The music of the composer, performer, and producer Steve Balbi mines a kaleidoscope of life at the margins. His sound unique, gritty yet sophisticated, coalescing melody, sentimentality, and soul, Balbi bespeaks Bowie and Lennon in rhyme and verse, meanwhile exploring the heterogeneity, refinement, and dirty rotten groove of Radiohead.

At 17 years of age, Balbi was invited to join the legendary Kevin Borich Express. before cultivating an indelible production and song-writing partnership with Justin Stanley (Beck, Eric Clapton, Paul McCartney, Prince). Together they founded and produced Aussie chart-toppers Noiseworks (1986), before forming Electric Hippies (1993).

Numerous European tours, four multi-platinum award-winning albums, and various ARIA Award Nominations later, Balbi lifted his guitar from the rack to form Universe with Cathy Green (X) in 1996, before Move Trees and Moon emerged in subsequent years. In 2011, Balbi accepted an invitation to front 1980s new-wavers Mi-Sex, whose hits ‘n’ memories include Graffiti Crimes, Space Race (1980), Shanghaied! (1981), Where Do They Go? (1983), and Not From Here (2016). Graffiti Crimes and its hit single ‘Computer Games’ scooped the pool at the 1979 Countdown/TV Week Awards – Best Album, Best/Most Popular Single (Computer Games), Best Producer (Peter Dawkins), and Best New Artist.

Balbi’s eclectic catalogue of co-writing and production credits transcend decades and genres, for the dynamic assemblage of artists that he’s composed with and produced include: Electric Hippies, Andrew Farriss (INXS), Dylan Frost (Sticky Fingers), Noiseworks, Glenn Shorrock (Little River Band), Diesel, Ian Moss, Jenny Morris (RooArt), Dave Gleeson (The Screaming Jets), Christine Anu, Shannon Noll, Nika Costa, Leonardo’s Bride, Ian Kidron (The Potbelleez), Mark Callaghan (GANGgajang), Juice, Pearls & Swine, Toe to Toe, Vincent Stone, Fyre Byrd, Aurateque, Camino Gold, and countless other artists.

Balbi also played guitar and created vocal arrangements for David Bowie’s Hours (1999), with legendary producer Marius de Vries (Madonna, Björk, Rufus Wainwright, et al.), and for the soundtrack to Baz Luhrmann’s Academy Award-nominated Moulin Rouge.

Balbi’s debut solo LP, Black Rainbow (2013), and its surreal reprise, Rainbow Black (2016), provided a point of departure for the chameleon’s enigmatic artistry. His third solo LP – I Think I Know For Sure – was composed, produced and recorded in three months during lockdown. His fourth solo LP – Breakdown – will be available on 12” Vinyl in August this year. Celestial but gritty, distorted but beautiful, and daunting but heavenly, Balbi bends genres on this new record. Transcending his profound pop sensibility with doses of sticky-dark-disco, it’s a sensual, impossibly romantic journey that’s evocative and inspirational yet melancholic and intoxicating.

In 2018, Balbi released the first single using Atmosphere – ‘Winners [Psykinetic Mix]’ and ‘Modern Love [Psykinetic Mix]’ ft. Jessica Irwin the following year. Created by Dr Jordan Nguyen and his team at Psykinetic, Atmosphere is eye-controlled technology that enables people living with high-level physical disability to use only their eyes to make music. During intervening years, Balbi has built a new recording studio – Orange – where he is currently working with Dylan Frost (Sticky Fingers) and Dave Gleeson (The Screaming Jets) on new solo records. In 2022, Noiseworks reformed to release its first LP in 30 years – Evolution – produced by Balbi, meanwhile new Electric Hippies is expected to be released sometime in the foreseeable future also.

The new LP Breakdown will be launched at the Sydney Opera House Studio on Saturday August 24.

Profile photo by Andrea Veltom