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Andrew Penhallow

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Andrew Penhallow
Andrew Penhallow in 2021
Born24 January 1952
London, England
Died17 May 2023
Sydney, Australia

Andrew 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.

Early career

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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

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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

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Australian Dance Music Awards

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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

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  1. ^ "Andrew Penhallow and Volition". VOLT 2023: A Volition Archive. 2023-12-23. Retrieved 2024-06-29.
  2. ^ a b c Coupe, Stewart (8 Feb 1981). "A brilliant band finally gets a go". The Sydney Morning Herald. p. 85.
  3. ^ 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.
  4. ^ "A Factory Overseas Discography - Factory Australasia". www.factory-overseas.de. Retrieved 2024-06-29.
  5. ^ Green, Jonathan (1981-06-03). "TIMESPAN Five days of skiing spectacular". Canberra Times. Retrieved 2024-06-29.
  6. ^ Walker, Clinton (1996). Stranded: The Secret History of Australian Independent Music, 1977-1991. Pan Macmillan. ISBN 978-0-7329-0883-6.
  7. ^ a b Barber, Lyndon (27 June 1988). "Videos kill the radiostar". The Sydney Morning Herald, The Guide. p. 7.
  8. ^ 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.
  9. ^ Hook, Peter (2016-10-06). Substance: Inside New Order. Simon & Schuster UK. p. 239. ISBN 978-1-4711-3243-8.
  10. ^ 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.
  11. ^ Hart, Jon (22 Nov 2001). "Dance a beat ahead". The Advertiser. p. 48.
  12. ^ Brandle, Lars (2023-05-18). "Andrew Penhallow, Australian Dance Music Trailblazer, Has Died". Billboard. Retrieved 2024-06-29.
  13. ^ Adams, David (3 June 1994). "A Proud hip hop across the Tasman". The Age, EG. p. 4.
  14. ^ "THE PROUD COMPILATION, REISSUED ON RECORD (2023): Sounds of the Southside". Elsewhere by Graham Reid. 2023-05-29. Retrieved 2024-06-29.
  15. ^ a b c Green, Stephen. "Aus Dance Music Pioneer Andrew Penhallow Passes Away". The Music. Retrieved 2024-06-29.
  16. ^ Brandle, Lars (2023-05-18). "Andrew Penhallow, Dance Music Trailblazer, Has Died". The Music Network. Retrieved 2024-06-29.
  17. ^ "Australian electronic music pioneer Andrew Penhallow dies · News ⟋ RA". Resident Advisor. Retrieved 2024-06-29.
  18. ^ "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)
  19. ^ "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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