The workshop has been running for the last two years and takes place on the second level of the Redfern Community Centre. On this Monday afternoon there are seven people participating in the workshop.
On a table to the right, two girls are sitting down with a Heaps Decent producer drawing inspiration from a Beyoncé music clip whilst to the left, a small group with their heads together over a laptop listen with another producer to a new song mix.
In the Home Base studio space, three boys use the desk area to work on some new lyrics, whilst the Home Base audio engineer mixes a new song recently recorded in the studio.
The studio space consists of an upright piano, various percussive instruments, about ten guitars, a mixing desk and a small vocal booth. Three people facilitate the workshop; two producer/DJs who write the beats, and an engineer who records and mixes the tracks.
When I arrived they had just finished production on a song written by some of the artists about their mothers. Heartfelt lyrics, slick production and a stick-in-your-head chorus made for an impressive piece of work. You can hear it on the Heaps Decent Soundcloud along with a multitude of tracks produced from various workshops.
Stu Turner is one of the producers facilitating the workshop. His background in electronic music brought him into the project and is utilised in his Heaps Decent collaborations. He said one of the main benefits of the Home Base workshop is the amount of time they have to work with the artists. The three-hour sessions enable the producers to get to know the artists, figure out what they want from the sessions and have sufficient time to experiment with their musical ideas.
Alongside assistance with songwriting and production, a strong emphasis is placed on the use of social media as a promotional tool. The producers help create and maintain music profiles on Facebook, Soundcloud and Triple J Unearthed, making sure the tracks reach as many people as possible.
As I left, I stopped to chat to a young man with aspirations to be a DJ when he grows up. Next week he hopes to bring his best friend along, maybe even collaborate together on a song. But he has to ask his grandmother first.
