released on her own label Trans-Brunswick Express. [21] The album was Castricum’s breakthrough release, debuting at number 1 on the AIR 100% Independent Albums Chart in June 2021, [22] with the album nominated for the 2020 Australian Music Prize longlist. ‘Panic/Desire’ was rated with 4 stars by themusic.com, described by reviewer Cyclone Wehner as “ultimately emotionally transportive…, inclusive art for now and the future”. [23]
Sara Savage of i-D has written Castricum presents "a kind of cathartic club music that's reflective of her live show—which often induces audiences into a pulsating dancefloor". [24]
Her live show at Golden Plains Festival in March 2020 was described by Karen Leng of Double J as, "a minimal set up of electronic drums and guitar... their big banging techno meets synth pop sound brought the crowd to its feet." [25]
In 2017, Castricum formed the duo SaD with collaborator Daphne Camf (of NO ZU, Rat Vs Possum and GAY). In 2018, they released their debut single ‘The Poets of Antiquity’, followed by ‘Don’t Go’ in 2019 and ‘Sign From Above' in 2020. [26]
In September that year, SaD released their debut album ‘Saturn Rules the Material World’. “a considered and layered work that showcases the width and breadth of the darkwave electro genre, a masterclass in thought and execution”. [27] It would be SaD’s only full length album, with Daphne Camf’s death in April 2021. [28]
Castricum is also a part-time radio broadcaster and DJ on Melbourne community radio station 3RRR FM. [29]
Simona Castricum, has contributed articles to publications Vice Magazine , i-D and Thump, writing on visibility and access for queer and transgender performers. [30] [31] [32] She had personal memoirs published in The Guardian, [33] The Huffington Post [34] and Archer Magazine. [35]
Her short non-fiction and critique writing on sexuality, gender and architecture have appeared in print in The Lifted Brow, [36] Mongrel Rapture: The Architecture of Ashton Raggatt McDougall [37] From the Heart: Women Of Letters [33] and Doing It: Women Tell the Truth About Great Sex. [38]
Simona is an advocate for safer spaces and inclusivity of queer and gender diverse artists. She has appeared at Australian music conferences BIGSOUND [39] and LISTEN [40] as a moderator and panellist advocating for greater representation and equity in music and performance for gender nonconforming artists.
| Title | Album details |
|---|---|
| Post Nuclear (as Fluorescent) |
|
| Winter (as Fluorescent) |
|
| Twinkie (as Ana Nicole) |
|
| Trouble in Utopia |
|
| Exotic Ladies of Birobidzhan |
|
| #TriggerWarning40 |
|
| Panic/Desire |
|
| Sink |
|
The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector.
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Sink | Best Independent Dance or Electronica Album or EP | Nominated | [41] |
The Music Victoria Awards, are an annual awards night celebrating Victorian music. They commenced in 2005. [42] [43]
| Year | Nominee / work | Award | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | herself | Best Solo Act | Nominated | [44] [45] |
| herself | Best Electronic Act | Nominated | ||
| 2021 | SaD | Best Electronic Act | Nominated | [46] |
| 2024 | Simona Castricum | Best Solo Artist | Nominated | [47] |
| Simona Castricum | Best Electronic Artist | Nominated |
Judith Durham was an Australian singer, songwriter, and musician who became the lead singer of the Australian folk music group the Seekers in 1962.
Alida Kinnie Starr is a Canadian multidisciplinary singer and rapper.
Catherine Anne "Cat" Hope, is an Australian composer, musician and academic. She started her music and academic careers in Perth and relocated to Melbourne in 2017. Her opera, Speechless, was first performed in 2019 at the Perth Festival. At the Art Music Awards of 2020 she won Work of the Year: Dramatic for Speechless. Steve Dow of The Age described the opera, "fuelled by outrage over the imprisonment of asylum seeker children, which features growling and screaming to an unconventional score without musical notation." Hope has also won the Art Music Award for Excellence in Experimental Music in 2011 for Decibel's 2009–2010 Annual Programs and in 2014 for her Drawn from Sound exhibition.
Gender nonconformity or gender variance is behavior or gender expression by an individual that does not match masculine or feminine gender norms. A gender-nonconforming person may be variant in their gender identity, being transgender or non-binary, or they may be cisgender. In the case of transgender people, they may be perceived, or perceive themselves as, gender-nonconforming before transitioning, but might not be perceived as such after transitioning. Transgender adults who appear gender-nonconforming after transition are more likely to experience discrimination.
Margaret Court Arena is a multi-purpose sports and entertainment venue located in Melbourne Park in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The arena, which was built in 1987 and redeveloped in the mid-2010s, has a capacity of 7,500. It is named after Margaret Court.
Melbourne Recital Centre (MRC) is a venue and organisation for live music in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. The organisation programs and presents more than 500 concerts and events a year across diverse range of musical genres including classical and chamber music, contemporary, pop, folk, rock, electronica, indie, jazz, cabaret and world music. Opened in 2009, the centre is Melbourne's second largest auditorium for classical music.
Julia Michelle Serano is an American writer, musician, spoken-word performer, transgender and bisexual activist, and biologist. She is known for her transfeminist books, such as Whipping Girl (2007), Excluded (2013), and Outspoken (2016). She is also a public speaker who has given many talks at universities and conferences. Her writing is frequently featured in queer, feminist, and popular culture magazines.
Jen Cloher is an Australian singer, songwriter, and record producer, currently based in Melbourne, Victoria. Cloher's 2017 self-titled fourth studio album peaked at number 5 on the Australian ARIA Charts. From 2006 to 2010, Cloher recorded and toured with her band Jen Cloher and the Endless Sea and since 2013 has released with Mia Dyson and Liz Stringer music under the name Dyson Stringer Cloher.
Black Jesus Experience are a nine piece Ethio-jazz band based in Melbourne, Australia. Since 2009 they have been best known for collaborations with Mulatu Astatke as well as a growing discography of independent work. Black Jesus Experience blend traditional Ethiopian music with hip-hop and funk.
Courtney Melba Barnett is an Australian singer, songwriter, and musician. Known for her deadpan singing style and witty, rambling lyrics, she attracted attention with the release of her debut EP I've Got a Friend Called Emily Ferris in 2012. International interest came with the release of her EP The Double EP: A Sea of Split Peas in 2013.
Hiatus Kaiyote is an Australian jazz/funk band formed in Melbourne in 2011, made up of singer/guitarist Nai Palm, bassist Paul Bender, keyboardist Simon Mavin, and drummer Perrin Moss. Their albums include Choose Your Weapon (2015), Mood Valiant (2021), and Love Heart Cheat Code (2024).
Naomi Stead is an architectural academic, scholar and critic, based in Melbourne, Australia. She is currently the Director of the Design and Creative Practice Enabling Capability Platform at RMIT University, Australia.
Mojo Ruiz de Luzuriaga, known professionally as Mo'Ju and previously as Mojo Juju, is an Australian musician, best known for their 2018 album Native Tongue and the lead single of the same title. The single won the Best Independent Single category in the 2019 AIR Awards. They play guitar and piano, write songs and sing, and have created music in a number of genres.
Melbourne International Games Week is the largest game professional and consumer communication and networking platform in Asia Pacific, hosted by Creative Victoria. It comprises a confluence of events for three areas of interest, business, consumer and industry.
Tash Sultana is an Australian singer-songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and music producer, described as a "one-person band". Sultana rose to international prominence with their 2016 single "Jungle", which was voted into third place in Triple J's Hottest 100 countdown of 2016. The following year, Sultana had three songs voted into Triple J's Hottest 100 of 2017; "Mystik" placing at number 28, "Murder to the Mind" at number 43, and their Like a Version cover of MGMT's "Electric Feel" at number 78.
Cash Savage and the Last Drinks is an Australian band from Melbourne, formed in 2008 by singer and guitarist Cash Savage. Currently, the lineup also includes guitarists Joe White and Dougal Shaw, fiddlist Kat Mear, percussionist Rene Mancuso, keyboardist Roshan Khozouei and bassist Nick Finch. They have released five studio albums and one live album: Wolf (2010), The Hypnotiser (2013), One of Us (2016), Good Citizens (2018), Live at Hamer Hall (2020) and So This is Love (2023).
Andrea Keller is an Australian pianist and composer. She won three ARIA Award for Best Jazz Album with Thirteen Sketches, Mikrokosmos and Footprints and was nominated in 2013 for the album Family Portraits.
Georgia Claire Flipo, known professionally as G Flip, is an Australian singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer from Melbourne, Victoria. Their debut studio album, About Us, was released on 30 August 2019. Its follow-up, Drummer, followed almost four years later on 11 August 2023.
Olubukola Joy Oladokun is an American singer-songwriter. Oladokun's music spans the genres of folk, R&B, rock, and pop and is influenced by her identity as a queer person of color. She has released four studio albums: Carry (2016), In Defense of My Own Happiness (2020), In Defense of My Own Happiness (2021), and Proof of Life (2023).
Cable Ties are a punk rock band from Melbourne, Australia formed in 2015.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)