A mix of Aussie hip hop tracks and the original samples used in the production by Samwell Cavar.

This shit is ill a sick a gesture to the past 10 Years of Australian Hip Hop .

Check it out Samwell Cavar – ‘The Break Down’

Train Of Thought member Level Headed has just dropped his long awaited solo album Spice Of Life. This South Australian took some time out to have a chat to our own G Force about the inspiration behind the album, the good and bad of being part of a group and the general state of oz hip hop at the moment.  Not to mention get you hyped up for what promises to be a hectic tour to launch the album.

First up congrats on the album Spice Of Life. 5 years since the Train Of Thought (TOT) album. Were their plans for another crew album, was the solo first up or did it just turn out this way?

It just turned out that way; Debate is master beat maker since the early days before TOT, since 96. He was still making beats whether we were doing anything or not. After TOT dropped I moved to the country to teach and half the crew went overseas so it fell apart a bit. It was hard to get everyone together. I had gathered a few beats from Debate, just making a few tracks to stay in it and it got to a point where we realized we could do an album. Then I heard from Hacksaw after 3 years missing and we hooked back up. Then TOT just jumped in. We somehow got verses from everyone and it sort of became a TOT album almost under my name. I am happy to rep though, anything out of Debate’s lab is under the TOT label or TOT productions. We don’t have plans for another TOT album though; it is too hard to get all 4 of us together to write on the same topics and wavelength.

Using Debate the whole way through creates a “complete sounding” album, were you looking at other producers at any stage?

I maybe would have looked but I moved to country SA and lost contact with a lot of the scene. I knew I could have asked Suffa and Trials but I know they are flat out. Reflux was meant to cut when Hacksaw was AWOL but he came back. Next album I will use a few more producers. I mean Debate has hundreds of top quality beats with a fair bit of variety, definitely not all the same but he is a good mate and regularly see him so we will have to wait and see.

There is an SA style on the album. If I didn’t know who you were and where you were from I could still pick it as an SA album. Where do you think this style comes from and are you even aware of it or am I just categorizing SA?

I think because we had such prominent leaders in the Hoods who led the way they influenced everyone with their style and people came out similar. Also the twang of the accent. I do agree though, I think Social Change and now Headstrong Company have that same vibe also.

There is a reasonable upbeat party kind of vibe on the first half of the album then it switches to a bit darker. Is this a play on the spice of life and the good and bad theme throughout?

The album definitely had a lay out which fitted best in my head, which is the way it felt right. I kind of wanted beats with guitars at end for some reason. I also didn’t want to blow people away with deep shit straight away. Light hearted to heavy. It also starts with the solo tracks, first five to run with then onto the tracks with features.

Of the heavier and darker tracks, “Too Late” really stood out, especially as you are a teacher, where did the inspiration come from for this track?

I was fascinated with the massacres and the issues behind them. Kids getting picked on, youth alienation and so forth. At first I had written the track addressing these issues directly but I thought it came off a bit soft, I wanted a bigger impact. Some people gave me advice to not do it as I was a school teacher. I try to keep it separate though; my students can’t buy my album off me. For the most part I tried to keep the album clean. Trials destroyed that with his huge amount of weed references in one verse though, haha.

So do the Kids and their parents know you are an emcee?

Yeah for the most part they do. I try not to swear when I spit to me swearing is not used to show lyrical ability. I try to keep topics a bit coded and subtle, using samples of tracks to highlight stuff about past shit like smoking.

8th degree on the track “Bring Them Down” is a Hed Pe kind of hook, is this something you have been trying out, how did it come about?

Yeah, more a sort of a Rage style I was keen on trying it out. I wanted to do something not many people have done and I had mates who we could work with. Everyone has chicks on choruses and orchestral stuff and it seems a bit unnecessary at times and people doing it just because it is what they think a hip hop track should be like. It was something different I wanted to do without compromising or selling out, but still different. Few beers later and we worked it out. 8th degree were a late 90’s metal band that I know, they are inactive now so it was kind of a shout out to them.

Besides that track most have a 4 bar emcee layered hook that would work well live. What is the importance of sing a long live show hooks?

The TOT album only had two tracks with actually hooks the rest were cuts and it was awkward and weird live. So I learnt from that in what works better live, I continuously progress with live shows in mind. I really just wanted something to do during hooks! Hip hop is going towards a more hook related style with more focus on song structure. I don’t see why everyone needs to use birds on every hook though, bit of overkill. Some tracks I am enjoying are killed when a chick starts to sing on the hook when it really isn’t needed and I switch off.

Who chose tracks on the interlude “bring ya back to life”?

Me and mates sat down and chose them together after recording on weekends for the whole first part of the year. We had 30 tracks at the start! They were all well known, and it was hard to cut down anymore. I wanted a unique skit. We have a live rendition of bring ya back to life, juggling then into the scratches of that interlude, smashing it.

Back to SA, bigger crews blowing up, Oars, Hoods, has it affected the scene there and expectations?

Probably not too much, I mean Hoods are alone when it comes to their level but Oars are probably on the same level as some Obese and Elephant tracks artists. Like anywhere you have a top tier of artists and it then works it way down. There is a lot of respect in the SA scene and people know who has been around for a while. I would say the younger people who are killin it though would be Riverland, Social Change. Dialect. The expectations are high but I think people are meeting it. Of course you gotta check for Vents, Oars, Hoods and also Headstrong and Trane.

So where do you stand on young kids releasing product early? Do you think people should be releasing EP’s, demos or Full Lengths? Is the scene swamped?

To an extent, no one is saying you have to press 3000 copies. I have received good feedback on my CD but now my distro company Amphead has folded so I have to do self distro. There is no one stopping you doing it, so if kids want to press up stuff they can do it. CD cost $2, sell it for $5. No one is buying Cd’s, so it is still just to get your name out there then you need to focus on Merchandise and shows. Having an album, 12 tracks instead of 6 is where it is really at though; no one can fuck with that feeling.

So you think it will go back to people hustling their own stuff, backpacks as a way of selling?

It is disappointing but I don’t know whether it will ever go back to the old school way of slinging CD’s. People still download; they just don’t want to pay for it. iTunes has fucked it. People tell me, hey I heard ya CD but they didn’t buy it and friend just loaded it onto their iTunes. They don’t realize the effect it has on artists. Create another medium, MP3 sticks that blow up like James Bond after downloading. I pressed 2000 copies after we sold 3000 of Moving Heads. I am confident in the album but two weeks after it dropped there are 30 sites to download it and there is nothing you can do about it! If someone shows enough interest I would give them a free copy rather then having them download it. I want people to have it and the artwork and see the work put into it and have people appreciate it. Read about it and get involved in it. We are a bit saturated though there is so much music to get and gather. I understand people can’t afford to buy it all.

You have a Reason Collab from Melbs but the rest are from SA. Anyone else you wanted to collab with Aus Wide?

Reason and I are both teachers and this is something we had in common, I met him through uni and stayed with him in 04 while on tour with TOT. He is a legend and we get along real well. I jumped on his album Life’s a Lesson and an 8 bar verse on jump ahead. So we did the 24 to one remix. It was a fucking nightmare to do, took weeks to write. It was really hard to do, hard to feel it, I really wanted it to be more than just a count down, and it had to sound concise. As for other artists I am too far away, I would like to work with Thundamentals and Dialectrix. I don’t want to work with people unless I have had beers with them though and get along. We have just had City Wide from Geelong, jump on as a clothing sponsor with 3rd Chapter clothing so I am pretty sure I will do something there. I mean Pressure owes me a verse and he knows it. Suffa owes me a beat. But I am not one to seek charity or push mates, I am not going to cash in off their success.

Tour upcoming? What can we expect, looking forward to it?

We have written a new intro, coming out to an old song with specific intros for each state. We got Headlock and Trials in Adelaide with their verses, Reason in Melbourne with his. It is just a vibing show, want it to be a fun show. We have spent a long time rehearsing with better integration of the DJ. I want to turn the DJ into a part of the group lyrically. I have seen a lot of live sets try this and not do it well but I reckon we got it locked. I would love if I could jump on the decks like Finesse but I can tell you that ain’t happening!

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!

I don’t get to ride the trains in Melbourne very often these days. But on the odd occasion I find myself standing at a railway track with some time to spare, I normally smoke a cigarette and scour the trains passing in the opposite direction for a piece. Sometimes I get lucky, but most often not. They are a blank canvas.

That wasn’t always the case in Melbourne. I regularly caught the trains to school between 90-93 and was often amazed by some off the pieces. I was drawn to them, to a point where I would often be late to class as I would sometimes see a piece I liked and I would get off at the next stop to go back and take a photo.

‘Kings Way – The Beginnings of Australian Graffiti’ is more than just a graffiti book with pretty pictures. Kings Way is a collaborative effort and nine year project that includes 384 pages & 1200 images of Melbourne Graffiti history.

Spanning Melbournes golden age of graffiti, between 1983 & 1993. Kings Way the book is a retrospective of Melboure street art. If you have ever been impressed by books like Subway Art this book goes far and beyond.

With commentries from various Melbourne Artists including Bathy, Chose, Duel, Duet, Krisy, Merda, New2, Paris, Peril, Puzle, Ransom and Ron the Train Driver throughout this time capsule unleashed, is something for Australians to be proud of as this book is the biggest, brightest and best tribute to Graffiti ever published.

The title ‘Kings Way’ is a tribute to the well known passage between Camberwell and Auburn stations on the Belgrave/Lillydale line. Nicknamed ‘Kings Way’ by writers, with credit to a piece painted there by Prime and The Dskyzer in 86. (pictured above)

(Kings Way was also a Graff Magazine printed way back in 1990 by John Williams aka Duel – you can check his shit here http://www.duelsart.com/ )

This book is more than a Coffee table book for old nostalgic cunts like myself, it’s a fogotten history and to some a look at Melbourne as never seen before. From how it all emerged and how the lines connected three generations of writers.

Compiled and authored by old schoolers Duro Cubrilo, Martin Harvey and Karl Stamer ‘Kings Way’ cements Melbournes place in graffiti history.

Kings Way The Book is available now from most Independent Hip Hop shops and Major Bookstores Australia Wide or you can order direct at http://kingswaybook.blogspot.com/.

Just signed up to twitter and came across this new track from Brad Strut and produced by Beat butcha. It’s a dope listen! Check it out~~

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/

Universal Music continue to pick up Australian Hip Hop acts as part of their distribution network (see Central Station thread).

Please show some support for this tour if you are keen to see Tech out here!

More reviews and interviews coming soon. Sorry I have been slack as fuck.

Click the Image to goto download page

1. Intro – original suffa city beat
2. Smoke a lot of pot sample of record task force
3. Task force– music from the corner vol two ( still bombing
4. Pegz – super filling (reason)
5. Jhest – falling down two history (feat farma g)
6. Meta Bass and Breath – perfection (feat phonenix,morganics,elftransporter)
7. Katalyst-up rockin
8. The baboos vs. good Buddha-take off.
9. Train of thought intro copped and screwed sample
10. Bliss n esoterikizm- Dreams remixed
11. Mc kieser –Perth city underground
12. Mc Lyrical thug-lingwistik original lingwistik beat remixed cut and screwed
13. skinnyman –no big thing remix cuts and samples
14. Pelako-AFL-remixed
15. Rob Nat – night out on tiles
16. Kaza terrorize the city
17. Hilltop hoods-the hard road
18. Foulmouth jerk-petty crimes (feat adam strange)
19. Skit tatts crew
20. 5126 profetikal norlunga crew
21. dazasah-still dr dre beat remixed by dj spie
22. D-liva-Burgers remixed by dj spie and special thanks
23. Outro-plutonic lab collision of days beat remixed by dj spie and lyrics by mc lyrical thug

Mixed by Spieone

SM CREW began around mid 2004 in Melbourne,Australia with original members being SPIEone, SCARZ, BLERB, 2CHECKER. Momentum behind the crew really started to grow in 2006.

SM is a collection of like minded friends and artists who put their skills together. Spieone has been a Hip Hop DJ for over 10 years.

Broken Tooth Entertainment and Shogun Distribution are amped to be bringing you Ciecmate and Newsense’s album A Tale of Two Cities. This is the debut album as a duo from the two frontmen of Aussie hip hop institution Hospice Crew, though the respectively Melbourne- and Canberra-based MC/producers have been instrumental to every release on their BTE label, whether behind the scenes, on the boards or in front of the mic. Entirely produced by the two men on the move, it also features guests Billy Bunks, Maggot Mouf, Swarmy of Overproof and Diem.

Ciecmate and Newsense support Funkoars in Canberra (Thurs 26 Feb @ Transit Bar) and Melbourne (Fri 6 March @ The Espy), with their own headline dates to be announced shortly.

Click the Image to download album or click below to here the title track “Chapters of Substance” produced by Trem.

Fluent Form – Chapters of Substance

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

Ok, so I was thinking about writing some long winded bullshit here about how festivals still don’t support Oz Hip Hop or international Hip Hop in general, but then i thought ‘it’s fucking 44c’ in this room and I want to keep this short. But i will rant for a second to say, I hate this fucking heat, it’s not good heat. Like ‘this cunt brings so much heat to the stage, i am on fire’ it is more like ‘kill me, kill me now!!!’ ( not very insightful but fuck’it, it’s hot)

In any case rumour from a very good source is that talks are already underway for Big Day Out 2010 with Eminem to headline. there is an extremely good chance of this happening. This will benefit Oz hip Hop heads and Artists alike. Let’s just hope that the ‘brains’ behind it all at least have the sense to give some love to local Oz Hip Hop acts instead of some rock ban that we hate like the last time he toured here.

On the plus side their apparently was some Hip Hop with Resin Dogs and Nf’a taking stage at BDO 2009. I didn’t actually see them as i have never been to a BDO as i can’t afford the ridiculous price tag they set. Sideshows FTW.

B

Well nothing much more to ad than that. I received a pretty vague email a couple of days ago from Immortal Technique saying he would be touring here April/May. I can confirm that much. More details and press release as they come to hand. Personally I am fucking excited by that news as I never thought he would get over here. Congrats to those who are making it happen…Possibly Steve Gaffney from On Air, although that part is not actually confirmed.

Apart from that, going to be a massive year, we finally have a design for the site I am happy with pluss CAX ONE is banging up a new logo for us. Hopefully shortly.

Peace

From www.bigspin.tv have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. We will be back next year bigger and better than ever.

Special thanks to Brad, Leon and Gareth for your reviews.

Big ups to the record labels and industry folk who have taken some interest in the site. We hope you like where we are heading and continue to work with us in 2009

Image in this post is courtesy of obese records.

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

Featuring Fraksha and Scotty Hinds from Nine High.

Check this shit out YO! And don’t forget to tune into RRR every Friday night for Top Billin radio.

And a reminder that Top Billin’s own Doc Felix hosts his free hip-hop night every week in Gertrude St, Fitzroy. So get down there and give him an earful!

I was looking forward to hearing ‘The Festival Song‘ when I got my first glimpse of the back cover. Every time i think Pez, 360 also comes to mind. You guys obviously have a history together, how important was getting this track just right?

It was definitely important cos I knew the song had a lot of appeal and potential. But working with Sixty is always a very natural thing and not something that we have to put much thought into, we just let it come. That being said, I still know when somethings not quite right and I wasn’t going to let up until I thought the song had everything that it needed. Which I think it does and I’m really happy with the result!

‘It All Starts To Show’ definitely let you speak your mind. Do you see this as common knowledge to most?

Yeah it definitely gave me a chance to talk about some things that were on my mind. I wanted to have a song on the album that would give me a chance to open up and see where I end up, so ‘It All Starts To Show’ was a very important song for me and turned out to be one of my favourites. I don’t see the things that I talked about as common knowledge though, that’s probably the reason behind why I wanted to talk about them, because I get so annoyed at people’s lack of awareness and it’s my way of expressing it and letting go of it.

This being your debut LP, how has everything been at Soulmate? Any plans for future releases, what’s in store for Pez?

Well being that this is my debut LP, this is definitely my whole focus at the moment and will be for some time, though a ForthWrite album and a project i’m doing with Raymes are both in the works. Everything at Soulmate has been great and hopefully there will be lots of future projects for us to embark on together but it’s early days at the moment so we’ve just got to take it one step at a time.

Working alongside someone like Count Bounce must of been a great learning curve, what was his overall influence?

Working with Count Bounce was a great learning experience for me and Matik because it was the first time we’d seen our music come to life. We were both strongly involved in the mixing phase so we kept the brakes on him to some degree but he was able to suggest some cool things throughout. Plus I loved the result of having him feature on ‘Ain’t Got Time’! That song wouldn’t have been the same without him on it.

What’s the usual process between yourself and Matik, from making a beat, to concepts etc?

The process usually involves Matik sampling something or having a rough composition that really grabs my attention. Once that happens, he’ll bounce out a rough version for me to take home and write to, and we might have a little discussion about ideas for the track’s direction if something doesn’t immediately jump out at me. Then I like to be alone and get in a zone so I can put the beat on repeat and write until all of the lyrics come together. And finally comes the exciting part, where I get to go back and show Matik what I’ve done and he gets to show me all of the other things he’s added to the beat and we watch it come together.

Cheers for your time mate, any shout outs, upcoming gigs? Where can peeps find a copy of A Mind Of My Own?

Shout outs to everyone involved in helping the album come together. My album launch is on October 24th at Roxanne Parlour in Melbourne which is extremely exciting! And people will be able to find a copy at JB Hi – Fi, all good hip-hop stores and hopefully Sanity and HMV as well. Cheers brother. Pez

By Jeans

Well I am fuckhead for not posting this last week and before the gig oops – Ed.

Update – For those who missed the album launch Pez and 360 will be supporting The Winnie Coopers at “The Spot” 133 Sydney Road, Brunswick this Friday 31st October

Tickets $10
Doors open 9pm