In a city where weekly parties are a rare find, Dust Tones continues to be the quiet achiever. Started in November 2005 with the failsafe philosophy of “cheap nights with top dollar music”, it’s still committed to the cause five years on.

That top dollar music covers hip hop, soul, dub, funk and beats to name a few, with a strong focus on homegrown talent. Ahead of this weekend’s Dust Tones fifth birthday, we’re turning the Looking Local spotlight on a party that has truly earned the title. Here’s what Event Promoter Bentley had to say.

Back when Dust Tones started, was there was a niche in the Sydney scene that needed filling?
I wouldn’t say that there was a niche that needed filling, as there were a lot of people doing independent parties that were different to the mainstream when we started. I guess that in the five years since we started most of them have stopped and while there has been a few new ones start, we have been the only weekly hip hop, funk, soul, dancehall and beats party for a while. I guess where I would like to feel that we filled a niche is in the quality and diversity of the music we have always played.

What have been some of the challenges you’ve faced running regular events in Sydney?
Number one challenge by far is the hip hop scene itself. Not many venues want to touch it and not many promoters want to wear the costs both mentally and financially that come with it. It seems to eat itself at a club level.

Some people can’t get past the fact that they thinking tagging is cool. I have had many a conversation with people about how tagging is not one of the elements of hip hop, while people seem to see it validated as some kind of expression of self or a need to be recognised.

But to be honest, it’s bullshit and will be the end of hip hop, at least in Sydney anyway. Venues are tired of repainting their toilets after every party. The irony of it all is that the people who tag are usually the ones crying that they have nothing to do and no parties to go to. It’s a shame that the minority of people that are like this ruin it for others who love the music and culture, but not the bullshit.

Number two is the support for up and coming acts. Once people reach the stage of say Urthboy, Hermitude and Thundamentals or Hilltop Hoods, Bliss N Eso, Muph and Plutonic, Koolism and Mantra, people have generally heard them on the radio, bought an album or seen them at a festival. They know who they are and will come to a local show.

But I guess that’s why we try to blend experience with fresh talent so that people get exposure to new talent. There is a massive gap opening between previously mentioned groups and the next crop of talented artists. Groups move on and play a majority of festival shows with the odd club or smaller show. Although I think that with the current festival crisis this might turn around in a year or so.

There’s been a lot of talk about the state of our local club scene. What would you like to see more of?
More venues that are mid-sized, but with proper PAs. Lots of new small venues have popped up that have DJs and music, but Sydney needs venues from 250 to 400 to 800 that have good PAs and in central locations.

This is due to stupid residents that move into hip areas that have nightlife and then decide to shut down the very things that made that area cool to begin with. Doesn’t make sense does it? Also, more people going out; that always helps. Diversity, too. I don’t think the Sydney scene is that diverse for its size. Most cities have a strong scene around most music genres, but Sydney seems to lack that to a certain extent.

There’s been a strong focus on homegrown talent on your line-ups. Has it been inspiring to see local artists really excel in hip hop, dub, funk and so on?
It has been amazing! People like Urthboy who played our second birthday at The Clare Hotel, to about 200 people, is now rocking international festivals and the main stages at local ones.

Also Thundamentals, who have been playing for us for years, are really starting to blow up. I think that once their second album drops they will be a household name in Australia. At Dust Tones, we felt lucky to have people like Hermitude play our 5th birthday – they are one of the most unique Australian acts and have played in places like Japan. Again I also think that once their new album drops a lot more people will be talking about them.

It’s also great to see what lies ahead with people like Scott Burns, Dialectrix, The Tongue, Alphamama, Paper Plane Project, Tuka, The Versionaries, Sweet Az Soundsystem all about to start making some serious waves.

What’s the vision for the future of Dust Tones? Does the philosophy stay the same?
Our vision has always been to bring quality music in an intimate setting to people for a reasonable price. This stays the same but our events will no longer be free, but from the looks of our first party on 28th January it’s well worth the money. We have an amazing bunch of acts, from an international, to interstaters to Sydney’s finest. Definitely one for the diary. You can find out first at www.dusttones.com.