NAARM - MELBOURNE
DJ, AGENT/MANAGER, PROMOTER/BOOKER
JUNGLE, TECHNO, BASS
How did you end up as a part of the music industry?
I was in the privileged position to be able to volunteer at FBi Radio while I was at uni. That truly kick-started everything for me. I am very thankful for that.
Tell us about your sound...
I spend most of my time being a DJ, running Body Promise which is a radio show on FBi Radio and small label, and Nectar which is a booking, touring and events agency I run with my besties Tia Newling, Andy Garvey and Jemma Cole. I also work full time so you know, there isn't a lot of downtime but TBH I wouldn't have it any other way. The sounds that I'm drawn to as a DJ would be jungle, drum & bass, speedy techno, deep techno, dub and of course I'm partial to a bit of naughty garage every now and again. I really need to feel music in the pit of my stomach, you know?
My hope for the future is a more inclusive, more accessible and more sustainable dance music industry with Bla(c)k, POC, Queer and Disabled folk leading the charge. I also hope for more (consensually) horny dance floors!
Do you have any new work coming out that you'd like to tell us about?
To be honest, I have been so dormant these past few months. Like many, I simply have not had the energy or bandwidth to do anything creative. But I'm slowly pulling myself back together and I'm working on three mixes concurrently at the moment. My mix for Animalia should be out soon...
What’s the last really fun thing you did?
Gosh, it feels like so long ago now but the Fruit Bowl party I played at the Civic Underground in April will stick out in my mind for a long time. It felt like the first proper party here in so-called Sydney after the lockdown and the energy was wild. What I would do to get that feeling back.
How do you practice self-care?
Ok, this is the cheesiest thing I have ever said but seriously just looking at my dog brings me so much joy. Spending a lot of time with him has done wonders for my mental health. Cheese aside, I also try and exercise as much as I can, watching films, listening to pop music, cooking.
What’s your favourite record at the moment?
So hard to pick just one but one record that I've been super excited about is the new Adam Pits album - A Recurring Nature. I can't stop listening to it. It's so textural and nuanced and wildly accomplished. It's hard to believe it's a debut album. I've also been obsessed with the new Erika de Casier and Suzanne Kraft records.
What or who inspires you?
My Nectar crew inspire me so much. Like what could be better than working with your beautiful, smart and kind best friends everyday?! I'm also weirdly inspired by that butterflies in the stomach feeling I get when I hear a really good song or when I'm at a really good party and the DJ just did something fucked. You know, that feeling like you're about to shit yourself but in a good way? I'm constantly chasing that feeling.
What are your predictions for the future of dance music and the industry? Any changes you would like to see?
I have seen a lot of positive progress made in my small pocket of the music industry over the past few years with less male dominated and more inclusive line ups, safer events and more people given a voice and a platform but there is still so much more work to be done. It's sad and quite confronting to see that when you zoom out a little from your bubble things aren't as progressive as you would have hoped. I've recently been exposed to the EDM scene and damn, it is so white washed and male dominated. Some serious work needs to be done there.
What are your predictions for the future of dance music and the industry?
I would really like to see more diversity in the non-audience facing facets of the industry. We have made some great advances in lineup diversity, but there doesn’t seem to be the same push in the production and engineering spheres. There are so many wonderfully talented fem and GNC producer-engineers, it would be amazing to see more initiative being taken to help them crack into this very male-dominated corner of the music community.
Check out Amelia's WIP Profile Page for more!