INTERVIEWS
A bang, not a whimper: CYBER shows off what Meanjin is made of
As the summer comes to a close for one of Meanjin/Brisbane's most exciting promoters, we catch up to understand what the city is bringing.
X CLUB., dameeeela, FUKHED. When it comes to artists breaking out of Meanjin/Brisbane, the list just seems to go on. A state regularly overlooked when it comes to national tours, recent years have shown that there are plenty of locals ready to step up and keep things interesting.
Among Meanjin promoters, CYBER is very comfortably at the head of the pack in regard to the size of its bookings, and the trajectory of the locals it works with.
Run by Jonathon Jackson (he/him), CYBER has played host to some of the most reputable names in modern dance, including recent shows featuring Samba Boys (the collaborative alias of Scotland’s Kettama & Tommy Holohan), Surusinghe, Mall Grab, Effy and many more.
With an upcoming warehouse show set to include Patrick Mason, VTSS, Swisherman and Mixmag ANZ Cover Artist Atarangi, another major CYBER Summer is coming to an end not with a whimper, but a bang.
To reflect on the Summer that was, and to get a read on what CYBER truly means to Meanjin, we sat down with Jonathon.
Q: Jonathon! Thanks so much for making the time to speak to me. So can I ask, first off, how did CYBER start?
JJ: CYBER started from small parties in warehouses, parks, or spaces that would allow us to throw our events here in Brisbane. Wherever I could find to host them at the time as traditional venues didn't value it as much.
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Q: What inspired you to start it in the first place?
JJ: Brisbane has always had such a rich music scene that felt mostly overlooked. The production from artists here felt so fresh & interesting, but clubs seemingly were not pushing them forward like you'd think. It was a collection of community groups & crews putting forward these interesting offerings. I wanted to be a part of that greater community and show off artists I thought were doing amazing things.
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Q: I understand X. CLUB was involved from the beginning, can you explain that in more detail to me?
JJ: X CLUB. are incredibly close friends of mine, we lived together in Brisbane. We would always try to push the boundaries on what we thought was possible, just trying to make our own mark. But they have always been a key part of the scene here - whether that's attending parties or throwing their own.
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Q: Brisbane has traditionally been overlooked when it comes to big artists’ tours. Why do you think this is?
JJ: I think other cities like Melbourne or Sydney would often be highlighted due what they were initially offering. They have more infrastructure in place to hold these types of events, as well as a wider community that seems to frequent clubs & events.
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Q: Do you think that’s the case anymore?
JJ: COVID really shook things up for Brisbane. We had a lot less lockdowns than other cities, and you'd see clips of our warehouse parties being shared all over the internet. People were wondering where these parties were, who was playing or how they could attend. We always put a lot of thought into the visual element of the show as well so these clips just went viral with people asking more about them.
Q: Can you give me a rundown of what your experience during & following COVID was?
JJ: COVID initially shut down a lot of events, but the aftermath opened up the doors for a lot of new possibilities in music. There was more attention on the Brisbane scene, and with a lot of clubs closing it opened up more crews to shine & show off what they were doing. It felt like it was all bubbling up to something massive so when restrictions lifted more & more, there was an explosion of talent in Australia.
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Q: Some of CYBER’s earliest events feature a list of names now reserved for headline slots across the country, including. Skin On Skin, X CLUB., Pretty Girl, SWIM, Sam Alfred, Club Angel, Claire O'Brien, JamesJamesJames, FUKHED, and many more. How did you come to create relationships with this many artists?
JJ: A few of those artists started here with us in Brisbane! But CYBER was always focused on supporting artists early and carrying that support throughout their respective journeys. A lot of those artists we would actually just reach out to them when they had never played interstate before and just try to bring them here to show Brisbane something we thought was new & interesting.
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Q: What do you think it is about these people that’s seen them become so highly sought after?
JJ: I'd honestly say it comes down to authenticity. There are so many amazing artists with a near-infinite amount of insane music out there. So I think people connect with how raw & real those artists are. They feel more connected with the art, how it came to be & why it exists in the first place.
Q: FUKHED told me in an interview with her that you were the person that taught her to DJ. Do you see yourself as a ‘mentor’?
JJ: Yes! I taught her how to DJ but she's far exceeded any of my teachings haha. I'm not sure if I would use the word 'mentor' to describe myself though, I just want to see more artists succeed that I see that ambition in.
Read: “What I like is all I have,” the meteoric rise of FUKHED
Q: You’ve said that CYBER teaches newer artists the trick of the trade. How does this actually work, practically?
JJ: I mean that in a sense where Brisbane was overlooked. It was a very difficult market to grow out of and be seen from other areas of Australia or the world. I feel like I have learnt so much as CYBER has grown and how that all worked that I share that insight with artists trying to be seen as well.
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Q: You’ve brought over artists like Salute, Kettama & others. Why do you think harder house & hard groove is having such a moment?
JJ: I think all genres have their moment and of course trends cycle through on a broader scale. However I think these artists are just making powerful & emotive music that they like right now and people are responding to that. I've never seen CYBER as a genre specific brand.
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Q: You sell a load of tickets, upwards of around 3000 on a seemingly regular basis. Is there a secret that you’ve uncovered that other people haven’t? Or is it just intuition?
JJ: You have to consider every single element of the show and once you have done that - it's still only the beginning. The lineup, venue, sound, lighting, and everything that goes into the experience is so important. But after you get all of that you still only have a good event, then you need to be building community & operating wider than the event itself.
