More people than ever are recording what’s going on at gigs. But where do these videos go after the show? Maybe someone will post a few seconds onto their Instagram story, but once it expires, it’s gone. Fraser Thompson understands the danger that “lots of important and valuable things are just lost in time,” and is doing something to combat this.
Fraser has developed an online library of media from musicians playing live in Dunedin. His goal is to record a wide variety of live music and present it in a way that people can access for years to come. Fraser invited Critic to join him for a drink at his home turf, Woof Bar, before explaining, “You never know what could be interesting in five or ten years to have recorded.”
Fraser began this journey casually in 2014 while studying Computer Science with a minor in Music at Otago Uni. He wanted to record his friends playing at Re:Fuel’s (now U-Bar’s) open mic nights.
To capture audio discreetly, Fraser purchased two tiny microphones and embedded them into a pair of ear plugs. This way, he doesn't take anybody out of the moment. This concept plays with the idea of binaural recording where you record with microphones in the position of your eardrums to give a more realistic sonic experience to listeners. Fraser adds that he tries “to cut out conversations if I have them.” He’s just gotta be careful not to sing along when ‘Mr. Brightside’ plays – that would be his street cred down the drain.
Posting to his own website’s growing archives rather than on the ‘gram, Fraser says, “I wish more people just made things for the internet.” He’s happy to utilise the breadth of the internet outside of the restrictions of confining social media apps. Navigating through his website feels like a blast to the past, not just because of its deep archive of gigs but its retro interface.
Fraser doesn't earn any money through his endeavors. He tells Critic that he doesn't “want to take anything from the music community.” He works full time as a web developer so dunedinsound.com is “basically a hobby that’s just funded by a job.” Fraser claims that the best perks he’s received is getting in on the door for free with the reputation he’s built in the local scene.
At the peak of Fraser's recording spree he would go to more than two gigs a week. Fraser reflected that this lifestyle wasn’t super healthy: “I was forcing myself.” He told Critic that there was a point where he considered stopping, under the mindset that it was “all or nothing.” But instead decided to continue on, albeit taking things a bit slower.
For Fraser, this project is a labour of love. Critic asked him when the last time he went to a gig without recording it was. A bit shocked by the question, Fraser said that he “can't remember any other different way of going to a gig.” He paused, “Maybe I should go to some gigs without a camera, see what it's like.”
In terms of future proofing the archive, Fraser says that keeping the website online costs 10 dollars a month. Wanting to keep it running for as long as possible he jokes, “Hopefully I'll never get into a position where I can't afford $10 a month.” In terms of adding new content Fraser says, “I don't see myself stopping any time soon, as long as I'm in Dunedin, which I have no plans of leaving.”
Take a geeze at dunedinsound.com for an unbeatable study break.