Artists Prepare: Chris Cree Brown - Electronic Composer

Artists Prepare was a 1980s series capturing the creative processes of prominent artists. In this episode, 'sonic artist' Chris Cree Brown discusses his avant-garde approach to composing electronic music, where sound takes precedence over melody. Brown describes his process of organising and layering sounds — some crafted with instruments, others drawn from his surroundings. At the time few classically-trained musicians in New Zealand experimented with synthesised sound, and the gloriously large and sturdy equipment Brown uses to create his music will be of anthropological interest to many musos.

As far as my background is concerned, I learnt the piano and the violin like a lot of people do. And I still like Bach and Beethoven and Brahms and all the other composers. I still get a lot out of listening to them. But my view on that is that although Bach is very nice and superb music — it's history. 

– Chris Cree Brown at the start of this documentary

Key Cast & Crew

Chris Dillon

Director

Hugh Macdonald

Producer

Greg Piper

Camera Assistant

Finola Dwyer

Assistant Editor

David Keene

Sound Assistant

Simon Reece

Editor