The 100 Songs project (since re-named the QUT Indie 100) is a unique week long event I co-founded and produced in 2011 with colleagues from QUT Independent Music Project which is now run on an annual basis. The project profiles the best work from unsigned and independent music acts in Queensland by recording the strongest 100 songs selected by industry experts from over 400 submissions.

All of this is achieved in 100 hours of studio time across the three studios in the Gasworks Studios complex in Brisbane. Each band and producer has just 4 hours of studio time to track and mix one or two songs. The results are then released on iTunes and broadcast by community radio. Through friend and colleague Craig Spann we were able to get the support of indie label collective SoundsLikeBrisbane and I was also able to secure the involvement of EMI Music Australia in the inaugural year through Scott Horscroft, Vice President of A&R. All 100 Songs were released progressively on iTunes through MGM Distribution and an industry panel shortlisted 12 acts to polish tracks with producers for a best of compilation CD entitled ‘Twelve’. I produced around half of the tracks on the final compilation and worked with Blonde On Blonde, Cold and Need, Lion Island, Desert Ghost and My Cerulean Heart. Here are some of the results.

Cold and Need – Give up the Fight
Produced by Julian Knowles
Engineered Julian Knowles
Mixed by Julian Knowles
Recorded and mixed at Gasworks Studios, Brisbane
Mastered by Tom Coyne at Sterling Sound, New York City

“An ecstatic guitar anthem infused with catchy vocals and drums that leave you in no doubt of the collective talent of Cold and Need. If you want to know what top-shelf Brisbane Indie music sounds like, this is it” AMRAP AirIt

Blonde On Blonde – Dead Air
Produced by Julian Knowles
Engineered Julian Knowles
Mixed by Julian Knowles
Recorded and mixed at Gasworks Studios, Brisbane
Mastered by Tom Coyne at Sterling Sound, New York City

“A raucous sledgehammer of a song that would easily make other rock and roll songs run home crying to their mother” AMRAP AirIt

Desert Ghost – Count Them
Produced by Julian Knowles
Engineered by Peet Gardner and Julian Knowles
Recorded at Gasworks Studios
Mixed by Julian Knowles at Different Fur Studios, San Francisco
Mastered by Tom Coyne at Sterling Sound, New York City

“If you like your rock mathy, you’ll love this track. Complex but catchy this song is focused on using melody to drive rhythm” AMRAP AirIT

Lion Island – 16 Days
Produced by Julian Knowles
Engineered Julian Knowles
Mixed by Julian Knowles
Recorded and mixed at Gasworks Studios, Brisbane
Mastered by Tom Coyne at Sterling Sound, New York City

“Rousing, acoustic, jangley and extremely catchy this track is a great example of the high quality alt-country folk pop that comes out of Brisbane” AMRAP AirIt

This video gives a small glimpse of one of the sessions in 2011 – it features Drawn From Bees, working in session with Brisbane engineer and QUT Music graduate Tristan Hoogland.

The project compilation from 2011 Twelve, has been making headway both locally and in the US College Radio network. You can find out more about that here.

100 Songs 2012

In the second year of the event, we supplemented the team of producers working on the acts and, in 2012, were joined by ARIA award winning producers Magoo and Daniel Denholm.