Heart Beats at Home

Slice

Sebastien “Slice” Fava-Verde is an original raver at heart; back in the day you could find him dancing on top of speaker stacks with a whistle in his mouth. A walkman saw him through most of his younger years and it all started with a primitive Goa Trance / Gabba tape in 1996. At college in Reading (UK) he found his feet in the local free party scene (Junktion 10, Ooops, Lost The Plot) where he was spoon-fed Acid Techno by the likes of Dave The Drummer and Chris Liberator.

In 2003 Slice moved to Sydney, met partner-in-crime Micapam and fell in love with Reggae/Dancehall; together they founded online music magazine Inna Riddim and have been a driving force in the local scene since. Inna Riddim is also a record label and sound system bringing the ruckus from Brighton to Bondi. They love music that pushes boundaries across the full spectrum of bass music: techno, 2step, house & funky, garage, reggae, dancehall, underground hiphop, dubstep, jungle, drum n' bass, grime, soul, funk, jazz and whatever else they're feeling so long as it's got bass, soul and grit.

Having developed a passion for wordplay and narrative as a journalist, Slice turned his hand to MCing, which led him to join live Drum & Bass band Kobra Kai in 2005. Together they’ve released several LPs, EPs, singles, toured Australia and played the festival circuit. Over the years Slice has collaborated with a variety of other producers, recording and performing vocals for Pablo Calamari, The Potbelleez and Mailer Daemon. Having dabbled in production for close to 10 years, it’s now a focus – releasing under his pseudonym Slice and his other alias After Dark.

As for the band Kobra Kai, they are Sydney’s live drum n bass, hip hop and dubstep pioneers. Since being heralded Triple J’s state by state Unearthed winners in 2007, Kobra Kai have continued to lead the future of live dance music in Australia. They have filled dance floors for The Big Day Out, Futuremusic, Space Ibiza, Stereosonic, Creamfields, Peats Ridge Festival, and have shared the stage with Roni Size & Dynamite MC, Killa Kella, DJ Marky & Stamina, Concord Dawn, The Upbeats, High Contrast, Andy C, and Skrillex. Their second LP Insession is out now through Foreign Dub.

I’ve known Sebastien from meeting him at many of parties way back in the day. Through mutual friends, interest and associations we’ve kept in touch and have wanted to do a shoot together for some time. So it was great to finally get together to catch up and take his photo. His records were stored in the UK where he grew up and it was only recently that they were shipped to Australia to be reunited with his collection. His vinyl choice is a pop classic, which to him reflected nicely as it reminded him of a period in his younger days living in New York when this was released in the late 80s. Who's Bad?!

Location: Artist's Studio

Fenella Kernebone

Fenella is a television and radio presenter and producer, MC, interviewer and writer. Working within the walls of the ABC network, she has previously hosted shows like Art Nation and Sunday Arts in addition to presenting The Movie Show on SBS TV. She recently hosted Radio with Pictures as part of this years Graphic Festival at The Sydney Opera House which featured presentations by actor, Claudia Karvan and musician, Don Walker (Cold Chisel) among many other acts to share the stage. With her passion for the arts and journalism she currently hosts a show called By Design on Radio National. But despite all those credentials, its her love of Electronica, experimental, ambient, instrumental/post rock, minimal techno, freaky folk music, house, beats, oddball hip-hop, dub and dubstep that has kept her at her post at Triple J radio producing and hosting The Sound Lab, a show she has been presenting for 10 years. Playing music from artists like Boards of Canada, Aphex Twin & Autechre, Kraftwerk, Brian Eno, Bjork, Laurie Anderson, Monolake, Sigur Ros, Four Tet, Animal Collective, Battles and Burial, she continues to keep her finger on the pulse for underground music every Sunday night on the national radio airwaves.

It was quite the privilege to get this opportunity to do a shoot inside the radio station, especially for her final show of the year and at one of Australia’s more recognisable stations that supports homegrown and global forward thinking talent. And what a fitting way to round up this years work with her vinyl choice being of the first artist I photographed this year on this project, Sofie Loizou.

Location: Triple J Radio

Ostinato

Combining elements of Hip Hop, Jazz and Electronica, Ostinato's raw, psychedelic; lo-fi beats have steadily gained him attention both here and overseas, culminating in live performances alongside LA/Brainfeeder artists Ras G, Mono/Poly, Teebs and Tokimonsta. He also played at Braindance 2013 as part of the stellar line up consisting of acts like Daisuke Tanabe, mfp, Lorna Clarkson, Monk Fly, Westernsynthetics and many more. 

The producer’s fascination with beats began while living in Seattle WA in the Mid 90s, where his firsthand exposure to independent locally produced underground Hip Hop and Techno opened his eyes to the possibilities of both electronic and sampled based music. As such, it’s this time he spent in the US that he's drawn on to choose is favourite vinyl.

Location: Artist Studio

Andrew Levins

Is a prominent Australian club DJ, radio host, music event promoter, restauranter and club owner. From his humble beginnings of putting on house parties with best mate Spruce Lee, he continued to deliver his passion for music to a wider audience on air at FBi Radio and the club scene with fellow journeymen Toni Toni Lee, Moriarty and Jimmy Sing as Ro Sham Bo. Playing Baltimore Club, Baile Funk, Crunk and other exciting new genres from around the world in Australian clubs in 2005, he has since sought out new and fantastic global sounds to work into his sets. Levins also made a name for himself DJing for live acts Muscles, Catcall and America’s Yo! Majesty plus sharing the stage with artists like Diplo, A-Trak, Girl Talk, The Gza, Spank Rock, Buraka Som Sistema, The Gossip, Ratatat and hundreds more.

Alongside DJ friends Diplo and Nina Las Vegas, in 2007 Levins founded Heaps Decent, Australian sister label to Diplo’s Mad Decent label. Heaps Decent is an Australian based dynamic arts organisation working with young people and emerging artists from marginalised and disadvantaged communities, providing a means by which they can tell their story in their own way. Heaps Decent supports change, positive futures and the development of high quality Australian music with a unique identity. At these Heaps Decent workshops, Levins has worked closely with Diplo, M.I.A., Spank Rock, Sinden, Radioclit and more. As such, the Sydney Morning Herald named Andrew as one of “Sydney’s 100 most influential people” in 2009.

Through his connections in the club circuit, in 2010 he became involved with Goodgod Small Club, a club that has gained some recognisable cult status by putting on some of the best party’s and ground breaking club nights in town with nights put on by the likes of Future Classic, Numbers and the first ever Boiler Room down under (just to name a few) with the bigger events being held in the back room which is known as the Danceteria. The Danceteria has also gone on to hold epic nights at The Sydney Opera House as part of the Vivid festival.

With the club split in two sections, Andrew took on the role as the head chef of The Dip at the front half of Goodgod Small Club, creating a special menu of delectable hot-dogs to dine to then later spinning some tunes in the front DJ booth for the smaller front bar, as he plays his weekly rap party on a Thursday night. Levins also puts on a hip hop party called Halfway Crooks once a month at Phoenix Bar on Oxford St with DJs Franco and Elston.

As a busy man on the decks, in the club and in the kitchen, in 2012 he was listed as one of Timeout magazines 30 under 30 and also saw the release of his first cookbook Diner. Even with all this happening around him, he’s still not one to take himself too seriously… evidently shown with his favourite vinyl choice!

Location: Goodgod Small Club

Lorna Clarkson

Lorna Clarkson is a DJ, music journalist, music consultant and radio host. With many years of experience and her deep understanding in the underground music scene in Sydney and overseas, she is one of the influential figures in the music industry from her beginnings managing Reachin’ Records in the mid-90s, to hosting a 2002 DMA (Dance Music Awards) Nominated show called Top Shelf on 2SER. It was also around this time that she worked on SBS’s Alchemy TV show as a researcher then an associate producer. From then she was poached from 2SER to launch a program at FBI radio during its infancy. She continued with FBI for 7 years, hosting Monday Sunset on Monday evenings (where she has recently made a guest appearance with current host Simon Caldwell to celebrate the stations 10 year anniversary) and then Under the Influence on Thursday nights. 2004 saw her selected to take part in the RBMA (Red Bull Music Academy) in Rome, an invite only global event taking participants, both emerging and established, of all genres from around the world that share a similar philosophy in cutting edge music. Continuing with the RBMA camp, in 2007 she played at the highly reputable Sonar festival as part of the RBMA lounge and has since continued to be a New South Wales music rep (or “Ms X” as they like to call it) for the Australian RBMA team.

With all these strong ties she has developed over the years for forward thinking music, in 2006 Lorna, together with Tony Nwachukwu (RBMA Allumni) and Mark Pritchard (Warp Records), created CDR Australia, a platform to support and develop upcoming music artists. Over the years this event has seen luminary guests like Mala, Peanut Butter Wolf, Kode 9, Martyn, Gaslamp Killer and Theo Parrish join Lorna on the interview couch to discuss their process, experiences and ideas in music in front of a live audience.

Her passion and taste in music keeps her relevant and sought after in the DJ circuit as well as on radio. After leaving FBI in 2010 Lorna has brought this passion, together with her journalism roots, back on air to 2ser with programmer Katrina Lui to host a weekly show called Down Low Disco, further exploring cutting edge electronic dance music both locally and worldwide. With the shows selection in music coupled with her soft spoken and deft journalism style, 2SER Radio awarded the show “Best Music Show 2012” further acclaiming their status in the field and also awarding them a nice little trophy to put into the cabinet.

Her favourite vinyl choice is from the label Underground Resistance, which is from the Detroit acid house and techno movement and also the brainchild of legendary DJ Jeff Mills and ‘Mad’ Mike Banks. This EP by DJ Rolando though has been hailed as the labels most commercially successful release. For Lorna it’s a piece of music she values highly enough that she has a specially sealed copy she treasures at home and this copy that she plays out and which I had the privilege to take her photo with.

Location: 2ser Radio

Koolade

Originally from Croydon (UK), a place nowadays known as the home of dubstep, Adrian Isaac as he’s commonly known, has now settled on the brighter shores of Coogee for sandy steps (sandy steps err get it. Yes ok lame, but I had to!). Quite the dab hand in music, he used to play as a drummer and bass guitarist in a band back in the UK. Now down under, he’s transferred those skills into electronic music, working on his production skills and making tracks with a Sydney based vocalist Zaniah Carigiet who is from Bristol in the UK and they are working on a project which has been 2 years in the making. He’s been a DJ for nearly 20 years and since moving to Sydney he’s held down a residency on the High Flyers/Funkdafied boat parties on Sydney Harbour and also has been regularly hosting the New Forms radio show originally on the now defunct Bondi FM but now on Bondi Beach Radio with JNR and Klevakuts. It’s here where he has had guests like Loefah (or Pete as likes to call him as they’re mates from back in the day), Breach, Ty, Fat Freddy’s Drop, Greg Wilson, Andy C, London Elektricity and UK soul legend Omar. He will also be part of the "BONDI BEACH RADIO presents…BASS" at a new club on William Street this Saturday night. The event will be streamed live online through the Bondi Beach Radio website playing Bass heavy music, Hip Hop beats, UK garage, UK House, Techno, Dubstep, Footwork, Jungle and Drum & Bass. Since being in Sydney he’s also supported Benji B at his special side show gig at Tone along with another underground maestro Mark Pritchard for Niche productions and also Norman Jay for Funkdafied at Souled out Sundays. With Kool Ade’s diverse music styles and cheeky grin, he’s sure to entertain the crowd whether it be on a boat, club or radio!

During the shoot he was still in two (or three) minds as to which one to choose for the vinyl headshot, tossing between a legendary early 90s debut hip hop album or a seminal late 90s classic jungle album. Inevitably it came down to soul, where it all started for him, with all time legend Stevie Wonder and his early 70s and sixteenth studio album, Innervision. An album which he originally inherited from his Mum on cassette but soon sought out the Vinyl in his teens. With a plate like that, it would be hard to go past this!

Location: Artist’s studio

Braindance 2013 (Japanese headliners)

Well what a pleasure to be able to get this special and unique group all together. These Japanese electronic beatmakers are on the cusp of ground breaking future electronic music and I had the great honour to take their photos and also the rare opportunity to get up close and personal with the highly acclaimed, one and only Daisuke Tanabe, the main headliner for the Braindance 2013 tour as put on by the Beats Home crew. Having played in Sydney last Sunday which had the local supporting acts of Ostinato, Jonny Faith, Lorna Clarkson, Westernsynthetics, Monk Fly, Mike Berkley and Prize, I managed to take Daisuke’s photo along with fellow patriot billed artists Jealous Guy, Anomone, Ogiyy and mfp (which whom I’ve already had a one-on-one photosession with but also part of this tour) before they head off to Canberra and Melbourne to complete their tour. All these act are great artists in their own right, creating some of the the most forward thinking beats out there and all with their own special blends and styles to both mesmorise and move your body and mind.

But it’s without doubt that the spotlight is on Daisuke Tanabe. A mysterious, reserved and understated character of sorts. It's with his music that he has gained wide global praise, being discovered by people like Gilles Peterson and featuring on labels like Ninja Tunes, BBE, Brownswood Recordings and Project: Mooncircle. Also as a participant of the exclusive Red Bull Music Academy sessions he continues to share his eclectic sound with a special mix on Triple J’s Sound Lab, FBi Radio’s Future Face and will also do a special talk with fellow Red Bull Music Academy Allumni Lorna Clarkson in the next installment of CDR at 107 Projects.

As they were visiting as performing live MPC artists (not touring as DJs), with Daisuke and Jealous Guy coming straight from Japan and the other three from Melbourne as they are current residents there, they didn’t have their vinyl from home. But as pure vinyl and music lovers, they did get a chance to do some crate digging at Erskineville’s Revolve Records to get some personal favourites and finds that reflected them for their portraits. But Daisuke went one further and brought along a tribal gem that he picked up in the Philippines during his gig there on-route to Australia. It’s moment’s like these that makes doing this photo project that extra bit more rewarding plus I just love the variety that all these artist brought to table. There’s always room for surprises!

Viny choices

Jealous Guy: YMO - Technodelic [Alfa]

Anemone: Martin Denny - Exotica [Liberty]

Ogiyy: Michael Jeffries - Michael Jeffries [Warner Bros. Records]

mfp: Archie Whitewater - Archie Whitewater [Get On Down] (from previous post)

Moriarty

Ryan "Moriarty" Court, was one of the founding members of the quartet DJ group Ro Sham Bo that once hailed the airwaves on FBi Radio. After a hiatus living in London after the former group of Levins, Toni Toni Lee and Jimmy Sing went their separate way, he is back on air now kicking with Max Gosford on Low Motion, sitting in the saddle where Preacha left off. With a taste for all thing on the Bassy/House tip, this selection of music has landed him gigs on major festivals like Splendour in the Grass, Good Vibrations, Field Day, Laneway Festival, Sydney Festival, Melbourne Festival, Park Life and Harbour Life just to mention a few. Working his way back in from his stint overseas, he's supported major underground acts, with most appearances at the burgeoning dance club GOODGOD Small Club and recently did a guest spot at 2ser on Rollers Music with JNR in promotions for playing at the next Qualia night at The Civic Hotel alongside Monk Fly, Hypercolour, Typhonic, Grillis and the Qualia DJ. One of the humble characters in the game, yet one with a wealth of insight and history of the Sydney dance music scene. As he’s a similar age to me, we had a nice chat comparing the hey days of then to now!

I quite liked his vinyl choice, a Baltimore beats track, which as a genre hasn’t quite captivated the masses in Sydney, but always likes to pop its head in every now then on the dancefloor to keep things fun and interesting!

Location: FBi Radio

Spikey Tee

Singer/Song Writer/MC/DJ and one of the veterans in the game originating from the land of Hotspurs and now based near the shores of Bondi. He’s featured in many releases from his first with early 90s UK hip hop group Sindecut (pictured above with vinyl) to mashing it up in the jungle scene with the Congo Natty crew and collaborating with the likes of Tony D, Mark Rae, Def Wish Cast, Roots Manuva (just to name a few) and teaming up down under with local artist Ritual and recently with kiwi connection Sola Rosa, he’s definitely one who’s well connected and well known in the scene in both hemispheres.

I caught him before embarking on a world tour through Asia, Europe and the USA and also on the eve of his new release with Mark Pritchard ‘Ghosts’ EP where Spikey features on the track Manabadman. This is also Spikey’s first on the legendary label Warp records. In addition, Spikey Tee will be hosting a weekly drum and bass show on one of London's original 80s pirate radio station LWR as they relaunch across the digital airwaves.

Despite all these accolades he was ever so kind to spare his time with me to do this shoot, and maybe one of my more easier and funnest (is that a word) ones to photograph too. Watch out for this man as “Big tings about to happen!”

Location: Artist's home

Yelo Magic

A name inspired by the Japanese electronic music band Yellow Magic Orchestra, Anno Inthavong is known for delivering pure fun and good party vibes with a mix of Boogie, Nu Disco, House, Soul, Funk, Hip Hop and R&B. As a freelance DJ, he plays at various nights about town playing at places like Goodgod Small Club and Tatlers and commonly teams up with local party players Mike Who and Resort Styles in which they’ve started a night called Knee Deep! He has also collaborated with Cake Wines by playing at their pop-up bars and launch nights. But he could be more notably known for a night that he started around 2009 which was inspired after going to the Stevie Wonder concert with good friends in Sydney. After the buzz of feeling good and all loved up by the soul legends classic songs running through their veins, the idea spawned of putting together a mixtape of love jams. So after a mix on soundcloud and a few word-of-mouth invites to get a party started, it was from this in which “Love Bombs” was born. So if you’re ever after a night of just pure, tasteful fun… keep an eye out for Yelo Magic and these future events, as they aren’t on regularly, but occur often enough to give the party people a healthy dose of love to invigorate the body, mind and soul.

His vinyl choice is an early 00’s classic and was voted #2 on Resident Advisors best album of the decade. Another surprise for me, as the standout track on the album is one I didn’t recognise when he told me, but once I listened to it, I realised it’s a tune I’ve heard many times over the years by purveyors alike.

Location: Artist's home

Ben Marshall

“Who would of thought that putting on drum and bass parties in my early 20s would lead to a job here!” a humble thought shared by Ben Marshall, the recently appointed Head of Contemporary Music for the Sydney Opera House.

Ben is the man taking charge of helping the next generation of creative and credible artists perform their craft in front of a wider audience… and what better way than having the iconic Sydney Opera House as a platform. He took the brave move in 2000 to relocate from his home town Perth, moving to Sydney to become a lawyer to pay for promoting a sound called drum and bass (dnb). At the time this sound was only pushed by a handful of promoters in Sydney where the scene was saturated with breaks, trance and house music. Running off pure passion he started a few dnb nights as Break & Enter with fellow Perth-ster DJ Shuey on the decks, putting on the Moving Through Air and Protein events with a group of designers called the Sopp Collective doing creative visuals. As I was a graphic design student looking to explore this music at the time, it was this combination of cool graphics and interesting music which first drew my attention to these new ventures. During this period they championed the sound of a new group (at the time) called Pendulum and were the first to bring them to Sydney. Ben along with Shuey also presented Velocity, one of the founding weekly radio shows on FBi radio’s initial 2003 broadcast. Velocity ran every Friday 11pm-1am which they programmed and presented until 2007, further pushing this music across the Sydney airwaves. While I was living in London, I had the privilege to contribute to their show as their ‘foreign correspondent’ (so to speak, hehe!), doing a few live chats over the phone talking about the scene in London. They were brief chats, but it was also a great way to keep in touch with some of the roots I had at home too.

Along with the club night projects, in 2003 he began to work with then stable mates Nathan McLay (Future Classic Manager) and Jeff ‘Semper-Fi’ Black at the independent distributor/record company Inertia records. Here Ben set up and ran Inertia’s touring division, now Handsome Tours, bringing The xx, The National, Grizzly Bear, Sia, The Cinematic Orchestra, Rhythm & Sound, Andrew Weatherall and many other artists to Australia for the first time. During this time he would on occasion successfully pitch acts to the Sydney Festival. It was these endeavours which caught the eyes (and ears) of programming heads at the Sydney Opera House who were thinking, “hey we need this too”. So in 2010, they made the offer for Ben to join them as Contemporary Music Producer working closely with Fergus Linehan, the former Sydney Festival director, which he evidently accepted!

In 2010, Ben also produced the Sydney Opera House’s first GRAPHIC festival, a weekend celebrating comics, animation, illustration, gaming and music, going on to produce the 2011 GRAPHIC and becoming the festival’s co-curator with Jordan Verzar in 2012. GRAPHIC has featured Gotye’s animated & illustrated worldwide ‘Making Mirrors’ album debut and commissioned original work from Australia’s leading hip hop and beats label Elefant Traks. Over the last 3 years the contemporary music program at Sydney Opera House has vastly expanded both its year round programming with acts such as Bon Iver, Erykah Badu, Gurrumul and Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, and the annual music festival Vivid Live. Last year Vivid Live had the outstanding acts Florence + the Machine, Janelle Monae and the amazing 3D visually eye bending ISAM performance by Amon Tobin which Ben explained, nearly tore the house down with the amount of bass that shook the iconic structure!

Vivid Live has now staked out a major space in the Sydney festival calendar, a claim furthered by winning the FBi 2012 SMAC Award for Best Major Festival and is growing from strength to strength. The 2013 event is set to smash the scene both with the club orientated events by Astral People, Future Classic and GoodGod Danceteria at The Studio plus major acts like Kraftwerk, Bobby Womack, Empire of The Sun and Karl Hyde in the Concert Hall among the plethora of other attractive shows that will be at this event. Even upon completion, the fun won’t stop there as James Blake was recently announced for a special one off show to take the main concert hall (all this as I pause to take a deep breath)!

I’ve wanted to hook up with Ben for a while to try and do a shoot ever since I returned from London, so once a gap in our busy schedules opened, the time finally came where he was kind enough to secure access to shoot him at his new creative helm. I’ve been inside the Opera House a few times, but this was the first as a photographer, and as an extra privilege, I had the honour to take his first photo inside the main concert hall, the largest space I have had to shoot a portrait in. With its beautiful interior the challenge was trying to capture the extravagant structure but maintain focus on Ben which hopefully I achieved. His vinyl choice is an excellent one, as not only is it by the legendary band New Order but the cover is by the hugely influential Mancunian cover art designer Peter Saville. Made in 1987, this cover still resonates with its strong colour and imagery over 25 years later. A well thought out choice by Ben, which although not a DJ, is an avid vinyl collector who recognised the perfect combination of song and design value of a majestic piece of musical art.

Location: Sydney Opera House

mfp

An Osaka native and currently a Melbourne local, I managed to meet up with this future-electronic-hip-hop beatmaker, Masaki Konagai, during his visit to Sydney as he headlined the Beats Home 1st Birthday bash at Agincourt Hotel. With supporting acts Anomie (Sofie Loizou, RBMA), Prize, Tobio, Ostinato and the Beats Home Residents this event also coincided with the release of the “Beats Home Japan/Australia Compilation” that feature a tonne of quality artist like Daisuke Tanabe, Westernsynthetics and Monk Fly to bridge the creative sounds between ‘the land of the rising sun’ and ‘the land of the scorching sun’!

Donning the eccentric look of east-meets-west, I met up with him at The Record Store where he grabbed his vinyl choice for our photoshoot. I’ve never met him before, but we quickly introduced ourselves and found common ground with the presence of music and other like-minded people in the store to break the ice. After such we went back to where he was staying, in his friends converted van-come-studio down in Hillsdale which made for a great place to set up his MPC controller and equipment for the shoot!

mfp, short for Mindfull Peace, a name he came up with during an escapade in New York, is quite a prolific beatmaker, taking influences from psychedelic/prog rock to funk, jazz and hip hop but as we talked more we got on the topic of how fellow patriot producers like Makoto and Kyoto Jazz Massive have put Japan on the map and how he highly respects their work and status in the game. Despite having close encounters with the likes, his humble character eluded him the opportunity to meet such luminaries, but I reckon with his quality of work, he’ll one day be punching his weight around with these top dogs. Signs of which could maybe be seen with his track “Future Hopes” getting a spot on Gilles Petersons “Brownswood Electric 2” which by all means is no easy feat to get past the quality control of the Brownswood Recording label. As such, he hinted that Alex “Patchwork” Stevenson who picked up this track from Brownswood Recordings warmed to the idea of releasing an mfp EP through Earnest Endeavours, a London based label where Alex is teamed with Terence Teh, Tom McCarthy, Danna Hawley, Aerosyn-Lex Mestrovic and James Hamilton. This looks to be a promising thought considering mfp is part of the labels artist list. A funny coincidence too as mfp and I had mutual connections with some of the crew on this label… but that’s another story.

In March 2012 mfp was part of a killer line-up that consisted of Brainfeeder’s Samiyam and Nosaj Thing for the Low End Theory Japan Tour where he played a live set at Universe in Osaka and since then he has made an mfp remix of “Get Closer” feat. She So Rad on JULIEN DYNE - GLIMPSE Remixes which you can buy at the well known Shibuya record store Disk Union.

His vinyl choice was a quick albeit surprise decision as he tossed and turned between two LPs that he found in the rack and decided on one but as he was about to pay for it, he found this Archie Whitewater wax in the record box in front of the counter and was instantly taken by it and made the switch on this purchase. A newbie for me, but from what I soon learnt from him and fellow shopping onlookers, the original which was printed on Cadet Concept Records can fetch up to $100. Another musical lesson for me on a classic piece of wax.

Location: Artist friend's van converted studio

Monk Fly

Other wise known as the humble Chris Hancock, has been a prolific Producer/DJ/record label manager/radio presenter and scene builder for over a decade now. I am meeting him down at one of his new shared endeavours, the award-winning, multi-arts 107 Projects in Redfern. As we set up lights, Monk Fly is busy testing tracks on the 107 sound system for his specialist future beats and bass music show Future Face on FBi 94.5FM. As he works as a mastering engineer we also get to hear a few amazing exclusives that he has just mastered for his label The Frequency Lab. In regards to the label, The Frequency Lab has steadily been building a great ground breaking reputation nationally and internationally for over a decade now. Many of the artist on the catalog enjoy supporting the who’s who of the international scene and find their own Frequency Lab releases in record bags of the greats. In addition to mastering, Monk Fly also works as a recording and mixing engineer for various genres such as classical, jazz, folk and rock. Currently he is working on records for the Ben Panucci Trio, Jon Bolton Quartet, Mar Haze and a new LP of Renaissance music for an off shoot of the Australian Chamber Orchestra. As a creative buff for all things weird and wonderful, he is one of the coordinators that has built the FBi 2012 SMAC Award ‘Best Collective’ winning 107 Projects situated in the heart of Redfern, a former carpark turned into creative hub for visual, audio and multi-disciplinary art work. The space is raw, heart-felt and vibrant. Beyond it’s public program, 107 Projects also houses 10 artists in residency out the back of the public space. The pictures above are taken from within the intimate performance/audio room, the “Living Room” where one finds a raw art deco vibe with velvet curtains, a grand piano, art deco couches and seating. Funnily enough, during this encounter I realise only 6 months ago I had taken his photo when he and his 107 cohorts won the SMAC Award for best collective. Further, during the shoot I realise that the gallery where I had my first exhibition “Bass Thru the Lens” in 2005 was another of Monk Fly’s endeavours. Back in the day Monk Fly and his 107 Projects cohorts ran a gritty warehouse/art space called Knot Gallery in Hibernian House that housed many underground exhibitions and parties. It was a surprising coincident to sort of revisit a familiar surrounding, but in a different location. Really enjoyed shooting here especially in “The Living Room” as it had all the bits and pieces of character that has become synonymous with this venue. A quietly spoken, highly influential underground legend!

Location: 107 Projects

Mike Who

Michael Curcuruto, that’s right… Mike Who as he amicably likes to be called is the other half of Stolen Records duo with Shantan Wantan Ichiban. Mike Who holds down the decks during their weekly sunset broadcast on FBi Radio but his DJ abilities doesn’t end there. As a part of the Astral People roster, Mike Who regulates a bunch of parties throughout Sydney with his unique and eclectic selection of tunes. Mike is well known for having deep crates that cover everything from Hip Hop, Funk, and Soul, to Disco and Boogie as well as having a huge love of Latin American and Caribbean music after living in the North of Chile for the better half of last year. With this taste and character you can catch Mike doing his thing supporting Blu & Exile and Dj Houseshoes at Goodgod this Friday and then at Sydney’s Leftfield Latin American late night Pachanga, “Pineapple Republic” with Shantan Wantan Ichiban, Señor Bolivar, Tropicante and Huwston at Tatler on Friday the 12th of April.

His vinyl choice, by Latin American legends Willie Colón and Hector Lavoe, was found on a dollar bin hustle years back and served as one of his first introductions to one of his now favourite labels, further defining the case that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure, giving this classic Fania piece of art extra breaths of life!

Location: Fbi Radio

Kuré-Setwun

Is one half of the duo act Onetalk (the other half Joe Victory is based in Melbourne, although also cheekily represented in the first photo on top of his Marshall equipment!) and are part of the new breed that’s coming through the ranks. But as a student at AIM (Australian Institute of Music) he’s also known as Josh Molony studying under the likes of Simon Caldwell. Originally from Canberra, his love for electronic music and hip hop garnered them a spot to open the 2011 Canberra leg of the Flying Lotus/Gaslamp Killer/Hudson Mohawk tour. They also released an online single ‘Mr. Hotness’ which received glowing reviews internationally and gained widespread airplay on Melbourne’s Triple R and Sydney’s FBi radio stations. With this soulful, groove-heavy sound they’ve played alongside other big name acts such as Tokimonsta and Pri Ze and where also chosen to play the Sydney leg on the 2011 Australian tour for Brainfeeder’s Samiyam, along with native talents El Gusto (Hermitude) and Roleo plus most recently playing a Night Slugs night in Canberra’s Trinity Bar supporting L-Vis 1990 & Bok Bok. With his upcoming Easter Sunday gig at FBi Social he’ll be rubbing shoulders with the gang at Sub Continental Dub, Inkswell and Monk Fly as they set to bring their future hip shaking bass and bleeps to Kings Cross Hotel.

One track that particularly caught my ears was Onetalk’s remix of Little Dragons ‘Twice’. A tidy little bootleg further pushing their status in the game and their taste of deliverance. Awesome favourite vinyl choice too of UK ex-pat Mark Pritchard’s 2008 underground classic, which was released under one of his many pseudonyms on Warp Records.

Location: Artist's home

Shantan Wantan Ichiban

AKA Emperor Nasi Goreng is one of the characters in the game! From being the stage host at Field Day 2013 to the main host of Stolen Records on FBi Radio sunset with his partner in crime DJ Mike Who, he engages his listeners with his relaxed approached and ghetto style banter, always keeping things fun and lively. This persona is also evident with his style of music as when playing he chops and changes through styles of music from reggae, bashment, dancehall, hip-hop, rnb, trap, house, disco, boogy, funk, jungle and drum & bass - both old school and new from all genres - Anything to get that boot-ay moving. You can catch him playing at a number of nights throughout the week but more importantly on his signature night Dutty Dancing where you can brock out all night.

Love his vinyl choice, a record he picked up during a trip to Japan. His show always has a good vibe to listen to and this LP is a true reflection of that. Proper dope wackness!

Location: Fbi Radio

JNR

Zac Bush, who goes by the stage name JNR as bestowed to him by his colleague elders at The Record Store (although as now store manager of this vinyl haunt he may get the last laugh!), is a relative newcomer to the scene. As a vinyl collector ranging from classic swing, jazz and motown to the more clubier tempos of dubstep, drum and bass, techno and house, he is steadily making a name for himself with his regular show on Bondi FM and his seasonal warehouse nights QUALIA for those who are keen to venture into the deeper realms of 130bmps. With this range of music he has been booked to play at functions at the Art Gallery of NSW, private parties for local celebs to last years big New Years Eve Hospitality bash @ The Roundhouse which featured act like High Contrast and Logistics.

It’s a shame I didn’t meet him earlier as we discovered that we both lived in Angel, London during the same time! So it was great to chat about times spent in the area and the Old St/Shoreditch clubs that invigorated our musical tastes. His vinyl choice that got him into music, now a family heirloom, is a classic to say the least and as loved by many, playing any song off this album would definitely get the crowd going one way or another.

Location: Artist's home