The hidden history of electronic music comes alive at Melbourne Recital Centre

Open House Melbourne 2025 is back, welcoming Robin Fox into the Melbourne Recital Centre to take listeners on a sonic journey through the Australian electronic music psyche.

Drawing threads from the early experiments of pianist and composer Percy Grainger, Melbourne Recital Centre’s 2025 Artist in Residence Robin Fox is delivering a one-hour lecture all about the little-known history of electronic music.

Combining institutional and underground scenes, Mr Fox creates an immersive experience that blends history, innovation and live performance.

Featuring live demonstrations of antique instruments from the Melbourne Electronic Sound Studio (MESS), such as the legendary Fairlight CMI digital synthesiser, listeners have a rare experience to see electronic music history in action.

There are lots of amazing artists in Australia and there’s a great history we can draw on, but the thing is nobody knows about it,” Mr Fox said, adding “part of what we do through MESS is tell those stories.

“For example, some of the very first computer music ever was made here in Melbourne, on CSIRAC computers,” he said.

Robin Fox himself is a big name in the electronic music industry, working across live performance, exhibitions, public art and composition for contemporary dance. His audio-visual laser works, which synchronise sound and visual electricity in hyper-amplified 3D space, have been performed in more than 60 cities worldwide.

He is the founding director of MESS, a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to giving everyone access to the little-known history of electronic music.

With one of the most diverse collections of synthesizers and sound machines in the world, MESS allows artists, enthusiasts, and the public to engage with instruments once reserved for elite studios and institutions.

For Mr Fox, he hopes that this lecture, and more broadly MESS, helps educate and keep alive the electronic music scene in Australia, especially when considering many electronic instruments “perish” without regular use.

“Many of these instruments with great potential and great personality are in museums, locked under glass, which is an awful thought without use the circuity dies,” he said.

“To me, that’s a kind of tragedy, so preservation through use is the only way forward, and also helps remind people that they are a part of this living tradition.”

The event will be held on July 26 at the Melbourne Recital Centre. More information and tickets can be found at melbournerecital.com.au •