Heaps Decent is a dynamic arts organisation working with young people and emerging artists from diverse Australian communities, providing role models and a means by which they can tell their story in their own way. Heaps Decent supports change, positive futures and the development of high quality Australian music with a unique identity. Heaps Decent was founded in 2007, when Sydney DJs Nina Agzarian and Andrew Levins teamed up with prolific American producer, Diplo. Together, they ran music workshops in the Riverina Juvenile Justice centre in Wagga Wagga, NSW. A few months later, they took female pop icon M.I.A. to Juniperina all-girls Juvenile Justice centre in Sydney’s western suburbs. Here, Nina and Levins experienced first hand how music and storytelling can change lives. Since its outset, Heaps Decent has successfully enlisted the passion and talent of renowned guest musical facilitators, including: Diplo, Aloe Blacc, T.E.E.D, AC Slater, Lykke Li, M.I.A., Sinden, A-Trak, video artist Ghostdad, DJ Medhi, S***k Rock, Devlin, Lady Sovereign, Brodinski, Cool Kids, Busy P, 12th Planet, Jack Beats, Tiga, DJ Craze, Jesse Rose, Gina Turner and more. Almost ten years on, Heaps Decent has helped create well over 1000 songs with talented young Australians from radically diverse backgrounds: from Aboriginal girls on the Marrickville streets to young men who have dropped out of school; from 4 year olds in Wilcannia to 22 year olds in Redfern; from Bunbury in WA to Santa Teresa in the NT. Young people have been empowered to tell their stories in music through workshops, performances and mentoring schemes. They have performed in front of thousands at Fuzzy’s events, and at the Sydney Opera House in an innovative multimedia event. Their songs have been played to a wider audience on our weekly FBi radio segment and their music videos have even been played on the ABC’s Rage. Heaps Decent has become, and will continue to be - a powerful force for change.
