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Annie Morrad and Ian McArthur live at opposite ends of the planet. They compose and play collaborative live performances through the use of digital software Mixlr and Skype. Mixlr is an Internet radio platform through which McArthur broadcasts electronic sounds, field recordings and live mixing. Morrad plays live improvised alto and tenor saxophone against these. Skype enables the artists to create networked live improvisational performances but also enriches their work through its inherent defective elements.

Skype produces effects such as time delays, glitches, feedback and distortion. These problematic sonic artifacts have been widely discussed in discourse about telematics and live performance in terms of latency and the challenge it presents to artists. However, in the live improvisations of Morrad and McArthur these otherwise undesirable and unpredictable ‘accidents’ are all utilized.

The pieces are developed and refined through online conversations between Sydney and London, the artists speaking through this dialectic and their personal approach and style of expression to produce each piece. We are interested in the crowd, the street, cities and the polyrhythmic universe.

This broadcast will introduce listeners to some of the artists' recordings and a live telematic improvisation with Annie in the UK and Ian in Australia.