Can you tell us a bit about the mix we’re about to hear?

I started compiling this mix in July when lockdown hit and I was struggling due to a bunch of life circumstances. Lockdown can make it difficult for people to feel in control of their lives when the state of the universe is so chaotic and uncertain. This mix is very percussive with a healthy dose of abrasiveness to release all that pent up energy.

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How did you first get into DJ’ing?

I used to help Motorik run/promote their club nights at World Bar on Saturday nights and would mostly just get drunk from their bar tab and hand DJs their drink tokens. One night Andrew from Motorik was DJing in the side room and offered to teach me. I was so keen! He gave me a super basic rundown of the gear and how to press play. Later that night I became very drunk and he put me on to play in the side room. The music stopped while I was DJing, but I didn't notice because I was drunk, had the headphones in and had no idea how to actually DJ. My friend took a video of this exact moment when the music stops. I'm just dancing away by myself oblivious and a friend protests in the background "JEBBI WHAT THE FUCK."

After that I got a controller and learnt here and there from Youtube tutorials and got various lessons from asking people. Eventually I would bring my USB to house parties and have fun playing there.

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You co-founded Eora collective Outer Shores alongside Narae, what’s the concept behind this project and what inspired you to start it?

Outer Shores is a project to explore the stories behind the local electronic music scene and elevate those voices. It started as a radio show where we interviewed guests ranging from DJs, producers, promoters and label heads. Narae and I have a deep love for dancefloors and we wanted to showcase the electricity of the Eora/Sydney scene at a time when the conversations were all about lockout laws. Since last year we've evolved into a DJ project and party thrower as well, with a focus on making space for community.

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What’s your favourite dance floor moment of this year so far?

So many. The SHED party at Bridge Hotel was a good one. DJ Plead was entrancing, and Posture got the crowd cheering at every track he threw down on the dancefloor.

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Outer Shores collaborated with ANTE earlier this year to bring your first club gig to life, FUSE. Tell us about your collaborative process and why you chose to team up?

We love ANTE! They're doing such great work and we worked together before when we interviewed them last year and they invited us to DJ for one of their parties. The idea was to throw a massive party cutting through genres, with amazing performances and most importantly, to create a joyful space for POC and queer community. We wanted to make something really unique and fun. There were a few bumps in the process which made us postpone FUSE and change venues. But overall it was a joy to organise because the collaborative process was very smooth. I think we share similar values with the people at ANTE and at the core of it, we are all quite sensible and intelligent people. We are also open to criticism and feedback and I honestly learnt a lot along the way that we can take to future parties.

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What’s been keeping you busy or helping you pass the time during this lockdown?

Learning 3d modelling using the open source 3d software Blender. My renders are still very noob and basic so they will probably never see the light of day haha.

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Something people might not know about you?

During lockdown times I'm a dumpling peddler. I deliver my mum's homemade dumplings and dim sum on Instagram on @mamabidumplings. We decided to pause orders when our area got designated an 'LGA of concern' but hopefully we can start up again soon!

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How would you like to see our local scene change and grow after this lockdown?

When dancefloors opened briefly this year it was great to see promoters being more conscious of booking diverse lineups and even greater to see so much local talent get the attention they deserve. The next question is, how do we ensure our dancefloors are safe? Dancefloors are beautiful for offering a place for people to be themselves, to have fun, to escape, to be seen/not seen, but there's still work to do. I would really like to see promoters (especially the big promoters) taking active and not performative steps to make dancefloors feel safe and inclusive for POC. I'd also like to see dancefloors become more accessible, with accessible entrances, bathrooms, and efforts from promoters and venues to make their spaces feel emotionally safe as well.

Pre-covid, the dance scene was definitely very alive but felt dispersed. It'd be great to see more collabs happening between promoters to make better parties, focusing on local talent and with channels of knowledge-sharing and emphasis on community care. It'd also be great to see more cross-pollination of scenes/genres/music and have the local sound continue to expand and evolve.

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Any other project’s you're working on?

This October 14th 8:30-10pm we're starting a new monthly slot for Outer Shores on Area 3000 radio. Stay tuned!

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