When it comes to nurturing young Australian electronic dance music talent, Astral People is at the forefront. Co-directors Vic Edirisingh, Lee Danilewitz and Tom Hugget have run their agency with development viewed as the key to unlocking the greatest potential from their roster and after 4 years managing some of the finest up and coming local talent such as Cosmo’s Midnight, Wave Racer and Basenji, the latter has reflected on his experience and highlights with the management and touring company ahead of their secretly located party on the 6th of September.

SR: With Astral People being a management company placing a strong emphasis on the development of artists, both personally and musically, how have you found your experience with them?

B: Even before I began being managed by Astral People I just found myself naturally gravitating towards what they were doing. They were touring the best artists, throwing the best parties and their management roster was already full of such strong Australian artists. Since day 1 my experience with Astral People has been amazing, which is why I am really excited to be playing their fourth birthday party!!! fun fact: the 1st Astral People gig I attended was their 1st birthday party.

SR: With it being the 4th anniversary for Astral, what has been your highlight so far?

B: So many great things have happened in the last couple of years for Astral People so it’s really head to decide. OutsideIn is always such an amazing festival, but I think the highlight for me was the Astral People Vivid party in 2014. L-Vis and Bok Bok of Night Slugs were amazing and Phuture was even better, it was great to see living legends and pioneers of Acid House play and I will never forget it.

SR: The 4th birthday is being played a secret car park. As an artist is it exciting to be playing at such an unconventional location?

B: Yes, because I have no idea what to expect! As much as I love playing clubs, it always refreshing to do something different. This show has got a lot of people talking and I think they will be talking about it a while after the show as well. It is in keeping with the true Astral People style to throw a party that will turn heads. Cannot wait for this event and seeing how it will all look/feel.

SR: The electronic music scene seems to be on an exponential incline, with the likes of Flight Facilities, Flume and Chet Faker gaining international acclaim. What do you view as some of the key elements that have triggered this success?

B: I think Australia is finally being taken seriously by the rest of the world as a creative centre. We have a lot of artists working really hard and putting out great music and it is 100% paying off. I think really the internet and the digitisation of music has a lot to do with this, because we are more connected to the rest of the world than ever before. There are no physical barriers between sharing our music any more and I think is what has helped us so much. It is so rewarding to see people I am friends with or people I work with finding success overseas and I sincerely hope this is a trend that continues.

SR: In terms of nurturing young Australian talent and breaking through as a local artist, what advice do you have for those trying to get their name out there and ensuring longevity for their careers?

B: Go to as many gigs as you can and listen to as much music as possible… until you realise something is missing. This empty gap is going to be where you find your sound. You won’t find YOUR sound in someone else’s music, but you will find great ideas, so keep listening! Pay close attention to the music that you find innovative and how it provides something that wasn’t previously there – then try to do the same yourself!

You can purchase your 4th Birthday tickets through the Facebook event here and check out Basenji’s new one “Can’t Get Enough” below.