Matt Hsu's Obscure Orchestra
Welcome to the Obscure Orchestra, a curious world of intricately crafted experimental music, made with odd instruments and rethought everyday objects — the brainchild of nature-obsessed sound tinkerer Matt Hsu.
Matt is a 2020 Queensland Music Awards winning composer, multi-instrumentalist and anti-racism activist whose project 'Matt Hsu’s Obscure Orchestra' is the exhaust valve of his offbeat musical sensibilities, shaped by a childhood stint as a Buddhist monk, touring with Japanese loop ninja Kenta Hayashi, co-founding folk-punk band The Mouldy Lovers, immersion into street jazz in New Orleans, and love of cinematic scores.
Born in Australia to Taiwanese parents, Matt grew up immersed in Australia’s indie, punk and experimental music scenes, becoming one of the Australian music scene’s most respected experimental artists-activists. Drawing on his cross-cultural upbringing, he creates otherworldly music that celebrates difference and inclusivity. Matt leads his own 17-piece orchestra and has been hailed as Australia’s answer to Shugo Tokumaru.
He draws on his Taiwanese-Australian roots to create otherworldly compositions that celebrate difference, inclusivity and the fuzzy spaces in-between cultures. Enamoured with natural sounds, Matt blends world and orchestral instruments with field recordings and everyday objects used to produce unique sounds (such as bicycle spokes, saws and kitchen utensils). As an advocate for the fair treatment of marginalised peoples, he often uses music projects to underscore First Nations, gender diverse, refugee and immigrant issues through artistic collaborations.
