Culture Tunnels — 20 Years On
Twenty years after its first release, Culture Tunnels by Aron Ottignon’s group Aronas still sounds alive and forward-looking. A document of the last independent jazz wave before the MP3 era changed everything.
Twenty years ago the album Culture Tunnels was released. Pianist Aron Ottignon and his band Aronas recorded it with the drive of a live group exploring new rhythm. The record travelled through small labels in Australia, France, and the UK. Those companies have since vanished as the industry shifted from discs to data.
@aronottignon 20 years ago I released my debut album Culture Tunnels under the name Aronas. It's still on streaming but the project deserves a 2nd life. I'm planning a remaster, a vinyl release, and adding unreleased music from the original sessions. With your help of course. #music #culture #streaming #musicpiracy #vinyl @urban.trout
♬ Aronas - Aronas
The Sound of Aronas
At the time, reviewers found it hard to classify.
“Just when you thought there was nothing more you could do with just piano, bass and drums … Aronas have found new ways to reinvent acoustic music, adding extra percussion and effects … You have a very original group sound and feel.” — The Guardian
“They make big gestures, fat sounds and monster grooves, with a youthful energy that’s yoked to genuine musical ability.” — The Guardian
The group was Aron Ottignon on piano, David Symes on bass, Evan Mannell on drums, and Josh Green on percussion. Their approach joined jazz harmony with the physical pulse of dance and island rhythms. The album later received an ARIA nomination for Best Jazz Album (2005) and helped launch Ottignon’s international path.
A short life for many labels
Culture Tunnels first appeared through Strange Music / Vitamin Records (Australia), followed by licensed editions in France and the UK. Most of those independents could not survive the digital transition.
When MP3s and file-sharing arrived, CD sales collapsed. Distribution networks disappeared and margins vanished. Without major-label scale or capital, small imprints closed or were absorbed by others. What had been a patchwork of local scenes became a few global platforms controlled by algorithms.
Artists who wanted to keep releasing music learned to operate independently, creating their own studios, labels, and direct-to-listener systems. Ottignon’s later projects were born from that reality.
The digital afterlife
Two decades later the music still circulates. Physical copies have become collector items, yet the recordings remain easy to find online. The sound remains sharp, the energy intact.
Since Culture Tunnels, Ottignon has explored new forms through Aron & The Jeri Jeri Band, Aroma, and other collaborations. Each continues the same curiosity that drove the early sessions.
Unreleased recordings and the future
There are still unreleased songs from the original Australian sessions, along with later recordings made in London and Paris. They have never been heard publicly. I want to release them one day, but it is difficult when projects like this have such a small commercial value.
I am building my own label and profile with the long-term goal of bringing Culture Tunnels back to life — reuniting the original members and the newer musicians who have shared the journey since. The story is not finished; it is simply waiting for its next chapter.
Looking Back, Playing Forward
The twentieth anniversary is less about nostalgia than persistence. Culture Tunnels was always about motion—across borders, genres, and instruments. That movement still defines the work.
“They make big gestures, fat sounds and monster grooves.”
That sentence still fits.
Listen again
STREAM CULTURE TUNNELS
Released: 2005 Artist: Aronas / Aron Ottignon
Label: Strange Music / Vitamin Records (AUS) Later editions in France (Exclaim) and U)