Julian Hamilton Composer

Biography on projects like this — something we return to again and again, ever since we were kids making stop-motion movies with our GI Joe figures in the backyard!

Sydney-based Julian Hamilton studied piano from a young age and trained at the Sydney Conservatorium of Music where he met collaborator Kim Moyes. Together they performed in the instrumental band Prop, and in 2003 formed the duo The Presets.

In 2008, he won the coveted APRA Song of the Year award for Silverchair’s Straight Lines, which he co-wrote with Daniel Johns. Also that year, The Presets released the chart-topping album Apocalypso, selling over 250,000 copies in Australia and winning five ARIA awards, including Album of the Year. In 2010, Julian shared the APRA Songwriters of the Year award with Kim Moyes. The Presets won Best Live Act at the In The Mix Awards in 2012 and released their critically acclaimed third album Pacifica.

In 2013, The Presets collaborated with Chunky Move on Keep Everything, choreographed by Julian’s brother, Antony Hamilton. In 2014, The Presets toured nationally with the Australian Chamber Orchestra performing their collaboration Timeline. Julian and Antony continued their artistic relationship and created Ruth – a commission for Campbelltown Arts Centre in 2015.

Hamilton has collaborated as a songwriter, composer, producer and featured artist with musicians including Silverchair, The Sleepy Jackson, Dillon Francis, Cut Copy, Kris Menace, Gin Wigmore, Daniel Johns, Bertie Blackman, Adrian Lux, Flight Facilities, KLP and Flume.

Note

When Forever & Ever was originally created in 2018, I was thrilled that Antony asked me to collaborate on the music. I always enjoy working with my brother. We have a unique and often strange, shared creative universe that we can dive into when working together

Composing these longer form works is a refreshing change from the pop music world I normally inhabit. Instead of trying to say everything in the space of a three-minute radio song, I am instead able to explore just how much emotion and meaning I can convey by saying very little at all. Beats can build up over a very long period. Synths can subtly shift and morph almost imperceptibly. Antony encourages me in this process, often coming back with a suggestion to ‘do less… less parts… make it more repetitive and less complex!’ I am more than happy to oblige.

It’s a thrill to see this work take to the stage once again as part of Ascent.