sydney

Cyclic Defrost Magazine is compiling a CD of independent Australian electronic music, avant rock, experimental sound and oddball local hip hop. It will be released in June between issue 11 (end April) & 12 (August). The CD will be made available for FREE at the following European festivals - Sonar 2005 (Barcelona, Spain), Ars Electronica (Linz, Austria) and Popkomm (Berlin, Germany). Limited quantities will also be given to distributors, promoters, music media, magazines and radio in Tokyo and London. Any left will be distributed locally to media in Australia. If your music fits into the Cyclic Defrost mode (check past issues as a guide), read more for details on how to submit your song/s or visit http://www.cyclicdefrost.com

The inaugural Two Fires aims to discuss, promote, explore issues around environment, conservation, reconciliation and the arts. Held at the town of Braidwood, NSW 45 mins from Canberra, ACT. visit http://www.twofiresfestival.com for details

This workshop provides a 3 hour introduction to the latest the latest audio software available on Gnu/Linux. It's a hands-on course for women as part of Sheilafest. 2:00pm Thursday 24 March at SoundHouse @ the Powerhouse Museum. act] visit http://www.deprogram.net/blogger/blogger.html or http://lists.cat.org.au/cgi-bin/m/listinfo/sydney-calendar for more details on this event + more

Visual artists, sound artists, installation artists, new media artists, web designers, photographers, engineers, architects, painters, djs, vjs, activists, hackers, writers, poets, performers, musicians, philosophers, theorists, film makers, bloggers, designers and any one else interested in art and its role in public space are invited to participate in SECRETS OF THE CITY - GUMBRAMORRA SWAMP THING! Secrets of the City - Gumbramorra Swamp Thing! is a series of free community workshops where participants will create innovative site specific public artworks and ephemeral installations that will map and interpret unique sites of social, cultural, and ecological resonance within the footprint of the former Gumbramorra Swamp that extended across the suburbs of Marrickville, Sydenham, Tempe, St. Peters, and Newtown. The project will celebrate and respond to this convergence between land and water, ecology and settlement. read more for details

Park Jam is Australia's largest all-ages music festival devoted solely to hip hop. Headlining at Park Jam will be the United States' legendary Digital Underground featuring Shock G's nasally prolific alter-ego Humpty Hump, Kool Keith and Kutmasta Kurt. Park Jam features the biggest line-up of Australian & New Zealand hip hop & rap talents ever to be assembled in one place - starting with one of Australia's hip hop forerunners Resin Dogs. Coming across from South Auckland, & fresh from the Big Day Out tour, is the four-man team Deceptikonz, appearing in full force with emcee Mareko. Then there's The Herd, ex-Herd MC turned soloist Urthboy, Good Buddha, Def Wish Cast, Hermitude, Figgkidd, Lazy Grey (Qld), Terrafirma (SA), Suburban Intellect (Vic), Morganics, Baggsmen (previously known as The Hive), Blue Juice, Fast Crew (NZ), Art of War (Vic), Hyjack n' Torcha (Vic), up-and-coming new crew Blindhoarse lead by MC Losty, & all the way from the UK, Motley with his fresh Manchestrian vibe. visit http://www.parkjam.com.au for more details

FutureScreen Mobile investigates the potential of mobile phone devices and technologies as platforms for creation, distribution and presentation of screen based and new media art. Focusing on the development of skills and knowledge, FutureScreen Mobile consists of a series of workshops and master classes and a research component. Outcomes of all FutureScreen Mobile events and research will be presented on the dLux media arts website with the aim of establishing an invaluable knowledge base for artists interested in working in the mobile domain.

This forum has been organised to discuss the Australia Councils recent announcement for a major restructure, including the abolition of both the Community Cultural Development Board and the New Media Arts Board. Why the continued existence of the CCDB is important... Whatever its faults (and most of these are due to a string of inappropriate Ministerial appointments), the CCDB remains a significant symbol of the achievements made by communities and the artsworkers who have supported them. It may be that the [Australia Council] aren't aware of these achievements or, worse still, are all too aware and wish to see them buried. It's too early to tell, but we need to find out. - John Hawkes (Community Music Victoria Newsletter, December 2004)

RESFEST 2004 Digital Film Festival travels the world showcasing short films, music videos, motion design, live music, guest speakers + more. Australian performances include, 3-7 December, Melbourne and 9-12 December, Sydney. visit http://www.resfest.com for details