Feedback - a Music Conference for Young People

Kyran Wheatley is a comedian and broadcaster who, since leaving triple j in 2017, spends his time making podcasts and comedy - sometimes at the same time. At the age of 17 Kyran sung and played guitar for a small Perth band you’ve never heard of because they disbanded upon the realisation that Kyran is a bad guitarist and worse singer.

Alex the Astronaut was still a student when she released her debut EP To Whom it May Concern, which featured the breakout tracks ‘Already Home’ and ‘Rockstar City’. She was living in New York City on a soccer scholarship, and spent her days studying science and nights writing songs in her dorm. Fast-forward to Alex the Astronaut’s second EP, See You Soon, things had changed a bit. The five-song set of vivid train-of-thought narratives, and bare acoustic bones bracing bright pop melodies brimmed with new experiences, hinting at the weight of returning home to Sydney after finishing her degree.

It was the release of See You Soon that took Alex the Astronaut from ‘artist to watch’ to front and center, with lead single ‘Not Worth Hiding’ landing at #23 in this year’s triple j Hottest 100.  Its release coincidentally timed with the beginnings of the same sex marriage plebiscite, slowly growing into its unofficial anthem and blared at rallies around the country. The innocent, straight up and pure nature of Alex the Astronaut’s – aka Sydney-based Alex Lynn – style of writing saw praise come in from all over the globe including from the Rocket Man himself Elton John who called it simply “fabulous”.

Annie Bass, is Sydney-based artist Annabel Weston. Writing and performing her first compositions at age five, Annie has weaved many worlds through her work — drawing inspiration from Nina Simone, John Coltrane, James Blake and Portishead alike. The accomplished vocalist, songwriter and producer recently collaborated with producer Christopher Port on their two-track release 'Thrown Away & Counting All'. Annie was named as FBi Radio's Independent Artist of the Week, showcased at Bigsound 2017 and has toured nationally in support of Wafia, Touch Sensitive, No Mono and Alta, along with performances at Splendour in the Grass, Listen Out, Vivid LIVE and Falls Festival. Annie Bass is currently working on her debut solo EP, recording it across Australia and the US.

Christopher Port, the Melbourne-based producer and long-time touring member with the Pieater roster — drums for Airling and #1 Dads, and live samples with Big Scary. Cementing himself as a creative leader within the Australian electronic scene, Port has a unique approach to his own production, which also shines through when collaborating within the scene, and can be heard alongside his two-track with Annie Bass.

Port is currently readying his new EP Everything in Quotes “Light”, the follow-up and companion to 2017’s Everything in Quotes “Dark”.

2016 saw the first glimmers of light from the Western Sydney suburbs artist Kwame. A 20-year-old student of hip hop who was just finding his legs, when a chance meeting with the legendary A$AP Ferg confirmed the path he now treads.

His stellar debut EP Lesson Learned and lead single ‘Friends’ was the last time we heard from the stalwart in March of 2017 before he was dubbed the 45th most played artist on Triple J’s Unearthed. This was the bookend moment to a massive 2017 which also saw Kwame sign to Vita Artists alongside Peking Duk, Nyxen and Tigerilla as well as dominating the live circuit supporting cultural heavyweights Migos, 6lack, Bliss N Eso, Wiley and more.

Fast forward to February 2018, Kwame wastes no time in bringing us his new certified summer anthem ‘WOW’ to help us ride out the final warmer months. From the moment it’s fruity kalimba drumline hits to the catchy pitch shifted hook hollers of “You the man now, poppin’ on the gram now” — ‘WOW’ lives up to its name. What’s more impressive is the quirky pristine track was written AND produced by Kwame, stacking up the odds in his favour as a clear stand out artist in 2018.

CLYPSO is a Sydney-based producer who’s sound is a collage of hyperactive beats, grimey basslines and afropunk infused electronica. Influenced by afrobeat and Atari-esque synths, CLYPSO blends and blurs tongue-in-cheek samples with urban laments over jungle beats and shiny synth riffs. It’s happy-pill music with a bit of bite.

CLYPSO has already garnered a slew of notable nods and achievements in the past few months. Reaching number 10 on the Australian Viral 50 Spotify playlist, rave reviews on Triple J from the likes of the Aston Shuffle and Dave Ruby Howe as well as featured on Home and Hosed. CLYPSO was FBi’s Independent Artist of the Week in May.

Aaron Girgis is an artist manager and festival owner.

Starting his career in music at 18, fresh out of high school, turned a shitty old house in Cronulla with his best mate and artist Irvine into one of Sydney’s most exciting art and music spaces. From there SOUNDS OF THE SUBURBS was born and so was Space 44 music an artist management branch that now looks after the likes of Skegss, Ruby Fields, Tyde Levi, Pist Idiots & James Crooks.

As the music director of triple j Unearthed Dave Ruby Howe is front and centre as emerging Australian artists begin their careers in the music industry. At Unearthed since 2011, he’s had his headphones on to hear the first tracks from artists like The Rubens, Amy Shark, Methyl Ethel, Tash Sultana and more. As well as being part of the Unearthed team that finds pathways for local artists to triple j and festivals, Dave’s responsible for leading the music curation of the Unearthed site and the dedicated digital radio station that plays all unsigned and independent Australian music 24/7.

A self-identified ‘average chick’, Ruby spent hours learning how to play guitar via YouTube videos and got amongst her local music scene when she was 14 by sneaking into Cronulla’s venues and events. When she found substance and relatable qualities in the music she listened to, Ruby found herself gradually writing and creating her own music within that time. Now with two singles out in the world, she’s an act on the rise with a sold-out Australia wide tour under her belt, and her debut EP Your Dad’s Opinion For Dinner on the way.

Now with over 1,320,000 streams on Spotify from two hit singles, two music videos that were directed, conceptualised and executed by herself, numerous festival appearances, and nine sold-out headline shows around Australia, Ruby is ready for a big 2018.

Aniela Swiatek is the Head of PR & Communications at specialist music agency, Thinking Loud, and Label, PR and Artist Manager at October Records. She previously worked as the PR Manager at independent labels Central Station Records and Sweat It Out Music, and in 2014 launched an independent venture, October Records, with her colleague, Andrew Boon. With a focus on emerging talent, October Records has since grown into a larger entity encompassing artist management, bookings, PR & label services across the electronic music sphere.

Highlights of Aniela’s career so far include working with BUOY, REMI, Sampa the Great, Winston Surfshirt,  Cosmo’s Midnight, Flight Facilities, Nicolas Jaar, NLV Records, Ta-ku, De La Soul, Red Bull Music and Boiler Room.

Casey O’Shaughnessy is a booking agent at Select Music, a Sydney-based domestic booking agency. She represents a roster that includes Polish Club, Skegss, Ruby Fields, Stella Donnelly, Amy Shark and more as well as having worked day-to-day logistics on acts such as Ball Park Music, DZ Deathrays, Tkay Maidza amongst many others.

Cathy Oates is the owner of Original Matters, a worldwide music management and marketing business whose current roster include Lisa Mitchell, OKENYO and Alex The Astronaut.

Melody Forghani is the director of twnty three, an independent artist management and publicity company based in Sydney, Australia. twnty three manages Vallis Alps, and handles PR for musicians, labels and festivals such as Seekae, Pieater and Volumes Festival. Before starting twnty three, she worked at Bossy Music and currently produces the Tuesday Arvos program with Christopher Twite on FBi Radio.

Charlie Ellison is the Sydney-based Publicist for Remote Control Records, currently representing labels including 4AD, Matador, Rough Trade & Dot Dash, and artists including Courtney Barnett, Queens of the Stage, Jungle, Parquet Courts & more. As the former PR Manager for indie label Rice Is Nice Records & Co-Founder of Brain Drain PR, Charlie’s obscene passion for music has seen her consistently champion independent music, with an undeniable dedication to the artists she works with.