“The lines between the instruments and the natural noise begin to blur. It is delicate but never boring. Light, but not forgettable.” Cyclic Defrost

Seaworthy is the musical and artist outlet for musician and scientist Cameron Webb.

Since 2000, he has been exploring a changing climate and its impact on the natural and urban landscape and their concomitant soundscapes and our perceptions of it through the construction (and unraveling) of minimalist musical compositions built from traditional instruments and environmental field recordings.

Compositions are often built from a foundation of guitar and blended with processed musical and field recordings. Instrumental and environmental recordings are often looped through old amps, effects pedals, and tape machines, in lieu of digital processing, in seeking an organic feel. There a focus and priority on subtle shifts in melody, tone and texture to convey a sense of time and place. Happy accidents brought to the fore. There is often joy in imperfection. Whispers of wildlife and weather. The rattle of branches and buzz of insects. String vibrations, tape machine whir, and the hum of amplifiers.

Webb has a PhD in environmental science and specialises in field based ecological research where much of his time is spent in isolated wetland environments. Many field recordings undertaken in these locations form the basis for textural drones and rhythms into which instrumentation can be blended.

There is a strong sense of place and purpose to Seaworthy’s work. Notwithstanding the inclusion of site-specific field recordings in compositions, much of the instrumental recordings are undertaken on site. This has been evident in a number of artist residencies including Sydney Olympic Park Authority, the result of which were included in the album ‘1987’ (12k), and Bundanon Art Museum (in collaboration with Matt Rösner) and the result of which were included in the album ‘Deep Valley’ (12k) and the extended work ‘Bundanon’ (Longform Editions). Both ‘Deep Valley’ and ‘Bundanon’ were showcased at the Art Gallery of NSW (inc. Volume). With assistance provided by the Australia Council for the Arts, two field trips to Kosciuszko National Park to explore the changing soundscapes of the Australian alpine regions under the influence of a changing climate (in collaboration with Matt Rösner) and the result of which were included in the album ‘Snowmelt’ (12k). Seaworthy also contributed original compositions to the award-winning audio tours of Pentridge Prison created in collaboration between National Trust of Australia (Victoria) and Art Processors.

While now primarily a solo pursuit (notwithstanding collaborations with like-minded artists), Seaworthy was once a three-way collaboration between Webb, Sam Shinazzi and Greg Bird. Their debut album, It’s humbling when two saints meet was recorded in a suburban lounge room on a cassette 4-track and despite the relatively lo-fi approach to the record’s production, the results proved popular with local radio and received glowing reviews – providing the impetus to continue the project and pursue the possibilities of live performance.

The early two thousands were a time of great opportunity for live performance and Seaworthy were invited to perform with touring international artists including Tenniscoats (Japan), Tujiko Noriko (Japan), Taylor Deupree (USA), Christopher Willits (USA), Grouper (USA), Tim Hecker (USA), Philip Jeck (UK), and David Pajo (USA) in addition to a wide range of Australian artists including Pimmon, Lawrence English, Sophie Hutchings, Because of Ghosts, Triosk, This Is Your Captain Speaking, Sodastream and Grand Salvo.

Seaworthy’s music is primarily available (including CD, vinyl, and digital) through 12k (USA).

As well as many self-released limited edition material (CDRs & lathe-cut 7”s) themselves, Seaworthy have worked with many local and overseas labels including Longform Editions (Australia), Preservation (Australia), Feral Media (Australia), Black Lodge Audio (Australia), Celebrate Psi Phenomenon (New Zealand), Misplaced Music (UK), 555 (UK), Slaapwel (Europe) and Fat Cat (UK).

Additional media coverage, interviews, and reviews of recorded material is available via the 12k website.