Who is your favourite producer in Australia?
MXXWLL. A friend of mine from Sydney who’s produced for a bunch of fire artists. His album “Beats Vol. 1” is the vibe. 

Who is one local you’re feeling right now? –
ThatKidMaz. Such a dope and talented human being. My favourite track of his is “Glow Up”.

Who are some international artists inspiring you lately?
Smino, Lucky Daye, Tyler The Creator, Doja Cat and Billie Eilish.

Best spot to eat in Melbourne?
Lately, I’ve been on that laksa tip. Laksa King in Flemington is the one!

What’s exciting about the Melbourne music scene?
There’s such a diverse range of artists coming up in Melbourne at the moment and there’s a very strong sense of community when it comes to supporting each other. 

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Who is your favourite producer in Australia?
My favourite producer in Australia is undoubtedly Jujo. His sound is so distinct to the beats he cooks up with his very Jujo spice and flavour. I hear a lot of beats that slap but I can always tell which ones are his because I’m always left perplexed at the magic this man creates.

Who is one local artist you’re feeling right now?
Vessa from Melbourne. I’m pretty new to the electronic music scene but Vessa makes and performs live techno with all sorts of synthesisers and drum machines that are ambient and left-of-field and nothing like I’ve seen before.

Who are some international artists inspiring you lately?
Recently I’ve been drawing a lot of inspiration from LAYA, an upcoming artist from NYC. I love her 90s RnB beats and vocals that have her modern, unique spin on the genre. Her lush harmonies and sweet vocals are something I’m drawn to and have always found so captivating. 

Best spot to eat in Melbourne?
I’m not the biggest Melbourne foodie so I’ll pretty much eat anywhere that’s cheap and tastes good enough. My mum however makes some dope food like Mauritian curries and all sorts of Chilean foods that go hard. She even makes me all sorts of vegetarian dishes that are doing the most but slap!

What’s exciting about the Melbourne music scene?
Something so exciting about the Melbourne music scene is the little groups and families all collaborating to get Australian music on the map. Seeing so many of my friends working with other creatives and digging deep to make something special and new is so inspiring and something that has definitely helped me to start making music.  The hip-hop scene in particular is so diverse and has so much talent that needs the spotlight.

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Who is your favourite producer in Australia?
Pip Norman and Jujo.

Who is one local act you’re feeling right now?
Mwanje Tembo.

Who are some international artists inspiring you lately?
Cordae.

Best spot to eat in Melbourne?
Dragon Hot Pot

What’s exciting about the Melbourne music scene?
It’s exciting that live shows are back and Melbourne venues are open for business.

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Who is your favourite producer in Australia?
My favourite producer in Australia right now is Nikodimos. Seeing him grow and develop his own sound over the last few years has been crazy inspiring, and he’s working with some of my favourite Aus acts too!

Who is one local act you’re feeling right now?
One of Melbourne’s locals I’ve been bumping heaps is Pania. The demo snippets she’s been putting up on IG are sounding wild.

Who are some international artists inspiring you lately?
Lately, I’ve been listening to the new Floating Points x Pharaoh Sanders x LSO composition. One of the most beautiful pieces I’ve ever heard.

Best spot to eat in Melbourne?
Oooft, you can’t go wrong with a DOC G Pizza.

What’s exciting about the Melbourne music scene?
I feel like over the last 18 months now that Melbourne is slowly starting to open up again, we’re seeing a whole new wave of artists + community pull through. Super excited to see how that grows and transforms Melbourne’s music scene over these next few years!

Follow Isaiah Morris here for more.

Who is your favourite producer in Australia?
I am absolutely loving the sounds coming from Korky Buchek and Jujo.

Who is one local you’re feeling right now?
Rapper Sophiya! She has an incredible international sound and she’s about to release some SERIOUS heaters. It’s also pretty cool being her DJ haha. 

Who are some international artists inspiring you lately?
Metro Boomin might have to be my all-time favourite producer. His uniqueness really stands out in his amazing composition and inspires me daily. 

Best spot to eat in Melbourne?
I’m a fiend for Korean BBQ and my fav spot is Hallah in North Melbourne. 

What’s exciting about the Melbourne music scene?
I think the most exciting thing about the Melbourne scene is how diverse and forever growing it is- everyone is so supportive and there’s room for everyone to win. There’s always fresh faces and events on the scene; it’s never stagnant. 

Follow Kaira Cuvee here for more.

Who is your favourite producer in Australia right now?
Currently, I reckon OSSA over in Perth is my favourite Australian grime producer, bangers after bangers and his production stands alongside the biggest UK tunes in a set still, which is important!

Who is one local you’re act feeling right now?
Locally I gotta shout out my guys Posseshot, smashing it lately and not following whatever trend is running. They’re doing their own thing which you always gotta respect!

Who are some international artists inspiring you lately?
Vybz Kartel never leaves my playlists, but recently I’ve been smashing Skillibeng and old-school Meridian Crew sets.

Best spot to eat in Melbourne?
French Brasserie in the city is my spot!

What’s exciting about the Melbourne music scene?
Pre-covid we had the best live scene in the country and I’m hoping we start getting back to that. While Melbourne may not be the main player in local hip hop / grime currently, it’s a place where real culture exists and there is a real love and creativity for the arts like no other in the country.

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Who is your favourite producer in Australia?
It’s a tie between Aywy, Scruffs and myself! [Laughs] 

Who is one local artist you’re feeling right now?
Too difficult to choose one, but I’m really into Pookie’s recent EP Dinka Girl at the moment.

Who are some international artists inspiring you lately?
Kenny Mason, Odunsi The Engine, Little Simz, Col3trane, Tierra Whack

Best spot to eat in Melbourne?
Shop ramen in Collingwood or Very Good Falafel in Brunswick 

What’s exciting about the Melbourne music scene?
Everyone’s really hustling. There’s so much talent that’s got international appeal here and people aren’t afraid to work together to build together.

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Who is your favourite producer in Australia right now?
Korky Buchek!

Who is one local act you’re feeling right now?
Kaira Cuvee.

Who are some international artists inspiring you lately?
Snow Tha Product, Lil Kim & Doja Cat.

Best spot to eat in Melbourne?
Nothing like home cooked Greek food!

What’s exciting about the Melbourne music scene?
The emerging talent and the unity within the Hip Hop scene.

Follow Sophiya here for more.

Who is your favourite producer in Australia?
Right now it’s Silentjay. His brain for production is absolutely wild, and his musicality makes his tracks zing. His work on Sampa the Great’s album ‘The Return’ is amazing, they both absolutely deserved that ARIA, what a duo! 

Who is one local you’re feeling right now?
I’m really digging Close Counters right now. I’m such a fan of their live show – they absolutely killed it at Meadow Festival, and the new line-up is bangin’. They have been doing some awesome collabs with some of my favourites; Jaydean, Wallace and Allysha Joy. 

Who are some international artists inspiring you lately?
I’ve been getting really deep into techno recently, and one of my favourite artists is Stef Mendesidis who was born in Russia. He creates all of his music in a process called one-take recording which makes for super interesting compositions. I’d definitely recommend checking his music out. 

Best spot to eat in Melbourne?
My favourite spot to eat is probably Viet Rose. It’s right in the centre of the gigging hub, and they make the yummiest laksa. It’s the perfect combo for me, I must admit.

What’s exciting about the Melbourne music scene?
I think we are really lucky in Naarm, as we have such a rich culture around the music scene. I think what’s really exciting is that there are so many people of varying identities who are on the cutting-edge of their craft. People aren’t afraid to take risks, and so we see all sorts of wild collaborations. It can be super visceral at times, which is my favourite kind of performance – multi-disciplinary and evocative. Everyone really backs each other in Naarm too – it’s super wholesome. I see myself as being super lucky to be surrounded by people who push the boundaries of their artistry on both a musical and political/social level. Having people like that around definitely inspires me to create and live audaciously through my art.

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Who is your favourite producer in Australia?
It’s hard to say one producer but I’d say Silent Jay, Ben Oldland and I.amsolo. Jay is the king of flips, his beats take you to another world and you forget that you’re here. Ben is unique with his textures so his production catches my ear. We’ve never met but Solo’s just a g.

Who is one local artist you’re feeling right now?
Rahel — She’s my lil sis. The world isn’t ready for what’s about to hit! A.GIRL from Sydney —I appreciate the flow and bars. Always been a fan of Jerome Farah. It’s inspiring to see someone who can produce, mix and master their own work to such a high standard. On top of being a great artist, he’s a good dude.

Who are some international artists inspiring you lately?
Baby Keem, Cordae, Kendrick, SiR and Junii to name a few. MixedbyAli has taught me a lot and made a huge impact on me as an artist. Something that I’ve taken away is to lift everyone around me up.

Best spot to eat in Melbourne?
Migrant Coffee in Footscray, great bagels and coffee there. Madang Korean BBQ Mitcham, 
SAHAR Afghan charcoal Kebab in Dandenong, Orexi in Oakleigh and Lanzhou Beef Noodle Soup Bar.

What’s exciting about the Melbourne music scene?
We have so many talented artists, DJs and producers who are about to make waves. Shoutout Jordan Dennis, Jujo, KYE, Soju Gang, Jordan Astra, Blushko, Tentendo, Yung Shogun, DJ SPELL, DJ Smilez, Arvan the Martian, $UBNET, STANZA and Lewis Hosie just to name a few.

Who is your favourite producer in Australia right now?
Silentjay.

Who is one local artist you’re feeling?
Lewho.

Who are some international artists inspiring you lately?
The Kount, Blue Lab Beats, Kaidi Thatam.

Best spot to eat in Melbourne?
Ras Dashen in Footscray.

What’s exciting about the Melbourne music scene?
The community and support, also the fact that there’s always something on and new talented artists emerging.

Follow Amin Payne here for more.