The Tongue

After dropping his debut LP Shock And Awe in 2007, The Tongue has continued to solidify his presence locally with a couple of outstanding mixtapes: Redux and more recently, The Tongue Is Dead. The pair showcase a robust versatility as well as fleeting moments of experimentation said to be the cornerstone of The Tongue’s ensuing follow-up LP due in 2010.

What’s been going on in the land of The Tongue since your debut album? What’s changed?
Well I’m a better rapper than I was and that’s through doing lots and lots of shows I would say. I guess just getting better at the craft and all aspects of it from performing to organising to being a bit more disciplined. Shock And Awe took me almost a year to make whereas these mixtapes generally take me three months so hopefully I’ll just keep getting faster and better at it.

What did you see as the advantages of bringing out another mixtape at this point in time as opposed to an EP?
It’s a mixture of things. I want the next album to be a bit more experimental. I want it to be pretty different from the other stuff. So for me, the mixtapes are a chance to show off my straight rhyming skills basically. Also the mixtapes are much easier for me because the number one problem I have in the creative process is finding instrumentals that I like. I think there’s a lot of good beats being made in Australia but they’re not exactly what I like or what I want to do. It’s been a bit of a struggle becase a lot of the best producers are really busy, really expensive or live far away so there’s a lot of problems. The mixtapes are a way of staying sharp, to get better at music you’ve got to keep doing it, like a boxer going back to the gym.

The mixtape obviously takes its cue from De La Soul’s second album. How did you see the concept as fitting in your career right now?
I just thought noone in the Australian hip hop scene has died yet. In the States there’s Biggie and Pac, Jam Master Jay, a lot of great artists have died and you see what happens after they die, people actually stop and pay attention to them and realise the amazing talent. Biggie seems to be more celebrated and appreciated now than when he was alive. I’ve always wanted to do a concept record but worried a little about restricting myself too much. Then this idea came along and I realised I could have fun with it…I can do a rap from heaven, I can have Urthboy doing a eulogy for me, I can have my Dad narrating the first skit. I also liked the idea that it would say ‘The Tongue Is Dead’ in a lot of publications so people would spin out.

You seem to have approached this mixtape in the same manner you might with an album. Is this the way you see it?
Yeah. A lot of dudes, when they do a mixtape, they have a book full of raps that they haven’t used, maybe not even songs just verses and the just find a beat to rap over. That’s cool but there should be more to it than that if you’re going to respect your listener. You want to make it as entertaining as possible so yeah, I do try to approach the mixtapes like an album-a variety of styles and songs-actually making songs, not just spittin your 16’s that your not going to use otherwise. My mixtape is my best shit at the time, not my left over shit.

“…A lot of dudes, when they do a mixtape, they have a book full of raps that they haven’t used, maybe not even songs just verses and the just find a beat to rap over. That’s cool but there should be more to it than that if you’re going to respect your listener…”

The Tongue Is Dead obviously features covers of previous songs. What are you looking to achieve in your interpretations? What’s your philosophy on it?
Well it’s two things. One is to show my respect to the originators. The reason I pick those songs is because I think they are classic, amazing tracks in most cases. The other side is, I meet a lot of dudes on tour who have this very strange approach of ‘fuck American hip hop.’ They think it’s wack, they think Jay-Z is wack, they think Lil Wayne is wack, they think most American stuff is shit. Hopefully people will hear stuff like Imagine and go back to the original Dre and Snoop track and realise it’s a great song. I’m hoping people will hear some of the tracks I’m referencing and go check out where they’re from. Hopefully it will be educational.

There’s a strong anti-authority stance on The Tongue Is Dead. What do you see as the drawbacks of modern policing?
I think fundamentally you have to look at the type of people that decide to become police. I thought about it at one point, that might shock a few people but it’s true, I thought about becoming a cop. Then I realised I don’t agree with half the fucking laws they’re paid to enforce. I’ve protested against various shit, that’s our right to say we don’t agree and we should not be stopped or silenced in any way. I’m not saying everyone at protests are a perfect angels but I saw people pepper sprayed, beat down, girls trampled under horses and it’s just like there’s no need for this shit. With APEC, they came into Sydney and just completely shut down the city, all these roads and cops everywhere and helicopters in the fucking sky three times a day. You just start thinking ‘hang on a second, this is just a private army for these guys who claim to be our government.’ I don’t think Malcolm Turnbull is in any way qualified to be the next prime minister, he’s a multi-millionaire and he’s never spent any of his personal money helping other people, he doesn’t seem to have any great ideas for this country, he’s just a dude who wants to be powerful. The police are just going to do whatever he says. If he wants to bring George Bush to town, feel like a big boss and shut down Sydney and the cops are just going to do it then how can you respect the cops? If they’re not going to question the orders they’re given then how can you respect them? The rights they got through the terrorist stuff is just crazy, they should not be allowed to do half this shit. They should not be able to detain you without a charge and say that you can’t contact people, that’s fucked.

You’ll be supporting Pharoahe Monch on a couple of the legs in his upcoming tour here. What has been the most memorable live show you have played?
At the start of the year I played with Public Enemy, that wasn’t the craziest show I’ve done but their album Muse Sick-n-Hour Mess Age was one of the first hip hop albums I ever bought. So for me to be supporting them was this weird, come full circle feeling. After that night I thought ‘wow, maybe I don’t need to do anymore hip hop, I’ve done enough, if i quit now I can say I’ve opened for Public Enemy.’ But then again, if I had of stopped there, I wouldn’t be supporting Pharoahe now. Playing with Dizzee Rascal just after he had a number one in the UK-that was a hype show as well. Big Day Out was another one because that was something I went to a lot as a kid, to actually be on the bill was crazy.

You seem to be pretty creative with your hustle with Shock And Awe having received partial government funding. What schemes have you got going on to keep the funds up?
Well you can make quite a lot of money from mixtapes. I can get 1000 pressed up for around $1200 and then if I sell them at shows for $10, I’ve got nine grand. Selling 1000 mixtapes is not the easiest thing to do and it’s not going to happen in two weeks but the with Redux, we got rid of 2000 copies and had 8000 downloads so that’s 10 000 people hearing a mixtape. So you can start to see how it’s really useful, especially with album sales going down so much. I’m always hustling one way or another, you’ve got to, nobody’s going to do it for you.

So you definitely think it’s paramount to be creative business-wise in a declining industry?
Yeah you can’t rely on just being a good muso anymore, you have to have your facebooks, twitters, myspace. You have to make sure your show is dope. You have to hit up the right promoters, get friendly with them. You have got to be a complete management team.

Besides the new album and the Pharoahe support, what’s on the agenda for the next few months?
I’ll be playing Peats Ridge Festival, doing a few shows with Astronomy Class as hype man. Next year will just be buckling down with this album basically, continuing the search for beats. I’ve got some cool stuff already but hopefully I’ll have the record more or less done by the first quarter of next year. Hopefully going on an overseas trip after that.

www.myspace.com/thetongue06

N’Fa-Cause And Effect

Bias B

In terms of execution, Bias B’s latest album Aerosol Era would have to be the best Australian release of 2009. It’s a potent documentation of the trials and tribulations of Melbourne yards in the late eighties and early nineties. A true king of the scene, Bias has shunned widespread appeal in favour of presenting a poetic snapshot of graffiti culture with utmost integrity. Aerosol Era encompasses every inherent facet of graffiti in an amazing collection of 12 tracks.

At which point did you decide upon compiling a concept album?
It has been something i have wanted to do for a while now. My graffiti days were the best years of my life and I’m always catching up with old mates reflecting on when we were young and out of control. I grew up with Duet and Puzle who I still see often and they were putting the Kings Way book together which really brought back the golden memories. We were calling each other to get all the info correct to make sure it was spot on. They helped me with some paint colors and crew names and they would call me for some old Hurstbridge knowledge. I started putting it to paper and 5 months later I had an album finished. I wanted it to be straight up Melbourne and to write a piece of history which will teach the new comers where the roots of the culture began.

Did Aerosol Era enhance your appreciation for the place of imagery in your lyricism?
I think that there is so much imagery and energy within the Graffiti culture that it all just fell into place. I’ve always been someone to try and create an image for the listener and tell a good story so with Aerosol Era it was really easy to bring up those memories and create an album that captured the feeling of those early days. You had to live it to really know what it was like but the younger guys still feel it so that means a lot to me.

Fresh Flavours has all the elements of a nostalgic track recounting past dalliances with the fairer sex. Is this the impression you were going for?
No not at all. I began by writing down all the colors I could remember. Then I was speaking to Duet and Puzle to get some more but tried to keep it as only the colors I used. I grouped them into brands such as Touch-Up, Killrust, etc and then worked out what rhymed with what. When those combos ran out I started going with colors that began with the same letter. When I used to rack paint I would come home and just stare at all the colors. It was like you could taste the colors. That’s where the Fresh Flavours title came from. Stocking up on the paint gave you a feeling within that was on the verge of love so I can see where your question is coming from.

Aerosol Era also makes highly effective use of sound effects. Did you have this in mind from the outset or was it something you figured with producers on the go?
It was the idea from the start. Train rocks, boom gates, the rattle of the tins. Most of them were recorded in one night with Mixa. He borrowed some equipment from school and we went out on the lines. I ran up and down the tracks, jumped fences, threw bags of paint on the ground, recorded dogs barking and hit up some fencing with the bolt cutters. I wanted to make it as real as possible and think I pulled that off.

Right at the heart of the hook for Style, there’s a couple lines: ‘y for the youth of yesterday’ and ‘y for the years that pass by.’ Do you think this is the essence of Aerosol Era? Progression and acknowledgement? Romanticising the golden days?
The years and youth passed is definitely the essence of the album. I believe history is the most important thing in anything you do. Learn where it came from before you try to take it further. At the time I don’t think anyone realised how big the graffiti culture was. We were just living it at the right time in the right place. I would give anything to go back to 88-89 for one more day. The days may be gone but the memories will never fade away.

Is there a slight contradiction on Racked That in a sense of a magician never revealing the method or did the desire to tell a great story win out?
Racking techniques were never the secret only the spots it was racked from. Same goes with yards that could be painted and different ink mixing techniques. The knowledge was handed down to the younger writers but the whereabouts of the paint, markers and easy spots to paint were kept quiet as long as possible.

“…I’ve had some older writers tell me they felt like crying and had tear in their eyes while listening to Aerosol Era and reminiscing…”

Do you think racking and graff go hand in hand?
In our days definitely. These days it would be much harder. Paint cost too much to buy and the thrill of stealing it was the same as going out and using it bombing. It made you feel so alive.

What was it about the Mobb Deep original that compelled you to cover Temperature’s Rising?
I have done many covers over the years and its always the same way they come together. I’ll be listening to something and start making up lyrics as a joke. I changed Temperature to Tempera-the most popular marker of the late 80’s-and visualized it as raising my drink to someone. My Tempera’s Risin’. Putting up a tag in respect of falling kings.

Are there certain songs on the album that you would be inclined to listen to, say, when looking through collections of photos from the past?
Definitely Melbourne Memories. Most of the old guys wouldn’t even need a photo album. You can sit there and visualize the works of the artists in your head. So many classic walls and trains that got painted and styles that got created. It started as 3 verses. Then I added number 4 which was 16 bars. Then I went back and dropped another 8 in between the 12th and 20th bars and even then I have left many names out. Even today more names keep coming to mind. That is why I kept it 86-94. Maybe 94-onwards could be another track itself. Even then it will never end. If anyone got forgotten I’m sorry. Only so much I could put into one song.

Were there any particular musical releases that inspired and spurred on the creative process behind the album?
Not really but I wanted to include The Escapes Of Futura 2000 somewhere in there. That was a classic track from Futura 2000 produced by the Clash back in the 80’s and a track that writers the world over could relate too. For anyone that doesn’t know he was one the kings from New York in the 70’s and 80’s and is still very productive. I used a cut from it on Aerosol Era which ends the track really nicely. “I saw names everywhere, style color and flare, I knew I had to join in, I knew my answer was there.” From the outset I wanted everyone involved in the album to be a part of the graffiti scene also. The only exception being Miss Brown who is Decider’s wife so she just scraped in to fit the criteria.

Do you think the geographical references littered throughout Aerosol Era are paramount in shaping this candid account of the graff scene?
Yes definitely. Melbourne was known as the New York of Australia and had the best writers in the country. It was very important to give the geographical references so people knew where I was at and can go back today say “hey I’m on platform 10 Richmond station. This is where all the kings hung out”. Or stand outside 301 Flinders Lane and look up knowing that that was the head quarters for the transit police and where many graffiti careers ended.

What’s the reception to Aerosol Era been like? Have you received much feedback from writers in particular?
Before it dropped there was the usual outcry from toys saying why are you doing an album about graf. You don’t paint anymore. That’s toy. How many panels did Bias ever do bla bla. The thing is I wrote this for the kings and the writers I grew up with in the golden era of Melbourne graf. When I get people like Dskyz USA, Puzle and Tame DMA telling me how much it means to them to bring back those memories-that’s what its all about. These are the people who made me love the culture so much and in turn made me the person I am today doing what I love today. I’ve had some older writers tell me they felt like crying and had tear in their eyes while listening to Aerosol Era and reminiscing. That is 10 times more important to me than getting radio play or making money. Its giving back that feeling the older generation gave me. So it didn’t matter what the toys said. I wrote this one for the kings so I didn’t expect the toys to understand.

What’s your favourite track off the album and why?
I would almost say Militant Mind State because of the beat and the samples. I think it catches the vibe well. And is different to everything else on the album. No. 1 pick though is Melbourne Memories. I impressed myself by putting that together. It’s only names and it may alienate many fans who don’t know the people I’m talking about but its about the structure of the lyrics that make it my favorite. I think I pushed myself a little harder on this album and the response has been awesome. I have not actually seen or heard a bad review yet. Thanks to everyone who picked it up. I hope it gave you an deeper insight into the best years of my life growing up in Melbourne City.

www.myspace.com/bias_b

The Tongue…Is Dead

It’s the business…cop it here: www.thetongue.com.au

1. The Funeral
2. Can It Be? ft Joyride
3. Crazy ft Joyride
4. Let Us Live ft Jane Tyrrell
5. MVP
6. Hate Waiting ft Blades
7. DJ Skoob Interlude
8. Universal Mind Control
9. Terrorist Hotline
10. Run ft Dazastah
11. Ghost
12. Imagine ft Ozi Batla and Joyride
13. Sunday
14. Urthboy’s Eulogy
15. Heaven/Outro

edit: this is copping some serious rotation.

Fluent Form

Hailing from Melbourne’s south east, Fluent Form dropped his debut Chapters Of Substance last year. Independently hustled, it was a gritty, sullen introduction to the talented wordsmith. Come 2009 and he’s already knocked out another full length album, The Furnace. For the most part, it’s a dark manifesto, serving as an outlet for rage and dissatisfaction. Produced by Geko, Doc Felix and Must amongst others and featuring Brad Strut, Ciecmate and Fatty Phew amongst a host of Melbourne talent, The Furnace is another praiseworthy notch in the MC’s belt.

Over what sort of timeframe was The Furnace recorded?
This album took about 7 to 8 months to complete. For some, that may seem like a quick amount of time for producing an album but we could have actually gotten it done in an even shorter amount of time. I’m diligent with my writing and I make sure to write everyday and as Geko handles most of the production, we share a similar work ethic. He’s always pumping out the beats and that allows us to make quality music without taking strenuous amounts of time to do so.

What lessons did you take from Chapters Of Substance into the process this time?
Not to rush into things. Don’t be to eager to drop a release. Hone your style, find your niche and really deliver your best work. Also, doing the distribution myself for Chapters Of Substance was a good lesson on how things operate outside the musical part of this game. I had great feedback which I drew upon when creating The Furnace.

Every Step exhibits perspective on your path thus far. What has most profoundly influenced the music you make?
Definitely my environment and life’s lessons. I’ve matured so much in the last few years and looking back on the shit I used to get up to, I can’t help but think to myself “what the hell were you doing?” But like most musicians, inspiration can come from anywhere. I draw upon everything.

The video is fairly simple but potent at the same time. Who made it?
My man Discourse produced that gem. I oversaw the clip, But Discourse really brought it to life with his vision. Classic clip, I’m very happy with it. It is definitely the most budget clip haha. Was awesome to see our method work so well. We didn’t even have a green screen. We just took out an old green blanket from the cupboard and used that!

How do you interpret the title The Furnace?
Good question. For me it entails everything. My burning desires, rage, my fuel that feeds me, burning wack toys haha, life, lessons, greed, envy, growth, anger, obstacles, reward, death, life…everything.

What’s the response to the album been like so far?
I’ve been blessed to always receive great feedback. I must be doing something right. People have definitely seen it as a big step up from my previous work and that’s what I wanna hear. Some of the heads that I really respect and look up to have all loved it. So it’s great. I’m proud of this album, just hoping I can reach a lot more heads with it. You gotta keep evolving.

“…I wanna tap into your soul, your mind, your being and make you think. Make you feel a rush, make you see where I’m coming from or even bring you down into my depths with it…”

The Furnace is filled with vivid concepts and imagery, especially on tracks like Short Stories, Do you enjoy operating in this voyeuristic vein?
Definitely…I wanna tap into your soul, your mind, your being and make you think. Make you feel a rush, make you see where I’m coming from or even bring you down into my depths with it. The power of music is phenomenal and to be able to make another person stop and think about something you’ve written, is the reason why I do this.

Paper Chase Days discusses good ol’, elusive scrilla. What do you work as a day job?
Nothing at the moment haha. I’ve done all kinds of jobs, from your typical laboring in a factory and call centre shit, to working with disabled children. At the moment, I’m literally living off the music. But I got a kid to feed, so I gotta get the old looking for work section out of the paper and find myself something new. I ain’t moving units in the thousands you know, haha  But I’m doing alright with the hand to hand hustle, centrelink and waiting for my quarterly payment from sales in the stores.

Is Endless Road an epilogue of sorts to Every Step?
You could look at it that way. It’s more like no matter what I do to try and better myself, I always end up back where I was. Back on the antidepressants, back on the dole, back into trouble. Back on that endless road.

The last handful of tracks on The Furnace take a slight turn in vibe with some subtle injections of funk. Was this a conscious placement? Finishing on a not-so-dark note?
Yeah, I wanted to add in a few beats that weren’t expected. The album is pretty dark for the most part, so I thought I’d chuck in a little bit of a twist and hit the listener with something different. Something they wouldn’t have expected on first listen. It might not fit the template of how to keep continuity in an album, But I like how it takes that new vibe and brings you back into the album via a different process.

4 Aces with Mata, Must and 1/6 is a nice touch of variety. How did you reach out to these fellows?
They’re all friends of mine. Once again I’ve been blessed to be surrounded by great mates who are all extremely talented and really bring their A-game to the table. It’s always fun to get your friends on a bit of a posse joint, especially when the outcome is so dope, haha.

What can you tell me about the Crate Cartel collective?
Crate Cartel consists of Geko, Raven, Discourse and myself. Just four guys doing their thing and who pride themselves on nothing but the highest quality production. Whether it’s rhymes and beats, or artwork and music videos. We’re coming!

What’s on the agenda for the next few months? Any shows in the pipeline?
Yeah, just organizing interstate shows, got a few launches in the next month and opening up for some big acts. So I’ll be keeping myself pretty busy for the next few months. Plus I’m always working on new music and ways to continue growing and establishing myself as a premier wordsmith in this country.

www.myspace.com/fluentformmusic

Fluent Form – The Furnace

The Furnace is the second full length album from West Melbourne MC Fluent Form. A staunch, 14-track offering, it’s dropped on Melbourne imprint Crate Cartel with distribution from Obese. The depth and diversity of lyricism is top shelf for an album of this hue. Whether conceptual or anecdotal or just straight, in-ya-face, battle rhymes, Fluent keeps it cohesive with an accomplished flow as well as a discrete tone. The Furnace also boasts an impressive line-up of guests: Brad Strut, Ciecmate, Mata, Must, 1/6, Fatty Phew, Maundz, Raven and Geko-a distinguished cross-section of Melbourne talent.

Short Stories is a despairing account of various sordid life situations. Fluent exhibits the desperation of a young woman resorting to oldest profession in the world as well as an entrepreneurial drug fiend. The epicurean dalliances of both man and woman ultimately lead to their downfalls. A sonorous piano loop, swirling string section and a rigid drum loop accompany the destructive anecdotes. Though it would have been nice to hear K21 incorporate some more of the sorrowful choir sample throughout. Fluent Form excels once more on Paper Chase Days. Following an intro of typical rap hustle, he discusses the various means of subsistence afforded to a centrelink-funded recording artist. The lyricism is propelled by a scathing mentality towards the critical dollars. The track is filled with quotables. “…Not a major in any occupation…” along with the effective hook are revealing and instantly relatable. Take Notice is a highlight of The Furnace. Ciecmate handles production as well as dropping a verse. The beat is on that villainous tip listeners have come to expect from the man. Another menacing strings and piano combo compliments the verses from Brad Strut, Ciecmate and Fluent. Strut opens with an ostensibly simple 16 bars. Multisyllabic rhymes are broken down with an ease of delivery. Kilo from Art Of War also makes an appearance with some super nice cuts.

The style of production that powers The Furnace is appropriate though it was somewhat of a tease to be eased into proceedings by the soulful riffs of Spit Surgeon. Perhaps the album could have strengthened with a more balanced distribtuion of production, as things get a little bogged down in the guts of it. The touches of Doc Felix and Must on Authorized and 4 Aces breath some fresh air into The Furnace later on. The disparity of beats is no more apparent than with successive tracks Spit Surgeon and Every Step. The Furnace is a exemplary album, Fluent Form is an MC to keep an ear out for.

Chasm & Vida-Sunshyne – Move

As one of the Australia’s premier beatsmiths, Chasm has achieved a great deal. After signing to Obese Records, he released his debut LP Beyond The Beat Tape last year. Featuring some of the country’s most able MC’s, it cemented Chasm’s name in the local scene. His electric talent has also been on display as one third of Elefant Traks’ ARIA-nominated group Astronomy Class. The outset of summer marks a new chapter for Chasm, collaborating with soulful vocalist Vida-Sunshyne for the release of his long-awaited follow-up Move.

The LP kicks off with Lion Up, one of a handful of Chasm’s impeccable interludes. Various horns and keys work together seamlessly in an undulating series of crescendos. Lion Up heralds the infectious reggae vibes present throughout. Set Me Free is another instrumental highlight, featuring traditionally offbeat keys and beautiful vocal sample underpinned by a crisp drum loop. It’s a track that exhibits the pure class of Chasm’s production. Move takes a cannabis-fueled digression with the track The Highest. Vida Sunshyne and Damajah discuss the plant as well as its implications with regards to the law. Chasm keeps proceedings rolling along at a swift pace only to be interrupted by a smoked-out, exhaling Vida at the death. The worldly percussion sits at the forefront of the mix, providing a simple foundation for the marijuana musings. Punchy brass rings out at the beginning and intermittently throughout it’s submissive to the multiple layers of rhythm. Twinkle Twinkle brings British hip hop artist Million Dan into the mix. Along with Vida, the pair highlight the glittering, ever-growing credibility of hip hop in Australia. Ozi Batla also appears to have done a spot of ghost-writing work. Chasm, never missing a trick, provides another exquisite beat.

In essence, Move is an inadvertent dichotomy of themes. Chasm’s brightly-tinged soundscapes offset the, at times, serious introspection of Vida-Sunshyne’s lyrics. Successive tracks like Meditations, Stress and later on, Arguments reveal a strong emphasis on the mental. Though it’s hardly one way traffic with the uplifting sentiment of Give Thanks with impressive MC Mantra. Damajah is a worthy addition on a bunch of tracks throughout this invigorating LP, lending his ragga vocals. Chasm is a producer who continues to excel, every release profitting from his midas touch of sorts. Move is one of the more vibrant releases locally this year, a frantic exposition into the reggae realm of Chasm. Well worth picking up.

Anon Speak

Anon Speak, comprising of MC Lakonic and DJ Fokus, are a relatively new duo out of Victoria. Early last year the pair decided to bridge a pronounced divide in mentality and musical sensibility. The result is a very unique debut LP; Conventional Emporium. Lakonic’s lyrics are an esoteric bombardment, every verse packed with meaning. Fokus’ production achieves its purpose of delving into the stated mid-90s boom-bap sound but also works with a wider pallette including touches of indie rock and drums & bass. Lakonic elaborates…

From what I’ve heard, Anon Speak is a somewhat unlikely pairing. How did you originally meet and what led to a desire to producer music together?
Fokus and I met digitally actually. Since I live so far from the city(Melbourne), digital contact is all I have with the rest of the supposed ’scene.’ I believe he was scouring for emcees to rap on his beats and I was scouring for producers to make some beats, so we were both searching and just ended up finding each other at the same time. I know there’s a lot of purists out there that would call this process amateur or slack but to be honest, digital communication is just how it is now. As it was, we only met this way but less then a week or so after contact, we were underway, trying to just make some good music and see where it eventuated.

You’ve released a few solo demos and such. What do you see as the merits of both that and a group dynamic?
That’s the interesting thing. By the time Fokus and I had started working together, I felt that with the demo’s I’d done, I was at a comfortable enough level to start working on a feature length. Initially, it was my intention to bash out a dark, dynamic and somewhat different release and it was actually at this time that Ivens released his debut Sounds to Expire to, which resonated with me deeply-not so much because of it’s level of execution and quality, but because of it’s confident and bold move to stand out in this heavily jaded, outdated market. At the same time, it also crippled me a little because he had superceded any ambitions I had personally set for myself and even though I knew Fokus and I were travelling down a different path, the high expectations I forced upon this debut were catapulted over what I felt was realistically achieveable. Nonetheless, we moved on and I began to see that the sound we were concocting here was way too big of a step for my solo stuff to progress to so in the mixing stages, we just decided to share the load equally and create this side duo project. I guess because of this decision, only since we’ve started doing shows have we seen this as a group thing. It is the first time I’ve worked completely with one producer as opposed to just bedroom beats or producer friends so I guess in that respect, it’s been nice to have a much more cohesive, tightly fitted project together but yeah, group dynamic vs solo? Whatever sounds good.

What was it about DJ Fokus’ production that originally piqued your interest?
If someone had said I’d have been doing a release with DJ Fokus, I would have said bullshit. His production in general is the complete opposite to anything I’d choose to work with, but the funny thing was when I filed through some beats he showed me, there were a handful or so that were incredible, most of which you hear on the disc. They were progressive and had movement to them, structure, difference and they weren’t merely loops-that was the lynchpin. I wanted to create structured compositions and not just raps over loops because you find a lot of the time there’s no sense of connection there; raps will just run parallel with the production but they never fuse. I took a risk in thinking that Fokus could do something no-one else could and it most definitely paid off.

Over what sort of timeframe was Conventional Emporium recorded?
Conventional Emporium was recorded over about four to five months at the Magician Records lab. Given all the technicalities, mixing process, promo, distro, cover design etc, four to five months was when we had the skeletons done. But it’s been well over two years now since we started.

It’s certainly an abstract, philosophy-heavy release. Do you think this is a inherent feature of your lyricism?
No doubt. It’s incredibly hard to come from an alternative angle without sounding preachy, which is why I try and cloak my words in a level of ambiguity. It’s funny too because much like artists, you get critics that dissect your content, lay it all out across hundreds of pages of thesis’ and texts, all the while the individual sits there going “meh…it’s just a painting”. I like the idea of having a simple concept, and just stretching it and fleshing it out across the course of a song because what one person will see in it, another will see something else, and so on. To be honest, you find most people don’t even listen to the lyrics-if the flow is good and the beat is strong and/or suitable, people will enjoy it. I’m just trying to supply a cataylst to get people thinking.

The press release for Conventional Emporium states: ‘Anon Speak are…striving for originality in a stale and distilled local music scene, breaking down hip hop stereotypes.’ What paradigms do you see yourselves as having broken with this release?
I think the ‘Australian hip hop’ mould was set many years back and it’s unfortunate that everyone who releases product under this term gets predisposed as befitting of this title. Not the case. I’d say we’re not aiming to break certain paradigms as such, or even that we have, we’re just trying to expand the narrow minded ones so they know you can do something different, you can fuck about. We plan to progress to the point where we may not even be categorised under hip hop, and I think that’s where a lot of these guys miss the point-you don’t have to be the genre you’re creating music for; music is music.

“…I think that’s where a lot of these guys miss the point-you don’t have to be the genre you’re creating music for; music is music…”

Tell me about the significance of the trinket box in Broken World Of The Borderline.
I read a few different philosophical texts from time to time and at the point of receiving this beat, I was finding it difficult to think of some concepts that would fit it. At the same time, I was trying to understand all this philosophy so it was a fucked case of saturated writers block, but once I took a step back and realised that half of this philosophy is just about people thinking too much about the world, life, the big questions and whatnot, I decided to harbour all these thoughts as a single entity, hence the trinket box. Yeah, it’s bit of a large concept but that’s what’s makes it so easy to apply it to anything – the trinket box can be existence or the trinket box can be simply that, a trinket box. Up to you.

There’s a certain line: ‘…our lives are just rentals to the morgue…’ which captures the predominant mentality of the album for me. Do you think this is a fair evaluation?
Yeah, it would be fair to say that. I mean by no means is this a positive record, we don’t aim to please, and I guess since there’s already so many people nationwide and even worldwide trying to deliver their two cents through music, all you can do is throw yours on the stock pile in the hope it collects interest. This is not to say we’re down right pessimistic, but being realistic is better then gambling with false hopes.

You’re somewhat of a movie buff and it shows in the selection of vocal samples on the album. Is it a satisfying process to have something on the pad correlate with a profound exchange on the screen?
Oh yeah, definitely. I love cinema probably more then music and in fact, most of my inspiration for writing comes from themes or dialogue, cinematography or even sound effects from films. It is very difficult to get a quote that works within the context of a track though because often, a quote will summarise a track for someone who is unsure what the concept is about and if the quote doesn’t fit, people get altered or even conflicting perceptions about what the track is truly about. At the same time, if you can get them to gel, it can enhance a track just enough to improve it’s value and I guess much like crate digging, the obscurer the reference the better.

How did you go about being picked up for distribution by MGM?
Fokus’ label Magician Records was already signed to MGM distribution prior to our collaboration. With Anon Speak, we were keen to start afresh and see if we could lynch a deal with a more exclusive hip-hop distribution company, but we soon discovered that this was a real bad time for distribution labels. In the end, we just decided to go with MGM because of the unstable footing surrounding the more prominent distribution houses. We’re not complaining.

What was the desired concept when it came to the album artwork?
With the artwork, I wanted some crazy, fucked up illustration from the outset-I actually had more of a direction in what the artwork should look like then the music. Initially, we started looking international for some illustrators across the globe who could achieve what we wanted, but we soon realised we didn’t have the funds nor the convenience or prompt communication to be able to achieve something good. I then started browsing local art galleries until we came across the art of Pierre Lloga, whose amazing landscape stretches across the cover. It was interesting to see how well the artwork combined with the music and there’s a somewhat noticable death metal style to it, but I don’t think we’d have it any other way. It’s epic, dark, a little weird and suits the project better then anything I could have thought of.

Are there any plans to tour at this stage? How are things looking on the live front?
At this stage, touring is probably out of the question. We love doing shows, but we don’t have the credibility to pull the kind of crowds. We’re really just trying to get our live show right by doing a few hip-hop specific lineups, then we might branch out and try to jump on some rock, electro, heavy metal stages, basically anyone that will take us just to see how they react. We’ve done a few shows so far, most being well received so we’re just gonna keep doing shows, keep pushing the CD.

www.myspace.com/anonspeak

Koolism – JMJ Til Infinity

Hau and Danielson of Koolism recently recorded this fresh little ditty in dedication to legendary Run-DMC DJ Jam Master Jay. October 30 marks 7 years since the man’s untimely passing. Titled JMJ Til Infinity, this is what Hau had to say about the track:

“…in honour of the man and his work, we have created this song. A tribute. A homage. A big thumbs up. We’ve decided to give it up and turn it a loose to the people right now to appreciate as the date approaches next week. This tune will not be on our forthcoming album. So you can blog it, mixtape it, gift wrap it even Serato it…”

Click here to play or download JMJ Til Infinity. Koolism’s fourth LP The Umu is nearing completion.

Phatchance

Phatchance is a young emcee from Sydney. Having started out on the now defunct Nurcha Records, he now tours frequently with Coptic Soldier and Mind Over Matter as part of their new collective I Forget, Sorry! Featuring prominently on the Triple J Unearthed charts for some time now, Chance is finally set to release his debut opus Inkstains. Though Phatchance’s talent transcends the mic as he’s recorded, mixed and mastered the whole project.

Inkstains has been a long time coming. What have been the greatest impediments to its release?
That’s a tough question man, I could tell you all about the record label issues, family problems, self doubt and technical hitches I faced along the road. Probably when you get down to the core of it though an inherent laziness and addiction to games on facebook and the like is the real villain, though.

Whatever happened to Nurcha Records?
Honestly that’s a really hard question as well, Nurcha as an idea was a beautiful thing, having a group of friends who were all passionate about music and operating like a family was one of the best times of my life, musically, so far. At the end of the day though Nurcha was a business and the independent music scene is highly competitive, I think probably it was a lack of experience and a desire to push the limits of what was possible for a really small label that nailed the coffin shut. I mean, I’m still really good friends with a lot of the artists who were on the roster, some of us have stayed together, some of us have moved on to other things, but the label didn’t have the resources to keep operating, especially once the stores came into play.

What line of thinking was the title Inkstains born out of?
I’ve always loved the idea of doing albums conceptually, in essence Inkstains, both as a title and a release is trying to convey the mark that writing has made on my life. It’s also about the mark that life makes on the self. As an album I knew it was going to be extremely personal and probably a little messy, I felt that I needed a concept to keep everything coherent and once I teamed up with the artists involved in the cover design and worked closely with the physical production of the album, that idea tied together really nicely into a final package.

There are some tracks on the album featuring some fairly pointed lyrics towards certain individuals in your life. Have you received any backlash over the references?
Haha, definitely. Some of the feedback has actually been really good, I think some of the songs were very important to the way my relationships with people have panned out, I’m in a pretty content place right now emotionally and I think a lot of that comes down to venting negativity in my music. With that said, a few of the tracks definitely didn’t go down to well with the people they were about. I guess it’s kind of unfair that I have this very public medium to explore my point of view on events and the people I’m writing about aren’t necessarily afforded that luxury, I’m not going to claim I’m unbiased either, I try to be as honest as possible in my music with the way I view things, but if you don’t see eye to eye on a situation then I’m never going to be able to convey the whole story.

What sort of vibe were you looking for when selecting producers?
The production on the album grew in a very organic way, a lot of the songs were conceptualised long before I actually found the beats, but I never start writing without the music in front of me. I think since I’m a fairly melancholy person the music I source has a tendency to lean in that direction. I didn’t select producers so much as make friends with producers and begin working with them on a professional level, which meant that it really came together over time and as my life progressed. Some of the tracks changed beats two or three times, other beats got fleshed out a lot with live instrumentation or additional production work on my end of the board, since I engineered the whole album I had a lot of control over the end product in terms of arrangement and structure.

Is it more of a blessing or a curse to record, mix and master the entirety of your own release?
It’s a double edged blade, on one hand I couldn’t stand to lose control over the end product, I have a catalogue of earlier mixes and recordings of the songs and I’m so glad I was able to work up to the last minute and make those final tweaks whenever the muse took me. At the same time it really is a full time job without the pay, you can spend hundreds of hours getting a single song right when you are responsible for every aspect of its production. I’m glad the beats were handled by other producers though, I think that granted the album a diversity of sound it wouldn’t have had if I were also making the beats.

You’ve been on tour with Pez recently, how’s that been?
The Pez tour was really fun man, I was only on for six of the legs but I had a great time, it was crazy seeing all these new faces at every show, the Australian Hip Hop scene used to be this nucleus of heads and every show you’d bump into familiar people, now it’s a wash of strangers, but passionate strangers…which are the best kind.

What can you tell me about the I Forget, Sorry! crew?
I Forget, Sorry! is comprised of myself, Mind Over Matter and Coptic Soldier, basically we’re a group of really good friends who’ve been working together and making music for a long time. It’s a collective, rather than a crew, we tour together and design ways to cross promote and cross market our music. It’s been a really positive thing to be a part of and is probably a large part of the reason Inkstains ended up getting finished. The bonus discs are probably my favourite part of the collective, on every artists release there’s a numbered bonus disc with a few exclusive remixes or unreleased tracks from themselves and the other guys in the collective, it basically means more free music for fans and it makes touring a lot easier to organise.

How does the Samuel Beckett quotation in the album artwork tie in with what transpires on Inkstains?
I’ve always loved that quote, it appeals to me on a personal level and I felt it encapsulated the theme really nicely. To create is such a large part of the human experience and probably the most meaningful thing I’ve ever done, the quote captures that feeling. I also wanted to stray as far from the stereotypes people(often unfairly) associate with Australian Hip Hop, I felt that combining that particular quote with the visual imagery in the design was a good way to break down preconceptions about what a listener is going to expect to hear on the CD.

“…I guess to those people I’d give a thumbs up, throw my headphones back on and bump some more Death Cab, haha…”

As mentioned, you’re somewhat of a fiend for the social networking sites. What role do you see these advents playing in regards to your music?
Honestly I think the day of breaking out via a particular social networking tool is gone, nowadays they’ve formed a very necessary means of engaging with your fan base. I think the days of the inaccessible cult celebrity are diminishing, I find it really rewarding and enjoyable engaging with listeners on a personal level, social networking sites let anyone who wants to contact me, they also let me promote whatever I’m doing to a target market of people that actually care about what I’m saying. I don’t expect any particular method of promotion to transform me from an unknown artist to a popular artist, but I feel like it’s easier than it ever has been to put what you’re doing into the public eye, from there people can make their own decisions and evaluate my art.

Do you feel the chemistry generated between you and the featured vocalists are vital to the album’s impact?
The feature artists are such an important part of the release. By definition there’s going to be less change across an album as a solo artist, those vocalists(and instrumentalists) let me take a step back and provide a really critical break in the proceedings. It was a pleasure working with talented like minded people across the album, I learn more from a day in the studio with another artist than I do from a month of working on the album alone.

Speaking of variety…the album features quite a gamut of instrumentation. Is this something you were eager to accentuate?
Definitely. I absolutely love working with musicians. The basslines and guitar lines especially added heaps to the album, they let me change the vibe of the songs where I wanted to, thickened out the overall sound and added another layer to the arrangements. My best friend Kieran played the bulk of the bass on the album, so it was also an opportunity to catch up with him regularly, something I haven’t been able to do enough since high school.

What would you say to those who dismiss your music as overly emotional?
Haha! That’s a criticism I expect to get, I can’t really think of another artist in Australia that’s made an album with as many melancholy songs as this, but that’s my sound and it’s what I’m into musically. I grew up listening to people like Jeff Buckley and Atmosphere, those artists resonate with me because of their down tempo, emotional tracks. My favourite song on peoples albums are the tracks that bring out a lot of feelings, so I set about making an album where the bulk of the tracks did that. I guess to those people I’d give a thumbs up, throw my headphones back on and bump some more Death Cab, haha.

The fairer sex and matters of the heart are popular topics throughout Inkstains. Tell me about the concept behind Invisible Queen.
Invisible Queen rides the line between playful and earnest. I wrote that track when I was really frustrated about a particular girl I’d been chasing, it seemed everytime I felt like she was within my grasp she would dissappear. My friend N.U.G. sourced me this wicked beat by DJ Hoppa from California, the same guy who did Choof Choof Train and Up Jumped The Boogie for Bliss N Eso. It has this kind of playful, eerie vibe, so I took that energy and the idea of the invisible queen is what I ended up with. I’m shooting a video clip for that track in November with some really talented film producers slash DJ’s by the name of Heroes Of The Party, hopefully that video clip will illustrate the concept a bit better than I can with words.

How did the collaboration with 360 come about on The Catchy Song?
I really wanted to get some solid features on the album, I’ve been friends with 60 for a long time, we’ve played a bunch of shows together and I have a lot of love for what he does, I also really wanted to do a song with Smiles Again. Akouo sent me a beat that was more happy than anything that I’d usually use, I knew it was a great beat I just wasn’t sure how I could slot it in with the rest of the album. This was just after The Waitress Song had smashed Triple J, I noticed a theme and thought it would be funny to take a tongue in cheek look at those happy songs that seem to go viral. Both 360 and Smiles are really funny guys so I knew they’d be perfect for the track, unfortunately that meant I was up against the two funniest rappers in the country on a beat well outside my comfort zone. I was really happy with how it turned out though and I think it goes a long way towards balancing out the album and making it more accessible to a first time listener.

You’ve scored some impressive support slots to date. What do the next six months hold for Phatchance?
Honestly, there’s two versions of this answer, what I want to happen and then reality. In an ideal world the album will drop, it will be well received by radio and street press and I’ll set off on a mini tour in March, then follow that up with a solo tour later in the year. I’d love to tee up a good support slot on a major artists tour, but these things are really difficult to time and it’s all dependent on whether the right people enjoy the album and approve of what I’m doing. I’m going to put all the effort I possibly can into taking this album as far as possible, but so much of it depends on factors outside of my control that there’s really no telling where I’ll be in six months. I’m already hard at work on the next album though, and I’d love to release that late next year or early 2011. If there’s one thing making this album has taught me, it’s that momentum is incredibly important to getting anywhere.

Inkstains is out November 27 – www.myspace.com/mcphatchance