Information and Cultural Exchange: African Soundz Returns

African Soundz Returns

ICE is running another free urban music program for young people from African communities. African Soundz 2 will be run during school holidays (from 8 January, 2008) at Switch, ICE’s multimedia digital arts access centre.

The program has been specially designed for young African people, aged 15-25, who live in Western Sydney and are interested in developing a career in the music industry. The course will be run by the amazing MC Trey – an ARIA-nominated hip-hop artist and youth arts worker. She will be assisted by DJ Nick Toth and by young African student Dennis Sado.

Since 2006 Trey has been supported through the Vodafone Australia Foundation to work at ICE and run urban music programs for young people in Western Sydney.

Trey, who grew up in the Parramatta area, has seen how urban music programs like this one can help young people to connect with others in an unfamiliar environment:

“I know what it’s like to be a new face in a new country. Music is a good way for young people to express themselves and this can make the settlement process a bit easier. Participants will also get to meet other African youth in the area and have the opportunity to share and document their stories through songs, which, in turn, can be shared with the wider community.”

As well as teaching participants how to make beats, DJ Nick Toth expects to learn a great deal in return: “I am looking forward to listening to indigenous African music from the different regions, especially since a lot of the new urban sounds are still being taken from traditional African rhythms.”

The school holiday program will encourage participants to write songs about themselves and their experiences, to create music using computer programs, to record their songs and learn new hip-hop dance techniques. They will also be able to showcase their music and have the opportunity to perform alongside other emerging and established artists from Western Sydney at a launch.

The course will run on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8 January. Download the flyer for all the details.

If you would like to participate, contact Trey at ICE on 9897 5744 or email: urbanmusic@ice.org.au