As I leave the familiar sights of Brisbane’s inner city and head south-west towards the suburb of Inala, I notice the landscape begin to change. The cityscape gives way to long stretches of industrial blocks and modest housing. This urban context, known for its high Indigenous Australian population,1 is one of the case studies in a large nationwide project called Sound Links, on which I am working (for further details, see Bartleet et al. 2009). In particular, we are focusing on Stylin’ Up, an Indigenous-owned hip-hop and R&B festival and skills-development program, which is hosted in the suburb of Inala. This afternoon I am undertaking fieldwork at a local community centre involved in the program. Soon after arriving at Elorac Place, I notice the loud vibrations of hip-hop beats coming from an adjoining room. After a few minutes, Craig Cranston from Inala Youth Service walks in and warmly greets me. Craig is supervising the afternoon’s hip-hop workshops. ‘Do you want to come take a look at what the guys are doing?’ he asks.