Heaps Decent is an Australian organisation empowering young people through skills building, cultural access and creativity. 

Working with underrepresented and marginalised youth, our participatory program of music and visual media activities provides a pathway to discovery, personal growth and agency through self-expression. 
hey (at) heapsdecent.com
Guests

Famous faces who like Heaps Decent.

Guest Artists at workshops have included Diplo, A-Trak, Aloe Blacc, M.I.A, Maya Jupiter, AC Slater, Jesse Rose, Brodinski, Sinden, Yelle, Grand Marnier, Zombie Disco Squad, Aeroplane, Spank Rock, Amanda Blank, Devlin, Darko and more. We also commandeer Fuzzy artists to join us in facilitating workshops when they are in town for Fuzzy festivals and events.

DJ Gina Turner

The amazing DJ Gina Turner was a special guest at Juniperina in 2012!

Chairlift

Parklife favourites Chairlift made a very special appearance at our Juniperina workshops in 2012!

Jamie xx

Jamie xx met with Home Base participant Kobie Dee for a special workshop during The xx’s Australian tour in early 2018. This was a great opportunity for Kobie Dee to explore beatmaking, music production and get industry advice from the skilled producer!

12th Planet

The L.A based Dubstep DJ and producer came along to Juniperina Juvenile Justice Centre and worked on some beatmaking and songwriting skills with the girls in 2010 and then returned help out at our weekly drop in program Home Base at Redfern Community Centre in 2012. Starting off as a Drum and Bass producer round about 10 years back under the alias of Infiltrata, it was in 2006 that Infiltrata became 12th Planet and began producing Dubstep. 12th Planet works frequently Skrillex and Flinch.

AC Slater

We first met AC Slater as part of our Parklife 2010 workshops, where he teamed up with Jesse Rose and worked on a song for Stunna Set’s Rhimi at Gadigal Studios. Since then, this NY ultra nice guy has returned to work with the young guys at our weekly Home Base workshops. Raised on 90’s Hip-Hop and nourished by old school rave, AC Slater has quickly become one of the most sought after remixers and producers with no sign of slowing down!

Aeroplane

Italian-Belgian producer Vito De Luca A.K.A Aeroplane took time out after his new years day performance at Field Day 2011 to hang out with Heaps Decent at Juniperina Juvenile Justice Centre, making beats from scratch and getting the girls involved. Hailing from classically trained roots, Aeroplane is a one-man operation that is known for its party starting energy, cosmic disco remixes and piano sprinkled originals.

Aloe Blacc

L.A soul singer, rapper and producer Aloe Blacc joined us in February 2011, along with his drummer Te’Amir and treated the girls at Juniperina Juvenile Justice Centre to a brief lesson in Funk and Hip Hop music history and a workshop centred around drumbeats. Starting off as an MC back in the 90s, the worldly Aloe Blacc who cites influences from Thoreau to Oprah Winfrey is now signed to iconic Stones Throw Records and makes his rich brand of soul as a catalyst for positive social change.

Amanda Blank

Sassy US singer Amanda Blank came along with her partner in crime MC Spank Rock to impart her wealth of lyrical skill with the girls at Juniperina Juvenile Justice Centre back in 2009. She’s a busy girl working as part of the Spank Rock crew as well as a handful of other projects and has a successful solo career. She is known for her big personality, her way with words and has toured with the likes of Peaches, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and label mate Santigold.

A-Trak

A-Trak first joined Heaps Decent at a workshop in Wagga Wagga in 2009, where he produced the amazing “Anywhere But Here” with the boys and blew them away with an incredible scratch routine! He returned in 2011 to offer live performance advice to the boys at weekly Homebase workshop at Redfern Community Centre. He was the youngest person to win the DMC World DJ championship at the age of 15, was then scouted by Kanye West and became his tour DJ while forging his career with an impressive discography of electronic music production, including the heralded project with Armand Van Helden, ‘Duck Sauce’.

Boy 8 Bit

Boy 8 Bit teamed up with Diplo for a super recording workshop with the young people at Key College, A Youth Off the Streets initiative, off the back of their 2008 Parklife tour. The London based DJ/producer who grew up on heavy metal discovered Dance music after listen to Prodigy’s first album and hasn’t turned back since, producing killer remixes and tracks praised by DJ Touche and Fake Blood.

Brodinski

Charismatic French DJ/producer Brodinski joined us during his 2010 Parklife stint for a workshop at Juniperina Juvenile Justice Centre, where the girls were equally impressed with this accent as they were with his DJ-ing skills. Brodinski was blown away by the songwriting skills, flow and enthusiasm of the girls. The young DJ has been on the radar since 2007, being hailed by the likes of Soulwax, Busy P and Erol Alkan as one of the most exciting DJ/producers of recent years.

Busy P

We were stoked to have Electro veteran Busy P offering up his epic wealth of music industry knowledge to young artists at the immaculate Gadigal Studios in Sydney’s Redfern back in 2009. The French DJ/producer and owner of the famous Ed Banger Records label is known for his notable long-term associations with Daft Punk, Cassius, DJ Mehdi and Justice as well as his epic discography and killer live sets.

Codes

Joining DJ Craze at Home Base in May 2012, Brooklyn-based beat maker and house music aficionado Codes showed off his skills behind the turntable and helped produce some original tracks for the students that they could not wait to work with. Codes’ blend of house, funk and club music makes for the ultimate party soundtrack and his debut EP Codes House released late last year has been making waves across the internet ever since.

The Cool Kids

The Cool Kids imparted their views about the music industry to a keen audience of young artists at Gadgical Studios in Redfern along with Tiga and Busy P. The streetwise American Hip Hop duo met on Myspace and are serious about producing quality tracks, releasing mostly on independent labels including their own. Their retro-rap music has been featured in video games, commercials and TV shows and they have collaborated with The Bloody Beetroots, Travis Barker and Ludacris.

Darko

Darko, as part of the Spank Rock crew, made some solid tracks with the girls from Juniperina Juvenile Justice Centre. DJing for Dance-rapper Spank Rock, it didn’t take long for Ron Darko to build a reputation as one of the best DJ’s in the industry today. Since joining forces, the Spank Rock crew quickly set the blogs afire and have become known for putting on some of the raunchiest, booty-shaking live shows around.

Devlin

US hip hop producer Devlin, along with fellow band members MC Spank Rock, Darko and Amanda Blank worked with the girls from Juniperina Juvenile Justice Centre and produced a killer track, featuring a MC Spank Rock verse! Devlin is responsible for the wealth of beats behind the Spank Rock project.

Diplo

Holding a very special place in the heart of Heaps Decent, Diplo helped us kick off our first ever workshop back in 2007 at the remote community of Maningrida and the Riverina Juvinile Justice Centre in Wagga Wagga, NSW. The established Philadelphia based superstar DJ/producer and songwriter runs his own label Mad Decent, tours extensively, runs club and music collective Hollertronix and has a stash full of collaborations with Switch to Shakira under his belt.

DJ Craze

DJ Craze’s guest appearance with house producer Codes at the Home Base studios in May 2012 was an amazing learning opportunity for our students, as the five-time world champion DJ and producer imparted a wealth of knowledge and technical skill whilst wowing the room with a sample of his own material. Craze’s musical repertoire spans everywhere from Miami bass to hip hop to breaks and everywhere in between, landing him the title of tour DJ for such internationally acclaimed rappers as Kanye West and Yelawolf.

DJ Mehdi

Ed Banger Record’s super DJ/Producer Mehdi took the girls from Juniperina Juvenile Justice Centre on a crash course in DJ-ing and by the end of the workshop had the girls beat matching, looping and having a blast. The French Hip Hop and Electro extraordinaire has been kicking around the industry for over 20 years. He produces, creates killer remixes and has created soundtracks for both French and international films, as well as working with huge artists including Daft Punk, Chromeo and Cassius.

Ghostdad

Ghostdad is a video-collage artist, DJ and producer hailing out of the United States. He joined Heaps Decent at one of our weekly Homebase workshops at Redfern Community Centre in early 2012 as one half of the collaboration WIN WIN alongside Hip Hop producer Devlin. At the workshop Ghostdad took on the role of engineer in the studio and with some assistance from Devlin worked on a pretty wicked beat for one of the young workshop participants before watching him rap over one of their signature tracks.

Grand Marnier

French electro pop DJ/Producer Grand Marnier came along with singer and collaborator Yelle to do a kicking workshop with girls at Juniperina Juvenile Justice Centre back in 2008. Grand Marnier teamed up with Yelle after they met at a high school party about 10 years back. The pair started making tracks in Grand Marnier’s bedroom studio and after a little internet hype were signed to French imprint Source Etc. and taking stage at festivals all over the world.

His Majesty Andre

Italian Filter House DJ/producer His Majesty Andre came to work with us at Glebe Drop-In Centre for some song writing and beat making workshops while taking time out from his 2010 Parklife tour. Doted on by DJ’s such has Armand Van Helden, Mstrkrft and Annie Mac to name a few, His Majesty Andre creates his unique style by using samples and the exploration of other genres to create unexpected sounds within great sounding, fun tracks.

Jack Beats

Effervescent London duo Jack Beats helped Heaps Decent set 2012 with a bang as they joined us for our Home Base weekly workshop at Redfern Community Centre. The two piece made up of DJ Plus One and Ben Geffin were on fire making beats for a line-up of eager young workshop participants to rap over. Since teaming up in 2007 Jack Beats killer remixes have seen them gain much attention and acclaim from the likes of Annie Mac, Diplo and A-Trak. The boys are set for their debut album a little later in 2012!

Jesse Rose

UK House music heavy weight Jesse Rose joined us at the immaculate Gadigal Studios in Sydney to record a track and work on production with young local Hip Hop group Stunna Set. Jesse Rose has been making tracks since the age of 14. He produces, remixes and tours the world, all while running two highly successful record labels – Made to Play and Front Room.

Lady Sovereign

Hooking up with Heaps Decent in 2009 at Redfern Community Centre, Lady Sov imparted vital feedback on our young people’s tracks as well as indulging them with stories about her musical career, which she began around the same age as the young people she was talking to. The brazen UK rapper signed her first record deal at the age of 18. She holds the title of being the first ever non-American female to be signed to Jay-Z’s famed Def Jam Records.

Lykke Li

The worldly swedish songstress and her bandmate Zhala headed to Juniperina Juvenile Justice Centre with Heaps Decent for a songwriting workshop during Parklife 2011. Lykke Li and Zhala sang a beautiful hook for the track and by the end of the session had all the girls from the centre writing rhymes and singing backing vocals. Since being named as an artist to watch in 2007, Lykke Li has toured the world with her soulful, eclectic pop/indie/electro sound, collaborated with the likes of Kanye West and Röyksopp, and has been featured on the soundtracks of well-known films and TV shows.

Maelstrom

Hearing about Heaps Decent all the way over in France, French DJ/Producer Maelstrom got in touch with Heaps Decent and was super keen to help us out while on his recent Australian tour. Maelstrom hit up our weekly drop-in program Homebase at Redfern Community Centre. Using his launchpad and Ableton, Maelstrom was amazing in walking budding young rapper Fowl Murk through sequencing a nice 808 beat on which Fowl proceeded to lay down a huge couple of verses. With a long history of exceptional production, Maelstrom’s recent releases have been on labels Dirtybird and Boys Noize Records.

Maya Jupiter

Maya is a long time friend and supporter of Heaps Decent who we have been keen to work with for a long time. We finally got the chance when Maya joined forces with her husband Aloe Blacc and helped the girls at Juniperina Juvenile Justice Centre write some great lyrics over drum samples chosen by Aloe Blacc and his drummer Te’Amir. A perfect role model for the girls, the influential Australian singer has released records, produced and presented on triple j radio and TV, taught Hip Hop workshops and is currently in the US working on her solo career.

MC Spank Rock

The legendary MC Spank Rock took time out during the 2009 Parklife tour to share his skills with the girls from Juniperina Juvenile Justice Centre. Hailing from the Baltimore Bass Movement, MC Spank Rock is known for his hip-grinding, booty shaking, electro rap magic. Spank Rock has toured with everyone from Bjork to the Beastie Boys, has made records with Kylie Minogue and is one known as one of the most enigmatic and electrifying performers in music today.

M.I.A.

M.I.A joined us at Juniperina Juvenile Justice Centre during the 2008 Parklife tour and created a couple of killer track with the girls. The U.K singer-songwriter, rapper and producer has made a name for herself as a political activist, established visual artist and fashion designer as much as she has for being an inventive musician, combining styles like Hip Hop, Electronica, Dance, Alternative and World Music and her vibrant on stage antics.

Mumdance

Earlier this year UK producer and all-round nice guy Jack Adams A.K.A Mumdance helped us out at Home Base, our weekly studio session/workshop at Redfern Community Centre. He worked with two of the boys and put together a whole song within the two-hour session. Mumdance’s projects and sounds spread far and wide, working happily in both electronically produced and guitar-led scenes. His trademark riotous rhythms are pulled from everything from Grime to Caribbean calypso.

Nacho Pop

You may know him as a TV personality and hip hop choreographer for the first two seasons of So You Think You Can Dance, but Nacho Pop’s presence as a DJ and performer within the local hip hop dance community spans well over a decade. Now a household name in Australia’s entertainment industry, Nacho showed off his skills at Riverina in June 2012 for the one-year anniversary of Heaps Decent’s Wagga Wagga Satellite Sessions and proved to the students why he has become a legend in the industry.

Neoteric

Canadian house music taste-maker Neoteric hit up Lomandra and Miimali schools in the western suburbs of Sydney for some workshops with Heaps Decent in 2010. As the former A&R manager of Switch’s Dubsided label and an established DJ/Producer in his own right he continually has his finger on the pulse and his ear pricked for the best new talent in the dance music scene. Neoteric has recently collaborated on a record with a member of the Heaps Decent family, Wax Motif and the Crookers to make a worldwide club stormer called ‘Dr Gonzo’.

Radioclit

Eclectic British DJ/Production duo Radioclit did a one on one session at Heaps Decent’s Alexandria studio with a talented young girl form Sydney back in 2008. They produced a super high quality track together that certainly had the potential for international release. Radioclit call their style Ghettopop, a fusion of everything from Grime to African dance. The project was born out of a self-produced series of podcasts on the net and have since done projects all over the globe.

SINDEN

British house music extraordinaire Sinden has become a bit of a Heaps Decent regular, participating in two workshops to date. Parklife 2010 saw Sinden taking some time out to run an epic workshop with French DJ/Producer Brodinski at Juniperina Juvenile Justice Centre. Sinden is known for his bass heavy genre-blending DJ sets and in his down time has a much praised radio show on UK station Kiss FM, writes a column in UK’s DJ magazine and runs his very own label, Grizzly.

TEPR

French producer Tepr hung out with band mates Yelle and Grand Marnier to help Heaps Decent with a workshop at Juniperina Juvenile Justice Centre back in 2008. Tepr began rocking his keyboard and backing vocals with Yelle just before the release of their debut album in 2007 and has released three solo albums in his own right as well as a string of notable remixes including ‘À cause des garcons’ of Yelle fame.

TIGA

Quebecois DJ/Producer and remixer extraordinaire Tiga joined Busy P, The Cool Kids and Heaps Decent at Gadigal Studios in Sydney’s Redfern to share his music industry tips and tricks to a room full of willing young listeners during his Parklife tour 2009. Before producing music, Tiga promoted rave parties, helped create the well known after hours club SONA as well as opening his own record store and his own label. Tiga has even been ranked the best electro DJ worldwide by DJ ranking polls.

Yelle

French artist Yelle brought her delicious brand of spirited electro pop to Juniperina Juvenile Justice Centre in 2008 and coordinated an explosive workshop with her DJ’s Grand Marnier and Tepr and M.I.A. Yelle has been a performer all her life and since teaming up with GrandMarnier a few years back she has been making waves on dance floors and spreading the French language world over with her infectious lyrics and kooky onstage antics.

Zombie Disco Squad

This UK/Berlin based multi-talented production duo fusing combine house music with a touch of hip hop to get dancefloors moving. In 2010, they conducted a workshop at Juniperina Juvenile Justice Centre, helping us bring in the New Year after their stint at Field Day on New Year’s Day. At their project’s inception in 2006, they were London based, hosting club nights at some of the cities top dance music venues. Remixing kings, playing at top parties and festivals around the world and spreading their production love across imprints across Europe.

  • Contact
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  • Address: Level 3, 119 Bathurst Street, Sydney, 2000
  • PO Box: PO Box 213 Darlinghurst NSW 1300
  • Phone: 0437 978 813