I have to admit right now, on my first listen, I didn't "get it". Although I enjoyed Horrorshow's first two albums immensely, I have since moved on. The first couple listens I skipped through the majority of the songs thinking Horrorshow had disappointed me by only providing more of the same, emotional and soft hip hop that doesn't push any boundaries or take a stance on anything too controversial. But at a second glance I realised that I was looking at it the wrong way.
It wasn't until a very late night walk with the dog down near Blackwattle Bay with the air thick, damp and heavy as it is before the rain, my quiet and reflective mood finally latched onto the music and the words. What was revealed to me was something beautiful, dense and meaningful. The meaning behind the words finally stood out to me as though I was stepping out of the fog, and the music provided the perfect backdrop for them to whirl around within. So what I'm saying is don't set this album aside if at first you're not in the mood to embrace it, cause it definitely has the potential to come back and surprise you.
This is not a lighthearted album. This is a deeply pensive, listen alone in your room with the lights off type album. Not that there aren't tracks would work in a concert setting, but it's not dancing music. This is sway on your feet with your lighters in the air music. This is the type of music that will make us take a collective breath and just listen, which I think holds much more power than the type that we want to cheers beers to. This isn't The Party Life, in fact there's not one party track here. This is exactly the type of music that works for Horrorshow. This is In My Haze type music.
While leaving the party songs and more festival orientated songs alone, you would think that the JJJ crowd might not take to it as readily, but the doesn't seem to be the case at all as Horrorshow fans and new fans alike have seen the album debut at #2 on the ARIA charts. Like it or hate it, it's refreshing to see that this album didn't have to follow the well defined formula in order to achieve success. In fact, from the first album right on through to this one, Horrorshow duo never seem to be making music for anyone else at all, simply combining beats that sounds pleasing to them with lyrics that allow the emcee to express to us the inner workings of his mind.
That being said, is it on par with the best beat makers in the world? Not by a long shot. Are the lyrics revolutionary and showing us a brand new perspective? Not for the most part. But these two are definitely growing as artists and their music has a place in the Australian music scene and in worldwide hip hop. Though it's not everyone's cup of tea, in terms of emotional content this album is ace.
The first listen we had of this new material was during the Hilltop Hoods "Speaking in Tongues" tour. Dead Star Shine was a chilling anthem that made us all stop dead, so to speak. This was a year before the album came out and it had a great response. However the chorus on the finished version leaves much to be desired. I think the effect over Solo's voice lessens the emotion, to where it sounds boring and dull. And that carries on through most of the chorus' on the album. I think as a rule, Solo could work on the expressiveness of his voice, both in singing and in rapping. Though the evenness works one one level, it does make all the songs sound far too similar. And though I love Adit's knack for picking samples, the beats could use more variety as well. Having a few songs with more of an edge to them and a harder hitting beat would surprise us and keep us interested.
The song that stood out to me first was Down The Line. This is story telling at it's best. So emotional it nearly made me cry although it's not a particularly sad. Through a story about his ancestry, Solo tells us the importance of family, something that speaks to everyone universally. This is the only track with a female singer as well, Sarah Corry, and possibly the only song that really has the chorus it deserves. The recording of his grandmother at the end is beautiful.
I think the album overall has a few too many guest spots and Suffa could have been cut out for me. I don't think he adds anything to the track he is on called On The One Hand and in fact I think he draws attention away from Grieves who is the first international guest that Horrorshow have welcomed to share in their art. They have chosen well here; Grieves and Solo have a similar hip hop style in that their songs are deeply personal and emotional. I want to like this track the best because it's Grieves but in truth it bores me a little. I was expecting more of a standout on this one, but whatever that sample is that comes in as the outro of this song, I love that better than the rest of the track. A beat more like that would have excited me more. Not to worry though, I think Grieves and Horrorshow could have a beautiful thing going and I definitely wouldn't mind seeing a further collab if this kid ever makes it out to Australia. (If you want to know more about Grieves check my links at the bottom and stay tuned.)
Surprisingly out of the whole album the song that turned me off the most is the first single. This is actually what kept me away from the album a long time. I don't think it has the right effect, it doesn't catch you right away and it is not memorable. A terrible choice in my opinion. All it does is remind me that we're ready to see something different from these guys.
The absolute best and most important song on the album, and the one that makes the listening all worth while is Own Backyard which features newly signed Elefant Traks artist, Jimblah. This track tells of a young white male's perspective of racism in Australia, how he goes from simply believing what he was taught in school to discovering the truth of Australia's bloody past for himself. Then Jimblah comes forward to tell a tale which we never see in Australian hip hop. A black perspective of continued racism in this country. Stunningly poignant, the harrowing last line reminds us, "They tried to wipe us off of the face of the earth dude, need proof? Look around you."
More than a lyricist who throws out catchy puns and one liners, Solo is a poet spinning a story that makes you feel you are in that moment with him if you listen closely enough, and that's something I hold highly. Honesty as well is a trait that is not optional for me, he's certainly not trying to represent anything that he is not, the downfall of many of the more popular hip hop artists.
Horrorshow is on tour!
Their next few dates are:
TONIGHT Thu 19 Sep ANU Bar Canberra Fri 20 Sep * Metro Theatre Sydney Sat 21 Sep * Sprung Festival Brisbane Thu 26 Sep Corner Hotel Melbourne *all ages
For a full list of tour dates and ticketing information click here
Me: Kathy, the engine is overheating,
the breaks won't work, we're spinning out of control and heading
straight for the river!
Kathy: oh and also we just ran out of
vodka...
Me: If we don't make it back to the
Hordern Pavilion in time Hillary Duff will take the stage and ruin
hip hop forever. We have to get back and stop her!
Kathy: what the fuck?
Me: I know it's crazy.
Kathy: If only we had a way out of this
mess that was simple yet sounded scientific enough that no one would
question our authority on it.
Together: Reverse the polarity!!
(Far away shot of a car exploding as it
spins off a bridge. Two girls walk slowly towards the camera wearing
blue sparkly spandex [superhero outfits] while fireworks go off
behind them as the car hits the river. The taller one sips from a
bottle.)
cue music: “Slider”
Me: well I didn't know that would
happen. Good thing for those eject buttons.
Kathy: Good thing for more vodka
Together: Cheers!
Kathy: now what?
Me: train?
Reverse Polarities:shaking up our ear
holes and turning nonsense into magic since 2005
Also, making train rides less boring.
Although the name may make it sound
like a bunch of scientific mumbo jumbo, what Reverse Polarities
actually says is a lot more real than 99.99% of anything you've ever
heard on the radio. Their philosophy is simple, do the opposite of
what everyone else is doing. Flip the game over on it's head and
just deliver the raw truth. They want to uncover the political
issues, give the facts, and focus on life as they know it here in
Australia. In essence just make their mark by challenging everyone
and changing how they think.
Mute and Mikoen at Oxford Arts Factory
You could say that Reverse Polarities
as a hip hop group, grew out of the western suburbs of Sydney. It
started off simply as couple of guys getting together for drinks, who
recorded poetry onto tape using half a headphone as a mic. Back in
the early 90's decent recording equipment was scarce, at least for a
group of youngsters. Rappers, Mikoen and Mute MC, who met at school
way the hell out in the middle of no where (ie western suburbs of
Sydney) may have originally worked on raps together out of boredom
back in their school days, but the work that they put into it back then has really paid off.
The two of them didn't officially form
the group until much later, choosing to work on several other hip hop
related projects. It wasn't until Mute moved to Newtown in 2005 that
things started to kick into gear for RP. Mute met beat maker Kit
Complete and the two became inseparable, working with another friend
Ludz on beats and rhymes, building their skills. Their youngest
member, Psmurf was still finishing school at the time they had their
first official gig at the Cat and Fiddle, which packed out the place.
Hip hop in Australia was only just starting to get some credibility
at that time thanks to groups like Hilltop Hoods, Muph and Plutonic,
and Bliss n Eso. Reverse Polarities was proud to represent where
they were from with all they had, focusing on issues relative to life
in Australia, rather than trying to mimic American emcees.
Although the group has juggled around
and swapped members in and out since it's inception, it is known now
for its four permanent members: Mute MC, Mikoen, and Psmurf as
rappers and Kit Complete on the beats. They rep the inner west and
the western suburbs of Sydney and have been active in one form or
another since 2005, minus a two year hiatus between 2009 and 2011.
Watching Reverse Polarities perform
now, it's obvious that they all really respect and appreciate each
other. And although your attention might first be drawn to the
barefoot one bouncing around with the expressive face, you will soon
see that there is no front-man to this group. Each member equally
takes his turn in the spot light. They are all supportive of
each other without the pretension of having to “be something” or
project a certain image. I feel like when I see an RP set it's four
artists coming together and just relaxing into themselves and letting
each other do their own thing but with the backing that they need to
help one another other shine. Everyone takes their turn in the spot light,
they cover each other's mistakes and play to each other's strengths.
So where does Reverse Polarities end
and Daily Meds begin? The whole thing can be a bit of head spin to
figure out. Some members are shared between groups, and of course
other members make “guest” appearances on each other's tracks.
The beats and production are done differently in the two, with Roleo
in Daily Meds and Kit Complete on Reverse Polarities. Daily Meds
came into being at the time when RP was on hiatus.
Since they share members anyway, a
Reverse Polarities and Daily Meds supergroup sounds like a terrific
idea, but the reality of it is there are so many different projects
going on simultaneously, it would be hard to coordinate, although
they always have and will continue to swap members around like spit
at a make out party... that's fam right there.
RP LIVE:
The way I look at it is Reverse
Polarities gave them a taste, let them find the way onto the scene,
and helped them define and develop who they are as artists, so that
then when Daily Meds came along, they weren't starting from scratch
anymore. They had a recipe that worked and this time there wouldn't
be any burnt batches of brownies. Daily Meds was serious business
and they have exploded onto the scene in the last few years and
become a raging success with fans all over the country. RP now has
taken a back step to this, but with the group back together and going
strong again, what I see it as, is an outlet for the boys to relax
again. They don't have to prove anything to anyone, and they are
humbled by being reminded of where they have come from. It's a treat
for old and new fans alike to see the comfortableness and refreshing
attitude that comes out of a Reverse Polarities show. And this is no
soft la-de-da party music either, it's in your face and tackling
political issues head on, something that this scene needs
desperately.
Drank, dance, rap...
It will be a busy year for RP as a
group as well as all the members individually. You can look forward
to an official Reverse Polarities album this year released through
Big Village. Also Psmurf will be dropping his solo release VERY
soon. Mick's mixtape will be out to offend young and old come April. Mute
is working on a little something special with Daily Meds DJ, Roleo.
But that's not all, he's also got a project called Mute Oblivion with
a release in the near future. Kit Complete won't be outdone either,
with his second solo release coming out this year as well.
Despite so many other projects
happening, the RP group is back in full force. Their latest video
project, “Invasion Day,” released in time for Australia Day this
year perfectly demonstrates the hard political stance on an issue
that's still very sensitive in Australian society. And true to their
name they will flip the situation on its head. They won't just give
you the watered down version of events, they aren't just some white
kids from the suburbs rapping about how they hate their parents. They
will serve you up the real issues in a way that won't be ignored, and
you can make up your own mind but at least the facts are all there to
be digested.
Check out the clip below:
“Reverse Polarities, you wouldn't
want to challenge these emcee's mentalities...”
I want this to read like a personal
journal for those of you that wanted to go but couldn't, I want you
to feel like you were there and you wrote this. I want this to read
like a love letter for all of those that have continued to share
these experiences with me: to those that are always by my side (you
know who you are), to those that I now recognise in the crowd night
by night, and to those on stage in this crew that have never been
anything but nice to me, and have always taken the time out to talk
to me, and encourage me to ask the questions which will help define
their point of view. (And put up with me when I'm embarrassingly
drunk too.) I want this to read like a postcard for all of those who
haven't had the pleasure of experiencing this music yet. Cause it
says “Wish you were here,” in big bold print. The photo on the
front alone will be enough to make you want to dive in, but my
colourful prose will catch you on the hook and sink you for sure.
First a little background info, this
album/ tour is truly a family affair. Not only is the whole crew
involved but it's almost like the emcees drew names out of a hat to
see who got to work with who this time. Although there's some
familiar combinations- Loose Change, Daily Meds, Reverse Polarities,
True Vibenation, etc. There are also some new, not yet seen before
combinations (ie. Jeswon & P Smurf, Klue & Billie Rose, Mute
MC & Verbaleyes, and Tuka & Loose Change, Billie Rose &
Reverse Polarities). And the highlight of it all, is the posse track
where absolutely everyone gets to throw down a verse. That's 16 clowns squeezed onto an itty bitty stage for a BIG finale.
My journey to this particular show
actually began months ago when the lives of Kathy and I first started
to become intertwined with the members of this crew. I won't take
you through the details of how we became advocates, spokeswomen, and
top sticker distributors for Big Village. But one particularly
memorable night happened just before the first show of the tour, in
Sydney. Now it turns out that a lot of times, when I'm planning to
have a big night, it tends to get slightly ruined by the night
before. In this case, my friends and I had been planning on and
looking forward to the Friday night gig at the Oxford Arts Factory
for months, so what do I do? Well, I spent the Thursday night
drinking moonshine at a warehouse in Marrickville and... well I'm
sure you can already tell that this isn't going to end well... (or is
it?)
My favourite song off the Big Things
Volume 2 album, as I'm sure a couple people can attest to, was
immediately “Lingua Franca.” The song is a collab by Mute MC
(Reverse Polarities) and Verbaleyes (True Vibenation). Lyrically,
this song spoke to me more than any other has in recent times. It
communicates how music is the only absolutely universal language. It has
the ability to bring the people of every culture and background to
the understanding that we are all just one people. It's basically
everything that hip hop as a culture attempts to express.
On the night of the 13th
August, a special day on it's own, I partook in a particularly
special event, we did a video shoot for “Lingua Franca.” We may
have lacked the representation from all cultures of the world that we
had wanted to showcase in the video, but we all came with an earnest
desire to make something out of nothing and to give this song the
energy and communal feeling that it deserves. I'm pretty sure we
succeeded, although I've yet to see the video. I did get to rap to
the camera though, and I met Damon finally, after hearing so much
about how awesome he is, but that's a whole other story.
And so the BIG night had come around
finally, I really meant to get there right when the doors opened. We
should have been the first people standing by the door, bright and
eager with our tickets clenched in hand, like little girls going to
see our first concert cause that's certainly how excited we felt. I
have been wanting to see Sketch the Rhyme which is, well what
is it? From what I can guess/ imagine- it's like a hip hop pictionary
game show, with lots of live freestyle raps and live art, you can't
get much more hip hop than that. It is such a cool concept and takes
a lot of skill. The ability to drop a tight freestyle these days is
almost like separate skill to being an emcee, when it used to be a
requirement. These kind of rapping games really keep rappers on their
toes and fine tunes their skill. Unfortunately, something called
“Fat Ass Scrumpy” (and that is a type of beverage) delayed our
arrival time by at least half an hour, so I missed out on the first
part of the action.
This was my first time at the Oxford
Arts Factory and I can see now why it's such a popular venue. It's
intimate without being too small, it gives the feeling of being in a
theatre (velvet curtain and all) without any seats to get in the way
of dancing. Immediately upon entering you could tell this was a hip
hop gig. Not like a 360 show which I've talked about before, or Illy
which I went to recently, where the vibe just felt a bit off. Here,
it was like there was something in the air, a highly contagious
airborne allergen that did the opposite of making you sick, in fact
as soon as you caught it you felt energised, alive, and connected to
all the people around you. It was like arriving home, and although
most of the people there were strangers, they were all people that I
wanted to know. My eyes were sparkling as I looked around. I was on
a drug but I wasn't. I was on the edge and about to jump.
Reverse Polarities was on now and I
went straight to the front of the stage as if we had assigned seats
and I had to take my place. Mikoen, P-Smurf, and Mute MC said their
hellos to me from the stage not like an artist communicating to a
fan, but like we were here together and we were sharing something. A
couple of songs into the set, everyone except P-Smurf mysteriously
disappeared from the stage, then out popped Jeswon to perform what is
most likely my second favourite song on the album, although it's a
close call. Lately it's only lyrics with a message that really do
it for me, Evolutionary Cells was a stand out from the first listen.
As far as lyrics and subject matter this song is right where I'm at.
It is time for evolution, come on people lets do this. BIG of course
came on soon after and I couldn't stop myself jumping around to this
insane beat. It's probably the catchiest song on the album, and with
Billie Rose joining them, they became Reverse Polarities- Daily Meds
hyphenated like a beautiful marriage of sound.
Security is minimal at these events.
It's not like at some shows where there has to be a big barricade
separating the performers from the audience, in case desperate
teenagers get overcome with lust and throw themselves onto the stage.
(I haven't seen it happen yet anyway.) And the inevitable fighting
that tends to happen at a lot of hip hop shows, was completely absent
this night. The vibe was excellent, it's like we were all friends.
Artists were also audience members, keen to see their friends
performances as much as we were. When the show was about ¾ of the
way through, Rochelle turned to me we both just looked at each other
in astonishment, we couldn't do much but just shake our heads and
say, “amazing.” She tilts her head and says, “this could be... the best?” “Yes,” I nod in agreement. “The best one.” we
agree.
It was all about the vibe this time and
the vibe was alive and the crowd was feeling something intense
together, the sets were tight. What can I say about the rest of the
night? Loose Change is a change from just your average Australian hip
hop. “Ode to the Beatmaker” is a performance and track to check
out from the album. Rapaport solo is truly unstoppable. He's got a
style that no one can touch. As he said during the set, “this is
like workout music,” you can't help but move around to the beats.
As proved by my video of “Claptrap” where he is joined by
impromptu dancers. True Vibenation bring the whole reggae, jazz
vibe, with the saxophones and love for all, and Bob Marley. It's a
good chill interlude. It was really exciting for me when Mute came
out and they performed “Lingua Franca” after working on it so
much the night before. It was a great energy song that got a crowd
response. Daily Meds just absolutely killed the night. I'm pretty
sure everyone literally went “Insane” and had to be removed from
the activities of normal society the next day. Daily Meds
have the most intense high energy performance I have yet witnessed.
You cannot help but dance to the music. Well it helps that they have
a song called “Dance” as well but, you would anyway. Tuka and
Ellesquire are the smoothest lyricists. Their raps are thoughtful
and their singing soulful. They both have a soothing, yet eye
catching stage presence, it was certainly interesting to see these
two form a pair and bring us something new from their combined
greatness.
Ellesquire and Tuka
Going to the Newcastle and Blue
Mountains shows turned out to be a beautiful last minute decision.
Three weeks had gone by since the Sydney show already, and the BV'ers
had taken a massive bus all the way down to Melbourne and then up to
Brisbane. Our decision to go to the Newcastle show was a last minute
one as it was. And then following mine and Kathy's normal procedure,
we left about a hour and a half later than we had planned to. But
I'm sure it wouldn't be half as exciting to get there if we weren't
always racing the clock. This time we raced the clock all the way up
the coast, half hoping that the show wasn't actually over when we got
there. Lucky it wasn't too bad, we made it in about halfway through
Loose Change's set. Saying to ourselves of course, it's ok we'll see
the whole thing next time. Hahaha....
The Newcastle show was a little bit of
a disappointment. I don't know if we were just a bit put off from
the start by one very strange coincidence, a chance meeting. But
the whole night certainly had a very different feel to it. After the
super high energy of the Sydney show, this one felt a bit strained
and a little bit awkward. But that just goes to show how every show,
even though it's exactly the same, can have a completely different
feel just depending on the crowd. The performers feed off the
crowd's energy and give back whatever they get magnified tenfold. A
disinterested crowd will always get a slightly disinterested
performer, but when it's on, it's on.
True Vibenation
Have you ever had the experience of
witnessing an absolutely incredible performance, and then afterwards
you just feel completely drained? It's like coming down off of a
high. That's because you have given up all your energy to that
performance as well. The performer has received an incredible burst
of energy from the buzzingly excited crowd and was able to use it
all, to gain almost inhuman abilities, giving it all back with the
best performance possible. The performer and the audience form a
special bond. It's why I go to the shows night after night, it's what
I live for these days. That one moment where you're not just
yourself anymore, the moment that the performer and the audience
creates together, where the whole room is on the same level. We drop
over the edge. We all feel the same feeling. The one moment. The
posse track, This Is That, which of course was the last song of the night
describes this push and pull between the audience and performers
perfectly. “We got the energy to give it out, give it back... what
you want is what you get, keep it all in check, come on.”
How to sleep in a car. Where are her legs??
Anyway not to say that the Newcastle
performance was anything less than awesome. But compared to what we
had already seen and what was to come, it definitely lacked energy
and crowd participation.
Getting to the Blue Mountains was
painful. This was the same day we left Newcastle, drove back to
Sydney and then off again to Katoomba. Of course we were late again,
and the rain was so heavy as we turned onto the highway that lead
into the mountains that we almost had to pull over. Lucky it wasn't
a tad colder or we would have been blanketed with snow. I'm sitting
in the back of the car with the rain bucketing down on us, completely
covering the front windscreen. Kath is trying to drive but we can
barely see a metre ahead and I'm just thinking to myself. “Why the
FUCK are we doing this??” We parked down the side of the building
so we could smash a few drinks before we went in and we could hear
BIG just barely coming through the wall, of course we missed the
whole beginning of the show AGAIN! We made a sneaky side entrance so
as not to attract too much attention. The room felt old but
friendly and comfortable. Small town vibe, everyone was friendly.
There was so many familiar faces in the crowd. And then all the
hassle of getting there, sleeping in the car the night before, the whole day of driving, everything was worth it. We had made home again.
It felt so good to get out of Sydney
for a little while. I moved down from North Queensland about 8
months ago, chasing some excitement, something happening. I
certainly found what I was looking for, but I realised that I haven't
left the city since about March (except to go to Canberra, which
doesn't really count cause it's a shithole, sorry) and it was so
relaxing just to chill somewhere were people aren't always rushing to
get to the next thing. The small town vibe is definitely a needed
break for the mind.
Daily Meds
This show was much
smaller than the Sydney one, and it started off slow, even by the
time we got there the crowd was a bit sparse. But I think what we
got to in the end of that show exceeds where we were at in the Sydney
show. I felt like all of us together were building and building up
to the last moment. The ultimate push and pull, the energy flying.
I think because we had already seen the show a couple of times now,
we weren't particularly focused on each set like we had been, but
that meant that we had plenty of time to connect with friends. And
it gave us the ability to throw all of our spare energy into that
last all important moment, in the last song. And it paid off. That
end result that I try to describe? It can't be mimicked or faked, it
can only be felt deep inside. And if you know what I mean then you
know now, or else you have a new aspiration to achieve. This hip hop
thing is slowly killing me. And letting me breathe. If you don't
know what I mean, then get onto this thing.
I'd say we're
pretty close to starting our own society, yeah? Big Village.
(you'll see me rep
that in the street)
I think you'll find all your needs will be taken care of here.
Check it out, Tuka's 2nd solo album "Feedback Loop" will be released this Friday, 26th October!
Finding Spaceport One can be somewhat
challenging. If you're looking for a neon sign or some sort of
spaceship landing site to point you toward the entrance then you'll
be sadly disappointed. When my friend, Rochelle, and I tried to find
it last time, we typed the address into the trusty old iPhone GPS as
usual, but when it said we had reached our destination we could find
nothing. Well nothing that looked like it could be a concert venue
anyway. We had come down a quiet seemingly deserted street with
nothing but a bunch of warehouses staring back at us through the car
windows with black and lifeless eyes. This can't be it, we told each
other, maybe they put the wrong address up on the facebook event. So
we dutifully drove up and down the streets of Marrickville hoping to
stumble upon a more suitable looking place that showed signs of life
and music, to no avail. We drove back down the correct street with
the windows down hoping maybe we could hear the music. But it wasn't
until Rochelle finally got in touch with her sister Verity who came
outside to meet us that we finally believed we were at the right
place. A stream of smokers came out then as well and we knew hip hop
was in the building. And the right building we noticed, only had a
small “12” over the entrance signifying the correct doorway.
Skase Ak, Ear-Relevant, & Cass at the first hip hop night
It may be a bit of an adventure to
find, but once you have made it there, Spaceport One will feel like
more than a venue, it will feel like you've made it home. There is a
very friendly atmosphere as soon as you enter the room. You will
feel welcome like you've just entered a friend's very large, very
loud lounge room. There are ample cosy couches and comfortable
chairs, scattered along the walls, a well stocked bar with the house
speciality shots “Spaceport Pussy,” a well placed stage with good
lighting and sound, and just a very fun
have-a-great-time-and-everybody-get-along vibe. It makes the artists
themselves feel very comfortable, as if they are performing just for
friends, which by the end of the night everyone will be anyway.
Coming in your face (for entertainment
purposes only) this month will be Ettoman beatbox joined by Beatrayal as hosts
for the night. It is a special treat to see what this one does with
just a mic so coming out just for that is fine. Throughout the night
we will be privileged to witness DJ Mk-1 on the decks, Hometeam,
Rizby, Beatrayal, Barnzy & Ear-Relevant (!), and Verbal Mechanics
in action.
Ettoman beatbox amazing us all
Come early or come late, the night will
invariably end in an indoor and outdoor cipher, plus an open mic with many instruments available to try, so
even if you have other obligations, know that the festivities will
continue late into the night and it's never too late to join in.
Spaceport One is a privately owned performance/ warehouse space that accommodates to a wide range of musical tastes and is a multi-purpose space available to be used for a many far-flung endeavours. It's main purpose is to cultivate the arts and bring like minded people together. Feel free to contact the crew here with any suggestions or queries.
As I've said before, this is your new favourite venue, come chill with us at the second hip hop night, Hip Hop Odysseys II and on the second Saturday of every month.
Performance by Broken Thought Theory at Hip Hop Odysseys Part 1:
Review: The Ruckman Record Re-released in JB Hi-Fi, Sanity, and on iTunes TODAY 10th August 2012
“So who's your favourite rapper's
favourite rapper?”
It's a question that immediately
commands our attention because we assume that those that we admire
and look up to would have the knowledge and insight needed to play
the tour guide and successfully lead us through this jungle that we
call the rap game, making sure that we saw more than just the tourist
sights. Our favourite rapper, we assume, would have such a vast
knowledge of the music scene that as a tour guide he would be able
bring us deep into the culture, showing us the intricacies of the
local and international scene. It goes without saying that a lot of
thought would have to go into the answering of such an important
question.
Well I'm not a famous rapper, but I
reckon if I was I would have to have a clever answer ready for when
someone put this question to me. Maybe even an unsuspected and
surprising answer. It would have to be someone smooth, cunning,
intelligent, underrated, underground, with wicked flows and smooth as
silk voice. It would have to be someone who is just as comfortable
spitting a clever diss at an opponent in a rap battle as they are
busting rhymes over a chilled out beats in a song about loving life.
And that rapper for me would have to be Kade MC. But hold up, wait a
minute, ok let's just make this clear: I'm not actually saying Kade
is my favourite rapper, I'm just saying that if I was a famous
rapping heavyweight, I would be quick to mention Kade as one of my
favourites in order to show that I was still hip to the Sydney
underground rap scene. And that being said Kade MC is definitely a name
that you should know, and if you don't know, it's time to get
familiar.
Meet Kade & the Karneez
Kade has been secretly toiling away in
the background, busy working at perfecting his craft over the
last ten years, and still he is a youngster in the scene. How many
people do you know that can say that they have been on the grind for
more than a decade at 21 years of age? Having first stepped on stage
at the almost unheard of age of 10, Kade has successful jumped
through many of the hoops and hurdles that will hopefully lead him
down the road to a successful music career. He has become known as a
deadly emcee to battle, with his witty asides and quick flips leading
him to victory over several prominent emcees, most notably The Tongue
of Elefant Traks. (See below for several battle video links.) But
although he is very talented at battling, Kade will never find it as
fulfilling as making music and performing it to a live audience.
Although most emcees perform with a live DJ, Kade prefers to travel
with a live band, the Karneez. The addition of a live band provides a refreshingly different take on hip hop music.
me bopping to Kade & the Karneez at the Annandale
The past few years, Kade has been
strongly focused on delivering the best debut album that he possibly
could. He has been polishing to a perfect shine, what could only be
recognised as a gem, The Ruckman Record. The album has been
available now since late 2011, but it's re-release into a more
commercially successful platform this year was all but prophesied by
Kade in the song Underrated where he says “I hear the world
ends in 2012, which is when I plan to have my album on shelves...”
It was a goal that he had often vocalised that he had to hoped to
have an album out by the age of 21. And I think that goal, although
not yet realised at the time that the album was in production, is a
main theme of the album.
The album takes us on a deeply personal
journey of discovery. It feels like a balance sheet weighing out the
reasons to stay positive in life against the reasons to succumb to
the darkness and doubt that overtakes everyone's mind at some point
in life. It's a refreshingly open and honest look into this young
man's psyche. As Kade explains himself in Lonely Lyricist,
“bi-polar has me racing up and down like a staircase.” And even
though, just as explained, the music bounces from a dark personal
internal struggle type of track like that to the happy, positive, and
carefree track, Pull it Together, the transition seems natural and
organic. Through all the darkness which is enclosed in the human
psyche that this album dredges up, I feel like the positive messages
far outweigh any negative.
Kade has some profound messages in the
album, but I think the clearest, and most obvious message is this:
“You can achieve anything you set your sights to,” in the song
Make It Happen: not only only spoken knowledge, but inarguably
proven.
Maybe because it wasFriday the 13th
and the third one for 2012, everyone decided to lay low and not
risk some witchy, devilish shit happening at a gig. That must be why
the only hip hop gig I could find on that night was Sky'High's second
Sydney album launch. Every Friday that falls on the 13th
I claim as my own, especially in July. The day I was born, unlucky
for some, was on a Friday, the 13th day of the month of
July. Now I've definitely tried to lie to some about the year, but
if you really want to know just go read the book by George Orwell.
Permanent marker maybe?
I commemorated the day by getting it
inked on my arm permanently, so now I'm a real life lucky charm. And
if you know me, then you know that if I'm in your life you really are
lucky. That's because I live life the way I want it to be. I seek out all the good things and I attract them to me. So people could say that I'm living the dream. If you know how to dream than you know what I mean.
So I thought I'd give this Sky'High gig a try, after very mixed
thoughts on her from several people that I have asked. Elefant Traks
of course is right behind her, and when asked Adit spoke very
enthusiastically about her, but most of my friends haven't been too
impressed with lyrics, beats, or her attitude so far. I first heard
of her on Triple J early this year which was my first taste of the
“Hoodie and Nikes” song, which I really like. Embarrassingly enough at first I
thought she was a young boy by the way she sounded. At first that really intrigued me because I thought "hold on, who is this 10 year old on triple J?" But even better was finding out that it was a chick, because there aren't a lot of female rappers on the scene holding it down on their own. She
did an interview with Hai on the Hip Hop show before she went on tour
with 360, and talked about her new album coming up later in the year.
I thought she seemed really sweet and shy, and that definitely got me interested, I
wanted to know more.
a couple of cool kids I know
I saw her perform earlier this year
opening for The Herd. Basically all of Elefant Traks was there to
show their support. There's a bit of controversy about why Elefant Traks would sign an artist so different to their normal aesthetic. The answer is complex and maybe the benefits won't come to fruition straight away but rather incubated like an egg. It's like they took this little newborn chick
under their generous and protective wing and introduced her as part
of the scene. But she's no baby chick, innocent and wide eyed.
She's like a crazy owl: shifty eyed and alive at night time. Scoping
out the scene and then swooping down to swiftly snatch her prey.
Although it might seem like there's
some arrogance rooted in her name, it's really just a clever play on
her actual name, Skhai. You might be put off by the fact that she
rocks sunnies inside at night, wears a frown, screams into the mike,
and yells at the crowd. But at least she's herself, she's not afraid
to be a little angry. And we shouldn't put her down because it's
that type of raging that hip hop was founded on in the first place.
And in stark contrast to all that aggressive and negative energy, if
you're lucky enough for her to drop her sunnies and smile at you,
you'll be all but stunned by the innocence displayed in her face.
Which goes to show that, maybe it's not quite all an act, but but a
carefully constructed tough outer mask that she has worked most of
her life to maintain.
I spot a reoccurring theme
This genre of music, always came out of
a desperate need to make sense of a world that doesn't make sense at
all. The most notorious rappers came out of the darkest ghettos of
New York and LA. Yet, it evolved to be something so much more that.
The fact that Australian hip hop exists despite that overall absence
of such harsh and dangerous living conditions, is testimony to the fact that you don't have to
have had a really hard life to make good music. Everyone suffers in
their own way, emotional pain can penetrate the psyche of someone
even with the most seemingly carefree lifestyle. But someone who has
actually seen hell comes back completely changed. Therefore I don't
think we should write off Sky'High easily because it is known that
her childhood consisted of being witness to some of the most unsavory neighbourhoods and activities that Sydney boasts. So even
if she hasn't completely come into her musical groove yet, she's
comfortable with herself and her point of view alone is so unique
that everyone should take note.
Sky checking out my tat
As for the gig itself, it was a huge
let down. The choice of venue (come on who goes to see hip hop all
the way out in Bondi? Put her in Newtown for god's sake), the lack
of promotion (I only saw it on Elefant Traks site), and the crowd
(lack of, and lack of participation from those that were there) all
contributed to a huge flop of a night. But it wasn't all bad. She
has a stage presence like no other, she's definitely comfortable with
who she is. She is unique and brings something completely different
to the Australian hip hop scene. And I think because of this, and
because of her record label backing she will come into her own and
the country will start to see her as the star that she already
believes that she is. If the event had been promoted better and the
crowd was getting into it, I believe the show could have been a hit.
But like I've said before, the crowd really makes the show. If the
artist is up there giving their all and the crowd is giving nothing
back, then the night will be a flop, just by default.
fuck the world
Bottom Line: She's an aggressive chick,
with energy and edge, doing it on her own with her mate Emily Blake
of course, an amazing singer, to back her up live. A new piece to this
hip hop puzzle that we haven't seen yet. I think she will go far.
Then we'll be saying, “yeah I was at this gig in Bondi ages ago,
and there was no one there, it was crazy...”
"Look At Me Now" off the Your Highness EP
Latest Video: "Wake Up" featuring New Zealand rapper David Dallas
I have to admit right now, on my first listen, I didn't "get it". Although I enjoyed Horrorshow's first two albums immensely, I have since moved on. The first couple listens I skipped through the majority of the songs thinking Horrorshow had disappointed me by only providing more of the same, emotional and soft hip hop that doesn't push any boundaries or take a stance on anything too controversial. But at a second glance I realised that I was looking at it the wrong way.
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