Heaps Decent at Producers Conference Melbourne

Heaps Decent were lucky enough to have been invited to talk at the Producers Conference in Melbourne a couple of weeks back, about what we do and how we do it.

Machine Atlas

SHOPFRONT: AUDITION CALL: OPEN WORKSHOP

Workshops: Wagga Wagga

It was an early start on the Wednesday morning; arriving in Wagga Wagga by 9.30am to get the workshops at the Riverina Juvenile Justice Centre underway meant an early trip to the airport.

Stunna Set perform at Yabun on Survival Day

Stunna Set perform at Yabun on Survival Day, 26th of January 2011.

Stunna Set: Good Vibes Rising

Our friends Stunna Set won the chance to perform at Good Vibrations in Sydney over the weekend as part of the Good Vibes Rising competition.

Heaps Decent win Best Collective at SMAC Awards

Last Thursday night FBi Radio held their third annual SMAC Awards, an awards ceremony dedicated to awarding ‘the artists, musos, venues, promoters, creators and culture makers who keep Sydney’s creative heart beating’. Heaps Decent was among five other nominees in the ‘Best Collective’ category, and we are very happy to announce that we won!

Yabun

Presented by Koori Radio, Yabun returns tomorrow for another celebration of Aborginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures.

At the Drive In

At the end of July 2010, myself and Sarah Emery from Shopfront went to Broken Hill and Wilcannia for half a week to work on Shopfront’s At The Drive-In project. At The Drive-In was an inspired take on b-grade zombie theatre featuring young people from Western Sydney and Broken Hill, NSW. The project resulted in performances in outdoor settings in Sydney and Broken Hill and was a pretty great success.

Heaps Decent at Key College

Every Monday in 2010 Heaps Decent ran a music class for the students at Key College. Key College is an independent high school in Redfern funded by Youth Off The Streets. We’ve been been working with Key College since 2008 and every year we get to make a selection of great new tracks with some talented young people.

‘Central Kids’

“I made a video for the cute little song I made when I was in Wilcannia last year with Sarah from Shopfront. Working from Wilcannia Central School and Wings Drop In Centre, I helped about 10 kids aged 8 to 14 write their own verses and the chorus. All the video footage was recorded while we weren’t recording vocals! The beat is Teach Me How To Dougie by Cali Swag District.”

Zombie Disco Squad and Vito from Aeroplane help Heaps Decent celebrate the new year

Happy new year from Heaps Decent! We headed back to Juniperina Juvenile Justice Centre in the first week of 2011 with producers Zombie Disco Squad and Vito De Luca from Aeroplane.

Vito from Aeroplane joins Heaps Decent

Heaps Decent were joined by Vito De Luca from Belgium’s Aeroplane for a workshop at Juniperina Juvenile Justice Centre.

Zombie Disco Squad with Heaps Decent

UK house peoples ZOMBIE DISCO SQUAD joined Heaps Decent for a workshop at Juniperina Juvenile Justice Centre after Field Day. Thanks to Fuzzy for hooking it up!

Heaps Decent Nominated for SMAC Award

Heaps Decent has been nominated for an award for ‘best collective’ in FBi Radio’s SMAC Awards.

Return to Wagga Wagga

Adam Bozzetto and I went back to Wagga Wagga last week. It was my first time in Wagga since June and it was good to be reacquainted with my homies at Riverina Juvenile Justice Centre and Riverina Community College over 3 days of music workshops

EMILY COPELAND

Emily is a leading strategic creative brand builder and supporter of Australian music. She has been engaged as Head of Music for the ABC, Director of Audience Innovation and Music Partnerships at ARN, and also worked with AFTRS, TEDxSydney, Chugg Music, Foxtel, CMC Rocks QLD, FBi Radio and Sounds Australia. She founded strategic music partnerships agency Good Authority.

Tracks, remixes and video clips for our Detours and Destinations gang

Although we the Detours and Destinations project wrapped up a few months ago, we returned to Lomandra a few weeks ago – with gifts!

Adam and Key College’s Tom in the Studio

Last week, we took Key College’s Tom to Adam Bozzetto’s studio. With a penchant for Dubstep and Drum n’ Bass sounds, Tom and Adam spent some time walking through the studio set up and then started working on music ideas.

Klub Koori Xmas Hip Hop Jam

Koori Radio 93.7Fm, FBI Radio 94.5FM and Gadigal Music present the Klub Koori Xmas Hip Hop Jam at The Oxford Art Factory on Thursday December 16 from 8pm.

Our good friends at Shopfront are looking for young artists for ARTSLAB11

Our good friends at Shopfront are currently taking applications for their artist-in-residence program, ARTSLAB11.

Heaps Decent and Girlzone Program at Glebe Youth Centre

Back in early September, Heaps Decent spent a couple of Tuesdays at the Glebe Youth Centre as part of the Girlzone program.

12th Planet and Joyride Interview

From the luxurious locale of Joyride’s girlfriend’s car, we spoke to L.A.’s 12th Planet and Joyride from Spit Syndicate after they joined Heaps Decent for a workshop at Juniperina Juvenile Justice Centre.

AIME Strut the Streets

On the 3rd of December, the guys from Australian Indigenous Mentoring Experience are sending the message to Indigenous kids around the nation that there is no such thing as shame.

Jesse Rose and AC Slater recording at Gadigal studios

During the Parklife festivities Jesse Rose and AC Slater joined RJ from Stunna Set to put down some tracks at Gadigal studios in Redfern.

HEAPS DECENT’S ADAM BOZZETTO AND WAX MOTIF HEAD BACK TO WAGGA, OCTOBER 2010

It was time again for Danny aka Wax Motif and I to hit Wagga Wagga and the Riverina Juvenile Justice Centre. On the first trip out there with Danny, some awesome beats and raps were recorded so this time around we were there to finish them off.

Heaps Decent at Key College- September 2010

One of our most frequent workshops happens each Monday at Key College, Redfern. The young people involved continue to impress us! Each week we see more confidence grow and desire to make more music increase.

YOU PLUS ME EQUALS US: STORIES OF RECONCILIATION

The NSW Reconciliation Council is launching their publication this week. You Plus Me Equals Us comprises eleven stories of experiences and topics ranging from the Stolen Generation to contemporary art.

Heaps Decent Parklife Volunteers

A massive THANK YOU! goes out to all our volunteers for the Parklife tour!

Neoteric is Heaps Decent

Earlier in the year we took our Canadian friend DJ Neoteric to the Miimali Youth workshops at two high schools in West Sydney for a day of songwriting and recording.

BRODINSKI, SINDEN, DJ MEHDI, JESSE ROSE AND AC SLATER FOR HEAPS DECENT

Heaps Decent was a hub of energy last week with three amazing workshops over three days; Heaps Decent playing host to a spate of world class producers, in town for the Parklife tour.

DJ Mehdi with Heaps Decent

Day 2 of our Parklife workshops featured none other than DJ Mehdi, from Ed Banger in France. After a day and a half of songwriting and recording, Mehdi showed up this afternoon and ran a DJ workshop with the girls at Juniperina Juvenile Justice Centre.

Brodinski and Sinden with Heaps Decent

Earlier today Heaps Decent took super producers Sinden and Brodinski to a workshop at Juniperina, a Juvenile Justice Centre for young females. We spoke with them about the workshop in Charlie’s car on the way back to Sydney.

Try and spot Adam Bozzetto, our other workshop guest, driving the car behind us!

Heaps Decent and Fuzzy in Jetstar Magazine

Our super benefactor Fuzzy got a write up in Jetstar magazine and Fuzzy co-founder John Wall even gave Heaps Decent a little shout out!

Heaps Decent Spring Party!

Thanks for the Heaps Decent support on Friday night at the Heaps Decent Spring Party! It was a successful night down at Oxford Art Factory, a good time was had by all and funds were raised for furthering Heaps Decent projects.

Heaps Decent Spring Party Tonight

Tonight’s the night! The Heaps Decent Spring Party is upon us! Have you got your ticket yet?

Heaps Decent Pack

We have a bunch of MAD DECENT prize packs to give away tonight at the Heaps Decent Spring Party!

FREE DOWNLOAD: THE ASTON SHUFFLE’S REMIX OF ‘LATE NIGHT’

It’s day 2 of our remix a day frenzy! Yesterday we gave away the super funky Toni Toni Lee remix of ‘Miimali Gang Stars’. Today we’re gonna take the tempo up a bit….This is the remix that the lovely fellas The Aston Shuffle did of another Detours and Destinations track, ‘Late Night’, by the girls over at Miimali Aborginal Youth Services.

Insight Prize Pack

The guys at INSIGHT have donated this ace prize pack!

SPANK RECORDS PRIZE PACK

The crew at the universe’s favourite record store, SPANK RECORDS, have donated another fabulous prize pack for the Heaps Decent Spring Party raffle!

Something Else Pack

We’re super stoked to have been donated two prize packs for tonight’s raffle by SOMETHING ELSE to add to the already sensational list of raffle prizes!

OYSTER MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTION

Another day, another smashing raffle prize for the Heaps Decent Spring Party raffle!!! This time, it’s OYSTER MAG with a year’s subscription to their brilliant mag!

Pablo Calamari’s Remix of ‘We’re Going to Lomandra’

Pablo Calamari is our good friend. You might know him better as one half of the club duo Act Yo Age, or maybe by his old alias Elroy. The dude is a club veteran and he has brought all of his wisdom to his remix of The Lomandra Crew’s “We’re Going To Lomandra”. This percussion heavy, tropical BEAST is perfect for getting that crowd moving. Hopefully they’ll join in with the lyrics too (“Ay! Ay! What’s your name?”)!

Heap Decent in Brag Magazine

Check out Heaps Decent featured in this weeks issue of The Brag.

DOWNLOAD TONI TONI LEE’S REMIX OF MIIMALI GANG STARS

We’re going to put up a new remix today, tomorrow and Friday to get you PSYCHED UP for our party on Friday. Please spread the word because these new remixes are AWESOME!

‘Anywhere But Here’ Prod. by A-Trak

In September last year, A-Trak came to Australia with the Parklife tour. While he was here he joined Heaps Decent in Wagga Wagga, NSW where we took him to Riverina Juvenile Justice Centre for a day of music making with the young artists inside the centre.

Hau Latukefu

Hau is one of the pioneers of Australian hip hop. One half of the iconic rap group Koolism, he went on to have tremendous success as a solo artist as well as becoming the longest-serving host of Triple j’s Hip Hop show. Now working with emerging artists through his imprint of Sony Music, Forever Ever Records, Hau has remained a central part of Australia’s music scene for the best part of two decades.

AT THE DRIVE IN

A Shopfront Contemporary Arts and Performance project in partnership with diverse organsiations such as West Darling Arts (Broken Hill, NSW) and the Hazelhurst Gallery (Gymea, NSW) At The Drive In was an exciting interactive media installation, performance and touring festival culminating in performances at an abandoned Drive-in in Broken Hill.

DETOURS & DESTINATIONS

Detours & Destinations was a joint project between Heaps Decent, Shopfront: Contemporary Arts and Performance and the Department of Juvenile Justice with the Sydney Opera House. D&D was an integrated multi-media arts project framing the stories and experience of young people from Lomandra School in Campbelltown, Miimali Aboriginal Community Association in Blacktown and Fairfield Intensive English Centre.

MARTIN GREEN

Martin is a publisher, musician, songwriter and music producer. He is a director of the Imprint Foundation, which primarily focuses on equality and literacy. He is a member of the NEXUS/Philanthropy Australia’s New Generation of Giving steering committee program, a director of Australia’s leading poetry organisation Red Room Poetry, and of policy reform not-for-profit Unharm.