JURASSIC 5: ‘The Life Expectancy Of A Song Now Is Two Days’
In the age of YouTube and one-click downloads, instant gratification of consumers has changed the climate for selling music. Dante ‘Akil’ Givens of Jurassic 5 tells Rip Nicholson that post-reunion his world-renowned hip hop act have stepped up their game.
AKIL interviewed @ 10:15 AEST - Thursday 12th February, 2015
For Drum Media / TheMusic.com.au
It’s a different age in how people do stuff, now,” Dante ‘Akil’ Givens begins.
“We release albums, but really we’re amusing a new generation. It has to be a lot more strategic now. The life expectancy of a song now is like, two days. You click over one song to the next so easily; peeps already heard your joint and have moved on. That’s why I believe the visuals help out a lot. So, if there’s anything that we want to work more on now it’s the visual side of things. Making something that is tangible. That’s why I think YouTube is so big right now. It’s that connection to the music that you can grasp.
“You might get a video for Thin Line now, in this day and age,” says Givens who is looking to re-up J5 songs into videos. “For songs that people loved but never had a video for.”
Los Angeles-based rap outfit, Jurassic 5 was formed in 1993 when Givens joined MCs Marc 7, Chali 2na, Zaakir and producers Cut Chemist and DJ Nu-Mark, and in ‘97 released their self-titled debut on TVT Records. After their second album, 2000’s Quality Control, J5 opened for Fiona Apple on the Warped Tour.
“We've always been around different styles of music. And that prepped us to be able to be performers, period. We don’t just want to fall into hip hop gigs. We can perform live music in front of anybody, on any stage.”
“You can’t beat the live shows, because that’s the original Instagram. It’s living in the moment and that’s what these Twitter and social accounts try to capture. That is our strong point. We make good albums and we've made some made super, super hits,” says Givens between chuckles. “But, it’s always been our live shows that connect with our fans. And we are very conscious of that and how we can further our reach with the same music, performed live.”
So, working to their skills, when J5 got back together in 2013 – they broke up in 2007 – they toured. Then they kept touring into 2014’s Glastonbury Festival. This year, J5 rocks the Bluesfest and West Coast Blues ‘N’ Roots festivals.
“Hip hop is essentially a hodge podge of all different genres. This is right in line with what we do. I didn't grow up on hip hop, it came about when I was a teenager. Before that I listened to funk and jazz and soul. That’s what I grew up with, so, I’m at home.
“That’s what we’re able to do as hip hop performers, is teach people what actually is hip hop. Real hip hop. What we bring is not the commercial side of the game that you have been fed. This is the core of the real thing.”
Nuggy Gee is not trying to redo the game, nor is he trying to be the best MC. He is here for the love of the art, the therapy and of course the riches and the fame that comes from contributing to Brisbane’s Indie hip-hop scene. In 2013 he dropped his debut EP, Home Is Where The Art Is (HIWTAI) on independent label Gee Spot Recordings, representing the Four One fam on Brisbane’s southside. But don’t get it twisted, it’s in the DNA of Nuggy Gee to be a freestyle MC. The beast within is a battle rapper with the gift of gab to tear down a cypher and turn out the lights before last drinks. While he seems nice on record, he’s formidable in a freestyle.
For an MC who feels more comfortable getting in your face, when asked if his competitive spirit carried over into his records it was somewhat surprising to hear that he doesn't see collaborators as opponents. Although, perhaps the cohesion nurtured in recent collaborations with Def Man Walking and Fundamental Elements proved to be the right call over throwing down verses at each other in competition. Nevertheless, Nuggy Gee strives, at all times, to bring his A-game to the booth and, whether he likes it or not, the lyrical venom stored from the battlefield does leak out into his records.
Rip Nicholson holds audience with the independent as f**k MC. Everything is covered, from what inspired Nuggy Gee to stomp his name into local hip-hop, to deconstructing HIWTAI, to the self-produced Crate Of Mind project and how he both manages and contains the freestyle MC from taking over his records.
With a show that hosts a broadened hip hop audience, Seth Sentry bridges the underground scene to the fickle hipsters coupled up into one crowd craving to break from reality, just for one night with one of Australia’s best storytellers.
Seth Sentry Live @ Hi-Fi, Brisbane with Coin Banks & Citizen Kay
Feb 20th 2015 | Images courtesy of Dave Kan
Support act Coin Banks staggers but gathers his start. Without a DJ, the Perth MC drops bars acappella, prowling the stage like a headline act and going from Heads to Tails for the captivated crowd streaming in. Citizen Kay follows on before your girlfriend’s crush Seth Sentry takes the mic with his running mate DJ Sizzle behind him, decked out in a pinched handlebar moustache and glitzy blazer. Together, they cover everything from the 2008 The Waiter Minute EP, 2012’s This Was Tomorrow, and a few sneakies off the new album.
The setlist opens on Vacation which instantly provokes a strong singalong. He then parts his audience into hipsters and suits and breaks into My Scene. In true storyteller fashion, Sentry speaks between tracks setting each one up, as he does with Room For Rent and Float Away sending it out to all the bartenders, wait staff and those in hospitality who have had to put up with dirtbag customers, which receives huge roars of approval. Sentry then swings a left and hits everyone with his Like A Version cover of Frenzal Rhomb’s Punch In The Face. Shit gets real.
Crowd participation has peaked. So when The Waitress Song ramps up it’s recited line by line like a nursery rhyme. Being the consummate showman, Sentry runs that straight into Dear Science and careful not to trip over, employs security to tie his laces before balancing himself out on to barricade railings at the left of stage to chat with punters. With some so-called “Ninja Scroll shit” he tightropes back on stage, front and centre for new single Run, crossing the line for curtain call by midnight.
Sentry encores with Strange Lot and Langoliers Banquet leaving its backing track to linger on as he and Sizzle humbly thank everyone. For a big-time rapper, Seth Sentry’s the guest who will offer to clear plates and thank you for having him over before taking off with your girl.
One of BK’s finest, D.I.T.C. cohort O.C. who dropped the classic Word… Life album in 1994 is set to bring his underground catalogue to Australia. An auspicious first time for the rapper, who sits with Rip Nicholson to chop it up over his career. Going way back to the days of 1991, The Source tour, when he and Nas were aligned on the same path. When Pharoahe Monch had O.C. drop a bomb on ‘Fudge Pudge,’ the 2001 album and the latest movements of one of hip-hop’s realest.
1994 is widely regarded as the greatest year of hip-hop albums, producing work that would be etched deep into the grooves of music history with Gang Starr’s Hard To Earn released in March, Nas’ Illmatic in April, Jeru’s The Sun Rises in the East in May and Biggie’s Ready To Die in September. When O.C.’s solo debut Word… Life came out in October it held its’ own against such classic works and is today, a beacon of unregulated, hardcore underground rap albums from the boom bap era.
The Brooklyn-born and one-time Crooklyn Dodger and original member of the Diggin’ In The Crates crew, O.C. grew up alongside Organized Konfusion’s Pharoahe Monch and played a part in the early movement with he and Prince Po, appearing for the first time on ‘Fudge Pudge’ in 1991. But, it was on the inaugural Source tour where O.C. jumped on Serch’s ‘Back To The Grill’ alongside Nasty Nas which later led to him signing with Wild Pitch Records and Serch’s Serchlite management with Nas. While on tour, O.C. met Lord Finesse and long time producer Buckwild which would form one of New York’s grittiest underground rap acts, Diggin’ In The Crates. The Source mag had said of D.I.T.C.; ‘they put the ‘under’ in underground hip-hop with party anthems and rugged beats and rhymes.’ O.C. would soon play his part alongside some of hip-hop’s greatest albums with his debut solo LP, Word… Life.
Despite the heralded success of Word… Life for O.C. as well his second LP in ‘97 Jewelz, it would be his third release in 2001, Bon Apetit that would leave a lot of critics and hip-hop colleagues to agree that O.C.’s work was a far cry from the groundbreaking earlier work. He would briefly step back from the fray returning in ‘05 with two albums before recording Oasis with fellow D.I.T.C. member A.G. in ‘09 and numerous records since.
Having an interview with O.C. was met with stipulations to not ask the generic questions that seem inadequate for a rapper of his renowned stature in the culture. Cultivating discussions to cover not only his career achievements but to delve into what went wrong on Bon Apetit, the reality of a D.I.T.C. reunion and playing in Australia for the first time was a challenge taken head on.
This is O.C. original D.I.T.C. MC, in his own words.
For Full Q & A with O.C. from D.I.T.C. [CLICK HERE]
SETH SENTRY - Life On The Road Can Get Bleak - 'Real Dark, Real Quick'
It’s that time again, when Seth Sentry comes to town. With a new touring diet of curbed drinking and channeling the Aztecs through chia seeds in his cereal, Seth “Sentry” Marton tells Rip Nicholson of a new energy he’s putting into his shows.
SETH SENTRY interviewed @ 11:00 AEST - Thursday 22nd January, 2015
For Drum Media / TheMusic.com.au
Seth “Sentry” Marton has kept himself running a heavy tour schedule over the last few years.
From his return from the SXSW US tour and his flanny appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live, he ran two successful national tours before entering 2014 billed on Bliss N Eso’s Circus Under The Stars tour with Horrorshow and Ceekay Jones, a whirlwind of stages and dates. Most recently, Marton joined Hilltop Hoods, Illy, Thundamentals, Drapht and more at Triple J’s Beat The Drum anniversary party.
“That was great – loved it. It just made me wish I had a crew,” Marton admits. “I mean, I have my DJ, Sizzle, who I love, but when I see some of these rappers with their crews it makes me feel like I wish I had that many friends to call a crew, you know?”
During the lonely life on the road, Marton has been able to finish a new single from an as-yet untitled new album, due later this year.is a nostalgic throwback to his childhood in Burn City’s Sorrento on the Mornington Peninsula.
“It just reflects me being a product of my environment,” Marton admits. “I know that since the last album I have learned a lot more about my music and I’ve become more comfortable in what I’m saying. I feel like this time around this album I’m going to be more the rapper in it.”
"Chia seeds, man. Aztecs used to eat it or some shit. I’m channeling that warrior spirit,”
Time again has come for the seal to get back on stage with a beach ball. “Love it,” says Marton, interjecting his enthusiasm for the upcoming national dates. Although it’s old hat for him, he explains a new regime to sharpen the live game. “I think we’ve kinda fine-tuned it to a point where, because it’s not a novelty, I’m past getting completely wasted before a show and then trashed after a show and waking up like, ‘Where the fuck am I?’ I’ve had far better and more energetic shows as a result. I’m enjoying them more. It’s actually made it more fun and less depressing. When you do a big tour and you get halfway through and shit just turns bleak, man – real dark, real quick. And I don’t have that any more. It’s good.”
A sensible diet accompanies this new regime, introduced to him by his faithful touring partner. “We’re eating well. DJ Sizzle introduced me to a whole lot of foods which I was mega against, but now I don’t hate chia seeds in my breakfast cereal this morning. Chia seeds, man. Aztecs used to eat it or some shit. I’m channelling that warrior spirit,” he laughs.
Or, perhaps more integral to the newly energised sets, as he explains, “We’ve revamped this set, especially for this run. We’ve gone back into the studio with all the old mixes of the EP songs and even some This Was Tomorrow songs and remixed the beats for a live sound so they slam harder.”
HE APPLIES A FORMULA THAT’S ONLY TOO REAL FOR HIM. ONE THAT HAS SINCE BEEN ADOPTED INTO POP CULTURE. TAUHEED ‘2 CHAINZ’ EPPS TELLS RIP NICHOLSON ABOUT WHAT HE CALLS HIS MAINSTREAM RATCHET SOUND AND TAKING IT TO STAGES AROUND THE WORLD.
2 CHAINZ interviewed @ 9:00 AEST - Monday 24th November, 2014
For Drum Media / TheMusic.com.au (TBA)
WORDS by Rip Nicholson
IMAGES by Diwang Valdez (courtesy of Respect Mag)
[Full Q & A with 2 CHAINZ]
“Mainstream Ratchet is music that I made. Being black and being good enough to come from the underground has allowed me to go to places like Australia. And that’s because of that mainstream interest,” Epps says. “That’s kinda like the idea for how mainstream ratchet music is geared, where we talk about the hair weaves, skrippers and skrilla. It’s music that’s localised and talks about the lifestyle that I come from that’s loved all over the world.”
This formula is the story of hip-hop itself; a culture perpetuated in music and tempered from whence it came. 2 Chainz, formerly known as Tity Boi, as one-half of Playaz Circle with Earl “Dolla Boy” Conyers released an independent album in 2007 featuring lead single turned local-hit, ‘Duffle Bag Boy’ adding to a growing demand for Atlanta-based Trap music. After breaking up, Epps signed with Ludacris’ Disturbing Tha Peace imprint under Def Jam/Universal delivering two LPs and a slew of mixtapes, most recently 2014’s Freebase EP which is a sharp shot of regression to his duffle bag soundscape.
“That trap sound is what got me here, so on that base this music is more personalised and has more substance,” he says.
With the chains and matching shining ego, there is no ego as big as a rapper’s and Epps is no different. On ‘On So Can We Live’ (featuring T-Pain) he raps; ‘If you ain’t arrogant then you’re out of your element.’ But, as to how altered Epps is from 2 Chainz, the southern MC proclaims to be the same off-camera, so to speak.
“That’s kinda like the idea for how mainstream ratchet music is geared, where we talk about the hair weaves, skrippers and skrilla.”
“Pretty much what you see is what you get with me. I’m very transparent. I love my family. I love my fans. I love myself,” he admits. “I’m not a facade. The cameras don’t have to be off for me to act a certain way.”
Recently on Jay Z’s Life + Times with Elliott Wilson, Epps summarised his first album to being about strippers and cocaine, which made his music very relatable to his crowd. However, after touring internationally, Epps likened his second LP B.O.A.T.S II to a passport; dog-eared and well-travelled.
“I just did it like I had to,” says Epps. “Basically, it’s my diary that I was reading aloud. I had to show people what I’ve learned the past year or so. It’s like a seasoned passport that has a lot of stamps all through it and I’ll get even more as I go to Australia.”
The night prior to this interview, Epps was on a flight from San Diego sitting first class, next to Hulk Hogan. Two days later he was in Kenya for a concert. In March, Epps joins Canadian rap-crooner Drake in Australia and promises to give his all for the love of that trap music.
“I want it to be an experience, man. For me, I put everything I have out there on the stage, you know? I try to be excellent and give people their moneys worth. You know, I leave it all out there. You know, I’m gonna give you that mainstream ratchet that brought me here!”
DON'T CALL HER NEW ALBUM A RETURN TO 1999. IT LOOKS AND SOUNDS LIKE A GROWN MACY GRAY EFFORT. REAL NAME NATALIE RENEE BARRY MCINTYRE, SHE EXPLAINS TO RIP NICHOLSON THAT THE WAY IS BETTER THAN THE FIRST.
MACY GRAY interviewed @ 12:20 AEST - Friday 5th December, 2014
For Drum Media / TheMusic (Issue #70)
[Full Q & A with MACY GRAY here]
"I’ve come a long way since my first album as a songwriter, as an artist.
"I know more than I did back then. So, it’s only natural that my album is gonna come out differently and hopefully way better,” says Natalie McIntyre, better known as Macy Gray, of most recent album The Way. In a soothing voice crinkled only by the occasional raspy giggle, she adds: “Definitely, my vocal cords are on fire!”
In 1999, McIntyre’s raspy vocals gave her an instantly-recognisable singing voice made famous that year by I Try and its attendant album, On How Life Is. McIntyre has since pushed 25 million record sales worldwide. By 2014, she had become a singer, songwriter, actress and single mother of three, and intended her new album to be more reflective of that. “This album is very personal to me,” says McIntyre on the album’s press release. “I want my fans to understand the place where I’m at in life.”
“I think it’s a good album and also a little bit ahead of its time. But as a musician and from what I expect from myself, I’m really happy with this album,” she explains.
“I want my fans to understand the place where I’m at in life.”
However, this being her eighth LP, critics have heralded The Way as a return to 1999.“Yeah, I don’t agree with that. It’s definitely not a return to my first album, ‘cause I did that a loong time ago. I’m not making an album cut from the same idea as the first.”
On How Life Is dropped during a time when the leading ladies of R&B were heavily fusing their production with hip hop beats. Gray credits her producer with making the point of difference to R&B. “It was really the concept of the producer, Andy Slater. But because I’m black, everybody wanted to bill me as an R&B artist. You know, it’s definitely a jump-off-a-cliff move to try to do rock‘n’roll as a black artist or anything away from R&B, rap and soul. So, my producer, who wasn't a really big fan of the current R&B sound at the time, had a new concept, to make the same sounds with live instruments like they used back in the day. We had a grand piano and real drums! We had a huge, full-on, like the biggest percussion set I've ever seen. My friends were like, ‘Why doesn't the just do that on a drum machine?’ But he was right, when it came out everybody reacted to that because I think I was really, really fresh at the time. It really was the idea to use the same music but recreate it using live instruments and it added to the excitement, live as well.”
McIntyre brings the new album to Australian stages in March and is looking forward to cuddling a koala and all that. “We want to do all the cornball tourist stuff. See a kangaroo,” giggles McIntyre. “But, I am excited because we’re going to go to places we haven’t been before and I really want to be a tourist this time around.”
Ghostface Killah made it known that he’s travelled 22 hours to showcase the cult hero rep that comes from being a member of the Wu-Tang Clan. Short of wearing an official Wu-cut jacket, he banged the Clan to the fullest as did DJ Butcher and the Born Fresh fam.
Printed for TheMusic.com.au / Ozhiphopshop.com
Dec 5th 2014 | Rip Nicholson
Images courtesy of Jann Apara
DJ Butcher played trap-beats to a stream of Ghost fans entering the chamber that is the Woolly Mammoth (formerly Mercury Bar) in the Valley. At 9.30pm, crashing the stage in numbers, Joe Ave, I Am D, Prophet Rayza and the rest of Born Fresh all took the stage in a posse flex, prowling the stage, jumping in and out of a half-rehearsed cipher-style performance – and a very fucking solid one at that. Even Butch stepped out from behind the decks to spit a 16.
Technician The DJ opened up for Ghostface Killah who had, by 11.30pm, appeared from the slums of Shaolin, taking the stage to a wave of Wu-hands saluting the presence of a Clansman in Brisbane. Ghostface shuffled through a throwback of verses opening on Rae’s Only Built 4 Cuban Linx… flavours of Ice Cream before bringing out Sheek Louch (Lox, D-Block) to play hype man. Despite the lighting techs getting barked at for too many stage lights, a tender moment came when Ghost poured out Gladys Knight & The Pips to house lights off and cell phones brightening up the room, the sample for which forms the 36 Chambers classic, Can It Be All So Simple.
Putting to task Bris City’s Wu-Tang cult-strong front row, Ghost invited only real-spitters to perform Meth and ODB’s verses on Protect Ya Neck, when two MCs, both formerly of Pure Product, were picked from opposite corners; you couldn’t make this up. They did an outstanding job that even shook Ghost’s expectations. This raised the level from nine to 11 on the Richter scale. Shit got real after that as Sheek Louch revisited the good ol’ days of Biggie and Bad Boy before Ghost snatched back into the Wu setlist.
By 1am, inviting all loose Beckies to jump onstage so the audience can watch a 44-year-old man grind against a barely-18 girl was about as impressive as realising that ten thirsty girls running amok onstage had caused a bottle of liquor to spill over Tech’s laptop making Ghost go a cappella on his feet and filling the tech-downtime with local MCs eager to show and prove. Ocean and Born Fresh’s Joe Ave did just that. Things seemingly got back on track for a rough and dashed finale, neglecting to end on the planned Greedy Bitches, but not before inviting everyone to join them after for drinks. Great night. Support acts made the Bris City hip hop scene look fucking ready.
THREE ALBUMS IN AND SUDDENLY EVERYONE'S INTERESTED IN EVERYTHING ABOUT HIM, INCLUDING HIS SOCKS. RIP NICHOLSON RAPS WITH BIG ADAM BRIGGS ABOUT HIS INFLUENCES.
BRIGGS interviewed @ 13:40 AEST - Thursday 18th September, 2014
For Drum Media / TheMusic.com.au (Oct 2, 2014)
Full Q & A with BRIGGS Here
Actually, Briggs is more interested in giving us the most brutal punch-in-the-face slice of Sheplife we can handle, his legacy all on this new album.
“My cousin got stabbed, murdered. I knew I was gonna write about it, I didn’t know when and I didn’t know how. It wasn’t until I went to the shops one morning to get my breakfast and his face was on the front of the newspapers. That’s when I knew how I was going to write about it. I’m looking at my cousin looking back at me from an article. Over nothing. That’s the worst part. The other side of that is the family of the dude who did it. They have to live with this as well. It’s not a great situation for anyone to be in.”
Briggs supports community-led workshops and believes in first instilling a sense of self-esteem in children. “I had two good parents who told me I could. Some of these kids don’t have that.” This spirit carries into his music, also. Through every neck-snapping banger, Briggs aspires to the influences of Public Enemy’s Too Black, Too Strong presence in pop culture. “Tupac had that on every record – a very strong, black influence. Public Enemy had it on every record, Ice Cube, every record. And that’s what I intend to deliver, also. Not every track, but in everything that I do and everything that I am, that is my identity,” Briggs affirms. “I’m bringing it to the table the way I grew up among the politics. My father sat down in meetings with (Professor) Pat Dodson while I was drawing on paper next to him. I’m not new to this.”
What defines the album’s purpose and sense of identity, Briggs details, is evidenced by the track Bad Apples.
“That is the core of everything. It’s the spirit, the heart of the whole album. If you wanted honesty, if you wanted truth, here it is on a fucking platter. People talk about what they want in music. If you wanna hear the real side to an artist, then there you go, you know? Welcome to Sheplife.”
Still fresh, Brisbane MC, Liam ‘Profecy’ Wilson has not lost his rhyme stride over a beat. From taking on his local scene in 2010, Profecy rapped it, rode the beats and challenged the status quo as he saw it. Then, before he could take that next leap, he found himself trapped in the system. A time out served well, with a 2014 return, Profecy is back in step with his new EP, The Release. How apropos.
Time spent between albums only helped the rapper to explore the content of his character and develop the rapper. The Release goes in on the highs and the quite lows of what makes him who he is on the introspective joints ‘Truth or Truth’ and 'Standing In The Rain’. The momentum he is gathering is supported by Obese Records, their moves and reach and the circle of influence he keeps in the likes of Thundamentals, Illy and M-Phazes allow Profecy to be seen and heard around Australia. Here, Wilson opens up on everything in between releases and what motivates him looking forward.
Interview by Rip Nicholson on Thursday 28 August 2014
Responses from PROFECY
This three-piece hip hop outfit started by assaulting their hometown Melbourne by plastering its concrete jungle with D.Y.E. stickers. This was their plan of attack, reflective of the lengths this group will go to get their hip hop assault recognised among the herd. The infamy of The D.Y.E. has gone from stickers to sales of their new EP apologising for their sticker campaign.
‘Sorry For The Stickers’ is the debut EP for DJ Marshall, MHz and Slam Master D who have previously dropped two mixtapes showing their full flair and rhyming dexterity over dope party beats cutting and piecing their bars over call & response jams like Jurassic 5 or the Beastie Boys, two groups from which these lads style themselves. However it’s the live shows where these guys become creatures of the spotlight, building a rep as strong as their sticker assault through the notoriety of putting on quality live performances.
The D.Y.E. are certainly here to build on what they have started years ago, as found out in this very in-depth interview with the three piece, dissecting the new EP’s tracks and delving into the future plans for the group and discovering that, despite the efforts put forward to get their name out, they don’t take themselves too seriously. Even the acronym for their name is up for interpretation. However, The D.Y.E. believe it’s their music and live shows that will cement their names in Australian hip-hop.
Interview by Rip Nicholson on Thursday 26 June 2014
Responses from The D.Y.E.
In all that is written on your group, very little is mentioned about the origins of The D.Y.E name and the acronym itself. What can you tell me about it?
It’s what ever people want it to be, I think we have a different answer every time we get asked this question. A few of our favorites are ‘dope young energy’, ‘dinosaurs - your extinct’, ‘define your element’, ‘ditch your ego’ and ‘double your entertainment’. It can be whatever you want it to be.
What can you tell us about the DYE stickers? Is this something you guys started years ago?
In what started out as giving a few stickers to some mates for promo has grown into a full campaign to get The D.Y.E name out there. Sticker promo probably started 18 months ago. We've offended a few people and pissed a few ‘fun police’ off, so that’s how we came up with the name. For the record, if we could afford billboard, TV and radio ads to promote The D.Y.E, we would. Seeing as we can’t we invented our own way of ‘affordable’ advertising.
These things have got us banned from multiple venues in Melbourne and even in trouble with a few graf crews, luckily we sorted that shit out in the only way we know - with a beer and a bit of a smoke.
Plus it’s just fun trying to get them on law enforcement, bouncers and any unsuspecting patron at a pub we've been to. Also, sorry to anyone that has had to clean them up or had one stuck on their car. Hit us up for some free stickers and CDs at our website.
Did each of you come from a hip-hop background? Or are their other distinct influences shaping your music?
Marshall is an old punk drummer and MHZ used to rock bass for a funk band. Slam Master D used to be the front man for a pub cover band. We always listened to hip hop and thought it would be a lot of fun to give it a crack.
Our first tracks were recorded on a six track tape recorder from real instruments, MHZ would play drums out of time and then Slam would put down a sloppy bassline and then start recording into a rusty old Shure that we traded for a slab and a joint from a guy at our high school.
What are the main influences that go into the creativity of a DYE track? or, in other words, what do you hope that your fans/listeners take away from your art?
We try to make something that is fun and that we would want to play live or listen to live. It needs to have energy and be interesting to listen to. We try to stay away from the typical, “16 - chorus - 16 - chorus” kind of vibe. We like to keep it interesting with variation in cutting and vocal change ups. Hopefully it’s something the crowd can party to, something you can drive to or something you can chill and smoke to (not at the same time though cos that is dangerous (but it is also fun))
Is it important for you guys to stand out from the rest, to bring a point of difference to your act?
We don’t take ourselves too seriously. What sticks out for us is our energy and passion for performing and entertaining. We try to write tracks we would want to play. Our shows are where we are in our prime and our style comes to the fore.
Mo does a beautiful job on the hook for your ‘Lighters in the Sky’ track. The struggle to get a gig and be noticed in the indie hip-hop scene is hard these days. How do you guys see yourselves out of this and getting your EP, getting Obese on distro and inevitably getting gigs? Do you have any advice for artists struggling behind you?
Mo does an awesome job on that. We sent her the track and about a week later she came back with the hook. It blended in well with the beat and we also had a fun time making the video for the track.
Hassle, hassle, hassle. Email, phone call, walk into offices and walk into stores. Follow up with some more hassling. We are still doing emailing and calling everyday trying to find new leads and opportunities. We get knocked back all the time but it is a matter of maintaining the pressure and keeping our eyes on the bigger picture. We’re stoked to release this EP through Obese Distribution. They told us our stuff wasn't up to scratch a few times before this happened but we kept at it and the EP is now released!
In terms of advice for other crews, steer clear of these cats that are out to take cash off you in return for jack shit, and dodgy venues that will do you over! There are some places in Melbourne that need to have a good look at themselves and what they do to artists. Support local hip hop.
We couldn't get a single gig so we started our own production company ‘Street Credit Productions’. We just did anything we could to get shows. Book and organise gigs yourself it’s the best way to learn about the industry.
I’m guessing one piece of advice follows on ‘No Matter the Weather’ where you guys show a willingness to perform at any time, any where, rain or shine. What has been the most difficult or most enduring gig you guys have gone through?
All gigs are fun man. They all have there little ups and downs. Sometimes the sound guy doesn't show up, support acts don't show or there isn't enough equipment or cables. Other times DJ Marshall is too high and forgets how to DJ. Along the way we have seen fights in Sydney, dudes getting aggro over money and had the PA catch fire at Push Over festival last year. We've had gigs where the 3 of us were sharing one mic because all the mic’s in the venue stopped working. Even if you’re on a street corner with two people watching, you need to put on a show. We've played some really small shows but we always maintain the same purpose and intensity as if it was a packed house.
One gig nearly got cancelled because dudes were blazing joints inside. The cops came and nearly shut the venue down. Luckily one of the boys knew one of the cops so we got to play and blaze on stage. Cracking night!
‘Front to the back’ has DJ Marshall going all out on this one. Awesome cutting. Definitely my favourite track from the EP. On this track you said, ‘these days we play to evade these ways’ referring to avoiding being swept up in crime and the street life. If you guys weren't DYE the rap act, what do you think fate would deal you guys in the big world?
Yeah DJ Marshall definitely let rip on this one, sampling a wide range of material. Haha, we actually say, ‘these days we blaze to evade these ways’, referring to blazing up and chilling out.
If SMD didn't do hip hop he’d spend the time in the gym looking at his haircut in the mirror and Marshall would be listening to Bullet for my Valentine while combing his fringe.
What part of the process do you guys enjoy the most, writing raps, creating the beats, recording in the studio or performing for a live show?
That depends on which one of us you talk to, SMD loves the whole writing process and the lab sessions we have. They can be a 12 hour session of writing, recording and drinking just getting it done. we have skate breaks, food breaks but just keep writing. But then, the gigs are the real shit. Getting there setting up sound check partying scoping out other groups then just attacking the stage, the crowd, no holds barred.
Where do you envision DYE going in the next few years? Staying together as DYE, taking on solo and other collab projects?
Hopefully playing some bigger shows and supporting some quality artists. We are keen to get back in the lab and to start recording again. Also hitting the stage and getting a few more shows organised is high on the agenda. We have our EP Launch at Highlander Bar on Friday 1st August, as well as shows at The Espy and The Evelyn coming up. Into the future, some more collabs would be sweet because it’s fun experimenting with and learning from other people who like making tunes too.
THE HERD ARE TREKKING BACK INTO THE COLD FROM WHENCE THEY CAME TO OPEN THE SNOW SEASON AT PERISHER'S PEAK FESTIVAL. KENNY SABIR TAKES RIP NICHOLSON BACK TO WHERE IT ALL BEGAN.
KENNY SABIR interviewed @ 11:00 AEST - Thursday 15 May, 2014
For Street Press Australia / TheMusic.com.au
Since releasing their last album, The Herd have toured Australia over and worked on other projects, while in late 2012 the entire Elefant collective was invited to the Graphic Festival at Sydney Opera House to put on a performance deconstructing the literary works of Theodor Seuss Geisel, aka Dr Seuss – The Herd taking onCat In A Hat. Label co-founder, producer and Herd musician Kenny ‘Traksewt’ Sabir explains how invaluable the experience was for the group, as well the entire Elefant roster. “It was certainly a great honour to be the first to put on a show like this. And to be the first rap act, too. It was also great to sit back and see the cross pollination between the Elefants working outside of their respective bands and really making it work.”
“For example, one of the songs we had was about child abuse – My Sister’s Palace – so if you were going to have in mind of having your music played loud at parties, then these wouldn’t be the topics you would be talking about, but they’re topics that we feel we need to discuss.”
2011’s Future Shade marks ten years since a bunch of solo artists collaborated together on the same album, thus becoming The Herd as a band. Sabir tells the story of a time in 2000 before the banding together, one involving a dodgy van, disqualification and breaking down on the way home, not far from the venue they are set to play some 14 years later at the Peak Festival.
“Me, Ozi Batla and Toe-Fu played in a busking competition out in Thredbo in 2000. I had just bought this dodgy old van off my dad a week before. And so we’re travelling down there and the van was so dodgy like, instead of five hours it took 12 hours and could only make 40 [km/h] up a hill. We got there so late that we were disqualified from the competition for missing the start of it. So we asked if we could play anyway. They said, ‘Sure, do what you like.’ So yeah, we played in the snow for the weekend and had some fun. And of course the van broke down on the way home.
“The people that did win – and who we actually shared a room with – were two people from the band that became Blue King Brown.” Had the three of them been allowed to compete, Sabir remarks, “it would have been a good competition. So, that’s how it all started.”
Formerly The Perisher Snowy Mountains Of Music Festival, the now named Peak Festival is a massive gig involving 130 shows over four days with The Herd closing the festival, illustrating how far The Herd has trekked over the last 14 years. So, keeping the crowd warm and amped won’t pose a problem for the veteran band.
“We’ll have to keep everybody warm. That’s one of our strengths, as a live band after having done it for such a long time. We’ve got the jumping around on stage pretty down pat now.”
Looking forward, Sabir hints at another album being on the cards for The Herd, albeit lightly pencilled into next year’s agenda. “We’ve got a few things on the schedule this year: Jane Tyrell’s album, which is exciting, and Astronomy Class are just about to wrap up their next release. So, yeah it takes us a while. We’ve gotta get these instrumental projects out of the way. Chill out and then... feel the need to get stuff written out. I think this budget is a pretty good catalyst.”
theMusic presents
PEAK FESTIVAL (8 June 2014) FEAT.
THE HERD + LACHY DOLEY + THE LITTLE STEVIES + DEREB THE AMBASSADOR + GLENN CARDIER + SHELLIE MORRIS + AZADOOTA + MATT GLASS + CHOCOLATE STRINGS + BELLE JAR + PEAK FESTIVAL
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