Australian avant-garde cooperative Machine for Making Sense was founded in the late '80s to blend speech and improvisation and has since performed in Europe and North America, as well as Australia.

The group consists of hurdy-gurdy player and violinist Stevie Wishart, poets/vocalists Amanda Stewart and Chris Mann, Jim Denley on winds, and Rik Rue on samples and tape, all of whom are involved in a variety of other projects. They have been described as similar in spirit to AMM and Jon Rose and have recorded for O.O. Discs. ~ Joslyn Layne, Rovi