Ollie Olsen - History

History

Olsen began his forays into electronic music as a teenager in the mid-1970s, studying with Felix Werder. He has gone on to produce a large body of work, ranging from experimental work to film and television soundtracks, pop and dance music, installation projects and creating record labels.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s. He formed a series of punk and post punk bands, as leader and vocalist, as well as being a key figure in the Melbourne little band scene. His punk bands included The Reals and The Young Charlatans (with guitarist Rowland S. Howard). He formed a series of confrontational post-punk bands beginning with Whirlywirld, which also began a long period of collaboration with drummer John Murphy (from Whirlywirld through Hugo Klang, Orchestra Of Skin And Bone, NO and finally Max Q).

Olsen and Murphy lived in Europe and Britain between 1981 and 1983 and attempted, unsuccessfully, to get Hugo Klang off the ground. Olsen returned to Australia in 1983 and continued Hugo Klang for a short time with Alan Bamford, Tom Hoy and Laughton Ellery, before the band became officially defunct in 1983. John Murphy eventually returned to Australia and he and Ollie began the Orchestra of Skin and Bone with David and Marie Hoy, Dugald McKenzie and Peter Scully. Olsen and Marie Hoy would then go on to form NO with Michael Sheridan and Kevin McMahon.