Entropic is 15 months old with four distinctive yet co-joined young musicians as its children. Oliver Smith – double bass and manager, Conrad Harris – guitar/vocals and public relations, Campbell McGuiness – Keys and designer and Robbie Mudrazija- drums and finances.

Sitting together for café conversation at Newtown’s Dendy, I really wanted to know what Entropic was about. There is a lot of buzz around about these guys and their style of performance. I decided to plunge right into it and start off with a basic question about the actual name.

”’Entropic’, is there something meaningful to that name?”

Ooops, I hit an Achilles heel and they all gush profusely to answer. Having all four of them enthusiasticlly keen to express their views and opinions all at the same time was a bit overwhelming.Trying my best to get it all down ended up being as confusing as listening to it!

‘No there was nothing deep or analytical to it, we aren’t really into that sort of thing. There’s a bio sheet here with a lot of adjectives describing Entropic.’ Oliver hands me a sleeve from a CD, which I scan over while the others still fire their responses at me.

Grabbing an opportunity to read the sleeve, there is a quote from Isaac Newton. ‘Ahh, it comes from entropy, “The measure of disorder within a system”.’ So even though the boys furiously deny the band name has some hidden, inner meaning, it certainly reads that way to me, but I am working at understanding we’re they’re coming from.. “Is that what you are then?”

‘We suffer from tall poppy syndrome, like we’re trying to avoid being in that situation.’ Campbell philosophises, only to get a rebuttal from Conrad, whom you get the feeling is big brother. An image of Romulus and Remus flashes through my mind. ‘No we don’t, we just want to be humble about our music.’ Not to be outdone, Campbell proffers, ‘We are into our name, what it stands for, improvising as such.’

‘Well, there’s a loose connection to that description.’ Oliver comments. ‘Like chaos theory?’ I offer. ‘But staying true to yourselves and the theme of Entropic, ‘disorder within a system?’

‘Yeah we’re really sending ourselves up all the time, not take it too seriously…’ There is an unaminous approval on that as Conrad goes on ’...nobody out there really likes talking about the type of music you play, they just want to like it.’ They are still passionate about establishing their low key approach to themselves and their music. ‘We just use it as a defence system, you know the Australian way, to play yourself down.’Not having an attitude about who we are.’

‘We share, but don’t share…not trying to push our opinions onto anybody.’ Finally Robbie, almost the ‘baby’ of the band manages to get a word in. ‘Our music is detached from all of that labelling.’

If anyone is getting lost out there about what we are exactly talking about, I think you just have to imbibe Entropic-a. I am, without a doubt, convinced that they are exactly what their name says! I can’t quite accept their ideal in free flowing can produce such excellent work and boldly question…’But you still have a focus and discipline to enable detachment?’

‘There is the focus and discipline – we’re just really into our music.’ Well that’s more Entropic-a again, and they are all unaminous once again.

I feel I need to go a little deeper into who they are. There is such a common bond between these guys, it can’t be by accident. ‘How do you all know each other?’ ‘Robbie and I were at high school together.’ Conrad answers. ‘And joined uni together. And I share with Campbell.’ I had a feeling they were brother-like, probably where the flash of Romulus and Remus came from! ‘We got together with Oliver and Campbell at uni doing our Bachelor of Music.’

‘And your involvement with Quintessential?’

‘We formed Quintessential about 4 years ago, with Robbie and Campbell and the other members.’

‘So how are you fitting everything in? Are you all graduated yet?’

Oliver proudly tells me he’s involved with 5 bands, and has a part-time job, and Robbie’s with 3 bands. They’ve both graduated and Conrad and Campbell are in their final year.

‘So how does that connect with Entropic?’

‘We didn’t want to be a university contrived band, we wanted to do something different, not just do electronic music.’ (Entropic are not saying this about Quintessential, they’re just speaking ‘entropic-a!’) ...’but still a branch of it, but take off in a different direction…become a movement!’. Enthusiastic, almost revolutionary tones ring around the table.

‘Many great bands fall into a genre…electronic band music,’...’we’re combining both electronica with instruments…to get that same sound from vinyl, but do it live on a stage with instruments…’ To apeal to a wider dance audience, rather than just a DJ crowd.’

‘So you wanted to bring dance music from vinyl to a live band?’

‘Yeah, but not to take away from DJs/producers…we take a lot of our inspiration from dance tracks as well as from instrumental sounds. We wanted to do a mixed media on stage, electronic and instruments. Shift the benchmark, does it feel good?, then it’s good…’

‘Is that too sophisticated though for a dance vinyl crowd?’

‘Not too sophisticated, everyone’s into parties in Sydney, a select crowd who were into live music, but moved to the dance scene and are now looking for something more…’

‘But I’ve seen at other venues this type of concept has not produced the numbers…’

‘But it’s not from the type of concept…it’s more of a money thing and the venues themselves…’ ‘We have a good following…’

‘Have you seen that following grow since the Entropic movement began?’

All speak in unison again. ‘Yeah, definitely!’ ‘A Collaboration of mixed media, visuals, DJs, live performers, a whole show. Everybody who’s there is into electronic music with acoustic instruments, pushing the entertainment level. A general thing with these bands in Sydney is electronic music with musicians can and does appeal …to a wider audience. It’s a culture of borrowing.’ It’s not often Robbie gets to say much, he’s the shy sort of guy, but you get the feeling he’s trying!

‘So your genre of music?’

‘There are crowds who differentiate the genres, but this concept is specific to Entropic, we improvise like a DJ does.’

‘Do the audience pick up on that?’

‘Not really, they just like the music.’
‘So how do you view yourselves as a ‘to-day’s’ muso?’

‘We’re all influenced by dance music and DJs – we need to respond to the crowd.’

Thankfully the interview has settled down a bit after a 5 minute ‘smoko’ and a stretch the legs.

‘So you have learnt, from your own days on the dance floor, what it takes to satisfy the audience? So that’s a base concept Entropic adheres to passionately?’

‘Definitely! We’ve grown up with bands that did that. It’s a cyclic thing..’ ‘shifting from bands to DJs’

‘So the techno scene of the ‘80’s shocked live bands causing a gradual decline in the ‘rock band’ live scene?’

‘It did push the limits..’ ‘Live music separates bands from d.j.’s….the German techno thing were using new sounds. Today’s technology has forced music to move forward.’

‘So is Entropic a product of to-day’s technology?’

‘For some bands that’s true, but we’re using old with the new. Electronic music is explored to another level, we’ve moved to a new path. We don’t rely on total electronic music, our music is ‘played’.’

‘So you’re detached, but not removed from pure electronic dance?’They all like that, and I feel I’ve made a breakthough in fully comprehending the Entropic phenonmenon.

‘Yeah, I like that, detached but not removed.’

‘Can you give a term for your music?’

‘We’ve been doing…’(Campbell was about to say something, but quickly covered his mouth, I suspect ‘big brother Conrad’, gave him a nod!) ‘We’re influenced from a large variety of styles, house, d’n’b, nu-jazz, it’s incredibly hard…’ ‘We don’t want to do that…’ Keep evolving, that’s the movement, that’s Entropic.’

“Measure of disorder?” I quip again.

‘We’re an incredibly young band and people. We don’t know enough to coin a phrase, we don’t want to pioneer, don’t want to claim we know too much. But talking about our music, the opposite is also true.’

Mass approval on that one! and I just know they’re emulating Entropic-a again!

‘I think it’s incredible though, that, as you say, such a young band, to keep your theme & focus, and it’s working.’

‘That’s because we are so passionate…’ ‘Once we lose that, no point in maintaining the group. It’s a lot of give and take, getting a feel & inspiration from the audience. When I think about the music I am playing, where I draw my passion from, Entropic!, it’s very real. A huge support from the public keeps us going.’

‘So Entropic, for all of you is euphoric?’

‘Yeah!’

‘Guys, what about drawing something in my book here, to sign off for the night.’


It was a full on interview, and you just know this quartet is going places. They are both mother and child to the concept and movement of Entropic, and a must see event on your dance calendar. They’re on this Saturday at Wiggle @ Mandarin Club, Goulburn Street, City.