Spoonbill is the electronic music project of Jim Moynihan, a Melbourne-based producer originally from the bush north of the city. Moynihan starts out on drums at 12, plays pub gigs before he is legally old enough to enter, then moves into percussion and later into electronic production after buying his first sampler in 1998.

Career

Moynihan begins releasing music under the Spoonbill name in 2005. That year he issues his debut album, Megafauna, on his own label, Omelette Records. The record helps establish his mix of improvised electronica, sound-art approaches and heavily edited live instrumental recordings in the Australian electronic scene.

His second album, Nestegg, follows in 2007 with support from the Australia Council for the Arts. It receives critical acclaim and is nominated as Album of the Week on ABC Radio National, PBS Radio Melbourne and Triple R.

Spoonbill continues to release albums regularly, including Zoomorphic (2009), Airborne (2010), Astro Archipelago (2012), Boca Fiesta (2014), Tinkerbox (2015) and Squawkus (2016).

Style and recognition

Spoonbill is described as combining improvised electronica, sound art and live instrumental recording edits into a distinctive style. The music is also associated with groove-based electronica, especially bass and glitch hop.

The project places third on the Addictech yearly charts in 2009 for Airborne, in 2013 for Tinkerbox and in 2015 for Boca Fiesta. In 2015, Tinkerbox wins Album of the Year at the UK Glitch Hop Awards, and Spoonbill is runner-up for Producer of the Year.

Other work

Moynihan works as an award-winning sound designer and music producer for video games and television. His sound installations tour nationally and internationally, including Imaging The Apple in New York, Hosier Lane in Melbourne, Federation Square for the Sate of Design Festival, Tokyo Designers Block, and 100 Percent Design in London.

Live performance

Spoonbill tours widely as a live act, performing in clubs and festivals across more than 15 countries, including Canada, the UK, the Netherlands, France, Germany, Ireland, Spain, Croatia, Portugal, Russia, India, Israel, Japan, New Zealand and Australia. He headlines major events including Rainbow Serpent Festival in Australia, Boom Festival in Portugal, Envision Festival in Costa Rica and Earth Frequency Festival in Australia.