From Local Crew to Underground Institution: SPICYMUSIC Hits a Decade

When Spice & Gypsy (AKA Liam Spicer & Katie McKenna-Spicer) launched SPICYMUSIC in 2015, they were filling a gap in Tasmania’s electronic music scene. A decade on, as they mark their 10th birthday, the project has become a fixture: more than seventy events across the island, a solid roster of international bookings, and a community that’s stuck around.

The approach has been consistent from the start. Warehouse raves, outdoor parties, club nights, even events in converted churches. Wherever there’s been a space worth using, SPICYMUSIC has made it work. The focus has always been on proper sound and lighting alongside bringing in artists that matter, whilst giving local talent a platform that didn’t really exist before.

What started as a small crew putting on parties has grown into something with reach beyond the island. They’ve built a reputation for doing things properly, bringing acts to Tasmania that wouldn’t have bothered otherwise, and maintaining the kind of atmosphere that keeps people coming back. It’s never tried to be anything other than what it is: a project run by people who care about the music and the space around it.

We sat down with Liam and Katie to look back over the last decade, talk about what’s changed, and what’s kept them going through ten years of building Tasmania’s underground scene.

Ten years is a significant milestone in the electronic music world. What does hitting this anniversary mean to you personally, and how does it feel to look back at seventy-plus events from warehouse raves to parties in churches?

It feels incredible to look back at the 10 years and all of the amazing gigs and events that we have been able to put on. We feel very grateful to have shared so many special memories with people over the years and to have made so many connections; many of our good friendships have been forged on these dancefloors. As DJs ourselves performing as Gÿps and Spice, we have always been passionate about electronic music, and this genuine love has truly helped us create memorable moments over the years.

SPICYMUSIC started because we often saw amazing acts touring Sydney and Melbourne, and we thought, why don’t we ask if we can bring Miguel Bastida to Tas when they announced an Aus tour in 2015. We started off with an amazing laneway party that got shut down by the police early, but we took the party inside and continued into the early hours of the morning. This started an incredible 10 years of bringing down some of the biggest techno acts in the world, allowing us to explore different sounds and push the boundaries at our gigs.

Its quite crazy to think about some of the artists that have played down here now in the unique environments we have created. To have Amelie Lens, Bart Skils and Farrago all play on a Sunday afternoon on a rooftop in Launceston to 300 people, to having acts like Peter Van Hoesen and SPFDJ play in a warehouse on the outskirts of the city, we have had so much diversity in sound, locations, and the acts that have played at our events. 

We feel we have really created something quite special down here, and the people who play at our events often comment about this. They love that they can connect with the audience, play to an engaged crowd, and experiment with what they like. Many international artists have reported that when playing in the bigger cities or bigger audiences, they might feel restricted or have to play to appeal to the audience in a way that feels like they might be limited or can’t express themselves fully, so we feel really humbled that we have created an environment where artists can push the boundaries and authentically express themselves.

We have not only been able to bring down big international acts, but we have also been able to highlight some incredible Australian artists and the fantastic local talent we have in Lutruwita (Tasmania). Many of our crew, including Allan Pillai, Liam Wood, Clay Crosier, RYD, Kony, Michael Zasadny, Arunya, Nufe, Karla, Solas, Jason O Grady, Ryan Day, Finch, Roger Davis, and LAMS, among others, have been instrumental in our events and are all incredibly talented DJs and producers. Seeing how the acts have grown, evolved their sounds, and explored themselves as artists at our events has been an exceptional experience. We are grateful to have these people not only as our crew but also as our friends. 

Tasmania isn’t exactly on the usual touring circuit for international techno acts. What are the main challenges you face convincing artists to make the journey south, and how do you make it worthwhile when they do?

One of the biggest barriers for us really has been the financial aspect, as sometimes bringing down big names and making it work with a smaller crowd than what you would get in Melbourne and Sydney has been a challenge. Particularly, since we have worked in spaces without an existing sound system or club setup, we need to hire DJ equipment, sound gear, and lights for every gig, and really put effort into creating and transforming the space.

There have certainly been many gigs over the years where we have lost money and couldn’t cover expenses. We laugh now at how, as essentially broke University students years ago, we had to pay off bills from gigs out of our own pockets. We just had such a passion, though, for creating these unique spaces and experiences, and we could see how special it was for everyone involved. We have also been grateful to work with many great promoters over the years who have been very understanding of our scene and have done their best to support us by offering reasonable fees to bring these acts down. Kyle Hand, Adrian Bell, and Monty McGaw have really looked out for us over the years by offering and giving us opportunities to bring down great acts. We continue to work with many great people to build and further our scene. We have also reached the point where our name was quite established that artists themselves often reached out to play at our gigs.

Many promoters offered us shows because they usually got good feedback from previous artists they had toured with, so that has been really nice. We have noticed that many touring acts are often quite surprised but also really excited to come to Tasmania. We laugh as we usually have this little SPICYMUSIC tourist routine of showing the touring DJs that come down and have the extra time to take them to the Cataract Gorge in Launceston, a beautiful natural landmark with water and nature, where we go on the chair ride, in fact the longest single span chairlift in the world, haha. We have also had many acts often spend a bit of extra time in Tasmania to look around and explore, which has been really nice for us. It’s great that these acts, which we really admire, get to spend some time exploring and enjoying our island home. 

Over a decade of events, you must have accumulated some interesting stories. What’s the most memorable, funny, or unexpected thing that’s happened at a SPICYMUSIC event?

One of the most memorable ones would be the night that Paul Ritch came down and played in Tas. He played a really killer set of proper techno, and at the end of the night, SPICE and Paul Ritch played B2B to close things out, which happened spontaneously and was a really special moment. In the excitement of it all, we then had an afterparty back at our place, and Paul Ritch stayed here playing for 5 or so hours before going to the airport to head back to the mainland. This was a special time all of the crew still remember. These are the moments when so many connections and friendships were formed, and we still keep in contact with many of these artists from overseas, which is lovely. 

Another example is DJ Lion giving production lessons to our crew in our lounge room, Henning Baer hanging out with us and inspiring us to do our warehouse raves, and many other times learning and being inspired by acts overseas to inform what we do in Tas. There have been so many special times both at the gigs and afterwards, which we will always hold dearly. We have also had lots of memorable funny moments with police attending numerous gigs due to sound complaints from kilometres away and then dancing themselves on the dancefloor, having banging techno artists like Perc and Dasha rush playing 140bm techno in Launceston 200 m away from a playground on a Sunday afternoon, and many special times getting to connect and form friendships with people all over the world.

In terms of memorable moments, there has been so many its tough to explain them all. Some of these have definitely come from gigs in really special and unique locations. The recent church party raves have been incredibly memorable. The parties at the skate park and our previous warehouse raves before COVID were really iconic for Launceston. 

You’ve managed to maintain that community feel whilst growing into a respected name on the Australian underground scene. How important is nurturing that sense of connection as a promoter, especially when you could focus purely on booking bigger names?

This has been a key focus for us, and we have intentionally decided at many points to keep our scene intimate and underground, rather than booking more commercial acts or trying to become a brand that hosts bigger shows. We have felt this has really contributed to creating something special, where rather than following trends or prioritising ticket numbers over experiences, we have carefully curated and allowed the development of a special and unique experience and scene. Our SPICYMUSIC crew and punters here really do feel like family. Many people have attended our events for years, and we have been grateful for that.

Over the years, young and enthusiastic individuals have been eager to explore different types of music and attend our events, which has kept us going. We equally see ourselves as punters and promoters. This has been a big part of creating this special scene. Although we are the ones putting on the night, we are still there on the dancefloor a lot of the time with everyone else enjoying the music and being a part of the community. 

This sense of community has really allowed people to experience genuine self-expression. So many have commented to us over the years that SPICYMUSIC has been a place where they can express and understand themselves more. That’s quite special in our view. We also have many attendees from specific communities, such as those of particular racial or cultural backgrounds, the LGBTIQA+ community, and the neurodivergent community. Creating a sense of connection and community on the dancefloor has been really special.

Some people have commented that it is the only nightlife space where they have felt genuinely accepted for who they are.  Many touring artists have also commented on how unique and diverse our audience is, as well as how receptive and open they are to different sounds.  For each person over the years, they have had their own special, unique moments that stand out the most, and it has been nice hearing these stories and shared experiences. Many people have become best friends or even couples from the connections and moments created at SPICYMUSIC. To think that our events have provided these opportunities of connection, which can change the course and path of someone’s life, is quite special. 

In terms of creating that sense of community and connection, we have also intentionally focused on really highlighting and showcasing the amazing acts we have in Australia. We have had some killer shows with Australian artists, and some that we have showcased multiple times. Acts like Laura King and Josh Heywood, whom we have featured numerous times, along with our own local DJS, have been integral to our scene here in Tasmania. We put a lot of effort into curating a lineup that flows and choosing people specifically who are going to suit the vibe and experience of that night. 

You started SPICYMUSIC in 2015 when the Tasmanian electronic scene was in a different place. How have you seen the industry and the local underground dance community evolve over the past decade, both in terms of audience and what’s actually possible on the island?

When we started here no techno gig was established and putting on gigs similar to us. Some great house music gigs were happening down here, and as artists and promoters, we really needed to find the balance between pushing a sound we loved and doing it in a carefully considered way to keep the audience engaged. When we started our gigs, dance music was much slower overall, and house was the dominant vibe. We had to push techno sounds more at the end of the night and be selective with the acts we promoted.

We laugh back at old times now as playing 130bpm techno at the end of the night seemed so risky and often would be hit or miss in terms of how the dancefloor would receive it, but it is not uncommon now for our gigs to start at 130bpm and progress to 160bpm at the end of the night. Songs were a lot more vocal 10 years ago. Over the years, we have had nights of pure techno with no vocals at all, and it’s quite exciting to see our crowd really locked into a rhythmic and hypnotic groove to proper techno sounds.  It’s been quite a special and exciting opportunity as promoters to direct our gigs and the sounds we promote in areas that excite us, opening people up to many different musical experiences they might not have had otherwise.

The scene has definitely evolved now to enjoy harder and faster sounds and also be more open to quite psychedelic and abstract forms of techno with artists like Setoac Mass, which we have featured multiple times down here, and also faster and ravier sounds like Laura King, who has been a key headline act at our event. Our local Lutruwita artists have really brought so many unique and interesting sounds to the scene down here and their sets have been at such a high standard, really keeping up with the headlining acts. Over the past 10 years, Tasmania has really grown in terms of electronic music, which is great to see. It has been amazing to be a part of that massive shift and culture change. 

You’ve brought some notable names in techno and underground dance to Tasmania. Who are some of the most memorable DJs or live acts you’ve hosted, and were there any bookings that felt particularly significant for SPICYMUSIC?

In the early days, we were big Drumcode fans, so having artists such as Mark Reeve, Enrico Sangiuliano, Secret Cinema, Wehbba, Paul Ritch, Luigi Madonna, Bart Skils & Pig & Dan was a highlight.  

We knew when we had artists such as Amelie Lens and Charlotte De Witte that it was extraordinary and still blows our mind to this day. To have these artists, who play on some of the biggest stages in the world, perform in our hometown for 200-300 people with such a special and intimate atmosphere is quite crazy. We also got to spend time hanging out with these artists and getting to know them on a personal level, which we will also keep as memorable moments.

Having artists such as 999999999, Setaoc Mass, Klangkuentsler, SPFDJ, Peter Van Hoesen, DINA, Anetha, Henning Baer, and Marcel Fengler really helped us push into a new area of techno that we loved and wanted to showcase. In more recent times, artists like Laura King and Alpha Tracks, two of the headliners for our 10^th party, have been truly memorable and special acts that have highlighted the sounds we love. It has been amazing to have so much creativre influence and direction on showcasing different forms of techno down here and we want to thank all of our audience for being so open minded and receptive to exploring these different forms of music. 

Working with councils, licensing authorities, and venues can be challenging for underground promoters. How have you navigated those relationships over the years, and what’s your approach to working with authorities in Tasmania?

It’s a great question, and certainly years ago, there was often a lot more stigma and misunderstanding about dance music culture and techno in general. I think one of the key aspects has been demonstrating how special and important it is to foster this culture here in Lutruwita, and that it is about more than just the music. We have often seen many young people feel there is nothing to do here, or that friends and others must fly to the mainland to attend gigs like ours, which offer good quality music.

Being able to express to the council and other authorities that music is a cultural and artistic form has really helped our case over the years. I think they have increasingly recognised that we are known across Australia and internationally as a brand, which has helped them realise the importance of creating a special scene like this. We have demonstrated the importance of being professional, inclusive, and developing good relationships in the community. By doing so, we have built a brand that is now respected in what we do and has given the opoportunities to work in some really cool and unique spaces. 

From clubs to warehouses to churches and outdoor spaces, you’ve used quite a range of venues. What goes into choosing a space, and how much does the venue itself shape the atmosphere of each event?

Down here, we haven’t really had many established club spaces where we can just show up on the day and put on a gig. Because of this, we have had to think creatively about using existing spaces and transforming them to match the vibe and atmosphere we want to create. This has often involved using venues like pubs, rooftop spaces, or unique locations such as warehouses and churches to meet aesthetic needs and create an environment that suits our sound. This has undoubtedly been a challenge at times, and our SPICYMUSC crew have spent countless hours over the years on the day before and after a gig lifting speakers up and down stairs, meticulously decorating spaces, and giving such attention to detail on things that others would overlook to create a unique and suitable space.

To us, the space needs to suit the vibe of the music and the direction of the night. For example, we have often enjoyed fast and groovy techno sounds on the rooftop space at Irish, hypnotic and proper techno in great spaces such as the Oak, hard and dark techno sounds in warehouses, and abstract, groovy, psychedelic, and rolling sounds in spaces like the church that we utilise. We have been so incredibly grateful to have had a creative crew over the year that has helped transform these spaces for the night. From our friends creating unique pieces of artwork, our visuals artist Alex creating custom visuals to suit each space, and our light and sound crews bringing in sound and lights to fit the environment of each space and the sounds which will be a part of them. 

You clearly prioritise quality sound, lighting, and production values. Why has that been important to you, and how do you balance production quality with keeping tickets accessible?

This has been a non-negotiable for us as we think it’s essential to have good sound and production at the gigs. We have really had to work with people over the years to refine and create setups that work uniquely for our gigs. This has often involved our crew having input and assisting in making decisions and changes as necessary. It has been a challenge at times to maintain high quality while keeping ticket prices accessible, and we feel we have found a pretty good balance in that respect. We want the gig to be high quality, but we also don’t want to have an event that unintentionally excludes people from attending due to the pricing.

We have continued to create a tiered ticketing model with super cheap early bird tickets and increasing prices to factor this in. We are aware that, in comparison to many other gigs both in the state and in Australia, our ticket prices are very reasonable. This has always been the case, and shows our genuine love and passion for creating unique experiences and a beautiful community, which we have. 

Looking ahead, what’s next for SPICYMUSIC? Are there any particular bookings, venues, or directions you want to take the project as you move into your second decade?

We are excited and humbled to be on this journey and certainly want to continue for many more years to come. There have been so many ups and downs in this journey, and we are so grateful to everyone for being a part of it all. Particularly, our SPICYMUSIC local DJs and crew have been instrumental in keeping this going, fresh, innovative, and exciting. Thanks to everyone for being a part of this. We want to continue throwing parties in unique and unusual locations, mixing club spaces with outdoor gigs and other events in warehouses and spaces like the church.

We want to continue pushing the boundaries of different sounds, and there are so many artists we would love to have down here one day, although we acknowledge it might be challenging. Artists such as Ben Klock, Marcel Detmann and Rodhad have always been on our lists, so that would be a dream. We would also love to really push our local artists as a part of our SPICYMUSIC crew and assist them in reaching their dreams and goals as artists and DJS. We have an incredible pool of talent here, and we hope these artists gain more exposure both nationally and internationally, as they truly deserve it and are incredibly talented.

We would love to thanks for the punters for the continued support and bringing your unique and authentic energy to the space. We couldn’t do this without all of you and you dancing on the dancefloor is what continues to keep this community going. Thank you from the bottom of our hearts, and looking forward to many more moments of connection and shared dance floors to come in the future. 

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