Music scene movin’ on up

A NEW studio space in the centre of the city is set to nurture music production, and creative connections.

Upstairs Music has been founded by producers Sarah Barclay and Matthew Healey, who noticed a gap when organising artists for monthly hip-hop nights at live venue The Eastern.

“We ended up booking the same people at every gig, so we thought if we could open a studio, create a space for more artists to come and learn here, get producers together and talking, then we can get to know more performers and book them,” Barclay said.

“DJs might want to learn how to produce, and producers might want to learn how to DJ.”

With a vocal recording booth, workstations and DJ deck, Upstairs Music is free to use, and can accommodate at least six musicians of any styles at once.

The co-founders, experienced in song writing, production, and sound engineering, are set to run weekly workshops and networking evenings, and are aiming to help new and experienced musicians advance their performance and recording skills.

“We’re giving them the tools they need to be able to learn how to make music, or perform music, and then we can use that as an opportunity to book them at our shows,” Healey said.

“We’re creating this open space to bridge the gap between bedroom musicians and professional musicians.”

Activating what was an empty shopfront, the studio based at 324 Sturt Street is part of the Ballarat Evolve program, and has been financially supported by a Creative Victoria grant to increase musical opportunities in the regions.

“It’s an accessible space in a really cool spot, right in the centre of town. People can catch the bus which stops out the front or across the road,” Barclay said.

“People haven’t seen anything like this in Ballarat before. I used to travel to Melbourne to go to a program like this, but we need these opportunities here.

“Like walking upstairs, no matter your skill level, you can always go up and learn more at Upstairs Music.”