Tim Shiel

Tim Shiel is a musician, producer and radio broadcaster based in Melbourne, Australia. His music, released formerly as Faux Pas and now under his birth name, combines experimental electronica, avant-garde pop and sample-based beats in a whirling mess of rhythm, harmony and detail. Tim is also the host of “Something More” on Double J radio, a weekly show focused on experimental pop music, future sounds and modern folk. Under the name Faux Pas, Tim released a series of EPs, albums and remixes that established him as one of the more idiosyncratic voices in Australian electronic music. He has been an active member of Melbourne’s independent music community for many years, as a broadcaster for one of the world’s most beloved public radio stations 3RRR FM. He has collaborated with Australian artists including Flight Facilities, Bertie Blackman, Luke Howard, Caitlin Park and Georgia Fields, is a former judge of the Australian Music Prize and has previously been longlisted for APRA’s Professional Development Award for songwriters. Tim spent most of 2011 and 2012 travelling the world as part of Gotye’s Making Mirrors world tour, working in collaboration with Gotye to develop and maintain his technology-intensive live show in addition to his onstage role as a multi-instrumentalist. The Making Mirrors tour included over 120 shows at iconic venues such as Radio City Music Hall, Coachella Festival, Letterman, SNL, the Hammersmith Apollo and the Sydney Opera House, as well as shows in far-flung locations such as Seoul, Delhi and Dubai. In 2013, Tim worked in collaboration with indie game studio Kumobius to compose music for their minimalist iOS game Duet, which went on to become both a critical success and a mobile gaming hit. Duet was later named as one of the games of the year by The New Yorker, Kotaku and on Apple’s own App Store, where Duet reached the top 10 charts in over 25 countries, including #1 in Australia and #2 in the US. The success of Duet has set the tone for a busy year for Tim in 2014 – a compilation of Duet remixes made by local Melbourne musicians (including Lower Spectrum and Friendships) came out at the beginning of the year, followed recently by the Time Shield EP, a collection of songs initially composed for an innovative interactive music app. Tim was also named as one of the six launch presenters for new digital radio station Double J, a new initiative launched by Australian youth radio network triple j – since starting his show in April, Tim’s guests have included Gilles Peterson, Tomas Barfod and Kishi Bashi.