It has been 40 years since Pseudo Echo released the classic Australian pop hit, resident earworm, and global smash Funky Town.
The band is still going strong.
Taking their name from a synthesiser manual, Pseudo Echo started in 1982 as electro pioneers in Australia, introducing audiences to a new sound in the era of pub rock.
The Australian new wave band is celebrating the milestone with the Love an Adventure 2025 National Tour.
It will make its way to The Baso in Canberra on 15 March, with tickets available at pseudoecho.net.
The platinum-selling Love an Adventure record, which is the band’s biggest album to date, was a hit all over the world when it was first released.
The original record company bio for the release of Love an Adventure said: “Dynamic, bright, talented, commercial, fun and committed are words that are often bandied around. But used in reference to Pseudo Echo, they all strike the right note.”
Four decades on, those words still resonate as the adventure continues …
How does it feel to celebrate 40 years since Love an Adventure was released and what do you remember about writing and recording the album?
It’s kind of surreal to think it’s been that long (40 years) … one day I was forming a band, the next, 40 years have passed, and I look back at my life’s achievements! It was an amazing time making that album (LAA), we used a different studio to the Autumnal Park album (released in 1984), a different producer and a fairly different approach too.
There was a new member (James Leigh) on keyboards, and a new songwriting combo too. We pretty much recorded and reproduced the demos before going into the studio, and in contrast to the first album, most of the parts (keys, bass synth, drums etc.) were programmed and then laid down onto tape.
The live stuff was guitar, brass, strings and obviously all the vocals.
We also used a different recording console for this album, the state-of-the-art SSL (solid state logic) which was being used by the likes of Trevor Horn (an English record producer and musician) who we idolised, and it had a lot more tracks (up to 72 when coupling the machines) which we definitely took full advantage of.
How does it feel that the album, band, and of course the song Funky Town are as popular as ever?
It’s something I’m unbelievably proud of! So much serendipity, especially with the later inclusion of the Funky Town single. We feel like our audience has an equally deep connection with that album, so it’s wonderful to be celebrating it together with our fans.
What can audiences coming to your Canberra show expect to see?
Audiences will be treated to a celebration. They will see my new band – I’ve added a few extra members, including two females – and experience songs from that album that have been rarely performed since the 1980s … that, and a whole bunch of other exciting stuff.
What do you think about the electro music of Australia now and the future of where it’s heading?
From what I’ve heard I really like it, I hear lots of influence from the 1980s electronic scene and some really nice cutting-edge production.
What does the future for Brian Canham, as well as Pseudo Echo, look like?
I’d like to explore that (new) type of production on our new material, similar to what I have done with the first two “machine” remixes (for Listening and Love an Adventure), retaining a healthy dose of synthesisers with beefy drums and guitars, akin to the energy of our live shows.
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