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Benjamin Walsh
Benjamin Raymond Walsh was born in Gosford Hospital, N.S.W. , Australia in 1976

Known as one of Australia’s well admired, respected and hardest working drummers he is also known as one of the most innovate.

Known throughout the world for his invention of the multidirectional drumming wheel he is also a composer, sound designer

and recently award winning film maker.

he is an artist managed by Top Shelf

he currently is touring and performing under his name Benjamin Walsh

Ben Walsh is a driving force in the Australian music scene, and his trademark high energy drumming is currently featured in numerous acts including Tom Tom Club, The Bird, Crusty Suitcase Band and Circle of Rhythm. He has also been a member of TaikOz, Dha, Pablo Percusso, Taal Vadya and more. His composition work has been commissioned for everything from dance works to theatre works to film scores and more.

Benjamin has personally recorded over 35 records through his own independent record label Groovelands and Hydrofunk

Ben has cut his teeth racking up thousands of gigs across the globe and studying with some of the worlds leading instrumentalists. Years of honing his skills has seen Ben’s artistic vision continually evolving, searching out new horizons and challenges from electronic forms to orchestral composition.

The Last 2 decades
In 2007 Ben conceived and developed The Crusty Suitcase Band.

These original jazz fusion compositions are performed live,

In 2009 Ben was commissioned to create a work to film by Sydney Festival which led to him forming an eclectic orchestra

made up of the most phenomenal instrumentalists in Australia, and showcasing a cross section of jazz, classical, electronic and world musicians.

In 2011 Ben was nominated for a prestigious Helpmann Award: Best Music Direction for Sydney Festivals production of My Bicycle Loves You.

2013 Ben collaborated with the renowned Company 2 circus troupe, where he co-directed a new work &

'The Crusties' were the backbone of Scotch & Soda a circus and music extravaganza, often performed in the infamous Speigeltent

which played in London, Dublin, Edinburgh and all throughout Australia.

Toured 7 destinations in India with his solo percussion show LOOP ZERO presented by the Australian consulate & DFAT

2016 saw Ben explore the new territory of South America with an extensive 3 month tour with projects; Orkestra of the Underground, The Wheel, Remix Experiment, Circle Of Rhythm, The Bird and as well as the newly commissioned production The Loop Lab.

He was a celebrated centre piece for the Brazilian festival Australia Now

performing in Rio, Sao Paulo, Salvador, Mexico City & Buenos Aires.

In October he performed and composed a 16 piece Rajasthani Percussion spectacular at the Rajasthani International Folk Festival.

Was Musical Director for a live film score titled SILENCIO at DIFF Darwin International Film Festival

a loose collection of the history of animation performed with viola player SHENZO GREGGORIO

2017/2018  Ben released Remix Experiment to the world playing  India, Argentina ,Brazil, Japan, Mexico and released 2 albums

"REMIX EXPERIMENT" &" CASSETICA" partnered through Hydrofunk Records

2019 Was involved with Gravity & Other Myths as Musical Director in the development of a new work.

2020 was musical director for David Carberry's production of SMASH PARADE with new musical project NA MOJA

​2021 SMASH PARADE live streamed at HOTA  performing for prestigious NYC Q2 festival.

Live streamed his production THE ARRIVAL  by THE ORKESTRA OF THE UNDERGROUND

directly to India from the BRUNSWICK PICTURE HOUSE presented by the TATA LITERARY FESTIVAL

in partnership with the Australian/Indian consulate & DFAT

composed the score and performed to Sue Healey's live dance film  event LIVE ACTS for OzAsia festival.

2022 composed and performed in THE LONG WALK by Sue Healey for OzAsia Festival.

Was Sound Designer for the production of REDLIGHT DISTANCING a Binaural score

for an audience entirely on wireless headphones.

Was musical director for the reworked live score of FURY ROAD for Darwin International film festival

with Tom Thum & Shenzo Greggorio

Composed an Performed a new live film score to THE INCREDIBLE SHRINKING MAN ​(1957)

with Beatboxer TOM THUM at the Adelaide Fringe Fest and Brunswick Picture House

Premiered His cinematic debut  REMIX EXPERIMENT THE MOTION PICTURE

at Byron Underground Film Festival (BUFF)

which he Produced & Directed acted and composed.

Playing at the Palace Cinemas and then performed Live score at The Brunswick Picture House

His film won the award "The Best of BUFF"

Early Days
Attended Newtown High School Of The Performing Arts years 11 and 12 and graduated in Drama & Music

Shortly attended the contemporary music course at Western Sydney dropping out to travel and tour and learn from alternative methods.

When he was 19, Walsh began his professional career, forming the high energy junk percussion trio Pablo Percusso. Combining musicality with theatre, this group enjoyed five years of national and international touring, over 500 live shows and many television appearances.

For a short time was drummer in the enigmatic punk-rock trio Vicious Hairy Mary with friend Michael Lira.

He became the brain-child of the electronic live fusion sensation The Bird. firstly forming it with Michael Lira and Alex Noble he added Simon Durrington (Sai Galaxy ) who soon after took it over as a Duo keeping the name.

A musical project that quickly morphed to form an innovative duo into a multi-instrumental musician’s collaborative. Notably Tabla Player Bobby Singh They performed throughout Australia and Europe for over a decade now, and have become a highly acclaimed live act, producing a solid list of successful studio albums through Creative Vibes and Valve

“For six years I studied and toured with the Australian taiko drumming group TaikOz,”  says Walsh. The highlights of this partnership included his performance on traditional bamboo flute of his own composition at Sydney Opera House with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.

Walsh had even used a pseudonym, Sound of Human, in between for a while. Talking about it, he says, “I designed and performed several one-man shows under the name, with the first being Human in the Audio Sphere, which was performed in 2000 at the Adelaide and Melbourne Fringe Festivals and won the award for the best musical act. Then after receiving a commission from the Sydney Opera House, I performed the final version over two weeks in October 2001 as part of Sensoh Festival.”

This was followed up with an autobiographical journey, First Sound, premiering in October 2002 at the Hong Kong Arts Centre and Taipei Dance Forum. After a successful debut, he was asked to return to China with additional shows in Singapore, Malaysia and Seoul. The work was chosen as a spotlight performance at the bi-annual International Arts Market sponsored by the Australia Council (Federal Funding Body for the Arts). First Sound made its Australian debut at the 2004 Adelaide Fringe Festival and received rave reviews at the Sydney Opera House and in Brisbane.

Two more one-man shows, Circuit Breaker and Junkyard Symphony, both featured at Adelaide Festival 2005 and 2008, and enabled Walsh to showcase his multi-instrumental talents and stagecraft.

Initially composing works for short films and dance, Ben’s body of work in the past years has extended to encompass live film scores, mixed media projects and a ground breaking piece of enhanced storytelling via orchestral score to Oscar winner Shaun Tan ’s wordless masterpiece: THE ARRIVAL as commissioned by the Graphic Festival at Sydney Opera House.

"A unique and sensitive adaptation with my otherwise still and silent universe, taking it to a new level of intensity through a passionate performance." (Shaun Tan)

Benjamin Walsh - Discography
JNGL Futurism

Solo Flight

Rare Reels 104- Tom Thum & Benjamin Walsh

Rare Reels 103- Soundtrak

Rare Reels 102- Greg Sheehan & Benjamin Walsh

Rare Reels 101- Simon Mavin & Benjamin Walsh

Seemingly Impossible Odds

Singularity EP

Cassetica

Praha- Soundtrak

Na Moja First Draft -Benjamin Walsh & Matt Ottignon

Music To An Invisible Film-Soundtrak

Jagungal- Si Mullumby & Benjamin Walsh

Octagon- Neil Sagewood Trio

Super Sounds

Odds End- Jungletone

Remix Experiment

Ant B & Says- Jungletone

Renewal

Silent Space -Benjamin Walsh & Bobby Singh

Saachi- Benjamin Walsh & Bobby Singh- Cleis Pearce

Mesopotamia- Jungletone

Best Kwality Beats- Groovelands Soundsystem

AKT 1- Jungletone

The Blue Hour

Paper Lotus- Benjamin Walsh & The Orkestra Of The Underground

Experiments 1996-2012 (DISC 2)- The Bird

Experiments 1996 -2012 (DISC 1)- The Bird

Tales From Dark Spaces - Jungletone

Harlem To Hanoi- The Crusty Suitcase Band

The City is a Monster (single) - Jungletone

Kings of the Dust- Jungletone

Studio Selections -Jungletone

Bit Rider- Jungletone

Live Dubstep Sessions- The Bird

Nirmana- Benjamin Walsh & Bobby Singh

Groovelands Soundsystem- Groovelands Soundsystem

Old Hat EP- The Crusty Suitcase Band

Operator 64- Jungletone