For eight years, Christopher Coe and Carl Cox have developed Awesome Soundwave as a platform for artists who create and perform electronic music live. With the expansion of ASW Live, the label is returning to intimate venues and collaborative performances built around improvisation.
Photo credit: Christopher Coe – Official
Born in Melbourne and raised in Ireland, Christopher Coe has developed a career combining improvised techno, modular synthesis, and electronic experimentation. His performances have taken him to Awakenings, Kappa Futur, Glastonbury, and DC10 Ibiza, while his independent projects explore the relationship between music, technology, and place.
Founded in 2018, Awesome Soundwave has released more than 80 titles and supported artists working across different forms of live electronic performance. Its ASW Live series reflects that same philosophy, bringing live music into direct contact with audiences through collaborative performances and improvisation.
The approach was recently demonstrated at Akasha Ibiza, where Coe, Stimming, and Sebastian Mullaert performed together for more than four hours without a predetermined musical structure.
In this conversation, Coe discusses the evolution of Awesome Soundwave, the importance of intimate performance spaces, collaborative improvisation, the challenges facing live electronic artists, and the possibilities emerging through new creative technologies.
EG: Hi Christopher, welcome to EG. Awesome Soundwave has spent eight years championing artists who create and perform electronic music live, and you’re now taking that philosophy further with ASW Live. What made this the right moment to develop the label into a dedicated event series?
Christopher Coe: Thanks for the invite. Well, we have always done events throughout our history; in fact, we started just before the COVID era, and during the time of lockdowns we did 4 ASW Live streamed events featuring so many of our amazing family of artists from their studios at the time. Then, almost as soon as we came out of this period, we produced a live in-the-round club show with Carl and me playing b2b live along with Honeysmack, Jani Ho, Ehsan Gelsi and Monolith at a club in Melbourne. Straight after that, in 2022, we did an amazing season at DC10 Ibiza with Carl Cox and friends in the Terrace and ASW Live in the club room. Since then, we have created some huge shows at London’s Wembley Arena, Amsterdam’s Ziggo Dome with Awakenings, ASW Live stage takeover at Mysteryland, and so many other incredible events over the years.
What I felt we needed to do now was come back to the small, intimate venues where the audience can really be part of the event, and can get to see and hear it up close. And where the artists can really feel free to push the envelope further. We just did one at Akasha, Ibiza, recently, where I, Stimming, and Sebastian Mullaert played live together for over 4 hours, all improvised and nothing pre-planned. It was awesome!
EG: You’ve described a desire to return to smaller venues, where artists and audiences can connect more directly, and the music can be “wild and free.” What do you feel can happen in that setting that’s harder to achieve on a bigger stage?
Christopher Coe: Well, to elaborate on what I said above, I feel that the effect for both artist and audience is more visceral in a smaller club setting. People are right there; they can literally see and hear the effect when you turn a knob or hit a button. And the energy is also more tangible; a kind of trust and collaborative energy builds up between audience and artist because we are literally all in it together. It’s almost like we are literally making the music together; the immediate feedback from the crowd and the immediacy of the musical changes are tangible; this creates rising positive energy and mutual excitement! I remember one time performing b2b with Kink in the middle of the dance floor at Revolver in Melbourne, and the excitement and energy in that room is something I will never ever forget! We literally blew the air conditioning up!! It was crazy!
EG: The first ASW Live events took place in Dublin and Belfast, followed by an all-night live session at Akasha in Ibiza with Ethereal. How important is it for the series to adapt to each location rather than follow a fixed format?
Christopher Coe: It’s very important; we want to work where we can with local live artists also and, of course, we want to find and work with sympathetic venues and promoters. Starting in Dublin and Belfast was an easy choice because we worked with Phil Kieran on both shows, an Irish techno legend who hadn’t played live in over 10 years! Since he and I started discussing the idea, I really wanted to encourage him to create something unique for himself and for us, all being big fans for many years!
EG: The Akasha event brought you together with Stimming and Sebastian Mullaert for the first time in this particular live format, performing together throughout the night. How did this combination come about, and what interested you about discovering a shared musical language in real time?
Christopher Coe: Each time one jams with another artist, it brings so many new ideas, creative and technical. I learn so much each time I do this. The live show with Sebastian Mullaert and Stimming has happened now, and it was truly awe-inspiring for me; these two masters of the craft were so generous and welcoming and open to experimenting. We each have such different approaches, different musical styles, and different sounds that I was a bit nervous at first that things might not gel or that it might become some kind of noisy thing, but, as Stimming said, we each have a lot of experience as musicians and performers and know how to listen and communicate musically. The result was a 4 and a half hour journey into sound that was so compelling and complex, deep and musical, and still worked on the dancefloor. I think everyone who was there was happy. I know we were. And it was certainly an unusual event for the island too.
“I think it’s time for a new musical revolution, and it will probably come from the least expected place or milieu. Be ready because this is going to be huge!”
EG: Each of you approaches live electronic music differently, from Stimming’s detailed hardware work to Sebastian’s long-running exploration of improvisation and your own modular setup. When three artists with such distinct approaches share a performance, how do you balance individual identities with the need to listen and respond to one another?
Christopher Coe: Well, you said it really; by listening to what is going on, we responded quite well to each other. We also had a little signal for each other where we kind of took turns on featuring a musical phrase or a whole track arrangement. So, for example, when Sebastian had featured his sounds for 5 or so minutes, either I or Stimming would raise a finger to say “I’ve got an idea that can come out of this…” and we would carry on, so, it was kind of like a back-to-back type thing only more complex. But the main focus really was to listen, and there were times where I literally only added a clap or a single synth line, as that was what I felt was required. I think when one focuses on the actual music and the listening experience (as well as the dance floor), one can get out of one’s own way, and just do what works in that moment.
EG: Your own live sets often involve Eurorack modular systems and improvised techno. How much of your performance is built around a framework you prepare beforehand, and how much depends on what happens once you’re in the room?
Christopher Coe: Often I create a whole new patch on my modular rig that inspires new ideas and sounds, so that’s a start. I also use Ableton to play samples and tracks, etc., and often I add new bits into the live set, reorder the placement of clips, and just think about the kind of night that it is, what sort of crowd, etc. All of these things I work on beforehand. But I never really know what I am going to do until I am there and playing; the only thing I really decide on beforehand is how I am going to start. Will it be an ambient start, or will I be jumping straight in at 135bpm? Depends on the show, really.
EG: Awesome Soundwave was founded with Carl Cox to give live electronic artists a platform beyond the conventional DJ format. After more than 80 releases, what have you learned about the challenges these artists face in getting their work heard and their performances understood?
Christopher Coe: Since we started, there has been such an upsurge in interest in the live electronic artist and show experience. It’s so great to see this. And we don’t take any credit for this, but would like to think that we have contributed in a positive way to the movement. Artists like Speedy J, Surgeon, Octave One, and so many others have been carrying the torch for many years before we started this label. But when we first talked about this idea, Carl really did see that the interest was growing, and I think he was quite visionary in deciding to make this a label for live electronic artists mainly.
I think many of the challenges still remain; there is still a certain lack of support for the live electronic artist at clubs and events that are DJ-focused. Like there not being enough space or time to set up before the gig, or a lack of understanding that the live artist really is not actually DJing and is actually making most of this music up right there on the spot! Often when I tell people this, I see the light go on, and the delight in their eyes shines out. They are amazed, but also, something clicks; they get why the music was so exciting even though they didn’t know any of the “tracks”…
I think people do pick up on the energy that is put out from a live set; there is an element of danger and an edge to the sound that is inherent in a live set that just cannot be replicated in a DJ set. Not to say that one is better than the other; in the hands of an amazing DJ, a party can go stratospheric, and so can a live show! I just think there’s a different and perhaps more immediate or, shall we say, urgent effect when it’s a live improvised set.
EG: The label has supported a wide range of artists, from emerging names to established figures such as Marc Romboy and Octave One. What connects the artists you want to release, particularly when their sounds and backgrounds can be so different?
Christopher Coe: Simply that they are all accomplished live electronic artists, and they are passionate about this. Octave One see themselves as a band; they’ve never DJ’d, they have always played live. Marc Romboy has done and still does both, but his live shows are beautiful and so well presented. Then there are incredible lesser-known artists like Charlie Thorstenson, who just makes the most beautiful and compelling electronica with all live takes from his machines, combining the sounds in such evocative ways. Saytek, the consummate live jammer, focuses heavily on the dance floor and only records his tracks live, no edits and straight to stereo. An On Bast is an incredible musician and deep thinker with great technical skill and beautiful ideas. I am very proud to say that what connects all these artists is their commitment to live performance and the fact that they make really amazing music!
We chose not to stick to one genre from the outset, and since then we have released so many different styles of music from such a diverse range of people.
EG: You’ve played major festivals and venues, held a residency at DC-10, and developed projects such as Modular Lounge and Worlds End, with its live recordings from remote Irish islands. Does moving between club environments, experimental projects, and unusual locations change how you think about the relationship between music and place?
Christopher Coe: Yes. Simply yes. I think this is why I do it, to keep challenging myself and my idea of what it is. What is this thing? What am I doing here? And why?
With the Worlds End project, for example, my goal is to visit a different island off the west coast of Ireland and set up and improvise on location at the edge of a cliff and film it. The improvised music is recorded straight to stereo, and the film is then based on a 20-30 minute edit of the day’s recording. No added elements, just what was recorded there. For me, this is a really personal experience and one that I intend to continue with forever… (there are more Islands than I have years left!). This project is, for me, challenging and rewarding and is both an homage to this part of the world and an exploration to find meaningful music from this context.
“Human creativity will always be in the lead, even if we are not using our hands to directly manipulate the output”
EG: Looking ahead, you’ve said that despite everything you’ve explored through Awesome Soundwave, live electronic performance still feels as though it’s only beginning. What possibilities are you most excited to explore next, both through ASW Live and your own work?
Christopher Coe: I believe that we really are still just beginning here. I think, of course, with the rise of AI, that there will be a reaction and possibly more interest in the live side of performance and musical creation. I think also that AI will allow us to find new pathways to creativity that we can’t even imagine right now! Or should I say, new pathways FOR creativity.
And I’m not talking about the AI slop that the Suno’s of the world are spitting out. I think that we will be able to incorporate these technologies to allow us to improvise in ever more interesting ways. Just the other day, Stimming and I were messing around with vibe coding interesting plugins, things that we could never, ever do before now! People are using AI and hacking the operating system of the Octatrack, for example, to make it more user-friendly and a new kind of creative tool. People can literally beta test a new piece of hardware and test and improve its systems in literally moments, whereas in the past it took weeks of debugging and coding.
I think there will always be a hunger for the visceral experience of the live event where people dance, listen, and explore, and I think we will continue to grow this in amazing and unimaginable ways. Human creativity will always be in the lead, even if we are not using our hands to directly manipulate the output.
I think it’s time for a new musical revolution, and it will probably come from the least expected place or milieu. Be ready because this is going to be huge!
EG: Thank you so much for your time. We wish you all the best with everything ahead for Awesome Soundwave. Take care!
Christopher Coe: Thank you! Stay Awesome!
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