Music To Our Ears

On the surface being a music artist looks like a fun lifestyle where you’re always surrounded by friends, however in reality it’s often a lonely life which see’s the artist spending a majority of their time alone in a studio writing music. With that being the case it can often be difficult for those artists who are pushing boundaries and progressing music as a whole to break into the wider consciousness of the general public. Thankfully though programs such as Red Bull Sound Select are looking to change that.

Red Bull Sound Select is a live music artist development program designed to support and uncover local artists through a series of monthly live shows, curated by industry influencers. The key component of the program is the pairing of well established artists with artists who are rapidly rising through the ranks. This months show featuring SK Simeon, Friendships and Cassius Select has been curated by FBi Radio’s new Music Director Amelia Jenner.

According to Jenner the hardest part about being a curator has been finding artists who are simultaneously creating music which is “exciting and a bit out of the ordinary” but also “not so underground” that they’re unable to draw a crowd. As she explained though, “this is where the Red Bull Sound Select format excels by having an exciting headliner and then pairing them with two smaller developing artists as a surprise little treat for the people who come out early.”

The headline artist for this months show is the Ugandan born but now residing in Melbourne dancehall artist SK Simeon. Simeon has been making and playing music since 2011 and is a wonderful example of how collaboration and mentoring can be crucial to an artist’s success.

“When I first started in the outer-suburbs of Melbourne I realised that there wasn’t that many people around me making music so I had to rely on Youtube and Facebook to learn and reach out to people.” explained Simeon. Since those early days he has gone on to collaborate with artists all around the globe, some of which he has never met in person.

Whilst Simeon may be looked upon as the senior artist of the program this weekend he feels the opportunities to learn are not simply a one way transaction.

“It’s very exciting to be paired with artists outside my own genre and it will be great to see them perform because that can open you up to new influences, techniques and styles which can then lead to new genres being created.”

Speaking to Amelia it became apparent that Red BullSound Select is not simply looked at as a commercial venture by either herself or Red Bull but rather it is viewed as a real opportunity to help the Australian music industry progress and grow on an international stage.

“[Red Bull] Sound Select is so unique because of the backing by Red Bull who have so many resources behind them to help foster artist development”

A prime example of this being the success of previous Red Bull Sound Select performer Sampa The Great. Following Sampa’s performance at a Red Bull Sound Select event she was provided with the resources to travel to Paris to record a track with Estelle and Rahki, a producer for Kendrick Lamar. For SK Simeon he is hoping that by being afforded this opportunity to perform in Sydney he may be able to achieve similar success, “that’s what every artist wants but in Australia it can be especially difficult because its such a big country with a crowded music place.”

This idea of resource availability has become increasingly more important, particularly in Sydney, as the live music industry struggles to maintain itself let alone develop new artists.

“It’s a little scary in Sydney at the moment” said Jenner, “There are still incredible people doing exciting things but it’s becoming increasingly more difficult.”

With these lineups being researched and hand selected not simply for their commercial value Amelia feels they have a special “human touch” feel to them that you cannot get anywhere else. Amelia spoke with us in intricate detail about her passion for each of these acts and the key factors influencing her decision to select them, for example she had this to say about Friendships;

“I’ve seen them play live a few times and every time has been mind-blowing but every time I’ve seen them they’ve been in a very established live music venue. So I thought it would be really exciting to see them in a bit more of a DIY space, which is what Ricardo’s is.”

In order to avoid the Red Bull Sound Select program becoming stale they have a rotating cast of curators which also features I OH YOU’s Johann Ponniah and Laneway Festival’s Travis Banko. This rotating curation process allows for the program to provide opportunities to as many burgeoning artists as possible.

Red Bull Sound Select – May

May 26, 10pm-3am. Ricardo’s, 100 Marrickville Rd, Marrickville. Tickets are $3 with an RSVP or $10 on the door. RSVP at www.redbullsoundselect.com