'Musikaal Paluma rd Studio' was set up originally to record Richard's own music. Being a professional singer/songwriter for most of his life he felt the need to record more of his music.
The first studio was set up on 5 acres at their home in the Whitsundays, north Queensland, Australia, where he finished his albums 'Dawning of the day' and 'Journey of the mind'.
After hosting a successful songwriters night for 2 years, he discovered a demand for an affordable studio for songwriters. He soon found himself recording local songwriters and the first "Whitsunday Songwriters" CD and later Whitsunday Songwriters vol2. During this time he also recorded traditional Aboriginal music and found an interest in blending the musical styles. Richard also started live recording of the local Wintermoon Festival, capturing some classic performances and producing Festival CDs.
The focus of the studio has moved to capture that performance, therefore, record the Spirit of the Music.
Musikaal Studio has now moved to a mountain in Bali where Richard is recording a library of Balinese traditional music as well as creating new fusion music with balinese musicians.
Musikaal Studio Bali.
Musikaal Studio in Bali is situated high on Gunung Batukaru near Desa Sarinbuana, central Bali in Selemadeg,Tabanan. Being far from the hustle and bustle of the tourist areas in Bali, the one and a half hour journey to reach the studio is quite an experience.
A quiet traditional village of farmers making a living growing coffee and cacao, Sarinbuana has it's own feeling of tranquility because of the altitude and friendly inhabitants. The friendliness of the Balinese is well known throughout the world and this draws many visitors to the island. There is something special about the mountains in Bali which is sometimes overlooked, the beaches are famous for their surf, fun and restaurants.'I was drawn to the mountains mainly to get away from it all. Map in hand (ha ha!) I set off to visit some friends high on Batukau, with limited Bahasa Indonesian and even less Balinese this was quite a feat. As we climbed the mountain on very demanding roads,dodging the cloves, dogs and motorbikes, we could open the windows and let in the cool air free of that haze, the road now turned into a track (sometimes wondering if we could proceed), the air still cooling and people now staring at us. We finally arrived at the Abode of Peace. (which is what Sarinbuana Eco-Lodge was aptly called at the time.) The view from here is stunning, across to Gunung Agung, all the way down to Uluwatu (on a clear day), and the peak of the mountain behind.
The studio in progress 2006/2007
'As a regular visitor to Bali over the years, a special relationship developed with the people of Sarinbuana. Being a musician I was drawn to the music culture so different from our own in Australia. This experience has developed into a love of the people and their music, so delicately woven into their Hindu way of life.
I found my musical boundries being stretched and broadened as I travelled around the island discovering all sorts of musical ensembles I never knew existed. From a background of classical violin and Rock, I then began studying the music in detail, their scales, tunings etc .
Musikaal Studio spawned from this musical appreciation starting with the local Angklung and the willingness of local musicians to have their music recorded and develop further the dynamic of crossculture musical experimentation. Having my own recording studio for many years,(PALUMA MUSIC STUDIO) in Australia, I felt the urge to archive the music in Bali as well as continue to experiment with the 'fusion' of the musical styles.'
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