Interview + Single Feature | Anna Morley & Zoltan Fecso
On naturally creating balance, improvisation & the benefits of living in Naarm
Noah chats to Anna Morley and Zoltan Fesco about their collaboration, second single Flight of Starlings from their forthcoming album Desire Path as well as the label Oxtail Recordings who are releasing it on March 27th.
Hello Anna and Zoltan, you have just released the second single Flight of Starlings from your forthcoming album Desire Path which is collection of atmospheric duets for vibraphone and synthesizer which is a collaboration with Zoltan Fecso. Can you tell us how this duet came about?
Anna: Zoltan and I met around ten years ago while I was home on a visit from Berlin. We met up, and I recorded vibes on his beautiful track Time Bath (Shimmer Raga, 2018). The music and collaboration process just flowed so effortlessly that from then on, we knew we had something special. It took us a while to get the chance to reconnect in person, and it wasn’t until I moved back and we got to play together again. Zoltan has that great balance of a calm, open presence with a strong, artistic work ethic, and that really works well with me.
You both have very productive solo projects, gathering acclaim locally and overseas with your various releases and live shows. How difficult was it to create your blend of minimal music together allowing your own individual elements to shine through and maintain balance with the melody and space?
Zoltan: Our sound came together really easily, which is a testament to playing with great musicians and collaborators like Anna. I brought a few song ideas to our first session together, and as soon as Anna began playing her parts, it just felt right.
It’s very freeing to leave space for the other player to fill, and I think we naturally create the balance between us. The whole process is really intuitive because we’re both improvisers and have a similar sense of the kind of sound-world we want to create together.
Where are you both based and what is your connection to the Melb/Naarm music scene?
Zoltan: I’m based in Naarm/Melbourne and feel so lucky to be a part of a diverse and world-class music scene that’s thriving creatively despite the challenges of rising costs, higher competition for funding opportunities and higher risk of burnout. Music matters to people, and there are incredible events every night of the week. I’ve been performing since about 2015, and these days you’ll most likely see me at events that are community-run or DIY and focus on experimental or improvised music.
Anna: I’m also based in Naarm these days after being Europe-based for almost 20 years. It feels great to re-establish myself as an artist here after so much time away, and this will be my first album release in Australia. Zoltan is very connected with local musicians and the music scene here, and I am still catching up somewhat! I feel incredibly fortunate to come from and be connected to such a vibrant and inspiring city for the arts. There’s no other city in Australia where I’d rather live and work.
Sydney label Oxtail Recordings whose brief description on Bandcamp is, Ambient noise and broken songs are releasing the album on vinyl and digital. Can you tell us about the connection you have with the label and what it’s like to have them back what you are doing?
Zoltan: Mike Nigro, who runs the label, has been doing it for over 10 years and was heavily involved in the DIY music communities in the US before moving to Sydney. He’s super passionate about the experimental music community in Sydney and puts out some incredible music by artists from all over the world on Oxtail Recordings. I met Mike in Sydney, and we chatted about skateboarding. I sent him an album I was working on at the time, and he agreed to release it, and that ended up being Other Air, which came out in 2023. We enjoyed working on the album together. I really loved the care he took with everything from the mastering to the design, so it was an obvious choice to send him the recordings that Anna and I had made for Desire Path. Working with Mike again on releasing Desire Path has been amazing. After exclusively releasing tapes, it was his idea to put Desire Path out on vinyl, which is a bigger financial risk, so I feel very lucky to have that sense of belief and trust behind this project.
Anna: Mike is an absolute legend, and I feel so grateful that our album is in Oxtail’s loving hands. Mike is not only running the label and managing his artists but is also an established musician who performs regularly in Australia and the US. This is a huge bonus for us as working musicians, as Mike can fully understand the challenges of setting up a tour and working out things like promo and deadlines.
You have a big upcoming tour to celebrate the release all throughout April in TAS, NSW, QLD and all over VIC and I am wondering if this will be the first time playing the album live? Also are you both used to extensive touring or is this a bit of a first for you both?
Zoltan: I haven’t toured with just one other person before, so we’ll see if we can make it through without a fight :)
Anna: Haha! I’m sure we’ll have our moments :) But really, we are just so excited to bring our music on tour and perform our new work around the country. It will be the first time we have played the album in its entirety, yes. I have previously toured around Spain with a trio to release my album Red Balance (2011), Germany with cellist Nikolaus Herdieckerhoff and Russia with French musician, Cyann. This will be my first time touring Australia, and I can’t wait!
Finally, who are your favourite local Melb/Naarm bands at the moment and who would you like to see interviewed for Tempo?
Zoltan: It’s impossible to pick one favourite, but I’m always inspired by seeing & hearing Hannah McKittrick, Rohan Rebeiro, Genevieve Fry, Aarti Jadu & Adam Halliwell.
Anna: Yep, I definitely second those wonderful artists! I also reckon Luke Howard, Tamara Murphy, Jarabi and The Amplified Elephants really interesting local acts at the moment.
For more information and tour news -
Zoltan Fecso & Anna Morley tour dates
April 3 - MONA - Hobart - Tasmania
April 4 - Rare Chords - Hobart - Tasmania
April 8 - Franks Wild Years - Thirroul - NSW
April 9 - The Vanguard - Sydney - NSW
April 10 - Local Edition - Sydney - NSW
April 11 - Season Three - Brisbane - QLD
April 12 - KEPK - Brisbane - QLD
April 18 - Tender - Melbourne - Victoria
April 26 - Table Records - Castlemaine - Victoria
April 29 - Signals - Melbourne - Victoria