Product Placement: This Blog's less tight than ABC's RAGE

I'm not sure if you've realised, but Illegitimate Children (henderson's blog) is a hotbed of commenting activity.

It certainly has caught me be suprise. That's why it took me ages to see this comment. I want to thank 'anonymous' for this. This is what I want. Informed discussion about cool music, the state of the Australian music industry, interspersed with the odd swear word (like 'f*ck', 'sh*t' or 'Carnivorous rUNT').

Here's the comment... it was after Illegitimate Children's rant about ridiculous funding for Olympic sports compared to music and culture which gets sweet f*ck all.

hey while you're havin a bit of a bang on about the govt, something just came to my attention which freakin irks me to no end. the abc - now i'm a massive fan of aunty but bugger me they've gone a bit too far. i just heard that the new kram clip for 'silk suits' is not allowed to be aireed on the abc because they shot it at the rod laver arena (just to tie into your sporting theme here) and there are sponsorship ads in the background. what a load of fucking horse shit. have the abc lost the plot?? do they seriously think that their clips don't have brand endorsed product placement all the way through them? what about when the Hoods wear DC shoes or the Finger wear connies - do they thyink they just went out and bought them so they could look cool in their film clips? Get fucking real abc - nearly all of the bands yoiu play on triple jtv or rage have some kind of endorsement deal in place. perhaps they should stop any band playing who's drummer is sponsored by pearl or the guitarist has a gibson deal. dickheads

Wicked. Thanks anonymous! I wasn't aware of this. It's a great comment. And I reckon right on the money. Very perceptive. Great Insight. If I may... just a few comments on that comment.

1. "irk" = Great word... gotta use it more
2. Appreciated this bit "what a load of fucking horse shit"
3. Clearly this clip is filmed on one of the show courts at Melbourne Park... Not Rod Laver Arena... get it right.



It sounds like Kram always does, fun but not much depth... ZING. The redeeming feature is that it confirms my long held belief that (former WTA Ranked World Number 8 Alicia Molik - thanks wiki) was rather attractive. Underrated as a tennis player and underrated as a looker!

Also, check out the rally from 1:40 to 2:00. Krams cross court winner is freakin epic. LOVE IT!

So, how do feel about Garnier, KIA, The Herald Sun, Australia Post and Adidas and MOTORHEAD T-Shirts?
This blog whole-heartedly endorses all brands appearing a KRAM video clip...

If RAGE won't play it, I will. I don't have any code of practice or editorial policy. This is a niche for this blog.

ALSO HUGE HUGE UPS TO CONNOR BEAVS FOR HIS SICK PIGEON PHOTO... THANKS DUDE.

Damon Albarn is better without Blur

I wish the Dean of Melbourne "Con"servatorium of Music had told me that I could become Damon Albarn if I continued studying ethnomusicolagy.

H1 = First Class Honours = I heart Music Cultures of Asia

I could have done 2nd, 3rd and 4th year Ethnomusicology subjects too but I thought there was no future in studying world music.

I've just been looking at an extremely high resolution picture of my hero. Click it... it's massive. I get a bit gooey when I think about him. Even when he's covered in tomato.

For a Britpop sun of a gun, he's released some seriously out there sh*t. Travelled the world, researched his arse off, immersed himself in African and Asian music cultures and written produced some amazing music.

BLUR told everyone (a couple of months ago) that they're reforming... I don't know whether to lose my shit in excitement or crack the shits out of disappointment)

Damon, doesn't need Blur...

Here's a reverse chronological 5 song tour of Damon "tomato lover" Albarn and some of the amazing music he's written and played since. He don't need Blur.


Heavenly Peach Banquet - Monkey
One of the best songs written last year. Full stop. It's From his Chinese Opera. "Monkey - Journey To The West"
Continues my love of songs where I can't understand the words... I actually found a translation to the words while researching this... a little disappointing... its about a garden full of tasty Peaches. But it's wayyyy better than anything made by 'the presidents of the USA' Oh Yes the music is blissful. Blithful.

Kingdom Of Doom - The Good The Bad and The Queen
take 1 part Blur add, 1 part The Clash (Paul Simonon), add to one part Afro Beat Legend (Tony Allen, Fela Kuti etc...) and one part The Verve (Simon Tong)... This is a supergroup I'd love to cook to breakfast with. mournful, acoustic, afro, dub, pop, ballad - never heard anything like it.

The Last Living Souls - Gorillaz
Gorillaz first album was good... but had some filler. Gorillaz 2nd album was ridiculously freakin awesome... produced by Danger Mouse... this is the first track off that album... it sets the tone for a hip-hop, rock, pop, jazz, gospel, cartoon musical adventure. I think this is where Damon entered the stratosphere. The Live DVD of the album is a feast for the eyes too.

Niger - Mali Music
In 2000 Mr. Albarn traveled to Mali as an ambassador for Oxfam, along the way meeting and playing with dozens of musicians.

"He recorded his collaborations and returned to his London studio with more than 40 hours of music. "I spent two years figuring out how I could turn it into something that would satisfy me as a musician but also make some kind of cross-cultural link" - BBC

Then released this dreamy album in 2002.

Coffee and TV - BLUR
Back to his roots. Nuff Said. Pretty wickid but he's moved on.

Mango Pickle Down River

I was listening to MIA (daughter of a terrorist/freedomfighter... with questionable politics... watch this video for something heavy... it's a can of worms that I'm not going to get into. It's pretty graphic... definately MA15+...).

I thought her first album (Arular) was overrated... but I'm only just getting into Kala (the second one), I think it's brilliant... It's been out for, like, 2 years now, I'm hip.

Its got some mad tracks... party bangers galore, tasty beatz etc.
But among the hits is this understated, low fi sample of a disgeridoo and rhythm sticks

Mango Pickle Down River is an almost completely untreated version of the song Down River, which originally released by a 4 Aboriginal kids (aged 8 to 12) from Wilcannia. They were called The Walcannia Mob.
It came in at number 16 in Triple J's hottest 100 in 2002... I don't remember it (but my housemate Pineboy does).

The treatment of the music is so subtle that it could be a field recording. I've never heard the didgeridoo sound so right in a popular music style. Normally the Didge in rock, or sampled in dance or hip hop just SHITS me.

Here's a list of didge players that shit me...

1. Xavier Rudd. Australia's answer to Jack Johnson... music to fall asleep at the wheel to. And he plays 5 different didgeridoos... and a guitar... and some drums... and a djembe... jack of all trades, master of__________?
   
2. Cockatoo Pete - Have you ever been to Byron Bay? Have you ever stayed at the arts factory? Ever done the bushtucker tour with Cockatoo Pete? Need I say more?
3. The raver trance didge player on Bourke Street Mall that drones away with a hard progressive beatz in the background... very loud... not cool.
   

Sorry, I don't mean to get all Robert Doyle on you (idiot mayor of Melbourne).

Anyway, now for the music

Kudos to MIA. She found this slice of wonderfully innocent Aboriginal life (we don't always get to see that side of it) and gave it a worldwide audience. I think MIA's treatment of the music and lyrics is sensitive and clever. Sounds like she had fun doing her verses.

I get the same feeling from a series photos taken by an Australian artist Belinda Mason. This is one that one a human rights and equal opportunities commission award for best photo in 2008.

It's got the same vibe of valuing the simple life... although in this case, it's simple comparison between aboriginal life in the northern territory and white life in the city.

I think its a beautiful photo. (click to enlarge)

Australian Pride - Sport and Punk

How good is it that we have always PUNCHED ABOVE OUR WEIGHT as a sporting nation?

Australia Rocks at sport Man!
(except in one day international and 20 20 cricket... now)

I'm a sports mad goon. I love soccer and AFL, Cricket and the Tour De France... I've travelled overseas to watch the Socceroos at the world cup in Germany, I signed up for tickets to the next world cup in South Africa and I'm a member of the Melbourne Victory.

However, I feel like Australia has short man syndrome.

Maybe as a collective nation we feel culturally insignificant, or maybe we're not as tough or big or important as other countries so we have to smash weights at the gym, stick our chests out and beat everyone at sport then shout out loud about it.

image from the couch gymnast my new favorite blog

It really annoys me that our sense of national identity and pride is so reliant on our performances in the sporting arena.

Here's some stats from the BEIJING OLYMPICS (from http://simon.forsyth.net/olympicsGDP2008.html):

• Australia came 5th overall on the medals tally - impressive yeah?
  
• Australia came 6th overall in the 'medals per capita' - still pretty impressive hey?
  
• We came 18th overall on the medals per capita tally and 18th in the medals per GDP (Gross Domestic Product) - hmmm... not as impressive
  

But... here's something not very impressive at all.

Government funding for Australia's elite athletes in preparation for the Beijing Olympics was allocated at the ratio of 40 million dollars per Gold Medal

f*ckloads.
waaaaayyyy toooooo much

And now people are in tears because if we don't add another 100 million to our olympic funding, we'll win EVEN LESS MEDALS! http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/08/18/2339445.htm

I've got an idea.

Let's forgo one Olympic Gold Medal and spend 40 million dollars on independent music...

Let's forgo another gold medal which will fund a fully functioning Victorian College Of The Arts and will allow the Australian National Academy of Music (a selective school for Australia's most talented young classical musicians) to function finally without risking being shut down.

You get my drift.

Maybe we could educate some people that we have things to proud of besides victory

Here's a reason I'm Proud of being an Australian.

Eddy Current Suppression Ring paid $1500 to make Australia's best record of 2008.
It won the Australian Music Prize, was nominated for an ARIA and won an AIR Award.
What other country has a music public, a music media that can recognise and foster brilliant music like this? Values, character, attitude, energy and songwriting.
Can you imagine ECSR winning a mercury music prize in the UK or the Shortlist prize in the USA?
even dicko loves it


(thanks to Stu for showing me the ECSR videos)

Maybe we could spend some of the gold medal money educating people about where some of our greatest musicians fit in the pantheon of worldwide culture.
I'll give one example.

This is also something that everyone of us should be proud of... The Saints are recognised in Australia's National Film and Sound Archive.
They formed the same year as the Ramones and predated the sex pistols, the buzzcocks, the clash... I realise I may be preaching to the converted here. But every time I listen to The Saints I reckon it needs to be said again. and again.

This song isn't what they're most famous for... but it was their biggest hit. It got to number 34 in the UK in 1977. It's my favorite Saints song. I think it's as scintillatingly rad as music gets...

Wata and Boris

Hi guys,
I'd like to introduce you to Wata.
She plays lead guitar a band called Boris.
If you click play on all these videos you can watch her do NOTHING.

Boris

Boris

Boris

Boris

Boris


Those Crazy Japanese Punks"... incorrigible.
weird just watching a video of someone doing nothing hey? I wonder if she's trying to stay still? I wonder if it's a joke... It confuses me... but i just shrug and smile knowingly. I have a sneaking suspicion that BORIS are approaching genius.

I've been listening to Boris a lot in the last coupla months... here's the facts about em.

They're from Japan, they play sludge metal, doom metal, thrashy punk, epic rock and the odd accoustic ballad. They F*cking rock hard but do beautiful sensitive stuff too.

Boris have played the music for a new movie called
"The Limits Of Control"
It's kind of a big deal... big name actors, holywood stars, guns and sex

The trailer looks lame, (if it was rad I would have put it on this blog). Sill, I'd check it out so I can hear Wata and Boris in action.

Did I mention they have a rather attractive lead guitarist who's name is WATA?

They've released 17 studio albumsin 13 years !!!!!!
Clearly they're not here to f*ck spiders.

Here's another video of a really beautiful song. called "MY NEIGHBOUR SATAN" It's the reason I wrote this blog. It's going to be my song of the month I think. I just (legally) bought the MP3 of it, but I originally heard it on an absolutely radicool silver embossed limited edition vinyl version...
That I bought in Perth.
for too much money...

They don't move much, but DAMN! It's a great song. It's off their latest album, called SMILE
DO YOURSELF A FAVOUR AND LISTEN

BORIS 　となりのサターン

Friendly Flying Dillinger Stool

For those LONG TIME READERS AND FANS OF THIS BLOG... (and I checked, I know three of you that have read it) you'll know that i have a new favorite band. They've been around for 21 years, and are masters of lyrical subtlety and building lush textures...

the band?

Anal C*nt.

Anyway, further research into these intellectual giants of the music world told me that one of their biggest hits is called

"Anyone who likes Dillenger Escape Plan Is A F*ggot"

well... damn... Looks like I'm batting for the other side then... Time to bend over!

No seriously, nothing wrong at all with being same gender attracted... I've kissed a guy on the mouth before and it wasn't even a dare!

I don't imagine my entire readership (all 8 of you) love metal. But I wanted to play some dillinger escape plan because I feel like everyone should have just a bit of them in their life! I chose a kind of hardcore song, nothing too heavy. Very listenable... easy on the ears in fact
The video features the band, a hot tattooed girl and a malevolent but ultimately very friendly supersonic flying stool (that you sit on).





wow! how good was the chorus at 2.00 until the end? WICKID

For dillingers next trick...
This is the last track off the last album. It was released a few years ago but i still cant get over it.

I know this will annoy my english friend Daz because he only likes unlistenable Dillinger... but if, in future albums they took it even further in this direction I would officially lose my sh*t. It's awesome... ambient turns into jazz jam/piano improv into epic rock... (sigh) also know that this is not a moving video. it's a sneaky way to stream a song!



In the words of Shane Crawford
That's what I'm talkin BOUT!

Ethnomusicology

When I studied music at 'The Con' in Melbourne. I got an outrageously good mark for this subject we had called "Music Cultures of Asia".
I rocked that sh*t. Ask me anything about Ragas, The Music of the Highland Hmong or Kecak. I can tell you soooo much stuff!

Anyway, I think you should watch this. It's mesmerising.




Now watch this (below).
The video is really bad, (so listen to it, you don't have to watch) but its the only way I could stream the music.
Indonesian KECAK, heavy metal stylee... At 2 minutes 40 into this video. Amazing. Inspirational. Crazy. Ridiculous. I miss Mr. Bungle, but I'm happy that Mike Patton is back playing with his second best band eva. Faith No More.

Goodbye Sober Day



i got sent a letter from the Dean of my university advising that I should specialise in ethnomusicology.
Not much in the way of a career path if you're an ethnomusicologist... There ain't a big demand for them. No-ones paying big money for ethonomusicologists...

But maybe I should have become an ethnomusicologist because I LOVE it when I'm listening to some cool music and I hear a band that have looked in interesting places for their influences. My ears prick up and try and place the heritage of the sounds.

So. Listen to this. It's my favorite song of the last 2 days. It ticks all the boxes for me.





It's cacophonous at times and pulls it's influences from all over the world. So many different sounds that it's kind of created something new...

Dig it!

The other boxes they tick are.

Asian/middle eastern Sounds.
Medievil Choir Chanting Harmonies
Cool Voice, sounds like she's the chick from THE KNIFE
Can't understand the lyrics (i love not understanding lyrics, or not having any at all)
Radicool Synth Bits.
Great Guitar work.
Funny/interesting song structures
it's released on WARP (which makes me go weak at the kneeeze)


GANG GANG DANCE - HOUSE JAM...

I Won't Steal Your Money

Just in case you were wondering... I won't steal your money! Or Your information!

F*CK YOU MCAFEE!!!!



but just to be safe, don't give me your credit card details when I ask.

Music to Wake Up To

I get a childish delight from swearwords... still. F*ck, Sh*t, Cunce.
I don't know why I love them, but I do. It also extends to well drawn cock and balls.

So it stands to reason that I'd be pretty excited by the well documented trend of 'F*ck' bands
There's stax of them! Here' a small list... F*ck, The F*ck F*cks, Holy F*uck, F*cked Up, F*ck The Facts, Total F*ucking Destruction.

I haven't had time to check em all out yet though.

While I'm at it. There's American Grind/Noisecore band Anal C*nt... which has " earned the reputation for basically being anti-everything." - Thanks wikipedia. Wiki also tells us that "The band's very first performance was in 1988 at Putnam's (lead singer's) mother's house in front of some family members, namely his mother, his two little brothers and his grandmother, as well as some of his mother's friends"
I read more about that band. They actually make me feel a lil' sick.
Do you reckon Putnam's Granny would have liked Anal C*nt?

Sorry I'm getting sidetracked

This is a serious post.
Earlier this year one of the f*ck bands toured Australia. They got enough press to pique my interest so I bought their album.

The F*ck Buttons...
I'm not sure where to start. I'm kind of disappointed they are a f*ck band, because frankly the band is brilliant and i think the name detracts from their goodness.
Basically it's 2 dudes making some very harsh noise that is treated in a way that flows over you like warm water and is actually some of the most relaxing and mesmerizing music I've ever heard.

Sweet Love For Planet Earth - F*ck Buttons

I was almost in a trance listening to the album on the tram to work this morning.

Anyway, I've finally arrived at my point. I LOVE it when this song plays as my alarm on a weekend morning. For some reason, it nearly always puts me into that beautiful state of lucid dreaming. Where you can consciously control the outcome of an unconscious dream.

The music drains all muscle tension from my body. I can barely move. It's so relaxing. It's the best music in the world to wake up to (as long as you're not in a rush)...

Listen to the tinkling bells at the start, as it segues into distortion... then come 5 mins 40 seconds into the song the incomprehensible screaming starts and then the bells return without you even noticing. It takes almost 10 minutes...

Maybe I'm weird. Maybe this music isn't meant for beautiful zen like relaxation, or maybe The F*ck buttons are contradictory genius.

Does Sad Music Make You Sad?

I've been thinking recently about 'sad' music. Not the first time, I heard someone say recently that when they stopped listening to 'sad' music their worldview become more positive. They become happier people.

I've never really agreed with this. What is 'sad' music anyway?
I listen to some pretty dire music sometimes, and I've got a positive outlook on life. Last week, i was feeling a little down and walking to work. I was listening to some droning-distortion-filled-bleak-as-f*ck-music when I realised that it was bringing me down. I felt for the first time that I needed some positive music to feel better.

droning distortion filled bleak as f*ck music (just watch 20 seconds if ya want, you'll get the picture)



yeah, it aint exactly a laugh a minute is it?

I didn't want music that was ridiculously and overtly positive either... I wanted something a little more affirming. Something that could punch me in the chest and guts and say "buck up soldier!" So I switched this



Thanks Bronx!!! you always cheer me up!
I got the 7" vinyl of this song a couple of weeks ago. "young bloods" it's effing magificient.

Anyway I got online and searched what other people reckon about sad music. Seriously, there are some genius' out there.

"Trance music makes me think and in a way makes me feel kinda sad and happy?!? weird lol.
I guess its how your feeling at the time. i mean you could listen to a really sad song at a happy time in ur life and it wouldnt affect u but just break up with someone n it makes u wanna slit ur wrists lol! i couldnt live without music! lol."

Laugh Out Loud? What's the f*ck is funny about that?

There's a myriad of different statements on the matter but I think the most profound statement said:

"Do You Realise? - Flaming Lips"

This song is life affirming and tragic at the same time. It makes me happy, but reflective. It's brilliant. THE FLAMING LIPS ARE ABOUT TO TOUR AUSTRALIA Get tickets.
Theyll make you very very happy and only a little bit sad. But sad in a good way.

Check the key change and choir entry at 2:00. LOL

U.X.O.

About 14 months ago I got back from an overseas holiday.

I had an old fashioned ipod on the holiday and as we were travelling in old fashioned buses around Loas and Cambodia I could only listen to a limited number of songs. Like 4 gig worth.

When I was preparing to leave on this holiday, i spent more time sorting through MP3's for my trip than any other part of the preparation to go away. When you've got a limited amount of space then you have to be really selective about what you pack. So I packed boxer shorts, a sleeping bag, insect repelent, singlets, pants, toiletries and MP3's.

there's a few songs and albums that I got kind of obsessed with on that trip... i still associate them with that holiday. the ones that stick in my head were incredibly beautiful songs that were a perfect soundtrack to a beautiful but tragic lanscape rolling by. I went home and anylised the music (like i would do when I studied music at uni, chord progressions, orchestration, rhythmic intricasies etc. It was music nerd heaven...) I wanted to know why these songs stuck in my head so bad. Why they still make me gasp a little to this day?

I loved this one among many...



But 1 piece of musik reminds me of that Holiday more than anything else...

It reminds me of an area in Lao where you can't even walk out of a village without risking your life because you may just step on a bomb.

The USA dropped 3 million tonnes of bombs on Laos in order to stop the Vietcong using it as a safehaven. That's 1 tonne for every person currently living in Laos. Almost 2 thirds of it didn't explode when it hit the ground and has remained active and lethal ever since.

The people of Laos were inspiring and beautiful (one of the best holidays of my life, relaxing, beautiful, fun, educational, cultural and partiful). It was strange listening to songs off Yanqui UXO by Godspeed you! Black Emperor while traversing through the most heavily bombed country in the world... The album is about weapons. About unexploded ordinance. It felt so right while i was in that area of the world.

Check it out... It was inspiring... And Sad...



Visit! MAG - Mines Advisory Group

Urthboy - oz hip hop ain't shit!

I imagine Urthboy as this kind of Robin caracter, but without his own batman. And not gay (not that that's a problem, i just know's he's married... to a lady). He takes on the evils of Australian Hip Hop with a BAM! and a GAZOOSH! And doesn't even need the more masculine boss man to help him! He's got it under control.
These are screen shots of him taking on THE FESTIVAL SONG in a battle to the death.

So, besides beating up Drapht, here are the other good things about Tim Levinson aka Urthboy.

- He runs Elefant Traks. An institution of Australian Hip Hop. Home of The Herd, Ozi Batler, Hermitude, Combat Wombat, Mista Savona. They've been running for 10 years as a proudly 100% independent label in Australia.

- He's in The Herd. Responsible for some classic oz hip hop. DON'T EVER FORGET THAT THE HERD USED THE WORD C*NT in their song 77% and they got away with it and heaps of airplay.




They are the flagship of Elefant Traks, they've won 2 AIR awards. They're alright. Also, while we're talking The Herd. Not many people realise that this band have some of the best pseudonyms in Australian music. Check this shit out.

• Traksewt - Track Suit - FUCK YEAH
• Rok Poshtya - Rock Posture!!! Fuck yeah, that is wickid
• Ozi Batla - Australian Battler (But shortened)
• Urthboy - The Man himself
• Unkle Ho - Unco?
• Toe-Fu - Tofu, bean curded shit get it?
• Sulo - ummm
• Jane - Jane Tyrrel

That said, The Herd have committed some crimes against OZ hip hop... I'll save them for another time.

- Urthboy's album "The Signal" is a call to arms for me and my housemate (his name is Pineboy). When we play that music. It's time to partay, or go to work, or cook dinner. That album is dope... Full of amazing production (Count Bounce and Uncle Ho and Hermitude), great guest appearances from Hau, Mia Dyson and more. It flows from one rack to the next beautifully. Its got some sublime moments. My bestest tracks are: Modern Day Folk, The Signal, Nuthin I'd Rather Do and We Get Around. Go and find them and then download them (legally... using money...)




- He's really short. But he doesn't have small man syndrome. He doesn't make up for being short by being all masculine and obnoxious. No, he's actually a sweet man, with a lot of love to give. More than his small frame implies!

- He uses very cool illustrations for his front covers... check these out.


Yep Cool hey?

If you don't like using your money for music then click this sentence it'll take you to a free download of Urthboys latest single

go to his myspace too www.myspace.com/urthboy

CURSE OV DIALECT - oz hip hop ain't shit!

(image by bubotic)

I don't really know why I chose this band first as an example why "Australian Hip Hop Aint Shit"
they are freakin OUT THERE man!

But also bloody good, amazing in fact, live and in the studio

It ain't like anything else you've heard before... from australia, or macedonia, or anywhere.

A saxophone player I know (i cant name him) loves this band... because of their lyrical content... I reckon he's talking shit. I'll leave it up to you try and understand what these guys are saying... It's impossible. The lyric sheets are mind-imploding. It's verging on sesquipedalian.
You can't sing along and no-ones posted their lyrics on the interweb (information supa highway).

But you should listen to this vid. It don't have any movement (not much fun to watch) but it's a great example of the production values, interesting flavours, crazyness and pop hooks that caracterise this band. It's great listening fodder.





There are some wierd flows there! But it's endeering and original and thoughtful and playful and not trying to be too masculine.

It's hard to listen to a full album of their music but really when was the last time you heard some Australian hip hop that actually pushed some musical boundaries?

Here's what other people that know more about music than me think...

"…have managed to make a record that … captures the spirit and energy of their live sets… Whilst everything radiates a strong psychedelic surrealism, at the core there are strong anti-racist, multiculturalist themes - which give the record a very specific Australian-ness... Paso Bionics' immense production skills (often buried in a live mix) are proudly on show…" (Sebastian Chan, Cyclic Frost)

The People "Righteous, informed and totally bugged-out, Curse ov Dialect are about as unique as you can handle." (Orlando Weekly)

… this is certainly some high quality, experimental shit - over 70 minutes worth, to be exact. The politics of their music drips from each song as the beats skip along with staccato vocals dancing over samples, loops, an infusion of international flavors and dope-ass scratches." (Impact Press)

"… Part of the raison d'etre for Curse ov Dialect … is to shove off the smothering legacy of racism in all its forms from the personal and political lives of the group's multi-ethnic but clearly Aboriginal core. Raceless, gets specific in 'Shamans', referencing the warnings of tribal prophets in pre-Melbourne times and rapping intelligently about "sacred land destroyed by sin" - or, in other words, sacred land destroyed by settlers' sheep-farming methods... " (Splendid)


Be nice and check out their myspace... they're making a new album too!

IS AUSTRALIAN HIP HOP SHIT?

I got sent a link to a Facebook group a couple of months ago, i know this is old news for a lot of people... sorry!

Split JJJ into Two Competing Stations

2 JJJ's would allow you to change the channel to another version of the station if you’re sick of the same old boring songs. Coz, let's face it, the playlist is shit. They site the BBC as a good model to copy because there’s a whole bunch of BBC’s.

Just ask Austin...




But the BBC analogy isn’t very thought out. Actually, it’s shithouse. We’ve got the BBC model anyway. ABC 1 (ABC local radio, 774 in Melbs), ABC 2 (Radio National), ABC3 (Classic FM), ABC 4 (Triple J).

(side note) It makes me feel good that people are disgruntled with the J’s! I thought it was just something that musicians and music industry people bitched about. Its good to see that punters are getting tired of the playlists, the programming, and the default power of the music department when it comes to making or breaking a band.

Anyway. Check out this compilation of comments from the facebook group
It's amazing how this debate about triple J's playlist has turned into a bitchfest about Ozzie Hip Hop. (i made the quotes colourful in case you're getting bored of my writing style)

"jjj so rarely plays anything worth hearing, unless you're into aussie hip hop... blagh, get me a bucket. "

"what the hell is with all the aussie hip hop? If listening to that crap all day makes you feel like a wanna be gangster go try act tough you meth addicted wiggers somewhere down town Bronx and see how long you last"

" I agree, lets split the station up so hip hoppers can listen to hip hop and rock and rollers can listen to rock and roll."

" I don't mind hip-hop in general, but the aussie rubbish they constantly play makes me want to turn off the radio. It's so vapid and obnoxious."

"THERE IS WAY TO MUCH OF IT. How can you ask people not to talk about this subject when it is oviously the largest prick in the ears of listerners."

"Every time I flick across to JJJ there seems to be a nasty whiff of Oz Hip-hop being played and I honestly can't tell one group/MC from the other."

"Instead thy starting play Aussie Hip Hop!!! I grew up on JJJ, the J-files, 3 Hours of Power, Tunnie, Mikey & Helen! Now i am ashamed and bored when i listen JJJ"

I’m not gonna play the blame game here. IN fact I’m not gonna mention any names… but 360, Pez, True Live, Bliss N Esso, Muph & Plutonic or almost every one signed to obese… you’re to blame. Use some imagination dammit! I’m sick to simplistic choruses (chori: plural?) gimmicks and slow, aggressive, monotonous rhyming.


So you, at home and you at triple j... play some cool hip hop, show some taste and don’t ever play the festival song again. Ever. Never again. Ever. Or Jimmy Recard… ever.


I'm gonna give some examples of great ozzie hip hop. Nothing underground or wanky. Just stuff I reckon is good for you, good for me and good for our sunburnt country.

Starting here... tomorrow...