Triple Treat!!!

Technically it is still June, however, to kick off July in a big way for Certified Scribe here is the Triple Treat-interviews with Astronomy Class, Raph Boogie and Illy. Click on the links just there or scroll down for the goodness. Oh and while I’m writing up one of those little informal-type posts, may as well thank you all for your continued support for Certified Scribe. Keep visiting in droves and I will continue to drop quality interviews and reviews. By the way, I tried to find a picture on google images to accompany this post but besides pornography it was slim pickings. Cheers!

Astronomy Class

Sydney’s Astronomy Class are a blossoming enterprise. The trio of Ozi Batla, Chasm and Sir Robbo have recently released their second album; Pursuit Of Happiness. It’s a wonderfully consistent effort, building on the dub and reggae foundations established through Exit Strategy. They have also just completed the Where You At? tour, packing out shows around the country. Batla and Chasm told me what’s what.

How did you three meet and form Astronomy Class?
Chasm: Robbo and Ozi met at a night Robbo co-ran called ‘Frigid’. This is also where myself and Robbo first met, we were both playing in different bands, ‘Tooth’ and ‘Ukiyo-e’. I also first linked with Ozi through Robbo, back when i had just started making beats and was looking for someone to rap on them.

Pursuit Of Happiness is a much more positive title than Exit Strategy. What has changed since the last album?
Ozi Batla: I don’t know if it’s a more positive title, just a different perspective. The pursuit of happiness relates to the Declaration of Independence, “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness”. It’s about what we need to make us happy, and that’s the primary theme running through the album. So of course there’s tracks about the obstacles to our happiness as well.

In Dishing Dirt you mention the ‘Ass Class legacy.’ Can you tell me a more about this idea?
OB: Every artist, maybe every person, wants to leave a legacy. Having children is a legacy, doing memorable deeds, making art that remains meaningful long after it is made. As musicians, we want to make music that not only reminds people of a certain era, but also crosses generations and reaches people long into the future.

You fellas have a wonderful knack for choosing quality female vocalists. How did the collaborations with Vida Sunshine and Kween G eventuate?
We got to know Vida on tour with Jake Savona. We did a national tour together and she was performing at all the shows with Jake. Vida often jumped up with us at those shows for freestyles and we were all really feeling her raps and singing voice. So when it came to this album, we all agreed that we wanted her to feature throughout the record, I think her style suits us perfectly – soul reggae hip hop! Kween G we haven’t known for so long, basically we just got to know each other through the local scene here in Sydney.

Ash Grunwald is another impressive feature on All I Want. Did you always imagine the styles would blend so well or was it a chemistry that emerged whilst recording?
C: Ozi definitely had the vision with this track. Ozi really had the whole concept and idea for the track and gave us an example of the kind of feel he wanted from the vocal. I have to admit at first I wasn’t sure it would work but when I heard what Ash had put down I was totally sold! I love the tune, it’s an original little ditty! Ash also is a top fella and it was great to get him down to the studio for the recording. He can really shred on his axe too, damn!

Elefant Traks seems to have the recording side of things on lock with the professionalism of Mike Burnham at Tardis Studios. How long have you been doing things through him and how did you guys originally hookup?
C: I originally met Mike through a friend when I was looking to mix my first Chasm EP. I went down to Tardis and mixed a bunch of tracks including Point A Pen – the first tune I ever did with OB. Ever since, myself and Assclass have been going back to Tardis to get that certain sound Mike has going on there. With his 70’s Neve mixing desk and all analogue outboard, you can really attain that nice warm 70’s feel. Putting the tracks together on a sampler and computer, it is definitely great to get away from the digital and run the music through analogue equipment. So from 2004-2009 we’ve been mixing and recording albums there.

Can you describe how you came to view music in a vocational sense on Work?
OB: “If you’re blind to your skills then that’s a damn waste”. Everyone has something that they can do better than others, something that fulfills them. Hip hop, rhyming and writing was that something for me. I always knew the written word was my major skill, and both my parents were journalists so I was immersed in it from an early age. I kind of fell into being an MC, and then the adrenalin rush of being on stage got me hooked.

“…Violence and aggression at shows is a major turn-off for me and discourages women from coming to events – and who wants that?”

In Award Show, Ozi and The Tongue take some sharp jabs at the Arias, have you received any backlash at all over the namedropping?
OB: No backlash yet, we’re still hoping for some because that would mean they had heard the album.

Pull The Track Up tells some pretty familiar tales of city nightlife, were there any particular experiences which compelled you to write the song?
OB: Yeah all three verses were based in truth, from a mixture gigs I either played or attended last year. It’s about the cycle of violence and how everyone, from the band to the punters to the security guards to the cops have to show some responsibility in keeping the dance “peace.” Violence and aggression at shows is a major turn-off for me and discourages women from coming to events – and who wants that?

Mary Jane is a track which exhibits a previously lesser-known side of Astronomy Class. How often do you see Mary? So to speak…
OB: I can only speak for myself, I’ve had a long relationship with Mary Jane, not always good, often times great. I wanted to write realistically about the topic, not just a typical “praise the weed” tune. As Greg Nice says on the hook, “too much of anything makes you an addict”, and that’s the crux of it right there.

What inspiration do you source from a film like Do The Right Thing which you have previously referenced and now sampled?
OB: I’m a huge Spike Lee fan and have been since I was a teenager. His movies for me were like the visual embodiment of Chuck D’s lyrics. It made me yearn for this mystical borough called Brooklyn and filled in the blanks from all the New York rap I was listening to. I still think he was one of the smartest, most challenging film-makers of our era.

Ozi how long ago did you begin to experiment with vocalising and how did you discover the talent?
OB: I started rapping when I was a teenager but didn’t really get fully into it until 1996 when I was at university. A friend introduced me to DJ ALF and he and I forged a partnership that lasted for years – jungle, drum n bass, hip hop, George Benson, reggae – he played anything and I rapped over it. In many ways our unwillingness to stick to one genre helped me create my own style and gave me an appreciation of all good music.

The issue of illegal immigration has found its way to the fore of politics in Australia once more. Ozi, as an outspoken critic of policies both past and present, how do you feel about Prime Minister Rudd’s approach to processing the string of boats seeking asylum locally?
OB: I feel that the Rudd government have been weak in their stance on refugees. The boat people referred to by all and sundry as “illegal immigrants” are legitimate refugees until found to be otherwise – 95% are found to be legitimate. It’s not a question of what we want, we have an obligation to accept refugees – and a moral one if we are going to involve ourselves in wars like Iraq and Afghanistan. Rudd’s too scared of the national mood on the issue, which was inflamed by Howard, and I don’t really believe that’s what people in the party want. That’s just weakness.

Are we ever going to hear a collaboration between Astronomy Class and labelmate Mista Savona?
C: Hey I would love to make that happen, good idea! We should get on to that, now you mention it…there’s been no talk of it but it’d be HEAVY if we made it happen, that’s for sure.

What other projects do you guys have on the boil currently?
I’m currently working on my next Chasm album, it is a collaboration with Vida-Sunshyne. I know Sir Robbo and Ozi are both looking to start work on solo joints too.

www.myspace.com/astronomyclass

Raph Boogie

Raph Boogie is somewhat of an enigma, the Melbourne emcee manages to juggle a number of enterprises including the Crookneck and Blank Clothing imprints and on top of that, fathering a family. Thankfully for fans of his efforts as part of Mnemonic Ascent, he has found time to craft his debut LP Le Bump. It’s a diverse effort, filled with party anthems as well as a handful of slower, intimate tracks.

You’re an individual with his fair share of preoccupations, how do you find the time to record an album?
Writing raps is just something I have always done, once I started mixing the music with visiting my friends like Plutonic Lab and Danielsan then naturally we would just work on stuff. I love hanging out and socialising but I get caught up with my projects and family and in turn miss lots of events and stuff, so when I worked out that I could catch with friends and make music at the same time I was real happy.

There is an impressive, global array of producers all wrapped up in the new album, has your previous work on Behind The Beat endowed you with a greater level of insight when selecting producers?
One thing I learned from my experiences from the book is that everyone works differently, some producers make beats and send them out for sale, other guys only make tracks with the rapper and other producers will sell beats to whoever just to survive. When it came to my record I was more interested in working with the producers from the start and
getting the music up together with the ideas I had. Like everything there is no wrong or right way, and the way I did this record is probably not going to be the way I do the next.

Do you feel the full potential of your music was realised on Le Bump? Or was this more of an exploratory, ongoing concept?
I think I nailed all of the ideas I had for this record, essentially it’s a party joint. I have some other territory that I want to explore next. But yeah, exploring can be crazy, never know what is going to happen(good or bad). I guess that is the beauty of not being a commercial artist and caring about sales, etc. I just want to make sure we are pushing boundaries.

Boogie Bump is a definite highlight of the album, can you tell me how that one came together with Danielsan?
Yeah that was a funny night, I remember Dan looking at me like, ‘are you with this ?’ And I was like ‘this is some other shit.’ I went into the session with a whole different song in mind and came out with this crazy beat. In the session I put down some rough ideas, but it really came together when I went out to Adelaide to record my vocals for some of the other songs. I had finished my other tracks and then started playing BVA the track, we just started vibin’ off it .

Is it simpler releasing an album on your own label or does the process throw up additional pressures?
Honestly I want a record deal! It’s too hard for me to keep up, but fortunately I was blessed with a great publicist/project manager, Dan Cameron from Shogun will be sorely missed from that position. I just find it hard to keep the momentum up, there is a lot of stuff that my brain just cant function on. Being the label we are doesn’t allow us to have staff, etc. So we got to do everything, which is hard. So yes long answer short, there are many additional pressures that I find hard to deal with.

How do you negotiate self-promotion?
It is hard, I’m in the balance. Australians in general are a little bit more chill, also being from Melbourne, it’s a city that is proud of letting your craft speak for itself. Saying that you still got to get your shit heard, so yeah i am probably a little shy when it comes to shameless self promo.

“…Like everything there is no wrong or right way, and the way I did this record is probably not going to be the way I do the next…”

Much is said of the contribution of powerhouse label Obese Records. Do you feel that more modest imprints such as Crookneck are just as instrumental in creating a strong, diverse scene?
I would say yes for sure. When you look at it most of the labels have brought their own identity to the landscape. I would like to think that when people see the Crookneck logo they know they are going to get a quality record. Diversity is essential in any scene, of course certain styles are going to be more popular than others. We all know that the record industry is changing so I hope that all the styles can continue to get heard out there.

The press release for Le Bump slates the LP in a party sense. Do you feel this is accurate? How would you describe the music you have produced?
Yeah I think these tracks are pretty much on the party tip, they’re all pretty upbeat. Lets not forget though that not all parties are ‘in the club’ type parties. I’m more about making some house party type shit…tracks that you can jam with your friends and have a good time in the backyard.

Family seems to be a very prominent muse of your’s, does this hold true with your music?
I’m always playing my kids my songs, plus my son Tyke and his friend Jay are on Tea Cakes. Fam and friends are a really important part of who I am. I got 2 brothers and we hook up once a week to chill. I think being able to show your family and friends your music is about as real as it can get cause they know you the best.

You have previously stated ‘Everything I do effects everything else,’ in regards to your multiple enterprises. Can you demonstrate how this process works in reality?
By this I mean, I work on things in conjunction with everything else. So working on my music at night gives me the opportunity to work on Blank during the day, then I can also make time for shooting my new book and doing live shows.
Being in the flow of work is what I really need to get things done . So in a sense, none of my projects are really full time, they all just gel together. One things helps the other. Plus I want all of my projects to push each other in a quality sense.

In another interview you explain your philosophy behind releasing a product of any kind: ‘Don’t put things out if they aren’t up to the highest quality standards you can achieve.’ Is this the reasoning behind waiting until now to release your debut LP?
Yes for sure, when I talk about the highest quality standards I relate this to the highest quality of originality and ideas. For too long I thought that quality was something that could only be bought. Then I realised that I was on the wrong track and many high quality things were really just great ideas, ie. some of my favourite pieces where done with two cans of cheap paint. Some of my favourite songs were recorded on 4-tracks or budget type set ups. So when it came to my LP I was more concerned with the content and beats than I was with recording my vocals in an isolated booth. Sure I am still concerned with my shit sounding good, but I really got to make sure I am trying new things, that the ideas are new. It’s important to me to give the listener something new.

Le Bump takes a definite nostalgic deviation on I Know. Do you feel these blue touches are important in complimenting the more upbeat party rhythms present elsewhere on the LP?
Yeah I’m real happy I Know is on the record, I think it rounds it out. Not that I think the party shit needs to be justified, but I like that I Know gives the listener a little dip in the middle. It’s the deep and meaningful you might see going on in the corner of the party!

There also seems to be a strong culinary motif in some of your lyrics. Is cooking another recreation you approach enthusiastically?
Yeah man for sure, two of the greatest things in my world are music and food. As far as I am concerned the two go hand in hand.  I think pop music is like fast food, sure every now and again you might each some crap drive though, just like you might like some top 40 pop music. But you aint going to eat it everyday, same as pop music, listen to that everyday and your mind will turn to mush. So with the food, what I put in is important to me. I don’t want to waste time eating crap, and I don’t want to listen to garbage either. I want my kids to try everything, too many people are crazy fussy. It’s just not me, gotta keep the mind and the taste buds open to new flavour all the time.

Are there any plans to tour Le Bump?
I have a couple little spot shows coming up, I’m down if anyone wanna hook it up.

www.myspace.com/raphboogie

Illy

Melbourne’s Illy has emerged from relative obscurity in the last couple of years, featuring on Pegz’ last album Burn City. A few mixtapes and features down the track, the young emcee has released his debut opus, Long Story Short. It’s a spirited blend of ideas, emotions and music featuring some of the nation’s finest. M-Phazes and J-Skub handle the majority of production. Phrase, N’Fa, Spit Syndicate and Solo also lend their talents to an enjoyable LP.

Can you tell me how you were introduced to Hip Hop?
My first memory would be watching the Murder Was The Case when Snoop Doggy Dogg dropped in what, like ‘93 or ‘94? A couple of mates older brothers were right into it and that would be my first exposure to it. I remember spazzing out with my mates when we first heard Hit Em Up because of how many times Tupac swore haha, and also …36 chambers, good times.

Over what sort of time-frame was the new LP recorded? How did it all come together?

The first track we had ready for the album, in its original form would have been Pictures and Rock Star Shit, both of them were ready early to mid ‘07. The last track I did, Our Country, was written in March of this year. So yeah, about two years from first to last track, with some time off in between. A lot of it came together in the earlier part of this year, after signing with Obese. They really put me under the pump and got a lot of shit moving quickly, which worked out great.

An aspect that really stood out was the diversity of production. Is this something that you were going for from the outset or something that evolved over time?
Yeah man I guess it was. I cut quite a few tracks off the album that just didn’t maintain the standard that I think the final tracklist has, so it was a conscious effort to keep the bar high. The diversity was a by-product of working with a range of extremely talented producers. Even though there were only four involved in Long Story Short, their talent meant that a lot of different sounding tracks were pumped out. I like a lot of different music, from gangsta rap to electro-pop, so i think the open mindedness is reflected in their beat selection – especially Pictures and My Way, they’re quite different from the standard beats you hear on Aussie releases.

Who cops heavy rotation in your stereo?
I’ve been shocking with sleeping on shit for the last year or so, been listening to my shit when I’m in the car since it’s the only time I really have to listen to it and work out what needs improving. I loved Drapht’s last one, Bliss N Eso’s new one, and have just got my hands on the new Hoods. I think that one will be getting a smashing for a while to come.

How did you hook up with M-Phazes and J-Skub?
They’re part of the Crooked Eye crew, so yeah, hooked up with them when I came in to the fold. Phazes got down about a year after when he moved to Melbourne and we’ve rolled from there.

Who do you rate on the production tip?
In this country, and outside of Crooked Eye, the producers who smash shit for me would be Suffa, Trials and Noam(who worked on Bliss N Eso’s new one). All their recent efforts have been fuckin’ sick.

Tell me about the ideas behind Long Story Short. Did you approach a concept holistically?
Not really. Having such a sporadic recording process meant there was a really strong theme at the time it was coming together. I just wanted to make an album that was far and away the best stuff I’ve done, and was up there with the bestLong Story Short I put a bit of pressure on myself to deliver because everyone has done a lot themselves and it was my turn to prove myself. I think that I did it and the response I’ve received since has sort of reaffirmed my belief, which has been the best experience I’ve had with music. People who have criticized the album haven’t been comparing it to other debut releases, it’s being held against albums that are artists second and third albums, which I think is the biggest compliment you can get. debuts put out in Australia. given the supporting cast i had in making

“…I remember spazzing out with my mates when we first heard Hit Em Up because of how many times Tupac swore haha…”

Our Country was a late inclusion on the album following Black Saturday. What exactly was it about the fires that evoked such a response from you?
I think that there is a real paranoia about being absolutely politically correct in this country. I mean, they tried to ban Australian flags at festivals on Australia day a few years back…to me, that shit is fuckin’ madness. I feel like Australians are constantly being branded as racists, and that’s not just white people, but Australians of any background who share the  patriotism for this country.  All this international student fuss is a prime example – its a couple of isolated incidents, yet the whole country is in damage control, politicians are having knee jerk reactions, setting up commissions etc, and we’reTo me, if a victim is completely innocent, the only issue that should have any significance to how the matter is treated is the severity of the attack. They’re disgusting attacks, but they’re no more disgusting than any other attack involving completely innocent victims, of ANY background. the Cronulla riots are another example. another shameful event, but it doesnt make us all racists. the media loves to divide us and its really all bullshit, and has no benefit to anyone. Anyway, with this in mind, seeing the Victorian response to the bushfires earlier this year really brought home my point. My state, as a collective,  put all that shit aside and we came out in force to support the victims. It was so inspiring to see people of all nationalities adopting the Australian spirit by nature. And it really hit home that for all the divisions we’re constantly told exist in our community, when it comes to the crunch, EVERYONE here has got that in them. You saw people of all colours and religions crying on the news about how horrible it was and giving their time, possessions, money and whatever else they could to helping others get back on their feet. It’s very emotional stuff and I felt so strongly about it that I wrote Our Country, because we really live in the best country on earth, and there is not a damn thing wrong with being proud of Australia, of Australians and being vocal about it. being branded a racist nation.

Red Light, Green Light features Sydney young guns Spit Syndicate and Solo. How did these collaborations come about?
I’ve known the SS boys for a few years now and they’re like extended family to me. I met Solo more recently through the boys and he’s a good mate. I think Horrorshow put out just about the album of the year last year and Towards The Light was sick too, so there was no way I wasn’t gonna get them on Long Story Short. The track came out so ill and I can see all of them being around for a long time and doing big things.

Can you break down the idea behind the song?
Yeah basically its all of us just talking slick shit, as the leaders of the pack for the next generation. Not too concept-heavy but yeah, it definitely came out ill.

Long Story Short is your debut LP. What have you done prior to this?
I released a couple of mixtapes, one at the start of ‘07 and one mid last year. I’ve been on Phrase’s and Pegz’ last albums and yeah that’s about it.

You’re A Dickhead off the Mixtape Vol. 2 is one of the funnier songs of recent times. How did you strike upon the idea for the lyrics?

Just talking shit with my mate J.Stark. I think it literally went something like “…you’re a dickhead…haha, imagine if you actually had a dick on your head you fuckwit…haha, yeah that would be dope I reckon I could write a verse about that…” and yeah, 30 minutes later the song was done.

Are there any plans to tour Long Story Short?
Yes, we have a couple of shows in the pipelines for interstate and will be doing the Block Party tour later in the year. People can go to myspace.com/illyal to check for dates and other info. Just want to say a quick thanks to everyone who went out and got a copy, mad cunnys!

Hilltop Hoods

There is no doubting the impact of the Hilltop Hoods on the Australian hip hop scene. Their music, particularly the release of acclaimed album, The Calling, has precipitated immeasurable growth and interest in the local scene. 2009 sees the release of their fifth full-length album State Of The Art. The 12 track offering features hefty conceptual forays on tracks such as She’s So Ugly, Parade Of The Dead, Last Confession and Fifty In Five. Suffa elaborates…

In terms of your music, what were some of the most important realisations following the Restrung project?
Firstly that we really like strings as well as Jamie Messenger’s arrangements so we got him back for State Of The Art. Also I guess that we weren’t limited and that we could use session musicians. We had been in a mindstate that we couldn’t for ages.

It seems to be a habit of yours to open with an introductory track like: Testimonial Year, Recapturing The Vibe or The Return. With three years separating each of your last few albums, is this something you feel necessary? Or more a product of the subconscious?
To be honest, we only realised that ourselves the other day. I think it’s because we’re so emersed in it that you don’t realise things like that. Maybe it’s because we do those sorta tracks and when we’re done with it we’ll be like ‘that would suit going first.’

Did you approach State Of The Art as a holistic concept or is it more just a loose idea?
Umm well I came up with the title early on and we really liked how many options there were coming from the title. You’ve got State Of The Art where you can say ‘this is next level shit’ or you’ve got State Of The Art where you can talk about where the art is at the moment-tracks like She’s So Ugly. State Of The Art also came from South Australia which is basically an arts state, we’re a festival state-whether it’s Fringe or Adelaide Festival. We liked how many angles there were with it so we tried to tie it in throughout the record.

How did the collaboration with Pharaohe Monch come about? How was it having him out for the week?
When we were starting the record our manager asked us if there’s anyone we wanted to work with on the new record, that was the only name we gave him. Me and Pressure have been massive Pharaohe groupies since we were 13. I think by the end of week he knew how familiar we were with his music. The first night he was up, I came out with a pile of Organized records and his solo joints for him to sign, probably about 20 records. He was really chill though, when I showed him the rare Bring It On 12″  he was like ‘where the fuck did you get this?’ and drew a little character on it so that’s super valuable now.

Was there anything in particular that evoked the zombie motif on Parade Of The Dead?
I’m a massive zombie film fan-28 Days Later, 28 Weeks Later, Land Of The Dead, Night Of The Living Dead-all that shit, it came from there. So when I made the beat, I was like ‘this is some fuckin’ dirty, zombie-fighting type shit.’ I asked Pressure if he wanted to do a zombie track and he was down.

Does stress and pressures increase with the release of each album? Or do you learn to deal with it over time?
I dunno the booze has destroyed my memory so I don’t know how I felt before the other albums. I guess there was a bit of pressure with this one the new label so we want it to go well. I mean, I guess it does a little.

Can you tell me how, if at all, you approached Fifty In Five differently?
Initially when I started, it was just for shits and giggles. I found the sample for it from a record called 2010 asking what the world would be like then. So I had just the break on loop and I started writing it and then I’d came back the next night and add another four bars. The next day I’d add another eight and a few weeks later I’d add another 16 bars until. I think it’s like 108 bars long now. I wasn’t even going to use it and we got John Bartlet from Lowrider to play piano on it and he just did these riffs over it that really solidified the track. My brother playing guitar on it did the same thing. I guess the approach was different in that I’ve never written a track that long. The recording session were pretty full on, I think we did 10 or 12 recording sessions at 3 or 4 hours a piece.

“…The three of us are definitely more proud of State Of The Art than any other record…you always say that about your new record but I really feel…that this is the album that I can carry in my backpack, hand to any artist and be really proud…”

So it was definitely an organic development over time?
Yeah it was, it was a really nice process because everyone that contributed, also rejuvinated the track for me. When my brother came in to play guitar he rejuvinated the track for me, John Barlet did the same when he played keys on it. When we were clearing the sample, the artist that wrote the original really loved our track and where we were going with and also wished us luck, so that was really nice.

Conceptually, State Of The Art is decidedly heavier than previous Hoods albums. Do you think this has yielded your best?
Umm, hopefully. The three of us are definitely more proud of State Of The Art than any other record. Having said that, you always say that about your new record but I really feel that this time. I really feel that this is the album that I can carry in my backpack and hand to any artist and be really proud having it represent us as a group. I think that we do best with the heavier tracks for sure.

The release State Of The Art also heralds the beginning of Golden Era Records. What can you tell me about its future?
Well at the moment we’re just concentrating on getting this record out. Then over the next few months we’ll be signing Briggs. Then we’ll be getting his record out. We’re also working on a few other deals for early next year.

For those who might not be as familiar, could you explain the impracticalities of clearing samples you intend to use?
That’s the thing, when you’ve got a release date for a record you have a work date from that release date. So with a rock band, they can have it finished and just get it out. But with a hip hop, you’ve gotta have samples cleared before you can even begin getting your artwork done or mastering done. So yeah, it is a longer process for hip hop acts. I think it’s probably a longer process still for Australian acts because it’s a bit harder to get some of the clearance houses to get people moving when you’re not an American artist.

What about the practical consequences of these constraints?
Well I guess the biggest thing about it is time, you eat up a lot of time trying to get these samples cleared. For us, the other element is there’s a lot of records that as a producer, I would never even go near because I know we would never get them cleared. That’s really frustrating. However it probably makes me look in less obvious places which I think is a good thing in the end. I hear a lot of records these days that are just about about putting a track to a popular tune, that shit’s just lazy to me.

So has this provided the impetus to utilise session musicians or is the absence of red tape merely an added bonus?
The tracks where we got session musicians on, it just felt like there was a gap that had to be filled there. Lowrider is the band we’ve used for most of the session work. Just having worked with them for touring and stuff like that, we just really like what they do so we knew that they would get what we do and we knew that they could fill those gaps.

Do you feel that the traditional touches peppered throughout State Of The Art are important considering the evolution of your fanbase?
She’s So Ugly is definitely a nod to I Used To Love Her by Common. As for the references throughout, that’s for people of our vintage-The Treacherous Three reference in The Return and the Main Source reference in Classic Example.

How does it feel to see tickets for the State Of The Art tour selling with the same enthusiasm as those of summer festivals?
Yeah it feels good, especially when you take such a long break to finish a record. It’s always a risk taking that much time, if you’re away for too long and when you come back and it’s like you never left, it’s a really good feeling.

www.myspace.com/hilltophoods

Stolen Records Gala Ball

Stolen Records Gala Ball, June 26, Manning Bar. All proceeds go towards keeping FBi on the air. Awesome line-up of Sydney talent, doors open at 8pm, prize for best dressed. I recommend you check this out if you’re in the vicinity. Tickets available from Moshtix or Manning Bar.

Elgen & Johnny Utah

Port Stephens isn’t a locale that attracts a great deal of attention from the average Hip Hop pundit in Australia. However, in the last year or so, two locals have emerged with a promising, debut EP entitled The Welcoming Party. Brothers Elgen and Johnny Utah released the polished effort earlier this year. Elgen has since relocated to Norway but Utah remains, often seen abusing stages in the Sydney vicinity with partner in crime, Drake.

John Utah, what exactly was it about the Keanu Reeves character in Point Break that stuck enough for you to make him your namesake?
Utah: Hahaha, dude, everything. Nah, it’s kind of a stupid ‘in joke’ with friends, we used to watch it a lot because of how stupid(in a good way) the movie was. Then I changed my myspace name to Johnny Utah and it just stuck I guess.

How were you two introduced to hip hop?
Elgen: I had heard a fair bit of Dr Dre, Cypress Hill, Biggie, etc during the first part of high school, but it never grabbed me that much. The song that REALLY got me into hip hop was Eternalist by Reflectional Eternal. I heard it on a skateboard video and I kinda found most of my first lot of hip hop like that. Contribution by Jurassic 5, Simon Says by Pharoahe Monch, B-Boy Document 99 by High & Mighty. I remember those songs as the ones that got me into hip hop.

U: My brother and his friends. Or more specifically, Skateboarding videos haha. There was alot of Talib Kweli, Gangstarr, Mos Def, Biggie, etc being pumped out of those tapes. So it was a natural progression to source out more I guess.

Do you find that people are surprised by your vocal presence when seeing you onstage for the first time?
U: Umm…yeah, I guess so. I mean, most shows we play I’ll get a couple of people telling me they didn’t expect me to be rapping because i don’t ‘dress hip hop,’ haha, which is something I’m pretty ok with, and it’s always nice when people compliment your presence in relation to your height. My size to volume ratio is pretty non-existant, haha.

Your music is driven by a dynamic, emotional sentiment. Do you find that the artists who inspire you tend to come from the Rhymesayers and Definite Jux cliques?
E: Brother Ali is DEFINITELY an influence. The music that him and Ant make is incredible and inspires me to no end. I’m dying for us to make our own Self Taught, haha. Also, Cage is someone who makes albums that really make me want to make music, he does some spaced out stuff, but it’s really great to see someone push boundaries.

U: Definitely. As far as overseas cats go, Atmosphere, Brother Ali, Grieves, Mac Lethal, etc are probably my biggest influences. I mean, lyrically, that’s exactly how i want to develop my style of writing, and hopefully that shows. Obviously I draw inspiration from a lot of places musically. But the aforementioned are definitely at the front of the pack for me personally.

Recently, along with Drake and Steve Hollins, you formed The Paper Street Project. What can you tell me about this venture?
U: Well, basically we already did plenty of work together so it just made a lot of sense to get together and focus on something together, as opposed to scattered tracks on various releases. It’s something that we could focus our individual strong points on, to benefit us all. Hopefully it’s something a little different that people can appreciate.

Are there any particular experiences or ideas that really accelerate the lyric-writing process for you?
U: Umm, I’m not too sure. I tend to write a lot more when I’m bummed out or have some shit going on. My music is generally pretty melancholy I guess. As cliche an answer as it is, i don’t really have a writing process, If I’m feeling something and I want to talk about it, I’ll write about it. I wish i had a more defined structure for song writing haha. It would make things a lot more simple!

“…I tend to write a lot more when I’m bummed out or have some shit going on. My music is generally pretty melancholy I guess…”

Who else is making noise in terms of hip hop around the Port Stephens area? Or is it a somewhat solo affair?
E: Port Stephens isn’t exactly a breeding ground for hip hop! Even with Utah and I, we’re more a part of the Sydney scene. So I’m guessing if anyone else in Port Stephens is making some moves, they’re either in Newcastle or Sydney. It’s hard to get heard around our area.

So it becomes a matter of travelling to Sydney as often as possible on account of the scarcity of hip hop in your area?
U: Dude, massively. Haha. Before we recorded the EP I think I’d been to Sydney two or three times? I can’t even count how often I have made the weekend trip there now haha. It’s a staple of making music for me now. But it’s not so bad, having good friends there doesn’t make it feel like a business chore.

Utah, Tell me more about The Welcoming Party EP with your brother Elgen, who incidentally went all John Lennon/Yoko Ono on your ass and moved to Norway.
U: Hahahaha. The Welcoming Party EP is our debut release. We wrote it in 2008 when my brother Elgen was home for a year before leaving for Norway again for good. Realising it was our last year under the same roof, we decided to put a little something together as a cheesy keepsake haha. It was recorded in September 2008 in our friend, Phatchance’s studio, and released early 2009. It’s a seven-track release,

If the EP is a memento of the final year together, why the seemingly contradictory title?
E: It’s just an introduction to us. It’s not a final statement, so we’re kinda leaving the door open, contrary to the title of the last track.

U: It was our entrance into having recorded and readily available music. We had never released anything prior, nor had we been a part of the scene in any way at all, so this was the beginning of that.

Along with Drake, you have been killing show after show in NSW in recent times. What can you tell me about some of the tours you have particpated in?
U: Well, I’ve only been doing shows for, like, 6 months? A little more maybe. But so far I’ve been lucky enough to jump on some very cool shows. Drake and I have supported The Funkoars on The Hangover Tour, on 3 of their NSW legs, which was killer. After that we did a gang of east coast shows with the Reverb tour, with the likes of Mind Over Matter, Phatchance, Coptic Soldier, Tycotic and Spit Syndicate. Also, we just finished doing support slots for Motley’s Burches Knows tour on a couple NSW legs, aswell.

How does it feel to be rocking shows with such big names after such a short span of time?
U: It’s very, very dope haha. Definitely awesome to jump straight into playing killer shows, it’s a massive confidence boost to be able to add this sort of stuff to my resume, so to speak. It’s a really weird feeling to go from being squashed in a sweaty crowd to see some of these acts to supporting them.

Elgen, your beats seem to have a slight indie tinge to them, who influenced you musically when you were growing up?
E: Concerning hip hop, early on I was influenced by Hi-Tek, Premier, RJD2, RZA, Embee and a lot of Outkast’s stuff. But I’m not sure if that really shows through in my beats. The indie tinge definitely comes from Utah, who’s been quite involved in sample digging on the EP and he’s also, of course, had to ok the beats that we’re gonna use, so I think it’s just the way our styles melted together that created that ‘indie’ sound.

How has your experience with Scandinavian hip hop been thus far?
E: Neither here nor there, to be honest. I’ve heard some real cool stuff, but also some incredibly cheesy stuff. The same as every scene. There isn’t anything I’ve heard yet that’s made me want to jump head first into the scene…but I would love to work with Promoe!

Who wouldn’t…

Shoutouts to Big Drakezilla, Steve Hollins, The Artist Formerly Known As Phatchance, Mind Over Matter, Coptic Soldier, The Almighty 2316 Crew and NGC Collective!

www.myspace.com/johnnyutahsounds
www.myspace.com/elgenmusic