Calling all aspiring artists! Budweiser are giving you the opportunity to be heard and mentored by some of the best musicians in the industry, as well as the extensive and hugely influential A & R team over at Universal Music Australia.
In other words, if you’re an unsigned producer looking for a fantastic opportunity, this is definitely one to consider. By just submitting your original music, you give yourself the chance to be approached by the Made For Music mentors who will provide you with fantastic feedback and Made Masterclass videos to ensure you are being given beneficial and priceless advice to consider.
But you better hurry, today is the last day to enter this very special competition so if you’re interested in being mentored by some of the best producers around, read on.
One of the groups included as part of the Made For Music mentor team are THE ASTON SHUFFLE.
Canberra boys Mikah Freeman and Vance Musgrove began cultivating the sound behind THE ASTON SHUFFLE back in 2006. They currently host the Friday Night Shuffle on Triple J, one of the most coveted and widely listened to radio slots. They’re regularly featured in the well-known and highly treasured Ministry Of Sound compilations, and as well as this, the duo has released two well-received LP’s.
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Garnering attention not only in Australia, but internationally too, it’s safe to say that the boys are probably one of the biggest names in Australian dance music.
We took a look and a listen through the incredibly extensive back catalogue the boys have, and have handpicked our top 5 jams THE ASTON SHUFFLE have graced us with so that you know exactly who you’ll be mentored by and if you enter today, you may become great friends with.
5. The Aston Shuffle ft. Will Heard ‘Comfortable’
A track to inspire many runners to keep their pace, ‘Comfortable’ is one of THE ASTON SHUFFLE’s 2013 releases that would be later featured on their 2014 LP, Photographs.
An intense heart-starter that knows how to push a great rhythm onto you, ‘Comfortable’ is a testimony to the lengths the duo has gone to in continuing to extend their sound. Playing with silences, longer hooks and a beautifully convicted vocal line, it’s a single that introduced a reformed sound.
4. The Aston Shuffle ‘I Wanna See You’
I think this is the track to clearly demonstrate their shift in beat making. They have put more emphasis on a changing sound, and it truly takes the track on a longer and more intricate journey than previously. It’s a subtle change, but it’s one that becomes more prominent, particularly in their latest album ‘Photographs’.
3. The Aston Shuffle ‘Tear It Down’
An ode to the slower side to their production, they’ve certainly tempered their sound down to a minimum. One that is often hard to do, it just goes to show how confident THE ASTON SHUFFLE are with their skills.
It’s a mid song shift however that makes this ballad-esque intro turn into a fantastic dance track, with a hook to make you move.
2. N.A.S.A. ft. Kanye West, Lykke Li & Santigold ‘Gifted’ (The Aston Shuffle Remix)
I think this was probably one of the first remixes I’d ever had in my iTunes library that hit over a hundred plays. Taking on a track of this caliber with artists so reputable really surprised me. Even when it was 2009 and I was a fourteen year old who’d only been in high school for a year and a half, I’d always wondered why they’d touch something so opulent and simultaneously already so accessible. But it made sense.
The way the production constantly warped and changed to suit the featured artist’s input to the song intrigued me. How KANYE’s rap was a bouncy beat with an airy, glock style synth running around it. How the vocals from LYKKE LI & SANTIGOLD feature a more sustained synth that eventually erupts into hook central. One of my all time favourites.
1. The Aston Shuffle ‘For Everyone’
Even from very early in the game, the duo was solidifying their place in Australian dance music history. With a DAFT PUNK-esque stream of vocals paired over a busy many layers of synth, their sound originated as one of complexity and extreme thoughtfulness.
I’m a terrible nostalgic, and a sucker for journeys, so it made sense for this to be number one. ‘For Everyone’ was THE ASTON SHUFFLE’s first major single back in 2007, and quickly forged a name for themselves as innovative and largely what would become influential in the future.
It’s certainly easy to see just how much THE ASTON SHUFFLE have contributed to the Australian dance music scene when you look back at their extensive discography.
It’s a testament to their hard work, incredible skill and years of experience. It is all of these factors that make them such reputable artists, and in particular, what will make them such incredible mentors as part of this incredible opportunity.
The Made For Music program is something that will assist any aspiring producer reach their full potential and with THE ASTON SHUFFLE on board, you know that if you win this year, you’re bound to be given a bunch of tips that will stay with you throughout your career. Today is the last day to enter the competition so if you think the Canberra duo have a thing or two to teach you get onto Made For Music now!
Words by Caitlin Medcalf, Hannah Galvin & Lauren Payne
SEE ALSO:
LONDON GRAMMAR 'WASTING MY YOUNG YEARS' (THE ASTON SHUFFLE REMIX)
THE ASTON SHUFFLE FT. MAYER HAWTHORNE 'NEVER TAKE IT AWAY'
