wednesday may 8 inside:
alex niggemann
fred v & grafix
spoonbill eloquor news tours club snaps + more
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UPCOMING
JUNE
M AY
on tour RYAN ELLIOT [USA] Friday May 10, Brown Alley VAKULA [UKR] Friday May 10, Mercat Basement RROSE [USA] Saturday May 11, The Liberty Social RADIOSLAVE [UK] Friday May 17, Brown Alley GENIUS OF TIME [SWE] Friday May 17, The Liberty Social DELTA HEAVY [UK] Sunday May 19, RMH The Venue OCTO OCTA [USA], MAGIC TOUCH [USA], BOBBY BROWSER [USA] Friday May 24, Mercat Basement Saturday May 25, Shebeen KARL HYDE [UK] Saturday May 25, Melbourne Recital Centre AUNTIE FLO [SCO] Saturday May 25, Revolver Upstairs RIFF RAFF [USA] Wednesday May 29, The Liberty Social OMAR-S [USA] Friday May 31, The Liberty Social ROBERT BABICZ [GER], MARC ROMBOY [GER] Friday May 31, Brown Alley VON-D [UK], CASPA [UK] Friday May 31, Brown Alley ELITE FORCE [UK] Friday May 31, RMH The Venue KUTSKI [UK] Friday May 31, Roxanne Parlour CHRIS FORTIER [USA] Friday May 31, New Guernica FLATBUSH ZOMBIES [USA] Saturday June 1, The Toff In Town 6TH BOROUGH PROJECT [SCO] Saturday June 1, New Guernica COSMIN TRG [ROM] Friday June 7, New Guernica TYLER, THE CREATOR [USA], EARL SWEATSHIRT [USA] Friday June 7, Palace Theatre THE REVENGE [SCO] Saturday June 8, The Liberty Social BREACH [UK], ROUTE 94 [UK] Saturday June 8, RMH The Venue DASH BERLIN [NED] Saturday June 8, Shed 14 CHRIS LIEBING [GER], JIMMY EDGAR [USA] Sunday June 9, Brown Alley JEFF MILLS [USA] Sunday June 9, The Bottom End SEPALCURE [USA], DJ RASHAD [USA] + MORE Sunday June 9, TBA ATA [GER] Friday June 21, Mercat Basement COOLIO [USA] Thursday June 27, Red Bennies A$AP ROCKY [USA] Saturday June 29, Festival Hall ALEX KIDD [UK] Friday July 12, Billboard JAMES BLAKE [UK] Wednesday July 31, Palais Theatre CHVRCHES [UK] Monday August 5, Corner Hotel EARTHCORE: ANGY KORE [ITA], PERFECT STRANGER [ISR] + MORE Friday November 29 - Sunday December 2, TBA BRUNO MARS [USA], MIGUEL [USA] Tuesday March 4 & Wednesday March 5, Rod Laver Arena
rudimental word s / d av i d w i ld
It was little surprise that Beats’ original interview slot with UK drum and bass sensations Rudimental was postponed. The evening before our scheduled chat, the band’s new single, Waiting All Night, hit number one in the UK single charts. You’d expect nothing less than a gigantic celebration and you can’t begrudge the band a little lie-in after a couple of shandies. “We were 30,000 copies ahead of Justin Bieber and will.i.am in the midweek [charts] so we thought we’d be alright but we couldn’t be sure,” says songwriter, producer and one quarter of Rudimental, Piers Agget, when we do finally speak. “We were ecstatic when it was confirmed we were number one again.” Bursting out of London’s underground scene, Agget and his bandmates Kesi Dryden, Amir Amor and Leon Locksmith (aka DJ Locksmith) unofficially soundtracked the UK capital’s Olympic summer last year with debut hit Feel The Love, which also topped the charts in their homeland. It didn’t fare too badly in Australia either, reaching number three on the ARIA singles chart and topping the iTunes chart. The foursome hope their newly released debut album, Home, which features collaborations with Emeli Sandé and Angel Haze, will be similarly successful both here and there. Although they have been labelled a drum and bass act, Rudimental’s music is a lot broader than that – as listening to Home reveals. Growing up together in the tough inner-city suburb of Hackney exposed the lads to many types of bass music including UK garage and grime but also hip hop, reggae and R&B. Agget has previously said of Rudimental’s sound, “We are Sly and the Family Stone, Todd Edwards and Dr. Dre in a cheeseburger”. It’s a cute description, but there is more besides. Dryden took classical piano lessons as a child – the band is named after the Rudiments book of piano exercises his music teacher drilled him on – and Agget was raised on his parents’ blues and jazz records. “I was a secret jazz fan. I obviously kept it quiet at school, because it’s not the sort of thing you shout about in Hackney,” he laughs. From prominent saxophone in Feel The Love to the tiny piano flourishes in Hide, a rich musical education – both formal and informal – can be heard. Agget reveals that the band also approach their music in a different way to many of their peers, relying on more than just a laptop and an ear for a winning 180bpm beat. “We like to mix soul and bass
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music and we like to mix live instruments and the electronic,” Agget says. Key to Rudimental’s success is a sense of unity – the four share ideas, develop them together and consider themselves more than just a collective of producers with similar tastes. “We’re definitely a band. Our dream is to keep on writing music and be successful with albums and to headline Glastonbury in a
few years’ time,” says Piers, revealing an ambition not normally associated with an electronic dance act. “Why not think big?” Above all, Home wears its identity with pride. The influence of the pocket of London where the quartet grew up and the Rudimental project started shines through. Gritty vocals tell of despair and hope and paint a vivid picture of the daily trials of city life, while up-tempo beats and thick layers of different sounds express the vibrant cultural scene through which many manage to escape the drudgery. “Hackney is very important,” says Agget. “It’s why we called the album Home.” A screenplay of Rudimental’s success could be entirely set in about 40 square kilometres of North London. Agget
and Locksmith grew up on the same road together and played soccer with Dryden – the trio forming the original Rudimental lineup. Amor, who joined the band later, spent his teenage years making hip hop beats in a youth centre in nearby Camden. Meanwhile, Locksmith was making a name for himself on pirate radio alongside some kid calling himself Dizzee Rascal. While Dryden was working at a school helping troubled kids find themselves with music, Piers was managing a studio in Tottenham and engineering tracks for the likes of Wretch 32. Many of the guest vocalists on Home, like Sinead Harnett, MNEK and John Newman, are friends of friends or talented singers that the Rudimental boys bumped into in the studios they were working in. But success was never written on the wall for Piers, Kesi, Amir and Leon. Early on, many record companies turned them away because, as the band suspects, record execs were a bit confused as to which box to place them in (“Saxophones on a DnB record?!”). It must have been frustrating to see old friends and acquaintances, like rapper Professor Green or Simon Cowell protégé Labrinth – both old schoolmates of Dryden’s – find the success that they had craved and worked hard for. “A little, I guess,” says Agget, “But you see these guys representing where you’re from and it pushes you as well.” Given that a specific location some 17,000 kilometres away is so central to the record and the formation of the band, I wonder why Rudimental’s music has translated so well to the Australian market. Agget offers a simple explanation. “The location’s maybe different but I think the [Australian and British] people are very like-minded.” It may be even simpler than that – the quest for a good time is universal. With infectious hooks, layered basslines and boundless energy, Rudimental have captured it precisely. I can feel the love, can you feel it too?
Rudimental’s Home is out now through Warner. They will be touring Australia in September. Keep your eyes on beat.com.au for details as they emerge. facebook.com/rudimentaluk soundcloud.com/rudimentaluk
- head to beat.com.au for more
tour rumours Juan Atkins, Roman Flügel, Rick Wilhite, Maurice Fulton, Jam City, Tensnake, dOP, HNQO, Andrew Weatherall, Silicone Soul
off the record w i t h
t yson
Umai Move
w ray
I’m thinking of starting a Pozible that’ll allow me to buy Pozible.
contact Editor: Tyson Wray / tyson@beat.com.au Editorial Assistant: Nick Taras / nick@beat.com.au Production/Cover Design: Pat O’Neill / art@beat.com.au Typesetting & Design: Michael Cusack Advertising: Adam Morgan - (03) 8414 8719 / adam@beat.com.au Taryn Stenvei - (03) 8414 9711 / taryn@beat.com.au Kris Furst - (03) 8414 9703 / kris@furstmedia.com.au Photographer: Callum Linsell Contributors: Alasdair Duncan, Andrew Hickey, Annabel Maclean, Chloe Papas, Dan Watt, Jo Campbell, Kish Lal, Lachlan Kanonuik, Leigh Salter, Miki McLay, Morgan Richards, Nick Taras, Nina Bertok, Richie Meldrum, RK, Rose Callaghan, Ryan Butler, Simon Hampson, Tamara Vogl, David Wild Deadlines: Editorial: Friday 2pm Advertising: Monday 12pm Publisher: Furst Media - 3 Newton Street, Richmond - (03) 9428 3600 beat.com.au
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Breach
breach & route 94
Breach spent his formative musical years in Bristol and from there he moved on to live in Amsterdam. His geographical history speaks volumes in terms of inspiration and his music reflects this. He recently released his ground-shaking Jack EP on Claude Von Stroke’s Dirtybird label, which has received support from the likes of Claude himself, French Fries, Julio Bashmore, Midland, Eats Everything, Dusky, Dark Sky, T.Williams and the list, goes on. The only people that know Route 94’s true identity are Skream, Benga, Artwork, Annie Mac and a select few of Radio 1’s other elite DJs. With tracks such as Fly For Life and Forget The Girl making their way into various DJs playlists and mixes, Route 94 has established himself as one of the names to watch in 2013 as well as the one to unmask too. Catch all the fun at RMH The Venue on Saturday June 8.
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A night that promises to deliver the newest in house, tech house, future 2step and bass house, you are to expect nothing but the best. Edit have found a new home in Brown Alley where they will be hosting the main room with a bounty of fresh local support and far afield Australian talent. They also come in tow with the promise to have a couple of upcoming DJs from the UK to bring some deep bass sound to the system. Make sure you adhere to dress code and turn up dressed in blue with an open mind policy and a smile. Umai Move, Ben Naughton, Boykot, Candy B and Winston Chill will have your ears covered. Head down to Brown Alley on Friday June 28.
electronic - urban - club life
omar-s
Having already been announced for the Vivid LIVE festival in Sydney, Omar-S has added a Melbourne date to his Australian itinerary. One of Detroit’s most revered contemporary producers, his 2013 tour comes off the back of his latest release Thank You For Letting Me Be Myself. The techno and house stalwart was meant to return to Melbourne in 2011 for a show alongside Robert Babicz and Scuba but was forced to abandon the tour in the eleventh hour. Omar-S will play at The Liberty Social on Friday May 31 with support from the bearded adonis Tornado Wallace and Andee Frost.
FRONTIER TOURING CO. & ODD FUTURE PRESENT
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frontiertouring.com Hit album Wolf out now
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- head to beat.com.au for more
auntie flo
snaps in tribute: ajax lucky coq
Auntie Flo is coming to town and this time it’s not a euphemism but the real deal. Brian d’Souza, otherwise known as Auntie Flo, hails from Goa in Glasgow where he is currently a resident DJ at Highlife. Recently causing a stir with his debut Goan Highlife EP he has won fans across the musical spectrum. It sold out on pre-order leading to an immediate repress spun during the sets of Ricardo Villalobos, Gilles Peterson, Andrew Weatherall, Caribou, Tensnake amongst others. With a beautiful live show and passion driving him to remix and produce fervently, Aunti Flo is an important figure in electronic music and is bound to make a splash when he heads here at the end of May. Don’t miss all the fun at Revolver on Saturday May 25.
twisted audio
Twisted Audio are the self professed home of dubstep as well as drum and bass in Melbourne and with their ode to New Zealand they only cement that reputation. They’ll be bringing down the best in heavy bass music including State of Mind from SOM Recordings, Trei on his Satellites LP Tour, Dose from Shogun Audio, Buck Rogers BMA, Junkfood Recordings and Soulflex. Head down to Brown Alley on Friday June 28.
von-d, caspa & perverse
Caspa
Heavy Innit are delivering a night of heavy bass music with some fresh and exciting international artists. London-based DJ and producer, Von D, is renowned for his ability to fill dance floors, fuse genres and hold his own in collaborations with some of the biggest names in underground music. He’s a regular on Rinse FM and Kiss FM, renowned for featuring exclusive and unreleased dubstep tracks. With a strong technical grounding at the centre of his eclectic and intuitive mixing style he has established himself as a true heavyweight of bass music. Caspa is responsible for delivering deep a bumping mixture of grime and garage to crowds everywhere. Starting his career after ending one in basketball, Caspa has drawn inspiration from jungle and garage raves of the past. Inspired by a range of genres from the 808s and lean of hip hop to the twisted rhythms of drum and bass, Perverse were drawn to production through their collective love of bass heavy music. Purveyors of intensely dark beats, their sound is exemplified by their unique and refreshing take on the genre. Head down to Brown Alley to catch all the fun on Friday May 31.
p-money
With his new album Gratitude to be released May 17, P-Money has announced that he is touring. Joined by Duck Down Music label mate David Dallas, P-Money is set to take the album directly to the fans, while Dallas will be previewing new material off his own forthcoming album. With anticipation high for the drop of his new album, P-Money has released a few tracks for free on his website. Go to The Espy on Friday June 7 for the sweet times.
tribeadelic
Tribeadelic are celebrating their 17th birthday and what better way than throwing a huge party with a long list of exceptional acts. It is set to be a night to remember with all four rooms being opened for the monumental evening. The Tribeadelic Room will feature Time Lock, Everblast, Chromotone, Fractail Glider, Legohead and Billy the Kid. The Subsonic Room will be graced by the sound of Weeked Heroes-Felix, MSG, Dylan Griffin, Mood Machine, Muska and Punkzonjunk. The Adapted Records Room will have Mustard Tiger, Corey David, Kodiak Kid, Wasabi and El Suave all playing celebratory sets late into the night. And finally the OzTrance Room will have Tarun, Loosefingers, Reality Bytes, Imperfect Circle, Priojectamind and Instant Alien playing. Check out Brown Alley on Friday June 21 for all the birthday fun.
mantra
first floor
coolio
Hip hop icon Coolio will return to Australian this June. Coolio began rapping from a young age and performed in many local Los Angeles rap contests as a youth, and made connections in the Los Angeles rap scene and ended up joining the group WC and the Maad Circle in 1991. Three years later, Coolio released his debut solo album, It Takes a Thief. In 1995, he released Gangsta’s Paradise which instantly hit #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, and has since released a string of albums, hosted an online cooking show and released a companion cookbook. Coolio will hit Red Bennies on Thursday June 27.
Melbourne-based rapper Mantra has announced that he’s signed with Ten To Two Records – the team behind records from Xavier Rudd and Seth Sentry this past year – ahead of his new single Loudmouth, released last week. Mantra is standing on solid ground with five years of touring, two full-length releases and a triple j feature album (2011’s Speaking Volumes) already under his belt. Mantra plays the Northcote Social Club on Thursday June 6.
james blake
After an all-too undersized promo visit at the start of the year, UK producer James Blake has announced a decent-sized Melbourne headline show to supplement his Splendour In The Grass appearance. This year saw Blake release Overgrown, the worthy followup to his breakthrough self-titled debut. His 2013 return to Australia comes after a stellar showing at Coachella. James Blake performs at the Palais Theatre on Wednesday July 31.
the tongue tyler, the creator & earl sweatshirt
Two of the most prominent members of the OFWGKTA collective will visit Australia this June. The tour follows Tyler’s recently released third studio album, Wolf, which followed his 2011 sophomore Goblin. Following his highly-publicised musical hiatus in Samoa, the 19-year-old Earl will join Tyler in what will be his Australian debut. The pair will hit The Palace Theatre on Friday June 7.
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electronic - urban - club life
The Tongue, aka Xannon Shirley, is planning to tour nationally off the back of his latest album Surrender to Victory and will be playing a free show at The Espy to celebrate. Released in late March on Elefant Traks the album features Shirley’s lyrical best, backed by the beats of producer Cam Bluff. The Tongue has been appearing on bills nationwide, performing at Big Day Out, Groovin’ The Moo, Good Vibrations and many more. His live show will be co-anchored by DMC Champ DJ Skoob. The dynamic duo will be joined by Remi and Swooping Duck for their Melbourne show. Catch The Tongue et al. at The Espy Front Bar on Saturday June 8.
snaps sound empire
alex niggemann word s / a l a s d a i r d u n c a n
Berlin is without a doubt one of the most vital and exciting cities for electronic music. House producer Alex Niggemann relocated there early in his career, and has never looked back. “Berlin inspires me a lot,” he says. “It’s a creative and young city, and it has a huge network of artists, not only music-wise, but from all mediums.” People come from all over the world to share their music and art and experiences, and of course, this leads to new and exciting creations. “Another thing about Berlin is that the city never sleeps,” Niggemann says. “You can go out, listen to music, meet new people, and experience new things anytime you want. That’s what I really like about living here.” Last year, Niggemann released his debut album, Paranoid Funk. The record met with wide acclaim for its combination of intricate beats and catchy melodies. He says that, in creating it, he was determined to make the kind of record that you could throw on at home or in the club and have a similar effect. “You can enjoy it when you’re at home by yourself, or the dance floor with others,” he says. “I tried to combine modern, deeper and slower elements with the roughness and coolness of dark old-school sounds. These things might not fit together at first sight but in the end exactly this is what turns out to be the perfect combination and is also the reason for my album’s name Paranoid Funk.” Explaining further, he says that the two words ‘paranoid’ and ‘funk’ don’t necessarily have much to do with each other, yet they fit together well when you hear them spoken one after the other.
“The ‘paranoid’ of the title stands for the dark and clubby part of the album,” he says, “while the ‘funk’ stands for the laid-back, more groovy and musically-orientated part.” The overall reaction to the album has been better than he could ever have hoped for. “I’ve received so much positive feedback,” Niggemann says, “both from inside the dance music scene out outside of it. That really makes me happy, because that was my main intention for my album, to reach people outside of those who are familiar with EDM.” Dance music moves pretty fast – a genre or sound will be in clubs one week, and in the dustbin the next. Thinking about this was one of the biggest challenges Niggemann faced when putting the album together. “When I was working on the tracks, I knew they might not be released until a whole year later,” he tells me. “Because of this, I tried to keep the sound as timeless as possible. Another thing that really challenged me was that it’s pretty hard to create an album sounding homogenous, but without tracks being too similar to each other so that it might become boring in the end.” He started with 80 songs, of which 20 were finished, and 11 made it to the album. “It was a long process,” he says, “but as I said I’m more than happy with the result and the great feedback on this!” These days, Niggemann inhabits the world of club music, but he got his start as a child learning classical piano, and he says that this, more than anything, helped deepen his understanding of composition and structure.
fred v & grafix word s / j o c a m p b e ll
They’ve only released three tracks on a compilation and one EP but liquid drum and bassers Fred Vahrman and Josh Jackson aka Fred V & Grafix are on the up and up. Beats gets Jackson on the line for a chat about their upcoming album, why they love Rob Swire and what it’s like to play to the sweat-fest hordes at London superclub, Fabric. Devon duo Fred V & Grafix are relative newcomers to the scene, having been signed to Hospital Records in 2011 and making their debut on the label’s Fifteen Years Of Hospital Records compilation with their superbly cranking yet journeying, Find My Way. “A lot of people don’t know, but Hospital sort of signed us on faith,” says Jackson. “We were stupidly surprised because we knew we were not at the level. They sort of signed us without knowing if they were going to get much back from us and we hadn’t put much out and felt bad about that, but there’s plenty now.”
Since then they’ve been awarded Drum & Bass Arena’s 2012 Best Newcomer DJ award and have produced their debut solo release, the Goggles EP. Dropped this March, the EP features three varied tracks, all proving their ability to make fun, dancefloor driven beats, but Jackson says their upcoming long player, due for release later this year, will be of a different bent. “Those were more just three songs that we put out so people had something to listen to ahead of the album,” he says of the EP. “It’s gotten a good reaction, but in our eyes, our new music is really different to that. People might be surprised. “We really love real indie guitar music and live sounding stuff like Muse and Bloc Party. A lot of the new tracks (on the LP) have more of a focus on sounds like that and it’s more like the sound we love.” Jackson and Vahrman met through a mutual friend and a passion for indie-rock, with Vahrman’s guitar skills being laid down on Find My Way. The pair were won over to drum and bass after
level 2
Didier Cohen
spoonbill wo rd s / d e nve r m a xx
Melbourne producer Spoonbill is an innovator of music. Nine years ago, when he first started making beats, he had no idea that his music would resonate so strongly with the ‘bush doof’ scene. After just releasing his new EP Boca Fiesta, Spoonbill’s human side, Jim Moynihan, caught up with Beats to invite us to a mouth party, stack some feedback, build a house and finally let us go riding on a Big Dipper with him and Opiuo! If you haven’t heard Spoonbill’s music before, Moynihan will do his best to explain it with his mouth. “I make a lot of weird noises like ‘beummmmsputberrrrbagup’ – people think you’re accentuating when you make those sounds but that is how Spoonbill actually sounds,” laughs an upbeat Moynihan. Moynihan comes from an intensely artistic family with music and art always being in his life. As a student, Moynihan topped his year in Industrial Design at RMIT but has never really followed that profession any further than the occasional design of a lamp or a house (we’ll get to the house design later). Making challenging and intense music has always been Moynihan’s passion and he has become somewhat of an icon in the outdoor rave arena, having played Burning Man twice and countless outdoor festivals. Moynihan discusses this unintended success. “When I released my first album in 2005, basically I was playing pubs and clubs, so it was quite a different atmosphere to the underground doof sound but I just picked it up and ran with it, then I started getting booked for all these underground festivals.
“Initially I was like, ‘What the hell is this scene?’ but you know, it has been brilliant. I haven’t looked back. What I really like about it is that it is quite unpretentious, quite uncommercial – anything goes,” states Moynihan, a childlike sparkle in his eyes belying the fact he is in his early thirties. The ‘raviest’ track from his new EP is the suitably entitled Big Dipper. This song travels the full vicissitude of Spoonbill’s incredibly intense and varied sound, additionally a hallmark of this song and the theme of the entire EP is the quirky voice manipulation. Moynihan sets out how he achieves this seeming manipulation of the very human process of speech. “Big Dipper makes people go nuts when they hear it live – it is really bassy. The main feature of this song and thread that runs the entire way through the album is the voice-like sounds that erupt throughout the track.” Moynihan now tells how this common thread of voicelike sounds led to the title of the EP. “The reason I called it Boca Fiesta is that it means Mouth Party in Spanish and every track has a lot of voice manipulation and talky synths. They’re not vocoded but filtered synths – modulated in the same sort of frequencies that we create with our own voices.” The most un-Spoonbill sounding song on the EP is the hip hop driven Stacking The Feedback. The source of its new sound is that it was a collaboration between Spoonbill and US musician Vibe Squad.
electronic - urban - club life
“My piano was the beginning of my musical career,” he says. “It’s how I started making music myself. I started lessons when I was four, and I learned all basics and got a good musical knowledge.” His parents had to force him at first, but later in life, he discovered some of the advantages of playing an instrument. “Later on in my teens I found out that playing the piano and singing Backstreet Boys songs was something that really impresses girls so I went a bit more in the pop music direction!” he says. Needless to say, Niggemann eventually grew out of his I Want It That Way stage and into the acclaimed electronic producer he is today – but he always thinks back on those early stages of his musical development. “At some point I started writing my own songs,” he says. “I tried a lot of different styles, and I even tried to produce some hip hop tunes. Later on when EDM became interesting for me, it was just a matter of fact to start and produce my own tracks. I would more say learning the piano early on was the source of everything and helped me throughout my musical development process. Even today I still have a piano in my studio – I used it for the track Lovers on my album.” As well as producing, Niggemann is in demand as a DJ, and has found himself doing an awful lot of touring recently. Adapting to life on the road isn’t necessarily easy, although he loves the lifestyle of travelling and meeting new people. “I’m definitely aware of that I’m one of the few lucky people who can call this their job,” he says. “Currently I’m in Kuala Lumpur, just arrived there from Bangkok, next week I’m in China and then finally Australia again. It’s nice and exciting but of course a life like this also has its down sides. I can’t be creative in my studio, can’t see my friends and sometimes it’s hard to relax when being on airports all day. But the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages!”
Alex Niggemann plays alongside Radioslave at Brown Alley on Friday May 17. facebook.com/alexniggemann.official soundcloud.com/alexniggemann
finding inspiration in Pendulum’s genre-crossing Hold Your Colour LP. “Still to this day I think Rob Swire is an absolute genius and I’ve always liked Pendulum in general. They’ve always had a massive rock influence and because I was really into live bands back then, that was kind of a nice bridge into drum and bass. “Sonically they were about ten years ahead of their time – just how phat they were sounding – there was no other drum and bass that sounded that good. Tracks from Hold Your Colour still sound up-to-date now and you can still play them out.” Fred V & Grafix recently played Fabric Live for the second time. Their first appearance had been for a Hospitality gig in Room 1, but in an indication of how popular the two are becoming, they were invited to play Room 2 minus their label-mates. “It’s sweaty,” Jackson says with a laugh of the club. “It’s obviously amazing. The only annoyance was having to squeeze through the crowd to get to the decks with my two gin ‘n’ tonics without spilling them,” he laughs again. “The sound was amazing and it was nice to get the contrast between the two rooms. But yeah, Fabric is one of those places that just playing there in general is awesome, no matter which room.” In terms of their set, the two employ lots of quick mixing across four decks and usually keep it in the drum and bass vein. “Sometimes we stand back and think, ‘Maybe that was too quick’, but in terms of the music we play, we put together really varied sets and I think they transfer very nicely to a wellrounded drum and bass set with sometimes a bit of something else, but we usually keep it to drum and bass.”
Fred V & Grafix play alongside Delta Heavy at RMH The Venue on Sunday May 19. facebook.com/fredvgrafix soundcloud.com/fredvgrafix
“It totally has a hip hop feel that makes you think of lowered cars, that gangsta feel and that came from working with Vibe Squad. He came over here a couple of years ago and we recorded that. It only took one day and I think it was so quick because we both have the same set up on Q-Base and use a Moog and a Virus, so it was really easy.” Moynihan goes further into the synergy. “So we felt at home driving the system – It’s a really successful fusion between what I do with a hip hop edge. I have been influenced by hip hop but more so trip hop so it was interesting to work with him and produce such a different track for Spoonbill.” Not one to shy away from a challenge, Moynihan is in the middle of building his own house and studio in the hills surrounding King Lake. With his industrial design background he actually designed the house himself, as he explains industrial design and architecture are very similar. “I designed the house myself because as you know I studied industrial design. Industrial design and architecture are very similar; industrial design is just designing generally smaller objects but it is all the same fundamentally. It was pretty easy fitting that mould,” says Moynihan. However, the jewel in the crown of his architectural manifestation is, fittingly, his recording studio that is being built separate to the house. “I have designed a big wave studio that is on actual tree trunks that were felled from the property. It is separate from the main house. The wave design optimises production because you are sitting in the lower end with the speakers and that’s what you want with the kind of trapezoidal shape – so you don’t want parallel walls so there’s no acute angles and with the shape of the roof you won’t get any peaks or troughs,’ states the hyperinformed Moynihan. Lastly, Moynihan enthusiastically plugs his double headline show with friend and studio mate Opiuo. “Both Opiuo and I are performing as full live bands with performers and a new light show. I have an acrobalance duo coming on stage for Pirate Squid Bot and a new video show. It is going to be awesome!”
Spoonbill will be launching his Boca Fiesta EP alongside Opiuo at The Hi-Fi Bar this Saturday May 11. soundcloud.com/spoonytunes
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club guide wednesday may 8
COQ ROQ - FEAT: AGENT 86 + DJS LADY NOIR + JOYBOT + KITI + MR THOM Lucky Coq, Windsor. 7:00pm. COSMIC PIZZA - FEAT: NHJ Bimbo Deluxe, Fitzroy. 8:00pm DADA LIFE Billboard, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm. DUBSTEP GRIME DRUM & BASS - FEAT: DJ BADDUMS + DJ CARMEX Laundry Bar, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. HALFWAYS Workshop, Melbourne. 8:00pm. HOODRAPZ - FEAT: WEDNESDAY Workshop, Melbourne. 7:00pm. LOST & FOUND - FEAT: DJ SPIDEY + DJ RUBY FROST Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 8:00pm. MO’ SOUL - FEAT: DJ VINCE PEACH & MISS GOLDIE Ding Dong Lounge, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. NEW GUERNICA WEDNESDAYS New Guernica, Melbourne Cbd. 7:00pm. SOUL ARMY Bimbo Deluxe, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. THE DINNER SET Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 6:00pm.
thursday may 9
3181 THURSDAYS - FEAT: HANS DC + JAKE JUDD + NIKKI SARAFIAN + HEY SAM + JESSE YOUNG + JOHN DOE + SEAN RAULT Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 5:00pm. BANG N MASH Word Events Warehouse & Lounge, Melbourne. 8:00pm. BILLBOARD THURSDAYS - FEAT: MATT DEAN + MATTY GRANT + PHIL ROSS Billboard, Melbourne Cbd. 10:00pm. $10. CHI BEATS Chi Lounge, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm. DJ KRONIC + MS BUTT Espy, St Kilda. 9:00pm. DO DROP IN - FEAT: DJ KITI + DJ LADY NOIR The Carlton Hotel, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. DON’T THINK I’M ALIVE THURSDAYS The Vineyard, St Kilda. 7:00pm. FREE RANGE FUNK - FEAT: AGENT 86 + LEWIS CANCUT + WHO LUCKY COQ, WINDSOR. 6:00PM. GOOD EVENING - FEAT: DJ PEOPLE Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 7:00pm. GRAD PARTY THURSDAYS - FEAT: DJ ROWIE European Bier Cafe, Melbourne Cbd. 5:00pm. LE DISCO TECH Pretty Please, St Kilda. 8:00pm. LOVE STORY Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 8:30pm. MIDNIGHT EXPRESS - FEAT: DJS PREQUEL & EDD FISHER Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 11:00pm. MOOD - FEAT: NUBODY Loop, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm. NEW GUERNICA THURSDAYS - FEAT: CONDUCTORS + JAMES KANE + NEGATIV MAGICK + NU BALANCE + POST PERCY New Guernica, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. RADIONICA Workshop, Melbourne. 8:00pm. THE RITZ THURSDAYS - FEAT: NARI & MILANI + CARRICK DALTON & SAM COHEN + CAUC-ASIAN DJ’S + ED WILKS + JOSHUA GILILAND + KEN WALKER + LUCILLE CROFT + MAX KRUSE + TIM
6
LIGHT + ZACK ROSE Trak Lounge Bar, Toorak. 8:00pm. $20. TIGER FUNK LIVE - FEAT: DJ MOONSHINE Bimbo Deluxe, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. TROCADERO Match Bar & Grill, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm.
friday may 10
Fox Hotel, Collingwood. 8:00pm. UPTOWN GROOVE Order Of Melbourne, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm.
saturday may 11
ANYTIME Workshop, Melbourne. 8:30pm. BADABOOM FRIDAYS - FEAT: DJ ROWIE European Bier Cafe, Melbourne Cbd. 4:00pm. CANT SAY Platform One, Melbourne Cbd. 7:30pm. $10. CHI FRIDAYS Chi Lounge, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. CQ FRIDAYS Cq, Melbourne. 8:00pm. CRUCIAL SOCIAL ACADEMY - FEAT: DJ A13 + DJ JELLYFISHWORKSHOP, MELBOURNE. 8:00PM. discotheque - feat: elana musto + greg sara + scott t MATCH BAR & GRILL, MELBOURNE CBD. 7:00PM. FRIDAY NIGHT COMMERCIAL HOUSE DJS - FEAT: HIJACK + LIVNBEYNG + MAGIC HOUSE Veludo Bar & Restaurant, St Kilda. 8:30pm. I LOVE OLD SCHOOL - FEAT: SHAGGZ & PUPPET + DJ TEY + MERV MAC Red Bennies, South Yarra. 10:00pm. $10. JUICY - FEAT: CHAIRMAIN MEOW + COBURG MARKET + MR. FOX + TIGERFUNK + WHO Bimbo Deluxe, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. MEET YOUR MATES FRIDAYS Libation, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. MIDNIGHT MIDNIGHT New Guernica, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. MR VEGAS Prince Bandroom, St Kilda. 8:00pm. PANORAMA - FEAT: DJS MATT RAD + MR GEORGE + PHATO A MANO + TOM MEAGHER Lucky Coq, Windsor. 8:00pm. POPROCKS - FEAT: DR PHIL SMITH Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. REMEMBER ME The Motel, South Melbourne. 8:00pm. RETRO SEXUAL One Twenty Bar, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. REVOLVER FRIDAYS (ANTARCTICA REMIX LAUNCH) - FEAT: DJ LEWIE DAY + DJ MIKE CALLANDER + DJ ALEX THOMAS + DJ KATIE DROVER + DJ WHO Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 6:00pm. SATURDAY MORNING - FEAT: DJ SUNSHINE + DJ BUTTERS + DJ HEY SAM Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 6:00am. SHUFFLE FRIDAY NIGHTS Bridie O’reilly’s Brunswick, Brunswick. 10:00pm. SVELT + BISCOTTI + MANGELWURZEL 303, Northcote. 8:30pm. $10. THE FOX FRIDAYS Fox Hotel, Collingwood. 7:00pm. UPTOWN GROOVE Order Of Melbourne, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. WEEKENDER! Ding Dong Lounge, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. SHUFFLE FRIDAY NIGHTS Bridie O’reilly’s Brunswick, Brunswick. 11:00pm. THE FOX FRIDAYS
VENICE MUSIC - FEAT: DJ ALI E Some Velvet Morning, Clifton Hill. 8:00pm. BILLBOARD SATURDAYS - FEAT: FRAZER ADNAM SCOTT MCMAHON + JAMIE VLAHOS + MR MAGOO + ZIGGY Billboard, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm. $15. CHI SATURDAYS Chi Lounge, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm CLUB FICTION - FEAT: KITTY ROCK & THE BAD LADIES Red Bennies, South Yarra. 2:00am. DJ PLAZMA Idgaff Bar & Venue, Abbotsford. 8:00pm. FIRST FLOOR SATURDAYS - FEAT: BILLY HOYLE + DJS DUCHESZ + MZRIZK + WASABI First Floor, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. GLITCH THIS - FEAT: SATURDAY Workshop, Melbourne. 7:00pm. HOT STEP Bimbo Deluxe, Fitzroy. 7:00pm. LAB 22 Palace Theatre, Melbourne Cbd. 10:00pm. MIXED DRINKS SATURDAYS Libation, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. MOTEL SATURDAYS The Motel, South Melbourne. 8:00pm. NEO SACRILEGE - FEAT: DJ NERO Abode, St Kilda. 8:00pm. NEW GUERNICA SATURDAYS New Guernica, Melbourne Cbd. 7:00pm. ONESIXFIVE - FEAT: DJ COURTNEY MILLS + DJ HOOPS + DJ OLLIE HOLMES + DJ JOSH PAOLA + DJ WILL CUMMINGS Onesixone, Prahran. 3:00am. POISON APPLE Prince Bandroom, St Kilda. 8:00pm. SATURDAY CONFIDENTIAL Galley Room, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. SATURDAYS - FEAT: ACTION SAM + DJ ROWIE European Bier Cafe, Melbourne Cbd. 7:00pm. SATURDAYS @ LEVEL 2 - FEAT: DJ BOOGS + DJ CHESTWIG + DJ LUKE MCD + DJ MIKE HUNT + DJ ROWIE + DJ SPECIAL K Level 2 The Club, Northcote. 9:00pm. SATURDAYS AT ONE TWENTY BAR One Twenty Bar, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. SOUND EMPIRE - FEAT: DJ TATE STRAUSS + DJ JOE SOFO + DJ MATTY + DJ MISS SARAH + DJ PHIL ROSS Fusion, Southbank. 9:30pm. $25. SOUTH SIDE SHOW - FEAT: EDD FISHER + KNAVE KNIXX Red Bennies, South Yarra. 8:00pm. $15. STAR SATURDAYS Star Bar, South Melbourne. 8:00pm. STRUT SATURDAYS - FEAT: COLLECTIVE + ANDREAS + DANNY MERX + HENRIQUE + JASON SERINI + MARK PELLEGRINI + MC JUNIOR + NICK VAN WILDER Trak Lounge Bar, Toorak. 8:00pm. $22. SUNDAY NIGHTS - FEAT: DJ DAMION DE SILVA + DJ JAY J + DJ KEN WALKER + DJ LIGHTING Co., Southbank. 8:30pm. TEMPERANCE SATURDAYS - FEAT: DJ MARCUS KNIGHT + DJ XANDER JAMES Temperance Hotel, South Yarra. 8:00pm. TEXTILE - FEAT: DJS PACMAN + JEAN PAUL + MOONSHINE + TAH Lucky Coq, Windsor. 6:00pm.
electronic - urban - club life
THE FOX SATURDAYS Fox Hotel, Collingwood. 7:00pm. THE HOUSE DEFROST - FEAT: DJ ANDEE FROST Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 11:00pm. TOO MUCH 4TH BIRTHDAY - FEAT: MOSCA + DAVID BASS + NAISE + SAME O + WOZ Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 6:00pm. WHAT’S DOING? - FEAT: DJ CITIZEN.COM Workshop, Melbourne. 8:00pm. WHY NOT? - FEAT: SATURDAY Pretty Please, St Kilda. 8:00pm.
sunday may 12
COSMIC TONIC Veludo Bar & Restaurant, St Kilda. 9:30pm. DANGER - FEAT: GEORGE HYSTERIC & ROHAN BELL-TOWERS The Carlton Hotel, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. GUILTY PLEASURES Pretty Please, St Kilda. 8:00pm. MOTEL SUNDAYS The Motel, South Melbourne. 8:00pm. NO MORE-BANG-FOR-BUCK BURLESQUE SHOW! Red Bennies, South Yarra. 8:00pm. REVOLVER SUNDAYS - FEAT: DJ BOOGS + DJ SPACEY SPACE + DJ RADIATOR + DJ SILVERSIX + DJ T-REK Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 6:30pm. SOUTH SIDE HUSTLE - FEAT: ASKEW + BOOSHANK + DISCO HARRY + JUNJI + MISS BUTT + PAZ + PETER BAKER Lucky Coq, Windsor. 8:30pm. SUNDAE SHAKE - FEAT: AGENT 86 + PHATO-A-MANO + TIGERFUNK Bimbo Deluxe, Fitzroy. 4:00pm. SUNDAY SESSIONS - FEAT: DAN BOWDENA ND MAYFIELD + FOUNKSHUI Veludo Bar & Restaurant, St Kilda. 4:30pm. SURRENDER - FEAT: DJ SERGEANT SLICK + DJ ADAM TRACE + DJ ADRIAN CHESSARI + DJ CHRIS OSTROM + DJ SEF Fusion, Southbank. 8:00pm. THE SUNDAY SET - FEAT: DJS ANDYBLACK + HAGGIS Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 4:00pm.
monday may 13
IBIMBO - FEAT: LADY NOIR & KITI Bimbo Deluxe, Fitzroy. 6:00pm. KOOL AID - FEAT: DJ MU-GEN Laundry Bar, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. STIFF DRINK - FEAT: DJ MICHAEL KUCYK + DJ MICHAEL OZONE + DJ ROMAN WAFERS Toff In Town, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. TWERKERS CLUB - FEAT: DJ FLETCH Workers Club, Fitzroy. 7:00pm.
tuesday may 14
BIMBO TUESDAYS - FEAT: ADAM ASKEW Bimbo Deluxe, Fitzroy. 8:00pm. COSMIC PIZZA Lucky Coq, Windsor. 8:00pm. DJ JAGUAR E55, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. NEVER CHEER BEFORE YOU KNOW WHO’S WINNING - FEAT: REPETER FONDA Revolver Upstairs, Prahran. 7:00pm.
snaps strike
eloquor words / pepper scott
Prepare to get your mind blown when Melbourne MC Eloquor [Donny Pelsoczy] unleashes his third effort, From The Oceans Of Karana, this month. A ‘concept record’ in the truest sense of the word, this is one epic baby that is literally akin to an offspring rather than a mere piece of music in more ways than one. “I’ve got a five-year-old son and I also have a one-and-a-half-year-old, so when I started this album was the same time when my second son was born and it’s taken the same amount of time for him to grow as it has for me to finish the record. That’s how I see it. It’s been like a project and it’s been a very exhausting one. I put all my eggs in one basket and I’ve given this my all, invested every dollar and spare minute into making it come to life... I was thinking the other day, ‘I’ve made this album – so I can die now and I’d be happy’.” Put simply, this is “the word of Eloquor”, according to Pelsoczy.
Spanning an enormous 18 tracks and split into three parts, each third of the album employs the talents of three of the best producers in Australian hip hop, including Simplex of Terrafirma, Pokerbeats and Jase of Beatheadz (as well as long-time Eloquor collaborator 76). But it wasn’t just any old beat that Pelsoczy required of each – the tunes and approach had to match a specific model of sound. “The album is extremely spiritual, it’s based on Eastern philosophy,” the MC explains. “It’s broken up into three parts – based on the Hindu Tridev – and inspired by the three Hindu gods. The first part of the album is about ‘creation’, which is the god Brahma, the second is about ‘preservation’, which is Vishnu, and the third is about ‘destruction’, which is Shiva. At the start of every part there is a foreword from an old man who is a Hindu mystic. “Part one is about the creation of the universe and how everything is light expressing itself, like subatomic particles, though with a spiritual twist. We all have access to true potential; we’re all vibrating light and have the pure potential to become anything we want. Part two is about preservation and it looks at life in the ‘right now’. There is even a track about the invasion of Australia by the British Empire. The final part is about destruction which looks at how we place too much trust into technology and how it’s going to turn around and bite us on the ass one day.” But Pelsoczy also touches on a subject that is very close to his heart and is, perhaps, one of his strongest passions – helping disadvantaged youth. Not only does he rap about the ever-growing issue but he’s actually doing something about it too. “I’m also a high school teacher at a community school, so issues about underprivileged youth and people who have been mistreated or are at risk are subjects that I understand. If we don’t look after the world it’s not going to end up well. I’ve been very spiritual since I was a young kid myself – nobody ever forced it on me, so I guess it must have been something from a past life! I went to India when I was 22 for about three months, just backpacking, and I did many different types of meditations and Reikis and spiritual practices over there. I stopped eating meat as well. Spirituality is extremely important to me.” Which is why it was just as vital for the guest producers on Pelsoczy’s
album to understand this as well. Not necessarily agree, as the MC insists, but just understand the vision at least... “I gave each of the producers a poster of the god that represented each of the parts of the album that they would be covering. The idea was so that, while they’re making the beats and I’m writing the album at the same time, we’re both looking at the same poster and we’re both working with an identical model, the base of it. For example, Simplex, who did the first part, I told him, ‘You are Brahma, when you make these beats think of the process of creation, the universe beginning’, and that’s how I’d approach the other producers. Jase wasn’t able to do the whole thing he was supposed to originally and 76 also stepped in on about 11 of the tracks on this album overall. I had to have him on this album no matter what, he’s been with me for about six years now, he’s a big part of this.” Pelsoczy assures he will never be able to recreate neither the album or nor the experience which has been From The Oceans Of Karana, but insists that doesn’t mean he’s done with albums per se – especially now that he’s found what works for him. “When I look back I realise that the first proper song I made was about nine years ago, a track called Trippin,” he recalls. “That particular song was actually exactly what I’m doing now! The whole spiritual thing and questioning where our place is in the world. People weren’t feeling it at the time, though, and I wasn’t getting much love or respect for it. I went on a journey after that song and tried the more grime-y, raw, angry and aggressive sort of stuff – and now I’ve done a complete 360 and gone back to what I’m all about. ‘Eloquor’ means ‘to express oneself’, ‘to shout out’, so it made sense for me to want to go back to the true reason why I wanted to be an artist in the first place.”
Eloquor’s From the Oceans of Karana is out this Friday May 10 through Myspherical Entertainment and Obese. facebook.com/eloquor3000
workshop
electronic - urban - club life
7
urban club guide snaps khokolat koated
wednesday may 8 COMPRESSION SESSION - FEAT: CASSAWARRIOR + DD + RICKA E55, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. SOUL ENSEMBLE Lounge, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm.
thursday may 9 BE EASY - FEAT: DJ ARKS + DJ THANKS Workshop, Melbourne. 8:00pm. PENNIES - FEAT: VARIOUS DJS Laundry Bar, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. $6. RHYTHM-AL-ISM - FEAT: DJ DAMION DE SILVA + DJ K-DEE + DJ SIMON SEZ Eden, Melbourne. 10:00pm. $15.
friday may 10 CHAISE FRIDAYS - FEAT: SOULCLAP + DJ CLAZ + DJ DIRX + DJ PERIL + DJ SEF Chaise Lounge, Melbourne Cbd. 4:30pm. CREW LOVE - FEAT: DJ TONY SUNSHINE Sub Lounge, Melbourne Cbd. 10:00pm. $15.
FAKTORY - FEAT: DJ DAMION DE SILVA + DJ DURMY + DJ K DEE + DJ YATHS Khokolat Bar, Melbourne. 8:30pm. GET LIT Lounge, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm. LIKE FRIDAYS - FEAT: BROZ + DIR-X + DJS DINESH + NYD + SEF + SHAGGZ + SHAUN D La Di Da, Melbourne. 7:00pm. SWEET NOTHING FRIDAYS - FEAT: DJ MARCUS KNIGHT + DJ XANDER JAMES Temperance Hotel, South Yarra. 8:00pm.
saturday may 11 BLADES + B.O.S + ELOQUOR + MORGANICS + PROPH + SPEECH THERAPY Laundry Bar, Fitzroy. 9:00pm. $12. CHAISE LOUNGE SATURDAYS - FEAT: DJ ANDY PALA + DJ KAH LUA Chaise Lounge, Melbourne Cbd. 8:00pm. LAUNDRY SATURDAYS Laundry Bar, Fitzroy. 8:30pm. PHATURDAY - FEAT: TOM SHOWTIME + DJ AYNA Blue Bar, Prahran. 10:00pm.
rhythm-al-ism at eden
be. @ co.
faktory at khokolat bar
8
electronic - urban - club life
SATURDAY NIGHTS - FEAT: DJ DAMION DE SILVA + DJ JAY SIN + DJ K DEE Khokolat Bar, Melbourne. 8:30pm. THE DOJO - FEAT: VARIOUS DJS Order Of Melbourne, Melbourne Cbd. 10:00pm.
sunday may 12 BE. - FEAT: DJ DAMION DE SILVA + DJ JAY J + DJ KEN WALKER Co., Southbank. 10:00pm. $15.
monday may 13 FREEDOM PASS - FEAT: PHIL ROSS + B-BOOGIE + CHRIS MAC + DOZZA Co., Southbank. 9:30pm. THAT’S A RAP First Floor, Fitzroy. 6:00pm.
tuesday may 14 CAN I KICK Lounge, Melbourne Cbd. 9:00pm.