Ollie Olson

Ollie Olsen has been producing innovative music in Australia for the past twenty-five years. He began studying electronic music in the mid 70s under Felix Werder, a German composer living in Australia who had studied under Karlheinz Stockhausen. In the late 70's Ollie formed one of the first electronic bands, Whirlywirld, releasing a number of recordings on Missing Link Records. During the next ten years Ollie formed experimental outfits Hugo Klang and Orchestra of Skin and Bone, then the hard-core industrial techno band, NO.

In the 1980s Ollie was invited to be the music producer for the movie "Dogs In Space". He provided much of the soundtrack himself, including writing the hit song Rooms For The Memory for INXS front man, and the movie's star, Michael Hutchence. After a brief collaboration with U2 on the single New York, New York by Echo Homo, Ollie was approached by Michael Hutchence to produce an album with him. The result was the successful and critically acclaimed MAX Q which spawned the hits Way Of the World and Sometimes. Ollie also worked at this time with legendary American producer Todd Terry and UK producer/DJ Paul Oakenfold.

From the success of MAX Q came a major record company deal and Ollie formed the band Third Eye. The group made one critically acclaimed album of songs before Ollie decided to concentrate on instrumental electronic music. Thus Psy-Harmonics was born, with the Third Eye LP Ancient Future as the first release. Ollie's role as A&R for Psy-Harmonics has been instrumental in the unique vision and sound of the label.

Ollie also produces a great deal of work for Psy-Harmonics. He has collaborated with other musicians on such projects as The Visitors, Antediluvian Rocking-Horse, Psyko Disko, Fluro Conspiracy, Higher Spin States, Assasin Device, Shaolin Wooden Men and many others. His latest release is an LP under his own name. This album, Emptiness, explores Ollie's roots in avant-garde / experimental composition.

Besides work in his on-going commitment to Psy-Harmonics, Ollie also lectures on electronic music and continues to compose for film and television. Recent film and television credits include acclaimed feature film "Head On" from director Anna Kokkinos (which earned him an AFI nomination), "RAW FM" and "Eugenie Sandler" for ABC TV. He often collaborates on interactive projects with Troy Innocent and worked on the electronic component of Australian composer Richard Mills' new opera, "Batavia", which received high praise from critics and audiences alike.

Ollie can be seen in live experimental music performances and he performs occasionally with the Australian Art Orchestra...in 2002 he will be collaborating on a major orchestral project with AAO Director Paul Grabowsky.