Iām going to be completely honest, I didnāt think this would happen.Ā
When you have friends who do creative things, you want to support them. You want to be a good friend. You donāt want to shit on their dreams, so to speak. As a friend to a handful of people like this, Iāve always tried to pick my words carefully. Iāve gotten used to having to pretend to like things more than I actually do; to blow smoke up arses. To what degree? Thatās not the point, what Iām trying to say is; I was prepping myselfĀ to give my friend, Nick; front man of the nine piece Wollongong band, Dlinkwnt, the all too similar speech. I was going to be all like āthatās cool, man.ā I know, why do people ask me what I think, when thatās all they get? Who knows, it doesnāt happen as often these days. Something Iām very happy about for, the most part.Ā
I first met Nick when he was a part of the south coast hip-hop duo, Equal Elements. Two emceeās rapping over a pre-recorded soundtrack. They were on a portable stage, in the park at Flagstaff Hill on Australia Day 2007, and they were enthusiastic as fuck. It wasnāt until months later, when after a few chance meetings at local events, myself and Nick found ourselves sharing a house with a few others on Evans Street in Wollongong, affectionately known to some as āThe Oasis.ā We were instant friends, and watched countless hours of every type of Star Trek, after many rather reckless nights on the town. It has been one of the highlights of my life so far. Some might think thatās sad. But we had a fantastic eighteen months in that house, as hazy as some of those memories may be.Ā
All this time, Nick and Equal Elements, who by 2008 had become a trio. DJ Kut Bizy was added to the fold, and the Elements were gaining some momentum. Also by 2008, in particular the end of 2008, I was burnt out. I had been acting the fool for the first twenty-five years of my life, and I was ready to try and make a change. Unfortunately (but also fortunately) for me it meant realising that I had to move back in with my parents. Although Nick and I had become close, the familiarity of our living arrangement had taken its toll. We had kind of fallen out, drifted apart. We were still maintaining contact, and I still attended Elementsā shows, but I was happy to be gone. Iām not going to get into the how, what and why; the point is that I had written Nick off as a person, and most definitely an artist. Iām sure he was feeling similar feelings towards me, and rightfully so.Ā
Equal Elements continued to play shows, support touring acts and by 2009 had released their debut self titled EP. They had gotten some Triple J attention with āSimonās Songā in tribute to a friend of theirs who had passed on. I had never met him, but the song was a favourite among many, and a heartfelt, honest tribute. The EP wasnāt really for me though. I listened to it once. Iām sorry if that offends anyone, but it is what it is. I like hip-hop, but I donāt make it: These people who do are doing something I canāt do, so who am I to judge anyway.. However just because itās local that doesnāt mean I HAVE to like it, despite what the bumper stickers say.
In support of the EP, the Elements soldiered on, but time and personal patienceās on all sides wore on, and as with our friendship, the relationship between the guys became problematic. Managing a relationship is hard, so adding creativity to the mix can turn a situation into an emotional minefield. The Elements parted ways, and Nick was talking about striking out on his own. I didnāt believe him. At the same time multiple tragedies had struck him in both his personal and family life. I was pretty much not talking to him at this point.
A year ago Nick emailed me, and asked me if I could listen to his new music. I think I palmed him off, or gave him an excuse. I told him Iām not into offering my ignorant, and in most cases drastically overblown critiques on things anymore. Like I was some grizzled veteran being coerced from retirement, when in reality Iām a blowhard with an Internet connection. So I didnāt look at it. Later last year I found myself at a low point in my life, without anyone I could turn to. Except for Nick. We had maintained contact over the Internet occasionally throughout the year, but it was sparse. I didnāt even send him a message for his birthday in the age of it being as simple as a few clicks of your thumb.Ā
However, one day late in November we were chatting online about Prometheus, and how we had a differing viewpoint. All of a sudden it was like we were munted in the lounge room of the Oasis on a Tuesday afternoon watching Deep Space Nine, debating about which Dax we would rather have sex with: Ezri or Jadzia. We started to hang out again, as mutual circumstances in our lives had freed up time that was otherwise occupied by other people. This eventually led to me going to one of his shows. Not out of being asked to, but because I thought, āFuck it, why not?ā As Iāve already said, I wasnāt expecting much. I was ready to give the āGood job, champā face and be as polite as can be to the rest of the members of Dlinkwnt, if I happened to find myself in contact with them.Ā
I sat up in the back of the Standard on a rainy Friday night in Sydney. A bunch of us had made the trek up to watch Dlinkwnt headline the show. I hadnāt seen Nick perform as a part of a band, or been to one of his numerous shows he was featured on as a member of the KP Records roster. I hadnāt seen anything until now, and I was blown away. For the last ten years that Iāve been (kind of) paying attention, there have been numerous attempts, by just as many different bands to come up with a working model for a band fronted by an emcee, or rapper. Iāve heard most of them, and this is the one that works. This is what I told Nick after the show, and that if he still wanted me to write something, I would gladly do it. However I also said that he had something potentially worthy of legitimate press, so there was no point in having me write anything.Ā
I donāt understand music in the technical sense. Iām not going to be able to break down Dlinkwnt's debut EP; Make It So, in that way, because I wouldnāt have a clue where to start. BUT I can tell you this; after the first couple of times I listened to it, I was brought to tears. Not blubbering and shit, but they were there. Itās probably because I know a lot of the history behind the words, but without the rest of the members of Dlinkwnt, the words are just really excellent phonetic poetry. The music is infectious and soulful, and most importantly itās fun as all fuck. Make It So has some heavy thematic narratives, but despite this you canāt help but want to move around. My favourite song on the EP is āMasterclass.ā It showcases the individual musical talents of each of the nine band members while Nick provides the vocal commentary, coercing the listener/attendee into the party all the while providing a good old fashioned fuck you to the naysayers. Itās a nine-piece band, youād think it would sound crowded. It doesnāt. Iāve seen the guys and gal perform a couple of times now, and every time itās a bloody great show. And something that even awkward praying mantis types like myself can attempt to dance to. Trust me. Because no one will notice you anyway, theyāll be watching the stage, or theyāll be possessed by it themselves.
Yeah, Iām biased. But Iāve provided you with the back-story. As Iāve said, I have actually seen one or two of these bands come and go. For years I told anyone who would listen that Dlinkwnt as a band and Nick as a person were never going to make it, and funnily enough thatās one of the themes on the first song I heard when I listened to Make It So. The convention of self-doubt and the doubt of those you thought you could trust are jettisoned off into the Neutral Zone to become Romulan Phaser fodder. Iāve told Nick I had previously written him off, and he knew. Iāve apologised too, not that itās been requested. And I guess this is my public apology and itās my public endorsement of the band, Dlinkwnt. Theyāre a great band. Not only is it a fun time to watch them play, Make it So is a top-notch, quality recording. Some people call it synergy. It sounds like something that SHOULD be heard. And I implore you to do just that, you wonāt be sorry. Ā
By Kurt Mudgeon, a mediocre electrician.
