Simona Castricum

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Simona Castricum
A black and white photo on the right side profile of the artist performing at a keyboard and surrounded by instruments. Smoke or fog is present across the floor and above.
Playing live, February 2015
Background information
Also known as
  • Fluorescent
  • Simona Kapitolina
Born1975
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
Genres
Occupation(s)
  • Musician
  • DJ
  • academic
  • broadcaster
Instrument(s)
  • Vocals
  • drums
  • keyboards
  • guitar
Years active1997–present
Labels
  • Refectory5
  • Girls Who Smoke Poke
  • Listen Records
  • Trans-Brunswick Express
Websitesimonacastricum.com

Simona Castricum (born 1975) is an Australian musician, DJ, broadcaster and architecture academic.

Early years[edit]

Simona Castricum was born in Dandenong and grew up in the Mornington Peninsula area to attend local primary and secondary schools.[1][2] She cited her first music role model as disco performer Sylvester.[3]

Architecture[edit]

Graduating from RMIT University with a Bachelor of Architecture (Hons) in 2001, Castricum has worked in exhibition design, architecture and graphic design, notably with the Jewish Museum of Australia,[4] for Melbourne design firms Tom Kovac[5] and ARM Architecture.[6] Castricum began her PhD candidature in architecture at the Melbourne School of Design, University of Melbourne. Her creative and intellectual research practise explores how gender nonconforming, transgender and queer experiences and identity exist in architectural space and professional design practises.[7] She has presented her work 'When Program is The Enemy of Function...' at the 13th International AHRA Conference 'Architecture & Feminisms' at the KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm, Sweden[8] and at 'Queering Architecture' for 2017's Melbourne Design Week at the National Gallery of Victoria International.[9] In 2019, Castricum was a festival ambassador for 2019 Melbourne Knowledge Week.[10]

Music[edit]

Castricum started her music career as a DJ in the late 1990s playing in queer clubs in Melbourne.[1][11] Castricum has cited artists, Depeche Mode,[12] New Order, My Bloody Valentine, Curve (band) and both Detroit techno and Belgian New Beat genres as influences.[13] She has stated her biographical song writing is influenced by articulating ideas about architecture and gender nonconformity, citing cinema soundtrack artists Vangelis and Wendy Carlos as influences[14] on her life and identity as a gender nonconforming transgender woman.

In 2002, under the name Fluorescent, Castricum began recording her debut album, Post Nuclear, which was released in 2005. In 2008, she released ‘Winter’, working with guest musicians including Melbourne DJ Viva L’amour on vocals. Fluorescent’s live line-up had several members over the years, with the band performing shows supporting Midnight Juggernauts, Cut Copy and Ladytron. In 2010, Castricum formed the band Ana Nicole with Melissa D’or, Masato Takasaka and Jacqui Moore.[15]

Their 2012 debut release ‘Twinkie’ is described by Chris Girdler of Beat Magazine as ‘doom-laden music… (luring) the listener into a cold, cruel world of cheating, scheming and excess”.[16] During this time, Castricum ran a club night, The Shock of the New at The Order of Melbourne, Gasometer and Liberty Social.[17]

In 2013, she began performing as a solo artist under her name Simona Castricum releasing her debut album ‘Exotic Ladies Of Birobidzhan’ on her own label Girls Who Smoke Poke[18] Her follow up ‘#triggerwarning40’ was released on Listen Records,[19] described by Rei Barker at the Interns as “pointedly different from previous efforts, stylistically diving deep into techno-pop with gorgeous, almost-disco synth lines and assertive, expertly-programmed drums”.[20]

Castricum’s third studio album 2020’s ‘Panic/Desire’ was released on her own label Trans-Brunswick Express.[21] The album was Castricum’s breakthrough release, debuting at number 1 on the AIR 100% Independent Albums Chart in June 2021,[22] with the album nominated for the 2020 Australian Music Prize longlist. ‘Panic/Desire’ was rated with 4 stars by themusic.com, described by reviewer Cyclone Wehner as “ultimately emotionally transportive…, inclusive art for now and the future”.[23]

Sara Savage of i-D has written Castricum presents "a kind of cathartic club music that's reflective of her live show—which often induces audiences into a pulsating dancefloor".[24]

Her live show at Golden Plains Festival in March 2020 was described by Karen Leng of Double J as, "a minimal set up of electronic drums and guitar... their big banging techno meets synth pop sound brought the crowd to its feet."[25]

In 2017, Castricum formed the duo SaD with collaborator Daphne Camf (of NO ZU, Rat Vs Possum and GAY). In 2018, they released their debut single ‘The Poets of Antiquity’, followed by ‘Don’t Go’ in 2019 and ‘Sign From Above' in 2020.[26]

In September that year, SaD released their debut album ‘Saturn Rules the Material World’. “a considered and layered work that showcases the width and breadth of the darkwave electro genre, a masterclass in thought and execution”.[27] It would be SaD’s only full length album, with Daphne Camf’s death in April 2021.[28]

Castricum is also a part-time radio broadcaster and DJ on Melbourne community radio station 3RRR FM.[29]

Writing and advocacy[edit]

Simona Castricum, has contributed articles to publications Vice Magazine, i-D and Thump, writing on visibility and access for queer and transgender performers.[30][31][32] She had personal memoirs published in The Guardian,[33] The Huffington Post[34] and Archer Magazine.[35]

Her short non-fiction and critique writing on sexuality, gender and architecture have appeared in print in The Lifted Brow,[36] Mongrel Rapture: The Architecture of Ashton Raggatt McDougall[37] From the Heart: Women Of Letters[33] and Doing It: Women Tell the Truth About Great Sex.[38]

Simona is an advocate for safer spaces and inclusivity of queer and gender diverse artists. She has appeared at Australian music conferences BIGSOUND[39] and LISTEN[40] as a moderator and panellist advocating for greater representation and equity in music and performance for gender nonconforming artists.

Discography[edit]

Studio albums[edit]

Title Album details
Post Nuclear
(as Fluorescent)
  • Released: 26 October 2005 Refectory5
  • Format: CD, download
  • Label: Refectory5 (r5cd 002)
Winter
(as Fluorescent)
  • Released: 2008
  • Format: CD, download
  • Label: r Records (r004)
Twinkie
(as Ana Nicole)
  • Released: 2012
  • Format: CD, download
  • Label: Girls Who Smoke Poke (GWSP-1209-003)
Trouble in Utopia
  • Released: 13 September 2013
  • Format: CD, download, streaming
  • Label: Girls Who Smoke Poke (GWSP-130914)
Exotic Ladies of Birobidzhan
  • Released: 15 July 2014
  • Format: CD, download, streaming
  • Label: Girls Who Smoke Poke (GWSP-140701)
#TriggerWarning40
  • Released: July 2016
  • Format: Limited to 250 LP, CD, download, streaming
  • Label: LISTEN Records (LR0005)
Panic/Desire
  • Released: June 2020
  • Format: Limited to 300 LP, CD, download, streaming
  • Label: T-BE (T-BE 200601)

Awards and nominations[edit]

Music Victoria Awards[edit]

The Music Victoria Awards, are an annual awards night celebrating Victorian music. They commenced in 2005.[41][42]

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2020[43][44] herself Best Solo Act Nominated
herself Best Electronic Act Nominated
2021[45] SaD Best Electronic Act Nominated

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b Smith, Amanda; Crawford, Matthew (28 June 2017). "'Homotopia' Audio Extra: Simona Castricum". Life Matters. Radio National (Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC)). Retrieved 26 April 2018. Note: user may have to download audio to access further information.
  2. ^ Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Radio National (28 June 2017). "'Homotopia' Audio Extra: Simona Castricum". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  3. ^ Amanda Smith (presenter), Simona Castricum (interviewee) (28 June 2017). 'Homotopia' Audio Extra: Simona Castricum (audio). Radio National (ABC). Event occurs at 1:04–1:43. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  4. ^ "Mameloshn – How Yiddish Made a Home in Melbourne" (PDF). Jewish Museum of Australia. 10 July 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 February 2016. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  5. ^ Kovac, Tom (2014). "The State of the Art of Practice in Tom Kovac's Architecture of the Real and Virtual" (PDF). RMIT. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  6. ^ Critchley, Cheryl (17 May 2013). "Stopping all design stations". The Weekly Review. Archived from the original on 10 December 2015. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  7. ^ "Marion's list". Parlour. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  8. ^ 13th Architectural Humanities Research Association International Conference (17 November 2016). "Architecture & Feminisms – Ecologies, Economies, Technologies. Book of Abstracts" (PDF). architecturefeminisms.org/abstracts/. Retrieved 24 June 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  9. ^ "Program is the enemy of function | NGV". www.ngv.vic.gov.au. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  10. ^ "What if safety is available to everyone? - Melbourne Knowledge Week". What if safety is available to everyone? - Melbourne Knowledge Week. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  11. ^ "Simona Castricum – 'Triumph'". AirIt. Australian Music Radio Airplay Project (AMRAP). 4 July 2017. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  12. ^ Hughes, Harry (1 August 2014). "Donny Benet, Electric Sea Spider, Simon TK, Simona Kapitolina – Ferdydurke". The Music. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
  13. ^ "Technophilia – Simona Kapitolina". Poncho. 16 February 2015. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
  14. ^ "Sinking In: Queering Spaces | Assemble Papers". assemblepapers.com.au. 27 August 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  15. ^ Ana Nicole – Twinkie (2012, CDr), retrieved 11 October 2021
  16. ^ "Ana Nicole : Twinkie". Beat Magazine. 18 December 2012. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  17. ^ "Technophilia - Simona Kapitolina | Poncho". 4 March 2016. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  18. ^ Simona Castricum – Exotic Ladies Of Birobidzhan (2014, CD), retrieved 11 October 2021
  19. ^ Simona Castricum – #TriggerWarning40 (2016, Vinyl), retrieved 11 October 2021
  20. ^ "Album Review: Simona Castricum - #Triggerwarning40". The Interns. 25 February 2016. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  21. ^ Simona Castricum – Panic/Desire (2020, Vinyl), 19 June 2020, retrieved 11 October 2021
  22. ^ "Charts - Australian Independent Record Labels Association". Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  23. ^ Wehner, Cyclone (18 June 2020). "Simona Castricum / Panic/Desire". the music. Retrieved 30 October 2022.
  24. ^ "meet simona castricum: finding yourself in music and transitioning | read | i-D". i-D. Archived from the original on 31 March 2016. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  25. ^ Leng, Karen (11 March 2020). "Indie legends and fresh faces make Golden Plains 2020 another weekend to remember". Double J. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  26. ^ "SaD (28)". Discogs. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  27. ^ Weirdowasteland (25 September 2020). "TRACK BY TRACK: SaD – SATURN RULES THE MATERIAL WORLD (TRANS-BRUNSWICK EXPRESS, 2020)". Weirdo Wasteland. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  28. ^ "Melbourne musician Daphne Camf has died". Double J. 6 April 2021. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  29. ^ "Presenters: Simona Castricum — Triple R 102.7FM, Melbourne Independent Radio". www.rrr.org.au. Retrieved 11 October 2021.
  30. ^ Kapitolina, Simona (3 February 2015). "Pride Is The Next Stage: Midsumma Represent". Thump. Vice. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
  31. ^ Kapitolina, Simona (15 June 2015). "I'm Proud of Being Trans, and I Don't Care About Passing". Vice. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
  32. ^ Mendelson, Winter. "Interview with Girls Who Smoke Poke, Melbourne-based Record Label that supports LGBTQI musicians". Posture. Archived from the original on 1 September 2015. Retrieved 6 August 2015.
  33. ^ a b Castricum, Simona (19 November 2015). "A letter to everything I've lost and found". The Guardian. Retrieved 10 December 2015.
  34. ^ "I'm Proud of Being Trans, And I Don't Care About Passing". HuffPost. 16 June 2015. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  35. ^ Castrium, Simona (3 December 2015). "Trans Diserability". Archer Magazine. No. 5. Archived from the original on 14 November 2015. Retrieved 26 April 2018.
  36. ^ "Revealed: TLB34 Cover and Contents! | The Lifted Brow". theliftedbrow.com. Archived from the original on 23 May 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  37. ^ "Mongrel Rapture: The Architecture of Ashton Raggatt McDougall | AGDA Awards". awards2015.agda.com.au. Archived from the original on 30 August 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  38. ^ "Doing It: Women Tell the Truth about Great Sex | Penguin Books Australia". penguin.com.au. Archived from the original on 30 August 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  39. ^ "BIGSOUND 2016 Speaker Focus: Simona Castricum". theMusic. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  40. ^ "Feminist Futures, Perceptions and Realities: LISTEN 2016 – Heaps Gay". Heaps Gay. 19 October 2016. Archived from the original on 7 April 2017. Retrieved 24 June 2017.
  41. ^ "Previous Nominess". Music Victoria. Archived from the original on 19 September 2020. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  42. ^ "Previous Winners". Music Victoria. Archived from the original on 31 July 2019. Retrieved 13 August 2020.
  43. ^ "Industry Awards Winners And Hall Of Fame Inductees Revealed + 2020 Music Victoria Awards Nominees Announced With Public Voting Now Open!". Music Victoria. 9 October 2020. Retrieved 9 October 2020.
  44. ^ "Sampa The Great Walks Off With a Stack of Music Victoria Awards". noise11. 10 December 2020. Retrieved 10 December 2020.
  45. ^ "Announcing Music Victoria Awards 2021 Shortlists". 13 September 2021.
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