If I make only one music prediction for the entirety of 2013, it is this; Dylan Joel is the next big thing in Aussie Hip-Hop. Mark my words. Recite them back to me. And then listen to this kid’s music. To quote Dave Ruby How from Triple J Unearthed; “If the Mayan calendar doesn't f**k us over, then 2013 will be his year.” I agree entirely.
After dropping a solid debut album Added Chapter in 2011 to great reviews, Dylan and his team immediately set to work on crafting out a piece that reflected his unique style and message to endear him to the Australian music landscape - enter Kid Illin.
Kid Illin’ is the personification of Dylan Joel; a fresh, laidback, somewhat cheeky attitude that promotes youthfulness, fun and ultimately, sublime music. As far removed as possible from the egocentric stereotype of the Hip-Hop scene, Dylan represents the new generation of Hip-Hop; one who sees the movement as a soapbox to stand on and spread a positive message of hope, inspiration, identity and the challenge of self and global improvement.
Not to be underestimated however, the dude possesses mad skills and at only 21 years of age has received praise from industry professionals local and abroad through to Aussie Hip-Hop icons Mantra and M-Phazes. He packed out The Corner Hotel for the Kid Illin' EP launch back in July, with Allday as support, and then went on to score the support slot at Prince for the Funk Volume team of Hopsin, Jarren Benton and Dizzy Wright.
Not only does Dylan bring ridiculous flow and penmanship to the scene but his established musical background sees him equally at home singing with a guitar in his hand. His renditions of Aloe Blacc’s I Need A Dollar and Daniel Merriweather’s Change are terrific showcases of his vocal and creative ability, adding his own unique inflection and verse to the performance of an incredibly talented backing band.
His Laundry Bar set on Saturday Night was pretty eclectic. Featuring a live brass section, he played the covers alongside crowd favourites Set Us Alright and the Triple J featured track Leveled, before demanding the room’s attention with an acapella verse showcasing his double-time ability and his message about materialism, identity, meaning and purpose. The crowd responded in raptures – Dylan is a natural communicator.
After endless cries from both the crowd and venue management, he closed the night with a huge rendition of his popular early number D In The Moonlight which is honestly my favourite summer tune since Pez and 360 did The Festival Song. I’m a regular at the Laundry Bar, even gig there myself on occasion, but I’ve never seen the place go off like it did during this encore. He simply smiled and thanked everyone for their support – instantly reminding me of Macklemore’s captivating performance at The Forum only a few weeks earlier. This is a kid who loves what he does and is genuinely in awe of the fact that people know his music.
The behind the scenes Dylan Joel is exactly the same guy you get onstage; humble, genuine, open and hella cool. He plays a stack of shows at High-Schools and youth events around the state and is a regular on the youth speaking circuit where he motivates and inspires teenagers to strive for their goals.
Recently he scored a spot opening Pyramid Rock Festival and can be seen this weekend headlining at Forest Edge Music Festival. With the much anticipated free album That’s Good with Otis Grey pending release, I dare say you can expect to see the name Dylan Joel in next year’s Triple J Hottest 100 and on every major festival bill over the summer.
Until the album drops, make sure you catch the Leveled clip below (shot and produced in Toronto, Canada) as well as the verse Dylan recently dropped on Soliquay’s EP Double Sided – be warned, it’s fire.
Sketch The Rhyme @ The Famous Speigeltent
Earlier in the day, before catching Dylan Joel’s show, I found myself at the Arts Centre’s Famous Spiegeltentwith a few friends to check out the only Melbourne show of Sketch The Rhyme – it turned out to be one of the most entertaining shows I’ve ever seen.
For those who don’t know what Sketch The Rhyme is, the best way to describe it is as a cross between Mr Squiggle, Who’s Line Is It Anyway and 8 Mile. A unique showcase, STR fuses hip-hop, theatre sports and freehand art, forcing talented emcees and artists to think on the spot and improvise scenarios, songs and stories all the while keeping in time with the live band.
It really is amazing entertainment and gives you a whole new appreciation for the talent and creative artistry of the Australian underground scene. My friends and I were in fits of laughter as we watched sketches of aliens, stilettos, ducks and doobies, transformed into rhymes about love, loss and victory. You are genuinely in awe of the abilities of all on-stage who ensure not a dull moment is had and that you are constantly on the edge of your seat anticipating the next wordplay or twist in the story.
I can’t really talk too much about Sketch The Rhyme without merely telling you to check it out yourself. I guarantee you will enjoy it. It’s a light-hearted, relaxed atmosphere perfect for a session with the lads/ladies or a great way to break the ice with that new someone. The product of rappers P Smuf, Rapaport, Jeswon (Thundamentals) and a team of astoundingly talented artists, Sketch The Rhyme deserves to be a phenomenon. It is unique, innovative and will appeal across the board to Hip-Hoppers, art lovers and comedy fans alike.
I managed to catch up with the boys and special guest Grey Ghost at Laundry Bar that night where a couple of the lads were playing sets. Not only did they kill the stage but they were great dudes to have a beer with; these are highly skilled musicians who have developed a creative concept that merits a more mainstream audience.
So watch and share the video below, hit up Sketch The Rhyme on Facebook, and spread the word. But most of all make sure you check it out when the showcase next hits your city.
Gig Review: Macklemore x Ryan Lewis The Forum - Saturday 16th February
Photo: Lisa Klifunis
I'd purchased tickets months ago to see Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. Long before commercial radio had flogged them to death, and they’d topped the Triple J Hottest 100 & ARIA charts. Now however, instead of an intimate show at The Corner, a line of hundreds snaked its way around Flinders St and up Hosier Lane - three hours before doors at the larger capacity The Forum even opened. And half of the line was wearing fur hats… in the middle of summer. Thank God this was an 18+ event. I couldn't deal with teenyboppers who only knew the words to one song ruining my night; dealing with twentysomethings doing exactly the same was going to be enough.
Don't get me wrong. I love that these guys have finally got the recognition they deserve. But really, you should have to pass some sort of quiz to be entitled to witness their genius. Local Fitzroy duo Diafrix had done well to score the support slot. These local veterans write and perform with a rare authenticity, owning a funky scratch vibe which throws back to the 90s golden era of rap - Tupac, Nas, Eric B and Rakim. They’re the real deal; yet no-one appreciated them.
They played a killer set, mixing in some Drum and Bass breaks with their usual vibe. I loved it. Apparently I was the only one though. The crowd seemed far more pre-occupied with getting the right selfie to post on their Instagram. It was not until a surprise guest appearance by 360, to drop his feature verse on the track Dreamer, that the crowd seemed even mildly interested. Full credit though, he tore up the stage in his brief appearance and abruptly signed off with his catchphrase of see you next Tuesday. Though they deserved an ovation, the boys left the stage to an increased appreciation and anticipation building for the main act.
With the mood amplified, the house DJ thought it the perfect time to drop global smash-hit Monster by Kanye West. For a typical hip-hop crowd, this is the moment when you lose your shit, when you begin to raise your glass, scream and quote every damn line like it was you on stage. Nope. Not tonight. Nothing. Not even when Shutterbug or anything from Kendrick Lamar was given a spin did the crowd give a response. There were no hip-hop heads in the crowd. This could be a long night…and I was way too sober for that. If all these Thrift Shoppers had come to see their newest hero, he'd better give a damn good show. Otherwise we were in trouble.
Cue the music, dim the lights and raise the iPhones...
The words "Welcome to The Heist" appear on screen to a roaring audience, and the huge opening track Ten Thousand Hours is met with cries of approval and excitement from a crowd that knows every word.
As the lights and music fade, everything on-stage stops. A lone figure with a faded cut and wry smile stops and stands, motionless under the spotlight - soaking in the energy of the moment. Ben Haggerty, a humble dude from Seattle who’s spent the last decade in the merciless underground hip-hop scene is now the world’s latest star; Macklemore. His first spoken words send the crowd into frenzy; “I fucking love Melbourne.”
He hypes the crowd, demanding that everyone dance and make this the best show yet – they respond as the duo launches into an array of up tempo dance tracks; Crew Cuts and The Killers inspired Life is Cinema, before the biggest roar of the night erupts; when a camouflage jacket is ripped off to reveal a gold singlet with a green kangaroo emblazed on the chest. Make no mistake; this man is a true showman.
It’s clear that Macklemore is a guy who clearly loves what he does. A born communicator, he has a unique ability to pen down regular, everyday concepts, be they struggles or nostalgic moments and with the help of producer extraordinaire Ryan Lewis, transform them into global anthems. They perform Thrift Shop early and the devotees go mental, it’s a far cry from the group that were deathly silent only a half hour earlier – this is a new breed of hip-hop fan, one who can’t relate to money, drugs and bitches but to hand-me-down clothes, memories of Space Jam, and a push for a more equal world. While some may not, I certainly respect what Macklemore has brought to the game. Macklemore is not just a storyteller but a sublime one, and he may well be THE storyteller of this generation.
The duo go through a couple of back catalogue tunes including the Dave Niehaus tribute track My Oh My as well as the Chili Peppers inspired Otherside before reaching their most recent hit; the beautifully poignant Same Love (read my earlier article for an explanation at how amazing this song really is). Ben and Ryan are visibly moved by the response of the audience who chant every word, these guys never foresaw that their creative expression would become global inspiration, and yet it has. They declare this their proudest moment. Only in Australia is this song Number 1. We are leading the world and they are extremely grateful.
With the sentimental numbers out the way it’s time to party. The energy in the room for Can’t Hold Us, complete with the Wanz sung chorus is massive, the stars crowd surf as everyone dances together; performers, crowd, bar staff, roadies – everyone enjoying it equally. Huge songs Wings and Starting Over are separated by tales of addiction, inspiration and identity which people can relate to - Macklemore is real, there is no gimmick here. Do what helps you to be creative, what helps you find yourself he encourages and don’t waste your life.
The show closes with a three-song encore as the new faces of independent music display their talent in entertaining a crowd. Stage dives from Ryan Lewis, a James Brown impression and a huge Irish flag are all involved in a medley of And We Dance, Irish Celebration and finally a second run of Thrift Shop. Even I’m happy to hear it again. These guys know what they’re doing. There’s nothing false about it. Their own lyrics perfectly capture the essence of the night; “We danced, and we cried, and we laughed and had a really, really, really good time…”
Such is the humility and authenticity of Haggerty, the final number is followed by a ten minute love-fest of thankyous and applause, highlighting everyone else involved with the production from the support staff, to the fans, to his newly engaged fiancé’ - a much deserved chant spontaneously erupts for the man behind the decks and the lights go out to raptures of applause and a promise to return to Australia in the not too distant future.
While immediately next up for Macklemore and Ryan Lewis is a guest slot on prominent US television show Saturday Night Live, long term it is clear they have the key ingredients; the passion, the talent and now the enthusiastic fan-base, to conquer the globe. New chapters. New stories. New hits. I can't wait.
Postscript: I had the pleasure of meeting Ben and Ryan backstage after the show and everything I wrote about authenticity and humility was 100% confirmed. The dudes are legends!
Triple J’s Hottest 100 is an icon
of the Australian music landscape. Every year on Australia Day, tens of
thousands of people will gather around barbeques in backyards all around the
country and tune in to 107.5 on their FM dial to hear what they and their
fellow music fans have voted in as the best songs of the year. Unfortunately
(not really that unfortunate), this year I won’t be tuning into the countdown
as I’ll be at another Australia Day stalwart; the Big Day Out, listening live
to many of the artists who are sure to be featured on the Triple J list.
Below I’ve compiled my Top 10
songs of the year. These are the 10 tracks which I voted for and would like to
see represented in the final cut - the songs which personally for me, had the
greatest impact on my past 12 months. Now there are many ways to put together
your Top 10. Some do it based on their favourite artists, some on quality of
production, some on which songs they liked to dance to; the brilliant thing is
there’s no set formula to best judge your Top 10 – it’s what works for you. Now
my list is bought about by a few restrictions and criteria which I attempted to
place on myself:
Only songs from the
Triple J shortlist
No two songs from the same artist
Songs within a mix of
genres (although my favourites are pretty evidently Hip-Hop and EDM)
Songs
which I have some personal connection to
Songs that while not necessarily being
commercially popular or the biggest “singles” from the artist, are songs that I
think deserve recognition, and
Songs that are somewhat ground-breaking.
2012 was a huge year in music
with so, so much talent! I encourage each of you to head over to the Triple J
Hottest 100 website, download the shortlist, get listening and get voting. I
guarantee you will find something that blows your mind. Here is my list. Enjoy it. Debate
it. Critique it. Please let me know your thoughts; whether I’m right or
completely wrong. What is beautiful is that no-one list is perfect – well not
at least until we hear the final countdown on January 26!
I’ve included a brief reasoning
behind why I have selected each song, provided a link for you to check out the
YouTube clip and I’ve also included a few honourable mentions to artists who
just missed the cut.
Get Listening! Happy Hottest 100!
Honourable Mentions:
San Cisco (Wild Things), Rudimental (Feel the Love), Plan B (The entire
Ill Manors Soundtrack), TNGHT (Higher Ground), Flume (His entire
self-titled debut Album) The XX (Angels), Lisa Mitchell (Spiritus & The Story Of The
Raven And The Mushroom Man ), Miike Snow
(The Wave), Allday x C1 (So Good), Kanye
West + Good Music (Clique & Mercy).
10. Knife Party –
Centipede
2012 will
forever be marked as the year I fell in love with dubstep. Living in London,
the home of bass music, and clubbing every Friday Night at FabricLive made it pretty difficult not to, and thus, I had to
include a dubstep track in my Top 10. Surprisingly though, it’s not someone from
the UK (Rusko wasn’t on the shortlist despite Songs being an incredible album) or the commercially popular
American, Skrillex, who feature in my list. It’s some Australians. Knife Party.
Made up of two members from Pendulum, Rob Swire and Gareth McGrillen, Knife
Party have produced an absolute banger with this track which provides one of
the hardest drops you will ever hear. Centipede, from the Rage Valley EP, is everything you want from a bass track; the slow
documentary style intro, the general climax and then a face-melting drop
complete with huge synth and bass sounds. While mostly known for their 2011 track
Antidote with Swedish House Mafia, Knife
Party are making moves and are on the rise - I can’t wait for their Live EP
which is being recorded at a gig at Sydney Opera House on February 1st
this year.
9. Hilltop Hoods –
The Underground (ft. Classified and Solo)
Hilltop Hoods
have done it all. Four appearances in the Hottest 100 Top 10 in 2003, ’06, ’09, ’11
and I can almost guarantee they will get another in this year. Though I doubt
it will be this track. Last January, as a teaser on Facebook, the 'Hoods' posted a status saying:
"Let's have some fun. If we get 5000 likes on this post we're going to
leak a track off Drinking from the Sun”.
Within 10 minutes 7,500 fans had liked the post and thus they dropped Rattling the Keys to the Kingdom. I anticipate
either that or Shredding The Balloon
will make this year’s Top 10, but to be fair you could pretty much pick
anything from their third number-one Australian album - I’ve gone with The Underground. This autobiographical
track tells the tale of Suffa, Pressure and Debris rising through the ranks of
the Australian Hip-Hop underground to achieve greatness. Somewhat antagonistic
to those in the modern day Hip-Hop scene “now
every assed bar fly up in the bar rhymes”, The Underground works because of its’ authenticity by a group who
really do know the hard times. This could yet be their biggest legacy to
Aussie Hip-Hop.
8. Major Lazer – Get
Free (ft. Amber Coffman)
Diplo is on another planet. At present, in my opinion, he is one of the Top 5 DJs and Producers in the world – I was lucky enough to catch him live in December. After Switch, one half of Major Lazer, left in 2011 citing ‘creative differences’ with Diplo, questions were asked as to whether Diplo could keep Major Lazer alive by himself. He responded with Get Free which reached #13 on the UK Dance charts and peaked at #56 locally on the ARIA charts. This song is hard to put into words, simply you just have to hear it to know what I’m on about. The chilling vocals by Amber Coffman from Dirty Projects are perfectly mixed with a comfortable, repetitive, somewhat hypnotic melody. You can listen to this thing on loop for hours. I highly recommend checking out the Animated Lyric Video too for some terrific artwork.
7. Thundamentals –
Brother (ft. Ev Jones) [Like A Version]
While some
may question the legitimacy of a Like A
Version track in Triple J’s Top 10 rather than an original production –
this one has definitely earned its spot. This is the most popular Like A Version ever released, racking up
over 500,000 views on YouTube. Once you check it out you will understand why. I’ll
be honest here. And controversial. I prefer it to the original. Which is saying
something because Matt Corby’s Brother
is sublime and ranked #3 in the 2011 list. When I was living in a small flat in
East London, my housemates and I would play this track non-stop and roam around
the place imitating the crisp Corby sample as we recited the Thundamental’s
tale of meeting a lover, “once upon a
summertime.” The breakdown section is something to behold, with a beautiful
mix of spoken word and harmonic vocals by Ev Jones. This may just be the Sydney
Hip-Hop collective’s biggest moment and set them on a new path to stardom,
beginning with this year’s Hottest 100 list.
6. Disclosure – Latch
(ft. Sam Smith)
I fell in love with this song the first time I heard it.
In the car, on Triple J. I had never heard of Disclosure before this song and
it’s so damn good that it has kept Flume out of my Top 10. The British Duo comprised
of Surrey locals, the Lawrence brothers, racked up over 1 million SoundCloud
listens with this beauty and achieved #11 on the UK Singles Chart. It’s a
catchy, boppy, electro tune with terrific vocals provided by Sam Smith; another
one you will play repeatedly. After supporting SBTRKT and Hot Chip on tour in
2012, Disclosure will drop their debut album in March; and if Latch is anything to go by, it will be
one of the releases of the year.
5. Seth Sentry –
Float Away
Seth Sentry
has been promising his debut album for years. The self-confessed stoner,
video-game addict and all round lazy bloke said it would be worth the wait; and
he didn’t lie. This Was Tomorrow was
my favourite Australian Album of 2012, as well as many other peoples, which
resulted in him winning Channel [V]’s Artist of the Year. After having the
highly popular The Waitress Song
reach #31 in the 2009 count, Sentry set to work on his debut album, carefully
crafting his intricate, witty lyricism which produced songs such as Dear Science and My Scene - now regulars on airwaves. I could have picked either of
those tracks in my Top 10 but instead I went with Float Away; another cheeky, humorous and yet nostalgic piece of
work which shows off his highly clever array of lyrical skill. The song’s
catchphrase “Don’t be upset, but I really
didn’t hear a f*****g word that you just said”, just about sums up Seth,
who is portrayed hilariously in the 1970’s style film clip directed by Grey Ghost.
No longer in the shadow of his good
mates Pez and 360, Seth Sentry is a storyteller who is extremely funny,
relatable and genuine – what you see is what you get and Float Away is a prime example.
4. Frank Ocean –
Thinkin’ Bout You
Frank Ocean is just about my
artist of the year for 2012, and not far off being the most talented artist in
the world today. The member of Hip-Hop collective OFWGKTA has always stood out
from the group and his debut album Channel
Orange depicts exactly why. Grammy nominated as Album of the Year. Four Stars from Rolling
Stone. Five from The Guardian. It debuted at Number 2 on
the Billboard charts and Frank Ocean sold out his 14 stop US tour in days. While
I had already fallen in love with his 2011 EP Nostalgia, Ultra, much of the hype of ChannelOrange surrounded
the fact that Ocean used it as a platform to publicly announce his sexuality - one of the first major African-American artists to announce their same-sex
attraction; a theme he explores throughout the album. Regardless, the album is
sublime. Tracks Pink Matter, Super Rich Kids and Crack Rock are some of my favourites, but in the end I picked Thinkin’ Bout You; Ocean’s highest
charting single which not only displays his unbelievable vocal ability (his
falsetto is something else) but also his awe-inspiring penmanship. Having
written tracks for Jay-Z and Kanye West’s Watch
The Throne, Ocean is a mould similar to R Kelly in the 90’s, but at merely
25 I anticipate he will surpass those heights with ease and dominate the world
of Hip-Hop and R&B over the next two decades.
3. Kendrick Lamar –
Backstreet Freestyle
I’ve written previously about the
goliath figure in the rap world today that is Kendrick Lamar. So I won’t
elaborate too much, but good kid, M.A.A.D
city was my Album of the Year for 2012 and Kendrick Lamar’s show was close
to my favourite gig of the year. I was always going to include something from
Kendrick in my Top 10, but after seeing him tear the roof of the Palace Theatre
in December with Backstreet Freestyle,
my choice became an easy one. This is a Hip-Hop anthem which will be played
around the globe for years. Produced by the ever impressive Hit-Boy, this track
is massive, with Kendrick shouting details of his “Dreeeeeeam!” and announcing his arrival. With the video only
dropping in the last week, Backstreet
Freestyle has not yet been released as a single, but is planned for release
this year. Mark my words. If you haven’t heard it yet; you will, A lot. It will
be huge. Check out my previous post for a review on Kendrick Lamar’s Melbourne
show and a bit more background on just how good this guy is.
2. Macklemore x Ryan
Lewis – Same Love (ft. Mary Lambert)
I cried when I first heard this song. Simply put; it’s beautiful. While Thrift Shop is the song that has finally bought Macklemore and Ryan Lewis to the public eye (and the song I expect to top the Top 100); Same Love is the track that helped bring about marriage reform in the state of Washington and may just change the way homosexuality is viewed in Hip-Hop, and in society in general. The Heist has bought Ben Haggerty and Ryan Lewis the attention they have long deserved. The rapper and producer duo are two of the most talented artists in the world, continually pouring their heart out on each track with the intention of their music leaving a footprint and making a difference to the world around them. I’ll say it again, everything about Same Love is beautiful. From the gentle piano introduction, to the heart-wrenching film clip, to the bold statements of Haggerty revealing “When I was in the third grade, I thought that I was gay.” This raw, emotive, though-provoking song is exactly what music is about – influencing culture. The second verse which speaks strongly against homophobia in hip-hop; “If I was gay, I would think Hip-Hop hates me. Have you read the YouTube comments lately?” has caused many an artist to stop and think about their attitude to others in the industry. Combined with Channel Orange, Same Love may just bring about a revolution in the typically close-minded, critical, homophobic Hip-Hop scene. Here’s hoping.
1. Porter Robinson –
Language
It takes something pretty special to keep Same Love from the number one spot, but have no doubt, Porter Robinson is something special. Language hypnotises and captivates in the same manner that Robert Miles’ global hit Children did back in the 1990’s. Porter Robinson was a mere 3 years old at the time. Reaching #3 on the UK Dance charts, Language is an epic 6 minute journey that if it were not for Swedish House Mafia's final single Don’t You Worry Child, would be globally recognised as the best EDM track of 2012. Having performed alongside Tiesto, Skrillex and Deadmau5 in 2012, Porter released his Essential Mix on Pete Tong’s BBC Radio 1 program last January to critical acclaim from DJs worldwide. I had the fortune of seeing him play a set at Stereosonic in December and it left me breathless. Porter Robinson. Remember the name. The 20 year old from North Carolina, who is not old enough to drink in a majority of the venues he plays in, will be the next big thing in Electronic Dance Music.
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