Side Selections | From Hakuba Vans to Falls Creek Dancefloors
Season 2 • Episode 8
A good ski season gives you plenty of stories. The people you meet OFTEN end up shaping the rest of your life.
For Paddy and Adam from Side Selections, that story runs through Hakuba, Rhythm Japan and Falls Creek. Both once worked for Austin in Japan. Now they’re helping create the nights that another generation of seasonal workers will remember (Or not) long after winter ends.
In this episode of Only Friends on a Pow Day, Austin catches up with his former crew to talk about building Side Selections, keeping The Man’s dance floor moving, and the friendship behind the business. There are old work stories, plenty of laughs and a proper appreciation for the people who make a mountain feel like home.
The work behind the party
Falls Creek nightlife doesn’t happen by itself. Behind every full dancefloor are artist bookings, promotion, late finishes and decisions about what a crowd actually wants to hear.
The boys explain how rotating DJs changed the experience at The Man. Shorter sets, different sounds and more people from the local scene helped create a night that felt fresh and gave more of the mountain community a reason to come along.
They also get into the less glamorous side of running events in a ski resort: rising costs, Australian artists heading to Europe, unreliable snow and staff arrivals being pushed back when the season starts slowly.
Friendship, après and looking after your people
Away from the decks, Paddy and Adam talk about their different strengths, the tough years they’ve supported each other through, and why their partnership works.
The conversation returns to the sense of belonging that seasonal communities can create. Good music matters. So does knowing the people around you, welcoming new faces and looking after each other.
Austin also revisits his own efforts to build an après scene in Falls Creek, while the boys share an idea they’d love to pursue: an outdoor music event that gives people another reason to stay on the mountain in spring.
In this episode
Working for Austin at Rhythm in Hakuba
How Paddy and Adam joined forces as Side Selections
Building on The Man’s events scene in Falls Creek
DJ rotation, local talent and bringing a community together
The challenges of running events through a ski season
Jooki’s music production and Melbourne DJ gigs
Friendship, loss and supporting each other
Après culture and spring festival ambitions
Watch the full conversation on YouTube or listen on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and your favourite podcast app. Share it with the mate who knows a ski season is about the crew as much as the snow.
Follow Paddy: https://www.instagram.com/paddy.dodd/
Follow Jooki: https://www.instagram.com/jooki__/
Hosted by Austin Toner | Production & copy by Elyshia Toner
