After his revered 1979 debut 50 Synthesizer Greats (reissued by Chapter in 2017), David swapped the solo home-recorded synths for something very different - infec- tious, percussive art-funk weirdness.
21 years old in 1980, studying at LaTrobe University in Melbourne, David gradually worked out how to use the 8-track recording studio at the university's music department. Working 'under the radar' at night and on weekends, Chesworth built Layer On Layer from the ground up, using non-instruments like telephone directories, books, cardboard boxes and metal car parts, as well as an Indondesian anklung, untuned acoustic guitar and autoharp.
With Layer On Layer he created a uniquely art-damaged sound world, driven by propulsive, irresistible rhythms but emphasizing chance, experimentation and playfulness. Lyrics and vocals (a first for Chesworth on this album) are used as an arch running commentary on the record-making task. Some songs employ random number games to build rhythmic patterns, and remnants pop up unexpectedly from the secondhand reels Chesworth was taping over.