Level Headed, Forcast, Slats, Hacksaw and Debate make up the Train Of Thought crew and combined they are bringing some high quality Australian Hip Hop to your ears, a highly impressive debut album that kills it on all levels………….That was something I wrote back in April 04 in a review for Moving Heads, the debut release and first I had heard of Train of Thought and an emcee named Level Headed, I liked it. Fast forward 5 years and Level Headed has gone the solo route, somewhat. His solo debut offering is “The Spice Of Life” and staying true to his crew features Debate on all the production, Hacksaw on the cuts and a slew of guest spots for Train of Thought as a collective and individual members, but how does Level Headed hold it down by himself?

First and foremost the chemistry created by being crew for a long time can not be understated. When Debates production is teamed with the relaxed drawl like flow of Level Headed you can see that each element from beat structure, verse structure and pace is purposely built for this album. You can tell that these two know how each other work and it creates a consistent vibe and relationship between producer and emcee. This is immediately highlighted with ‘Down To Earth’ and ‘Bounce’, both tracks providing a head nodding intro to the album with the drums on ‘Bounce’s’ hook lifting it to what would surely be an impressive live track.

Level Headed delivers an honest Australian hip hop album with themes throughout being relevant and positive to most, highlighted on tracks such as ‘Spice of Life’ and ‘Countdown’, featuring one of the most impressive Reason verses I have heard for a minute now. Lyrically Level Headed holds his own, with a lot of multis and flow being on point. Some of the hooks are designed for live shows and whilst they still work on the album they would be better pumping out live. The multi layered 4 bar hooks such as ‘Double Header’ ft Headlock, do hold an impressive flow. The ‘Bring ya back to life’ interlude highlights some early influences and is a good trip down memory lane trying to name every track played, fuck chewed tapes.

The second half of the album features Train Of Thought on a few tracks and Slats on a couple as well and again the chemistry makes these tracks solid. ‘Too late now’ is a morbid tale of a school massacre, possibly a Blackwood high gunman, that is delivered at a level that holds the listeners ear although replay value may be low. An interesting collaboartaion with 8th degree on ‘Bring them down’ is a little confusing. It sounds like a Hed Pe attempt but the hook comes off to me as a bit out of place, we are saved by the heavy guitars on ‘The hills’ to bring it all home though.

‘The Spice Of Life’ is a consistent solo release from Level Headed. The combination of Debate and himself is a winner and provides quite a few highlights. There are a few tracks that seem a little out of place but ‘The Spice Of Life’ is a quality offering from an emcee who has taken the time to put together a complete album rather than a rushed effort of half assed tracks. Pick it up and get down with the Level Head.

www.levelheaded.com.au
www.myspace.com/levelheadedmc

Goto to check the new Video from Level Headed titled “The Hills”

Pick up Spice Of Life from all good Hip Hop outlets and check the launch coming soon near you! Check the flyer on your right for gig details!

It is a great thing when an artists goes from an EP to a LP and shows progression and creativity and two years on from the well received ‘Coffee, Biros and Death’ Requiem has done just this with ‘Grassroots Anarchy’.

The ten track offering displays a defiant, angry young man that is using hip hop as his outlet to show his frustrations with the society we dwell in. Defiant dishes up the intro and the leading track ‘Apeshit!’ (listen to this track below) as Requiem attacks the industry and politics involved and why it makes him go this way.

Straight away you can notice his flow and voice are not your usual clear concise, there are certain lines and words that at first sound a little rushed but they work within his style and different verse structures.

A reflective hip hop influence track with a twist is offered on ‘Counter Culture’ as fakes are called out for the music they supposedly rep and Req tells us exactly what he listened to with a few surprises in there over a funky Wizard beat.

Req has stepped up his flow and presence on the mic, growing from his previous work and obviously taking advice and learning his own style to a more comfortable level when he is spitting. This is shown on tracks such as ‘Pacifist’s Dilemma’ produced by Doc Felix, and ‘Linephile Confessions’ produced by Pabstrakt.

Req has also stepped up on a story telling vibe with ‘The Violence of Love’, a tale of revolutionary Oscar Romero and also on his own personal tale in ‘It’s Getting Late’. Guest spots are kept to a minimum but at an effective level on the gritty ‘Street Journalists’ featuring Fluent Form and Maundz and produced by Ciecmate, raw.

To be honest I was not the biggest fan of ‘Coffee, Biros and Death’ and I was hoping this would rise above it. Not only did it rise above but it blew it the fuck out of the water. It has a vibe to the whole product which you get into. There is an air of anger with reason that works and the beat selection and topical matter sits well with Req’s delivery and style. Definitely worth a look.

By Gareth M

Requiem Grassroots Anarchy is available now from the usual outlets or gab it online here

Check the feature track Apeshit! below.

Requiem – Apeshit! by requiem

Gully Platoon is a new crew consisting of three emcees; Pegz, Joe New and Dialectrix. Each as an individual has more than pulled their own over the past on their respective releases but can they pull of a formula that works as a crew over some production from Jase, J Squared and Plutonic Lab?

The Great Divide is a collection of pretty good tracks but the album seems to lack a bit of direction in topics and styles. Joe New and D-Trix have spat together on a heap of tracks and they bounce off each other easily in this sense, even at times confusing the ear as to who is spitting. Blue Mountains hip hop has its own style when it comes to flow and structure and both Joe New and D-Trix spit in this fashion. Pegz spits like Pegz. His flow is on point when lined up against the other two which could have been an issue as he has a unique presence but the contrast works well. Tracks such as “For Those That Don’t Know”, highlight the fact that all three emcees can seamlessly blend when done correctly however on tracks such as “Late Nights”, the slower tempo suits Pegz better than the others as ‘Bank Job’ works better with a quicker flow that Joe New and D-Trix bring. So overall it evens out but there are certainly tracks that suit each emcee better than the next. There is a lot of rap about coming up hard, hip hop and the Gully Platoon theme and vibe. It works on a lot of the tracks but after about ten tracks it sounds a little familiar, there are a few late charges with Late Nights and Where Do I Go which offer a more personal approach from the emcees but this could have been sprinkled throughout the album instead of pushing it into just a few tracks.

Production wise once the needle crackles and the guitar licks kick in you can kind of feel where this album is gonna go and that is large. With Jase and Plutonic Lab handling 99% of the beats it should sound large and in line with both these Oz Hip Hop kings reputations it bangs. There is a varying range of production from guitar heavy bangers, Bank Job, to the keys driven ‘Gully’s In Town’ and the electro bounce of ‘Nothing To Lose’. Production is on point throughout the whole album.

So is Gully Platoon the next big crew in Oz Hip Hop? They will be large that is for sure, with Pegz at the helm and the hunger of Joe New and Dialectrix it is hard to not see them killing it live and getting lots of deserved Triple J love. With an album full of solid production and good flow most should enjoy the offering but it doesn’t deviate too much from what you would expect from each emcee as a solo artist whether it is topics, flows or presence it is all there from each separate emcee and as a crew the formula should only get better.

By Sam P

Gully Platoon is – The Great Divide is out NOW. The Obese Crew will be touring near you soon, with the 2009 Block Party!

October 9 – Sydney, NSW @ The Metro
October 10 – Newcastle, NSW @ The Cambridge Hotel #
October 11 – Albury, NSW @ Roi Bar #
October 16 – Brisbane, QLD @ The Tivoli
October 17 – Byron Bay, NSW @ Great Northern Hotel #
October 18 – Cairns, QLD @ Gilligans #
October 23 – Perth, WA @ Metro City
October 24 – Adelaide, SA @ Thebarton Theatre
November 6 – Melbourne, VIC @ The Palace (formerly The Metro)
November 13 – Hobart, TAS @ The Brisbane Hotel #

# headlined by Muph & Plutonic, Gully Platoon

For More info check www.obeserecords.com

THORTS INTERVIEW

G FORCE (G): Congrats on your recent release Bleeding Heart Muzik. The album is a very personal piece of work, how long was it in the works for and do you think it took you longer because it was on that tip?

THORTS (T): Thanks bro, a few of the tracks on this album were originally Mankind tracks and there are a couple that are actually remixes by different producers. I worked on this album at the same time as I was wrapping up other projects and collabs and then once the music part was done all the other shit took time you know, I wanted to plan it out and make it the best release I could, I didn’t want to rush it and just get it out there like my other releases, I wanted to put everything I had into this release and making sure it got out there and heard.

G: I will admit to following your hip hop development closely as I enjoyed the old radio frees, Field Trip, Mankind and other Hungry Humans projects and I commented once that this is exactly where I thought your debut release would sit. Do you think this was a natural progression in your style as a solo artist?

T: Word! Yeh me and my crew use to always spit live on pbs the formula back in 1999-2001, those were some fun days back then, it’s a shame we never put anything out back then though it would have been fresh! Well actually me and Dan Murphy made a cassette under the name “The Alliance” the tape was called Blak Calix but it would be very hard to find now. I have changed a lot since then though, I was a teenager and on drugs so what I rapped about back then and what I rap about now are 2 totally different things. I progressed as a person first, through life experience, getting my life in order, having a family, working hard, so yeh of coarse this came through into my music as well.

G: From these older days we saw acts such as Lost Souls and yourself in Field Trip yet we have not seen anything new from either duo only solo releases from Raven with Humble Beginnings and now yourself. Why not a full length Field Trip and what made you as a solo artist keep pushing to put out product?

T: Well basically, me and 86 live two separate lives, we recorded the Field Trip ep when I was living in Melbourne, but after moving to Geelong 86 had a family and focused more on being a father than making music and I focused more on solo tracks, we basically went our separate ways, music wise, the last track we did together was in 2007 absolute obselenc which I think is on the Field Trip myspace page. I think also we have different tastes in music and what we wanted to do so I decided to branch out and work with different producers and try different things, where still good friends but just work on our own thing, As for Lost Souls I think it’s pretty much the same story although I’m not sure if Budsa is working on anything at the moment but I know Raven is always hard at work.

G: You are influenced greatly by artists that you enjoy and seem extremely passionate about hip hop. What are your current thoughts on the Aus scene and hip hop in general?

T: Hip Hop is alive and well! Real hip hop is FAR from dead; you just have to know where to look! I am inspired mostly by American artists that I listen to and work with people like Pigeon John, Brother Ali, Atmosphere, Escape Artists, Sontiago, Living Legends etc there is so much good hip hop around but I suppose everyone has there own taste with what they like, I just like real, innovative, creative, blue collar sorta stuff. As for the Australian scene, there’s only a few artists that really interest me, I really like Subsketch, Crixus, Morgan Macmanus, all of my mates of coarse haha but yeh there’s not too much I can relate to really, not really my sound, I really just focus on creating my own music, I guess that’s why I don’t have a similar sound to any other artists in this country.

G: There is a range of production credits on the album yet a similar vibe and sound throughout the whole lot. How did you go about selecting producers, beats and how heavily did having a ‘concise, complete sounding album’ weight into this?

T: The producers I worked with on this album are all friends of mine, which is great, I basically just wrote to beats I dug and beats I dig usually gel together nicely, I am very happy with the way they work together, I dint think they would gel that easy haha.

G: Lyrically throughout the album there is a similar personal vibe. Be it through story telling or a first person perspective there is a heavy dose of honesty and emotion in there. Are these tales closed books now and what will we hear from Thorts in future rhymes?

T: Is life a closed book? Unfortunately I never really learn from all my mistakes haha I write what I feel at the time, there’s no great story really to why I write, it’s just whatever i’m going through at the time, my music is more like a journal entry, so unless I had a crystal ball I couldn’t really tell you exactly what to expect, all I can say is I will be working with some dope international producers and mc’s and my overall sound will just keep getting bigger and better!

G: Does it bother you at all that you may be pigeonholed as an ‘emotional emcee’ or similar tags and people may not peep your music because of this when obviously there is a lot more to it than just that aspect?

T: Well the only bad thing about being pigeonholed is that yeh some people might not check my music, I know that if people at least got to hear my music then they might open up to it but as for being labeled as an emotional mc haha I couldn’t care less, being real to yourself and expressing what you feel is called being a human, people do this day to day so I do it in my music. I’m not gonna be one person in real life then a totally different person on the mic, there are mc’s that do that shit and it’s not for me, It is what it is, I am who I am.

G: Your partner Kadyelle is also an emcee. Are you guys going to release anything together and how much opinions and influence do you have on each others content?

T: Me and Kady have tracks together on her upcoming releases. She has an ep with Fathom (u.s.a) and a full length album titled “silence the piano” they both should be out later in the year. At the moment we have songs together on her stuff and mine but nothing in set in concrete about doing an album together, I think my brother Esvee is first on that list! Basically we listen to the same music and share our lives together so in that aspect we have lots of the same influences but when it comes to writing and recording we do our own thing, don’t sleep on Kadyelle! She is diggity dope!

G: You have moved around a bit the past few years and had some life changes, did this impact on the topics you were writing about and put hip hop to the background a bit?

T: Well I have only had one move in the last 6 years so it hasn’t impacted me greatly creatively but yeh life changes, I have had a huge life change recently with the arrival of our little boy Isaiah Malekai and moving over to Bunbury w.a with my family that has definitely put my music on hold for a little bit, just trying to find myself here and get settled with a good job which I still haven’t done yet but once that is done im sure I will be able to get stuck into my music again.

G: You and Esvee vibe really well on the album and on past works and live shows as well. Any thing in the works with him and why we are on the topic what is next for Thorts?

T: Yeh me and Esvee first met back in 2005 at a show in Geelong, since then we have been best mates and made heaps of dope tracks together. He is a dope mc and a great person in general. His music is much like mine but he still has a distinct feel to his music that makes him heaps different. We gel together nicely and I hope to work on an ep or album with him sometime in the future. At the moment I am working slowly on a free digital ep with the help from Sydney producer Proph 1 who has some amazing beats! The ep is mostly filled with features with artists such as Reach (u.s.a), 1/6 (melbs), 7ravesty & Rival (Brizzy), Kadyelle, Marksman (Perth) & Morgan Macmanus (Canada/Brizzi), I’m just making this for fun and the chance to work with different artists while I’m trying to settle down. After that I have a couple of albums to work on with 2 different producers and some dope international and oz hip hop mc’s which I am really looking forward to, but that’s all I am going to say about those for now, Oh Kadyelle will also have a new clip up very soon and we will also have a clip together, both clips are for tracks off her new album so make sure you peep them once there up and if you haven’t peeped my new clip for my track “into the wind” then go have a look now!

G: A few tracks such as Sleep at Night are predominately made up of singing. I thought at times it was a bit of overload on something that I thought worked well with hooks. Can you tell us more about this style and the importance of these varied styles of hip hop to your music?

T: Well I am influenced by artists who do what they want when they want no matter what people think or say so I do the same. I sing songy hip hop so if that’s the feeling or vibe I get off the beat and that’s what I want to do then I do it. I know I don’t have a great singing voice but I enjoy doing it, that’s it!

G: There are quite a few lines spread across the album that I replay and really think they are poetic, not just a hip hop lyric. Do you explore other facets of art and rhyming such as poetry?

T: I don’t write poems as such but when I write I try to write in a way that’s poetic and not just straight up rhyming, I like to push myself to write differently each track, make it interesting you know, I think it’s most evident in my track “when it’s all been said and done” I really sat down with that one and though about what I was writing and how I was writing it and I will be doing this a lot more in the future with my new music too.

G: Thanks heaps mate. I really enjoyed the album and I think it is a solid piece of work. Any final shout outs, thank yous and the like?

T: No worries bro, glad you enjoy the release! I just want to say that I aint going nowhere! Music is my life and I will be doing this till the day I die! Peace

THORTS SOLO ALBUM – BLEEDING HEART MUZIK Is availble NOW in all good record stores. Featuring Esvee, Crixus, Class A, DJ Bogues, Amber, Mata, Must, JP, 1/6, Urban Monk & J.Waters plus production by Crixus, Saint Surly, Crytearia, Must, Simple Simon & Geko.

http://www.myspace.com/thortsthescorpion

Thorts has been around for a while now,as part of the highly respected Field Trip and flying under the Hungry Humans and Bleeding Heartz Club banners. Probably better known in Melbourne than his now hometown of Perth but I doubt that will be for long. I have listened to Thorts evolve from spitting at Triple R to Field Trip, Mankind and various guest spots and his honesty has always shone through, he will readily put his whole life and heart into a track. If that has you put off then this is not your style of music but it may surprise you also as it is not delivered half heartedly, no pun intended.

Why I Write is almost an admission or introduction to what you will receive from the album. A hauntingly simple loop driven beat from Saint Surly highlights Thorts ability to hit each beat on point, his flow seems so relaxed and easy without being lazy. In the past Thorts has always toyed with a sing song flow and in The Art of Acceptance ft Crixus and Sleep at Night it is dominant but does it work? It does somewhat, however I think it suffered a bit of overkill in these track from Thorts, it works well and is highly effective when layered within his more standard flow and raps but a whole verse, whilst fitting in with the production, didn’t overly excite me. The impressive flow that Thorts does have is highlighted in When History Repeats, as horns cut through the punchy drums Thorts laces a tale about a family in turmoil. This is where Thorts shines, his story telling ability seems so real, whether personal tales or ones witnessed it is believable and does not sound contrived. This is again displayed on Here For You, and you have to admire the guts of an artist to fully open up for their works. Must of Pang productions drops a perfect posse cut beat for ‘Like minded artists as Thorts is joined by Urban Monk, J Waters, Esvee, JP, Wunsiks, Mata, Class A, Must and DJ Bogues on a huge 8 minute posse track. Each artist differs enough for this to work well and they all come through with the goods, it has a really dope cypher vibe to it. Finishing up with When it’s all been said and done ft Amber Thorts looks to the future and what it could possibly hold.

‘Bleeding Heart Muzik’ is an honest, haunting piece of work but is it good? If you like someone who will give you all of their thoughts, emotions and stories then you will love it. . There are a few instrumentals scattered throughout which tie in each track so if you like albums that work as a whole piece, rather than songs thrown together, then it will definitely be in your interest to grab. As Thorts has evolved as an artist he has definitely moved towards his current style and there is no one else out there who will give you an album that you will relate to in some way and possibly even feel like some tracks are telling your own story. Perhaps more poet that rapper? Nah, not with a flow like that.

Gareth M

Some listeners may be aware of these two brothers out of Melbourne from their freebie drop ‘Mixtaste’, a mix of classic rock anthems with a hip hop twist. The formula remains the same with B Wiv on production and DJ duties whilst Deece picks up the mic again for their official debut EP ‘Ritual Law’.

A straight hip hop release rather than an experimental mix Ritual Law runs in at a quick attack of four tracks. This is a really great sounding EP, the recording is flawless and the beats are loud. These two obviously take a quality approach to this and having the EP mastered by the infamous Jack The Bear shows you how serious their approach is, which is refreshing to see.

From the get go you can instantly tell that B Wiv has his own style and sound. Kind of electro, kind of hardcore, horrorcore, bass heavy but overall a big hip hop heavy sound, that works really well. Deece rides comfortably over this soundscape with his own style of flow and verse structure. His verses are very full with lots of multis and lots of lyrics pumping out in each verse. At times this can mean you miss a line or a word here and there but it makes you listen closely to pick it all up, and listen back to get it if you missed it.

‘Ritual Law’ gives us a view into how Deece’s mind works on the current state of the world and what’s happening around us all. The production on ‘Mercy Me’ is some bassy head nodding shit with an aggressive hook that demands attention.

An almost opposite style is highlighted on ’40 days and 40 fights’ as Deece flexes his vocal range and tells us a deep and personal tale of his battle with Diabetes type 1. A deeply passionate track that goes from past to present and really shows that Deece has a flame for life, that won’t be put out anytime soon. As the track progresses the feelings that are experienced go from sorrow, pity to uplifting and happiness as his drive is highlighted to move on and up, a great track. The final track is ‘B Wiv Deece Meets Maundz’ featuring, um, oh yeah Maundz.

Production is slick as hell with some great samples on the hook and cuts executed perfectly. Deece flows incredibly on this track, relentlessly attacking the beat with an addictive style that encourages neck snapping.

Teamed with another mug from Preston and working well together as Maundz tells how they met and their current working relationship, as to be expected Maundz comes correct with his verse.

Overall the EP is a solid four tracks that offer diversity in both lyrical content and production, which in my opinion is what an EP should do. It highlights the artist’s styles and should make you look forward to a full length, which it does. Deece has a unique mic presence, flow and delivery and B Wiv offers the same with his beats which combined works really well to deliver a solid offering.

Gareth MacDonald

Ritual Law is available now where all good Hip Hop is sold. Or just cut out the middle man and grab a copy from http://www.myspace.com/bwivdeece

What do you get when you mix a little Kanye West a twist of Cannibal Tribe and a whole lot of Shepperton based grass roots Oz Hip Hop? Well, you get Homemade Bombs the Debut EP from Briggs.

Actually there is very little of Kanye West styles on this EP, in fact quite the opposite but the opening track Greetings Featuring B-Pain does include some Autotune work which is an interesting tact for Oz Hip Hop. Are you still a pioneer of a style if no one else has done it locally? I don’t think so but it actually works well in this instance and is fairly limited.

Briggs tells it how it is with Bad Move and if one look at this bloke isn’t enough to make you cross the road, well then this track surely will…[insert witty analogy here, pass me another bong please] Luckily for you Briggs and Hazard productions have given us permission to let you be the judge.

Click >> Briggs \’Bad Move\’ from the HOMEMADE BOMBS EP

My Priority Featuring Reason is a hilarious contrast of personalities. Briggs a piss head, pie eating dole bludger and Reason a hard working family man who likes to spend his spare time investing in the stock exchange.

The final and feature track Homemade Bombs (produced by Trials), is a short biography and an insight into the mind of Briggs. Struggling with adversity and being pushed around by those who thought they where better than him is something we can all relate to.

Briggs plays at the Social Change Gig at The Laundry (VIC), this Saturday 9th of May. Go cop his EP now or beg him for a copy at the Gig or check him out online http://www.airbriggs.com/

It’s not the lack of good artists in Oz Hip Hop at the moment it’s the influx of absolutely shit ones that seem to appear overnight with a desire to be the nest big thing. Fortunately for us all, Melbourne rapper G-Force has been honing his skills for as long as I have known him and while others have dropped off or given up G-Force has provided us with a surprisingly fresh take at our beloved genre.

The album’s intro kicks off with a smooth beat appropriately called Welcome (beats produced by Xcise & Dutch) and by the time the 40 seconds is up you are nearly on your feet with anticipation off what what’s on next. Stop, Drop, Roll doesn’t disappoint, the production on this track combined with seamlessly perfect flow will remind you what good Oz Hip Hop is supposed to sound like. The feature track Clouded is a track about self reflection and is perfect for playing when you need some motivation. Just when you think this Album is going to be strictly grimey Drop The Beat (ft Vida Sunshyne) is the kinda track that your missus will remember and will have her jigging around to. Fed Up (Government Funk) similarly has a dope upbeat beat but with ironically…well ‘fed up’ lyrics. (It’s going to be ok man – Ed). The next track features Hunter. Burden of Proof is a real stand out for me. The raps on this track are superb especially Hunters lines, I did feel the hook was a bit weak but judge for yourself. Whoever came up with Since We Need an Interlude haha ya funny cunt.. Skipping forward a few tracks (fuck, you need to judge some of this wax for yaself) to Track 12 Game of life Ft Maundz is another standout. Some real grimey shit and kinda makes me wanna smoke some bongs and watch graff videos. I dunno check it out and see if you think the same thing. Gonna Be Mine Ft. Doc Felix is nothing short of pure awesomeness and with a DJ like Doc Felix (Top Billin) I didn’t expect anything less. Ahhh the Outro a perfect end to a Album that’s on repeat.

G-Force Clouded is OUT NOW on Run Of Play Records and proudly distributed by Obese Records.

You may know Geko from the ‘We are Animals’ EP with Raven, or from his guest spots on various Hungry Human and Crate Cartel releases. If you don’t know, wake the fuck up. Hitting us with his debut full length release, we see 18 self produced tracks where Gex brings his unique style to not only the mic but the boards.

Creating a sound for himself that floats between dark and moody such as ‘The Rain’ which sees dope use of strings and deep horns over snappy snares to the more upbeat ‘The Blood’ featuring Luke Mac, Geko has production covered. There is a diversity here that people will like; Geko has a pretty punchy aggressive delivery that is balanced out by the slick production. There is something in each beat that will catch your ear and have you listening again to try to pin point it each time. Gex flexes his production depth on three instrumental tracks aptly title ‘One’, ‘Two’ and ‘Three’ which are each different but all excellent. From massive layered sounds such as ‘No Match’, to the simpler loops of ‘Hit the Floor’, if you can’t feel this, then stop listening to hip hop.

If there is one thing our country has over others when it comes to producers who emcee, most of ours can actually rap. Geko is no exception to this, his lyrics, delivery and flow comes just as on point as his beats. An aggressive flow that hits hard combined with lyrics that reflect his up bringing and lifestyle, Geko pulls no punches as he is joined by Raven, Sesh 1, Fluent Form and Luke Mac. There is a definite lyricism tip flowing throughout the album with many multis, metaphors and structures that will impress most wordsmiths out there whilst not alienating those who just wanna here a good flow as highlighted from the kick off on ‘My Time Pt 1’; “So don’t push the pacifist that push the pencil through it’s paces”. Ranging from straight battle spits, tales from the street, to the rise of Geko himself through life we see a lot of passion thrown into a unique style that Gek rips consistently.

This is how a self produced album should sound. It has a continually developing sound base that Geko brings when his producer cap is on but it is more importantly matched when the emcee hat is on. Whether spitting or mixing Geko brings heat and The Crate Cartel is a great example of a label that has already released high quality albums and will seemingly continue to do so.

By Gareth M

Geko- The Crate Cartle is availble now from all good Aussie Hip Hop is sold or via myspace.com/cratecartel

Four piece collective Beats Working hail from Coffs Harbour in NSW. I for one have never heard, to my knowledge, anything out of Coffs Harbour. I also found myself not knowing jack about either Beats Working or Coffs Harbour at all! So upon further research I have found that Coffs Harbour is a touristy beachside town that looks very relaxing indeed, it has education, specialist foods and tourism as its main sources of employment and income. Therefore I assume that Beats Working are well fed teachers who operate resorts on weekends and rap in their free time, I am most likely wrong.

Beats Working consists of Three emcees (Handsome Dan, Mullut and J.B) and a percussionists/DJ known as Helmy, JB also handles production of the album. Let’s talk production, from the get go we are treated to a ‘live sound’ driven soundscape, lots of horns, building bass lines combined with a heavy set of sampling. JB does a good job of blending these to give an almost Downsyde-esque (not a word) live sound to most of the album. Production is not stock standard which is a good thing in this case however there are a few misses though; ‘One Raw Joint’ and ‘Devil’s Food’ stand out on the album as they do not have the same organic sound as the rest of the album.

Lyrics wise the emcees deliver a pretty simplistic stock standard approach. It certainly won’t wow the word hounds out there but it works as a whole. It is a laid back style that sits somewhere between a mix of early TZU and early Downsyde in vibe. The emcees cover a range of topics and also a variety of delivery styles, at time singing, doubling speed or just slowing down to talking almost. With three emcees at the helm it is easy to share duties however they each hold their own although the over use of Handsome Dan saying exactly that tends to stand out notably. If you are looking for some mind blowing wordplay and metaphors and the like it isn’t here. If you are looking for somehow who is having fun while spitting and bouncing over their beats then it is here.

Beats Working bring a pretty user friendly album, packed with harmonized hooks and a lot of fun. It has the vibe of a live crew working with a band almost. You can tell that live these fellas would be a lot of energy and hype for sure. Is it going to blow minds, no, will it fit in perfectly in the background of a bbq over a few beers, definitely.

Gareth M

The debauchery filled Funkoars are back with “The Hangover”, their third full length release. Hons, Sesta, Trial and Reflux return with more punches, flow, laughs, drinking tales and sexual references than a dodgy stoner comedy. So is this a bad hangover or the type that makes you wanna crack a fresh one and keep going?

Well lyrically the topics are still pretty much the same, but why change something that they do so well? Trials still comes with lines that will either have you laugh or cringe such as “It can’t be/so big when ya piss you gotta shake more than Ali”. Hons spits about gambling and drinking. Sesta spits about how amazing he is and drinking. Trials spits about chicks scared of the dick and drinking. This is not to say the album is full of simple lyrics and topics, quite the opposite, all three emcees have untouchable flow and twist words around in ways that make you grin. The biggest testament to this is probably that they can make you listen and hang on each word even if it is on similar grounds in regards to topics and on top of this; shit is fun to listen to. This is the definitive get mates around, drink and play this shit loud album.

Production wise there is a fuller sound to this album, more of everything. Lots of guitar rock style licks, heavy drums, soul samples and big bass combine to deliver a full sound not really like anything released in this country but certainly with a signature funk that the oars always bring. Sesta and Trials share all the production credits bar one beat from Suffa. One thing that is notable are the hooks are a lot more intense this time around, anthem chants, big crowd sing along style hooks dominate in tracks such as “Reign on the masses”, “Lock Me Up”, “Bootleg It” and “Show Money”. You can easily picture the Oars on crowd control with quality shit like this, live, it will be huge.

The Hangover certainly will give Funkoars fans what they are after and will probably grab the ears of some new-comers. Full of big beats, quality quotable lines and an overall sense of fun, this album will certainly lead to few hangovers in itself and while the saying says “avoid hangovers, stay drunk”, I would say in this instance grab this hangover; but still stay drunk fuckers.

By Gareth M

Within the first thirty seconds of Tornts third album “Hells Burn” you know exactly what you are gonna get. Scrap that, within the first 5 seconds of deep dirty bass, strings and drum loops you are taken straight into Hell with Tornts as your guide. “Tornts Is Back” picks straight up where 2006 release “Decimation Recordings” left off.

Tornts skills still lie in his dark imagery, his lyrics capture a seedier side to the city streets and put it forward in such a manner that the listener begins to look around them and start to notice exactly what Tornts is on about. Take a line out of “Final Warning” for example “Stumbling in tuned Air Max 2008 down Smith St. / Iceheads are twisted Torvill and Deans with schemes up their sleeves”. It is here the difference between those who choose to ignore or accept what is happening around them is highlighted. Certainly not preaching but painting the picture of the real world is one way of looking at Tornts lyrical matter, “It Is How It Is” is another perfect example of this style of lyricism.

Production once again is handled by Tornts himself and he has certainly progressed on this side. Still full of obscure samples and loops but this time with a heavier, bigger bass influence. Part grimy, part horrorcore, all MPC driven head nodders. Once again crafting his own soundscape works perfectly for his style of aggressive, take no prisoner hip hop. The production also suits the other emcees that appear on the album. Guest artists venture outside of the Hired Goons for the first time on a Tornts album, although not that far. With appearances from Brad Strut and 750 Rebels the verses are just as intense and aggressive and will not disappoint those who know what to expect of these beasts. Hired Goons are represented with spots for Bigfoot, Gargoyle, Fletchrock, Diem and fellow Booze Bastard Billy Bunks.

The main difference in Tornts new album are the lyrics that go that little deeper. Whilst in his past two releases it has been all about taking aim at various people who piss him off, in this there are quite a few glimpses into Tornts and his life. “Corrupt” delivers insights such as “Non forgiving psyche/ since I was a youngin rackin slyly/ raised up in the weatherboards entirely/no life of riley”. Similarly in “Rank Tale” we get a hung over tale including mistakes we have all made “I should have turned my phone off/ who did I ring/ ah fuck/ I severed those connections/ flashbacks of heckling/ and telling them I hate them”…”Torntski you’ve only got yourself to blame”. It is almost an acceptance of the negatives and consequences of certain actions. Once again this is where Hells Burn differs from the continual onslaught in past albums.

Overall this is a Tornts album, full stop. Aggressive, hateful and gritty. However this offering appears to have a more thoughtful landscape when it comes to the subject matter of the last two. No longer is it just hippies and toys within the scene being torn, Tornts is looking around the whole fucking world to pick out what he doesn’t agree with and he certainly lets it be known.

By Gareth M

Hellsburn is distributed by Shogun Entertainment and is available now in all good record stores – Go cop it, while it lasts! Ed

At this stage, it’s fair to say the Hermitude duo Luke Dubs and Elgusto can be collectively penciled in as some of Australia’s heavyweight hip-hop producers.

Mingling in some rather diverse sounds, they bring together complex layers of instrumentation and sampling to form a blend that although bounces across many genres and continents, is still uniquely Australian and still uniquely theirs.

Their latest offering is Threads, a still very chilled out Herm but with a darker, denser, more interwoven sound then previous LP’s Tales of the Drift and Alleys to Valleys. There are some absolute banger beats on this CD, namely the very fresh, hard, mysterious sounds found in the track 44 Gallons, obvious video game inspired sounds of Cartridge Kings, the atmospheric opener Bloodshot, and very cruisy but momentous groove Slychain.

For those occasions where bangers aren’t appropriate [fucked if I know what situation that is], there’s also a nice chilled, Sunday arvo vibe drizzled throughout the album on tracks like The River and Stepping Stones. Top that off with rapper’s Urthboy and Hau as well as soul singer Steve Clisby, reggae singer Luciano and Elena Stone all compacted into Hermitude’s Threads feature length and you got an album perfect for any occasion but that can still reach the hip-hop heads. If you can’t rap, just let the music speak. sounds iight to me haha

By Brad R.

There’s an unspoken truth in hip-hop that a true head will listen to hip-hop only, avoiding all other genres in the musical spectrum. Well if that’s the case, these guys aim to bring all that you’re missing to the table. Meet the Saturday Knights, a Seattle hip-hop trio comprising of emcee’s Tilson, Barfly and DJ Suspence who have just dropped their debut LP ‘Mingle’, a composite of many rock and rap styles.
For those not aware, emcee Barfly is a member of the gigantic hip-hop crew Oldominion but for those already acquainted, it’s quite common that the Oldominion side projects can be, let’s say, a little abstract and some just down right weird. This is no exception.

Mostly engaging in concepts and themes surrounding socialism, hence the aptly titled ‘Mingle’, there are some genuinely good little tracks on this debut including the opening track 45 – featuring drums by Nirvana producer Jack Endino – , Motorin’ and Foreign Affair. On the other hand while tracks like Mutt, Private School Girl and Surf Song work, the attempt at bridging the gap between genres doesn’t quite gel and could leave fans of both separate genres scratching their heads as to which style has been violated more.

Considering the fact that the Saturday Knights formed just as a bit of fun, a few drunken freestyles over some 60’s pop music, it’s good to see hip-hop isn’t all business and serious shit. However, if you’re strictly hip-hop and struggle to have an open mind on all that is musically enticing, it’d probably be best to continue scouring that shelf for a new hip-hop joint. Fresh, but too far gone

BY Brad R.

The Saturday Knights are out now on http://www.inertia-music.com/

Or check em out here myspace.com/thesaturdayknights