Paul Hamon and The Core Magazine
Back in 1991, Paul Hamon was just another punter obsessed with Core Magazine. Every week, he and his mate Wayne Grivel would devour the publication cover to cover, then frantically send in submissions—Wayne’s drawings, Paul’s letters—desperately trying to become part of what Paul describes as “this cool new publication.”
For months they bombarded Core with material and postage, until finally working up the nerve to walk into the office. That’s where they met Stilgherrian and ACB, Core’s creators—one in media, the other a graphic artist. “Great guys,” Paul recalls, and he ended up spending heaps of time with them, soaking up everything about the music and the emerging Adelaide rave scene.
Being a bookkeeping student at university, Paul offered to do Core’s accounts for free. Not because he needed work, but just for the chance to hang around and learn. It was through Core that he met the people who’d shape his future—Daniel “MPK” Michael and Damian “Maestro D” Creaser among them.
When Core’s original owners eventually decided to shut it down, Paul stepped in with Tae Lee and Matt Pearce. “They handed it over to us, gifting us the legacy of Core,” he says. The trio took on the challenge of keeping it alive.
Matt became editor while Tae redesigned the magazine, moving beyond the original black-and-white format to something more polished. They expanded content, adding fashion and culture, desperately trying to make it profitable. “People loved Core and wanted it to continue, but financially, it was tough,” Paul admits.
For three years they battled to make it work—the same length the original owners had run it. “In the end, the only ones who really made money were the printers,” Paul laughs. But Core was more than a business venture; it was Paul’s entry point into Adelaide’s electronic music scene, connecting him with the people and ideas that would eventually birth Anthems and define his role in the city’s dance culture.