SPOKEN WORD
GEOFFREY DATSON is a sound artist, combining spoken word, electronica and instrumentation in his recordings. Datson's recorded work is a synthesis of forms of sonic expression in which the voice and the sound field are interdependent. He has two books in print: Protest Singer and Then, and Then; a memoir, and many recordings soon for digital re-release. Datson has appeared at the Gloucester, Byron Bay ,Wordjammin's 'Random Acts of Poetry' at the Brisbane Writers' Festival and Reality Bites Non-fiction Festival. He is currently working in on-going collaboration with Melbourne artist Nicholas Nedelkopoulos on a major series entitled the Datson Driveby, each 15 min episode incorporating film, poetry, music, song and spokenword. He appeared at the 2017 Queensland Poetry Festival in performance with Mohsen Soltany Zand for the digital re-release of Australian Dream, (Stickylabel). In April 2020, he was to be a featured poet t the inaugural Sydney Poetry Festival, but which was cancelled due to Covid 19.
PROFILE AND SELECTED CV
Follow links to examples of previous work.
GEOFFREY DATSON is a sound artist, combining spoken word electronica and instrumentation in his recordings. Datson's recorded work is a synthesis of forms of sonic expression in which the voice and the sound field are interdependent.
Though he has written poetry since age 16, Datson began his performance career in Sydney surf punk band, Surf Side Six, part of the inner city live music scene in the seventies. His next band was Samurai Trash, one of the first Australian bands to sign to the brand new Virgin Label in 1984. When that band folded, Datson took a suitcase and guitar to NY where he recorded with Dana Velcek (Konk, Fred) and Warner Bros-signed spoken word siren, Dana Bryant. On return to Sydney he continued recording solo. Works from his early career have recently been released in various compilation albums and rereleased digitally on Art Records. (FULL DISCOGRAPHY)
In 2000 with Annette Hughes, Datson set up Stickylabel, their independent label producing spoken word, song and music. During the early 2000s, he performed political spoken word and song as Protest Singer, releasing an eponymous album and “The Truth”, a collection of war poetry, with several live performances in Sydney. Stickylabel, with Datson as producer, also released Mohsen, the debut spoken word album of refugee poet, Mohsen Soltany Zand. He appeared in 2003 at the NSW Writers' Centre in performing works from that album, and was invited to appear at the 2004 Sydney Writers' Festival to perform with Mohsen following his release from detention. In 2005 Stickylabel produced Mohsen Soltany's second album Australian Dream, works from which received national ABC air play on Poetica. (In 2017 this work was digitally rereleased and a stage show performed at the Queensland Poetry Festival in collaboration with Mohsen Soltany Zand and Annette Hughes.)
In 2004, Datson moved his studio to a farm on the Queensland Sunshine Coast, where there was time to concentrate on new work, and where he began performing and recording as DATSON HUGHES, the duo collaboration of Geoffrey Datson and Annette Hughes. Their joint practice emerges from long immersion in Australian visual, musical and literary culture, selecting and combining forms to produce multi-disciplinary multi-media work. While their individual careers reach back into the late seventies, their collaboration began in 2000, with their strongest work emergent in the last ten years.
Since 2012 he has been artistic director of the Arts Queensland supported DooFWoRd, a weekend multi-arts showcase event and incubator for collaborative artists in the Noosa Hinterland at his Greenroom Studio (5 produced events - ongoing.)
Datson is continuously engaged in working on a major collaboration (since 2017) with Melbourne artist and experimental film-maker Nicholas Nedelkopoulos - a 2 x25 ep x 15min series entitled the Datson Driveby, each episode a compile of film, poetry, music, song and spoken word, released on Sticklabel's Art Records. In 2018 Datson Hughes performed Bird, at the Jervis Bay SeeChange Festival where 4 eps of the Driveby were also screened in the main curated exhibition. Performance in this ‘song cylcle’ format comprising poetry, storytelling and song has created new works: Modal Murder and Mayhem, Gympie Regional Gallery; Ascention in Assisi, Italy; Blood in the Water, Budapest, Hungary.
Most recently the duo performed Internationally, especially in Eastern Europe where they have been working in collaboration with Hungarian Techno duo, Siblicity. Datson Hughes performed and recorded with in this Project (String Theory) in 2019, and was to again perform on OZORA’s Ambyss stage in 2020, but prevented from travelling by Covid 19.. The project recorded an album of the collaboration for release on TOTIM Records in 2021.
During 2019, Geoffrey produced a series of radio docos on the psych/trance festival circuit and other varous musical events in eastern Europe of Gayle Austin’s 2SER Curved Music show and will continue the series in 2020.
Geoffrey was invited to appear as a featured poet at the inaugural Sydney Poetry Festival which was cancelled due to Covid 19.
He is currently working on a long form prose poem memoir 'Feels Like Geoff' (WT)
Follow links to examples of previous work.
GEOFFREY DATSON is a sound artist, combining spoken word electronica and instrumentation in his recordings. Datson's recorded work is a synthesis of forms of sonic expression in which the voice and the sound field are interdependent.
Though he has written poetry since age 16, Datson began his performance career in Sydney surf punk band, Surf Side Six, part of the inner city live music scene in the seventies. His next band was Samurai Trash, one of the first Australian bands to sign to the brand new Virgin Label in 1984. When that band folded, Datson took a suitcase and guitar to NY where he recorded with Dana Velcek (Konk, Fred) and Warner Bros-signed spoken word siren, Dana Bryant. On return to Sydney he continued recording solo. Works from his early career have recently been released in various compilation albums and rereleased digitally on Art Records. (FULL DISCOGRAPHY)
In 2000 with Annette Hughes, Datson set up Stickylabel, their independent label producing spoken word, song and music. During the early 2000s, he performed political spoken word and song as Protest Singer, releasing an eponymous album and “The Truth”, a collection of war poetry, with several live performances in Sydney. Stickylabel, with Datson as producer, also released Mohsen, the debut spoken word album of refugee poet, Mohsen Soltany Zand. He appeared in 2003 at the NSW Writers' Centre in performing works from that album, and was invited to appear at the 2004 Sydney Writers' Festival to perform with Mohsen following his release from detention. In 2005 Stickylabel produced Mohsen Soltany's second album Australian Dream, works from which received national ABC air play on Poetica. (In 2017 this work was digitally rereleased and a stage show performed at the Queensland Poetry Festival in collaboration with Mohsen Soltany Zand and Annette Hughes.)
In 2004, Datson moved his studio to a farm on the Queensland Sunshine Coast, where there was time to concentrate on new work, and where he began performing and recording as DATSON HUGHES, the duo collaboration of Geoffrey Datson and Annette Hughes. Their joint practice emerges from long immersion in Australian visual, musical and literary culture, selecting and combining forms to produce multi-disciplinary multi-media work. While their individual careers reach back into the late seventies, their collaboration began in 2000, with their strongest work emergent in the last ten years.
Since 2012 he has been artistic director of the Arts Queensland supported DooFWoRd, a weekend multi-arts showcase event and incubator for collaborative artists in the Noosa Hinterland at his Greenroom Studio (5 produced events - ongoing.)
Datson is continuously engaged in working on a major collaboration (since 2017) with Melbourne artist and experimental film-maker Nicholas Nedelkopoulos - a 2 x25 ep x 15min series entitled the Datson Driveby, each episode a compile of film, poetry, music, song and spoken word, released on Sticklabel's Art Records. In 2018 Datson Hughes performed Bird, at the Jervis Bay SeeChange Festival where 4 eps of the Driveby were also screened in the main curated exhibition. Performance in this ‘song cylcle’ format comprising poetry, storytelling and song has created new works: Modal Murder and Mayhem, Gympie Regional Gallery; Ascention in Assisi, Italy; Blood in the Water, Budapest, Hungary.
Most recently the duo performed Internationally, especially in Eastern Europe where they have been working in collaboration with Hungarian Techno duo, Siblicity. Datson Hughes performed and recorded with in this Project (String Theory) in 2019, and was to again perform on OZORA’s Ambyss stage in 2020, but prevented from travelling by Covid 19.. The project recorded an album of the collaboration for release on TOTIM Records in 2021.
During 2019, Geoffrey produced a series of radio docos on the psych/trance festival circuit and other varous musical events in eastern Europe of Gayle Austin’s 2SER Curved Music show and will continue the series in 2020.
Geoffrey was invited to appear as a featured poet at the inaugural Sydney Poetry Festival which was cancelled due to Covid 19.
He is currently working on a long form prose poem memoir 'Feels Like Geoff' (WT)