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Andrew Penhallow
View on WikipediaAndrew Penhallow (1952–2023) was an Australian music figure who founded electronic music record label Volition Records and co-founded the Boiler Room at the Big Day Out music festival.
Key Information
Early career
[edit]After moving to Australia from England in the 1970s,[1] Andrew Penhallow worked as a contributor for Rolling Stone Australia and as manager of the local band Pel Mel.[2][3]
In 1979 he co-founded GAP Records with Rolling Stone Australia publisher Paul Gardiner.[2][4] They released Pel Mel's debut album and licensed releases from English labels Factory Records and Rough Trade,[3][5] including releasing Joy Division's albums in Australia for the first time in 1980.[2]
After GAP closed, Penhallow set up Volition Records in 1984, signing local group Severed Heads and licensing UK group New Order from Factory Records.[6]
Penhallow was also managing director of Factory Australasia, a local subsidiary of Factory Records, between 1984 and 1992.[7][8] The label's first release was New Order's Low-Life album, released when the band toured Australia in 1985.[9] In 1988, Factory Australasia released New Order's 'Blue Monday 1988' which reached number three in the charts, even with a lack of radio airplay. Penhallow criticised commercial radio stations such as Triple M at the time for not playing dance music, with the success of 'Blue Monday 1988' attributed to dance clubs and music videos seen on TV.[7]
In 1994, Penhallow teamed with Ken West to bring dance music to his Big Day Out music festival. Penhallow had previously brought his Volition acts Severed Heads and Itch-E and Scratch-E to 1993's festival, and after noticing their success, in 1994 West and Penhallow created The Boiler Room, a separate area of the festival dedicated to dance music.[10] Volition acts such as Boxcar and Vision Four 5 appeared at the first Boiler Room,[10] and the festival addition was credited with increasing the popularity of dance music in Australia.[11][12]
Penhallow was behind the ARIA Award for Best Dance Release being introduced to the annual ARIA Music Awards in 1995, with Volition acts winning the first two years.[8]
He also founded Second Nature in New Zealand, as a sublabel to Volition, to release local dance and hip hop music from Australia and New Zealand and provide better representation of local music produced in the genres.[13][14]
Later years
[edit]After Volition's publishing deal with Sony Music expired in 1996, Andrew Penhallow took a year off before returning to the music industry with a publishing company Higher Songs.[8]
He managed Love Tattoo as part of his artist management company 2000AV,[15] and from 1999 worked as local dance A&R consultant for Warner Music Australia.[8] He continued supporting Australian dance music, through work with Australia's first internet radio station Pulse Radio,[15] compiling compilation CDs to promote local artists,[8] and in 2005 founded Resolution Music.[15]
Penhallow died in 2023, with many artists from Australia thanking him for his strong support towards electronic music over his career.[16][17]
Awards and nominations
[edit]Australian Dance Music Awards
[edit]The Australian Dance Music Awards (DMA) were founded by 3D World in 2000 to celebrate dance music in Australia and recognise the people who helped it gain greater recognition nationally.[18]
| Year | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 2000 | Outstanding Contribution To Dance Music | Nominated[19] |
References
[edit]- ^ "Andrew Penhallow and Volition". VOLT 2023: A Volition Archive. 2023-12-23. Retrieved 2024-06-29.
- ^ a b c Coupe, Stewart (8 Feb 1981). "A brilliant band finally gets a go". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 85.
- ^ a b Harley, Ross (1995). "ACTS OF VOLITION: Volition Records, Independent Marketing and the promotion of Australian Techno-Pop". Perfect Beat. 2 (3): 21–48. doi:10.1558/prbt.v2i3.28777. ISSN 1836-0343.
- ^ "A Factory Overseas Discography - Factory Australasia". www.factory-overseas.de. Retrieved 2024-06-29.
- ^ Green, Jonathan (1981-06-03). "TIMESPAN Five days of skiing spectacular". Canberra Times. Retrieved 2024-06-29.
- ^ Walker, Clinton (1996). Stranded: The Secret History of Australian Independent Music, 1977-1991. Pan Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-7329-0883-6.
- ^ a b Barber, Lyndon (27 June 1988). "Videos kill the radiostar". The Sydney Morning Herald, The Guide. p. 7.
- ^ a b c d e "25 Jun 2005 - Australian Music Online :: Interviews :: Andrew Penhallow - ... - Archived Website". Trove. Archived from the original on 2005-06-24. Retrieved 2024-06-29.
- ^ Hook, Peter (2016-10-06). Substance: Inside New Order. Simon & Schuster UK. p. 239. ISBN 978-1-4711-3243-8.
- ^ a b Dixon, Andrew (21 Jan 1994). "Dance Music Will Be Creating Its Own Hot Spot At This Year's Big Day Out". The Sydney Morning Herald, Metro. p. 44.
- ^ Hart, Jon (22 Nov 2001). "Dance a beat ahead". The Advertiser. p. 48.
- ^ Brandle, Lars (2023-05-18). "Andrew Penhallow, Australian Dance Music Trailblazer, Has Died". Billboard. Retrieved 2024-06-29.
- ^ Adams, David (3 June 1994). "A Proud hip hop across the Tasman". The Age, EG. p. 4.
- ^ "THE PROUD COMPILATION, REISSUED ON RECORD (2023): Sounds of the Southside". Elsewhere by Graham Reid. 2023-05-29. Retrieved 2024-06-29.
- ^ a b c Green, Stephen. "Aus Dance Music Pioneer Andrew Penhallow Passes Away". The Music. Retrieved 2024-06-29.
- ^ Brandle, Lars (2023-05-18). "Andrew Penhallow, Dance Music Trailblazer, Has Died". The Music Network. Retrieved 2024-06-29.
- ^ "Australian electronic music pioneer Andrew Penhallow dies · News ⟋ RA". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 2024-06-29.
- ^ "12 May 2000 - 3D/STOLICHNAYA AUSTRALIAN DANCE MUSIC AWARDS - Archived Website". Trove. Archived from the original on 2000-05-11. Retrieved 2024-06-29.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "21 Jun 2000 - 3d World - Dance Music Awards - Archived Website". Trove. Archived from the original on 2000-06-20. Retrieved 2024-06-29.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
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