Cereal Music Talks x ŽIVA

Tongue Dissolver are a punk/tech trio from Naarm - a project of collaboration, improvisation and momentum, which layers rants of resistance atop piles and piles of drums. I sat down with Andy and Al from the band to discuss their latest album and the process behind it: from what it means to them to make music, build community, and resist the imposed strategies on how artists should promote their work. We filmed at Nighthawks, one of our favourite venues in Collingwood that plays a crucial role in the Melbourne's live music scene. 
Music: ŽIVA - Hopeless Pleasures, Tongue Dissolver - Grace's Cross
About the guest: https://tonguedissolver.net
About the venue: https://nighthawksbr.com.au/
This episode has been supported by City of Yarra.

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Nū is an Ethiopian-Australian sound artist, vocalist and live coder* whose work blends non-Western musical traditions, improvisation and Afrofuturism. Using the live coding program Sonic Pi and her vocals, she creates immersive sonic worlds, weaving elements from ambient, jazz, R&B and electronic music. 
On an overcast Tuesday morning in Collingwood, Nū and I met at Trainscendence - a venue tucked away in a laneway just off Easey St that is a living, breathing hub for artists, makers, dreamers, and doers. We talked about the path towards doing art full time, negotiating artists fees and just trusting the process (instead of trying to control everything).
Music: ŽIVA - Idle Heart, NŪ - Tezetaye
About the guest: https://nu-nu.bandcamp.com/
About the venue: https://www.trainscendence.com.au/

This episode has been supported by City of Yarra.
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In this very first episode of 2026, I sit with producer and DJ Rita Bass at Russian House venue in Fitzroy to hear more about what stand behind her drive (and burnout), and the search for home, being raised in Melbourne by Russian-Armenian parents. Our conversations moves from to-do lists and routines to the deeper pull of identity, language, and authenticity in sound. From EP milestones to staging theatre-meets-electronic nights, Rita shows how to make the space you wish existed. 
Music: ŽIVA - Idle Heart, Rita Bass - Earwave
More info on the guest: https://www.ritabass.com/
More info on the venue: https://www.instagram.com/young.guard/
This episode has been supported by City of Yarra.
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In this episode, I sit down with Zoltan Fecso, a Hungarian, Melbourne-based composer and artist whose work explores the many perceptual possibilities of listening through prepared instruments, field recordings, and electronics. We talk about the challenge of balancing an active creative life; touring, rehearsing, and new projects, while maintaining grounding routines like meditation and journaling. Zoltan reflects on the role of space and place in his music, his connection to landscapes across the world, and how field recordings evolve in his sonic practice. We also discuss What Artists Eat, the podcast he co-hosts with his partner Claire, and how cooking, food, and mindful eating can nourish creativity and mental health.
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Ivan Masic is a Melbourne-based artist working at the intersection of sound design, projection, and the moving image under the alias Ex Ponto. His practice explores the insoluble intimacy between music, light, and place through immersive, site-responsive works. I visited Ivan in his studio Twomb, to talk about capturing stories through sound, the freedom of instinctive music-making, and how his migrant journey shapes his creative practice. We touched on the importance of letting go of pressure, resisting fads, and creating work that is deeply tied to place and community.
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