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)

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...