That’s Grant Hunter’s crazed marsupial/bunny cover for Cyclic Defrost #23.

Inside you can find Grant’s favourite record sleeves and an in-depth interview with the Novocastrian – by Shaun Prescott, who also turns in a killer feature on another steel city institution: Castings. Also interviews with Mata & Must, Chihei Hatakeyama, Pimmon, Peaking Lights, Jon Hassell, Swoop Swoop, and Tim Exile, and Tim Koch selects. The Cyclic website, which also features hundreds of record reviews, is set for a major revamp any day too.

I interviewed Paul Gough for a piece about his music (Pimmon) and radio (ABC, FBI, etc) making – the Sydney Morning Herald’s Spectrum section ran a shorter version of the piece on June 13, but for some reason not online (download here). So writing it up for Cyclic gave me a chance work on it a bit more, use a few more of my sources, and run it online.

But think Perth and it’s the Meupe record label that comes to mind – they’ve released great records by Stina, Pimmon and Dave Miller among others. I interviewed Traianos Pakioufakis, the guy behind Meupe, when he guest designed the cover of Cyclic Defrost, in July, 2006 (read here).

Here’s a recent taster from the label. Wooshie – Both Sides from the Natural’s Is In It 7 inch single – Meupe described it as follows:

Debut release from the mysterious sound wizard Wooshie (aka Dylan Michel). An ethereal balance of light and darkness, subdued chaos and forlorn rhythm. Cosmic waves crashing against a dark southern shore, Middle-Eastern-Soviet contemplation followed by futuristic erhu bossanova. A truly beautiful 45 that seems to consider the nature of chance, duality and balance.

First thing I did on confirming my trip west side, was check what’s happening Meupe-wise in Perth. And they’ve got a night at Spectrum Project Space in Northbridge. If I can tear myself away from the talks and things.