| Richard Fielding | |
| Background: | non_vocal_instrumentalist |
| Origin: | Sydney, Australia |
| Instrument: | drum machine, tape loops |
| Genre: | electronic dance |
| Occupation: | musician, radio presenter |
| Years Active: | 1975–present |
| Associated Acts: | Severed Heads |
Richard Fielding was a founding member of the Australian electronic dance group Severed Heads in 1979 in Sydney. He has been a member of other experimental, avant garde music groups such as Z-Glutz, The Loop Orchestra and Budgie Woops! He has had a career as a radio presenter on various New South Wales stations.
Richard Fielding trained as a radio presenter in the mid-1970s with Korg Pally Oskin, Ian Borri Okem, Rusty Nails and, as part of a Sydney inner city (informal) group of "radio bad boys" called "The Thrifty Tones". He started as a presenter using the moniker 'Old Siddeley", on 2MBS—part of the "Late Night Collective". On sister station 5MBS with his own show "Yntmppry Yditions" and on Bega Station 2BE, co-hosting the 'Good Morning Ghostbusters" program with local Bega star Ian Wright. His longest on-air partnership was in the 1980s at Sydney's 2RES-FM with Dan Mayok, on "Anything That's Jandy", which was broadcast Saturday mornings from 6am – 9am. His sign-off call was "Have a great day - I know I don't".
In 1979, Fielding formed an electronic dance group, Mr. and Mrs. No Smoking Sign, with Andrew Wright and they were soon joined by Tom Ellard.[1] With Fielding on drum machine and tape loops, Wright on organ and synthesiser and Ellard on tapes they recorded a demo in Fielding's home.[1] [2] Renamed as Severed Heads they started recording their first album, Ear Bitten when Wright left in 1979. Fielding departed in 1981 during the recording of the band's second album, Clean.[3]
He was also part of an unsuccessful venture called the "5 to 6 Federation" a self-styled "Electronic Green Movement" which proposed all radio stations go off air for 5 minutes every morning from 5:55am to "clear the airwaves from constant radiowave transmissions". In the latter days of his broadcasting career he was a panel operator and technical producer at community radio station 2SER FM on The Mamma Lena Show and RadioActiviky with Dr Xob Schmottman.
Fielding was also a founding member of The Loop Quartet, which was formed in 1982, along with John Blades, Ron Brown and Jaimie Leonarder.[4] During the same year, another group performing with reel-to-reel tape machines, The Loop Orchestra, was formed by Fielding, John Blades and Anthony Maher. In 1983, Peter Doyle joined the group, and this line-up remained until 1997.[5]
. Experimental music : audio explorations in Australia. 2009. UNSW Press. Sydney, N.S.W.. 978-1-921410-07-9. 47. . John Blades . Gail Priest. The Lost Decade: Post-Punk, Experimental and Industrial Music.