Nicholas Vines’ compositional approach is firmly rooted in the technical resources of the Western classical canon, from plainsong and sixteenth-century counterpoint to recent advances in instrumental technique and electroacoustic technology. At the same time, every opportunity is taken to embrace sounds and ideas from popular, experimental, Australian and non-Western traditions. This combination of rigour and pluralism – stemming from the composer's own heritage, his wide-ranging interests and the communities in which he lives and works – gives rise to music both vectored and kaleidoscopic. Nostalgia, sentimentality and farce are often the result of this friction.

   At their best, Nicholas Vines’ compositions evoke a sense of naïve idealism at loggerheads – for better or worse – with the world. Often the music loses itself in simple physicality or elaborate fantasy, blithely avoiding bleak realities. Sometimes, however, it can’t escape, leading to stretches of self-denial, self-mockery, decay and decadence. This on occasion can make the listening experience uncomfortable, even frustrating. Nevertheless, it is hoped these intellectual and psychological challenges make the music's visceral and moral impact all the more powerful.

from A Mega Masquerade

                                                         

from Mingling Sunburst Minds      

                                                                  

from Three Scenes from Suburbia

                                                                          

from sync_for_me (1)

                                                         

from Rustling The Deities        

                                                                  

from The Mysterious Demise Of One Brody-Marie                                                          

from Torrid Nature Scene

                                                         

from A Bhandari Pilgrimage     

                                                                  

from Firestick

from Loose, Wet, Perforated

                                                         

from The Law Of The Tongue        

                                                                  

from The Butcher of Brisbane