Machine Translations

Machine Translations
Machine Translations, with J. Walker at front left, performing at the Cockatoo Island festival, March 2005.
Background information
Birth name	Greg James Walker
Born	ca. 1967 Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Genres	Rock, pop, alternative rock
Occupation(s)	Singer-songwriter, musician, producer, engineer
Instruments	Guitar, piano, keyboards, vocals
Years active	1985–present
Labels	Way Over There, Shock, Spunk!
Associated acts	Moon, P. Harness, Thing of a Thousand Strings, Clare Bowditch & the Feeding Set
Website	machinetranslations.org

Machine Translations is the performing name of Greg James Walker (born ca. 1967, Canberra), an Australian singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist; who is also a producer as J Walker. Walker started out recording all instruments himself in a home studio and later branched out to include a band.

Machine Translations' songs vary between simple guitar melodies and complex works with unusual instruments—a spectrum from pop to art. Since 1997 Walker has released several albums. In 2001 he toured the United States supporting Dirty Three. As a composer Walker has been nominated at the APRA Music Awards of 2005 for Best Music for a Documentary for Girl in a Mirror: A Portrait of Carol Jerrems; in 2008 for Best Soundtrack Album for East of Everything; and in 2012 for Best Music for a Television Series or Serial and Best Television Theme for Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries.

Greg James Walker, who works as J Walker or Machine Translations, was raised in Canberra. His mother, Valda, is a classically trained vocalist. He has an older brother and sister, and together with his mother, they encouraged him to learn piano and guitar. He attended Narrabundah Secondary College, where he learned synthesiser, multi-track recording and musical composition. By 1985 Walker, on keyboards, was a member of local psychedelic band, Moon, with Paul Davies on bass guitar and lead vocals; Chris Freney on guitar; and Ralph Rehak on drums. Kathryn Whitfield of Pulse caught their performance in May 1986: "their lighting effects are reminiscent of the sixties oil lights with a kaleidoscope of coloured lights floating across the stage". In 2003 Walker recalled "[he] played in a succession of 'funny little Canberra bands'".

By July 1995 Walker was working in a home studio in his garden shed. Under the name Shed Method he issued a cassette album, Machine Translations, which included the track "Jezebel". Nick Enfield of The Canberra Times described the album as "an eclectic mix of his unique array of original sounds". Walker had been recording for over ten years making his own demos and producing other local artists. His lo-fi approach included using traditional instruments: drums, guitars and keyboards; together with less conventional ones: broken piano (its front removed and strings played directly), oud, and electric erhu. His influences were John Cale, Nico and Tom Waits while also "listening to a lot of belly-dancing music lately, as well as Chinese classical music, and Indian music". One of Walker's associates on the album was Kevin White.