Island Beatz
Young unemployed Pacific Islander people aged 15 -25 are getting their taste of a career in music through Island Beatz, a free 8-week TAFE Outreach course.
Island Beatz was a free 8-week TAFE Outreach course for aspiring hip-hop rappers, vocalists, DJs & producers, led by two of the most hardworking artists in the Australian Hip-Hop scene MC Trey and DJ/producer Nick Toth, as well as guest tutors including MC Hau of Koolism.
Participants are creating and recording their own beats and lyrics, learning about the music industry, and finally producing their own music. At the end of the course, participants received a TAFE Statement of Attainment.
Island Beatz ran until November 2005 from both Granville Youth & Community Recreation Centre and SWITCH Multimedia and Digital Arts Access Centre (located at ICE), focusing on the Garage Band computer program. Island Beatz is a partnership between ICE and Granville Youth & Community Centre.
The program was so successful that a follow up program Island Beatz2 took place in 2006. Throughout the second program, a new group were put through the paces, writing lyrics, learning new skills and producing their own music. With the support of TAFE Outreach, this group were also trained by visiting UK DJ/Producer Mystro, as well as MC Trey and Nick Toth.
Now, both programs have produced a Double CD on ICE’s Suburban Grooves label, featuring music made by the talented graduates of Island Beatz 1 & 2. They came into their own at their CD launch on June 23 – performing alongside the participants of Afro Beatz.
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