Subpar Analogue Music is the latest brainchild of Mario Girardet (of Caribou) and Jeremy Kinley (of The Audio Visual Drop Kicks). The music collective encompasses music recording, events managing, and flat gigs – tied together by a shared ethos of community. Mario and Jeremy outlined a new vision for the Dunedin music scene – one built on collaboration and good old Kiwi DIY ingenuity (and humility in being a little subpar) to contribute to a new era of the Dunedin Sound.
Mario and Jeremy clearly have a passion for music. Parked up on a couch with Critic Te Ārohi, they enthusiastically bounced off each other for an hour about their latest project. Turning to Critic at one point, Mario said, “See, this is a topic we could probably talk about for hours. It’s what we do.” It’s how they came up with the idea: “This is what made us realise we should do this together – this is just what we talk about every day.” Jeremy nodded with a grin.
A core component of their “new” Dunedin Sound is a commitment to lo-fi (low fidelity) sound. Recording on physical tapes and CDs, Mario and Jeremy aim to lower the bar of entry to getting recorded (no need for fancy recording studios) and recapture some of the prolific Dunedin lo-fi scene from 30-40 years ago. Mario named Chris Knox as one of his idols, whose path he tries to follow with lo-fi, who brought a “bare bones style that lets the emotions shine up more”. For Jeremy, it was Mac DeMarco. In an increasingly commercialised world of music production, both felt that the slick tracks feel less personal. “The thing I love about lo-fi is it's like so personal,” Jeremy said. “You can feel people's voices and their emotions a lot more. You can feel each twist of each knob. It's just a lot more human, I think.”
The pair emphasised the need for community when it comes to music-making. “Dunedin's got a really good music community, but with music there's a little bit of an attitude [of it being a] wild west,” said Jeremy. “You do it all yourself, you don't share secrets or collaborate.” Their attitude was the complete opposite. “If you all collectivise and treat yourselves communally, then you're gonna be 10 times stronger than if you treat yourself like the individuals,” Mario added.
Part of the scope of the project is to help new bands get a leg up, utilising their experience and equipment to do more than just record. “We're really keen on getting younger bands along and, you know, supporting people that are getting started,” said Mario. Both were able to point to people who helped them early on. Jeremy shouted out Max Came of Hot Sauce Club and Velvet the Label, and Mario shouted out Jeremy. To them it was important to pass those favours on to new groups. Jeremy added, “It's just cool to see that culture perpetuated. I hope that that continues for the next five and ten years or however long, y’know. People play music here. I hope people still look out for each other.”
Thanks to their shared experience in the local music scene and an accumulated collection of music equipment between the pair, they’ve become the go-to for organising events with bands. It was difficult to pick the best of the bunch, but Mario named his own Flipper Fest as one example, a series of gigs that he’s run the past couple of years to raise money for the Yellow-Eyed Penguin Trust. Flipper Fest kicked off with a backyard flat gig on Harbour Terrace in August that at the last minute had to be moved across the road due to a gazebo collapse and rain. But that’s where Mario and Jeremy come in: “When the show goes wrong, we are there to fix it.”
Only having launched in the week before our interview, the response has been huge. Subpar are currently working with a handful of local bands already. “It’s been really heartwarming to see the music scene come together to support us in the way that it has, for sure,” said Mario. “I think it’s really exciting.” Although things are winding down in the local music scene as the semester nears its end and students lock into the exam study grind, the two are hoping to run one more gig before the year closes. “Keep your eyes peeled, I guess, for that one,” said Jeremy. Outside of that, there are plans for lots of things next year.
If you want to do analogue recording, CD tapes, a flat gig or get involved with Subpar Analogue in any way, either DM them @subparanalogue on Instagram or email them at subparanalogue@gmail.com.