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!

For More info check www.obeserecords.com

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