Verbill is an Australian rapper/songwriter known for delivering sharp lyrical content and slick humor over well-crafted beats. With an unyielding foundation set in his hometown of Brisbane, Verbill is now poised and ready to unleash his music upon the rest of the country.
Verbill obtained initial recognition after winning “Best Up And Coming Artist” alongside his former crew Left One. This achievement proved to be a sign of things to come with his win seeing him take on a series of successful live shows and guest spot on Australian hip-hop legend Brad Strut’s 2006 release. Verbill was awarded again in 2008 when he took out the “Best Mix Tape / Mix CD” category with former crewmember, Lflows, for their much celebrated collaborative release.
His forthcoming self-titled debut EP marks the culmination of years spent refining his sound. Enlisting the production work of Nick One (producer of Billy Bunks’ multi-award winning LP Spit & Gristle, the EP slams from start to finish.
Featuring emotive sample based production teamed with Verbill’s vigorous flow, the release is sure to make an impact on listeners and finally reveal this promising artist’s musical prowess.Newvideo by Anthony Salsone, featuring Rachel Niclair & comedian David Scullion.
It’s the return of the chosen ones. Perth’s undisputed Overlords of hardcore; Clandestien, from the mighty SyllabolixCrew, are back in effect. The trio of Tomahawk, Graphic and Mortar have ventured out from the Citadel to once again unleash their trademark darkness upon those who would claim king. They’re back. And this time they’ve bought the whole armoury.
Unlike the groups previous releases such as Dynasty 2004 and Chasms of the Citadel 2007, where production was handled predominately by Mortar, here the sonic weaponry has been deployed by a variety of arms dealers. Suffa of the Hilltop Hoods provides a guitar heavy stomper with Relaxing In Blood. Trials kicks the system into def-con 1 mode with Daydream Of A Killing and Tornts wires up the beat for shock and awe with InTerrorGate. Conseps and Beats lay down heavy covering fire on The Stampede which sees the Clan, AE, Trials and Evolve absolutely smash through the speakers and run wild through your cities blocks taking no prisoners.
With uncompromising lyrics, sharp witted intelligent word play, bomb production and their signature artwork Clandestien have earned a cult status in the minds of many a hip hop aficionado. The timer is set and Weapons Grade is set to explode.
Track list: 1. Clandestino 2. Relaxing in Blood 3. Light It Up 4. Daydream of a Killing ft. The Funkoars & Vents 5. Firebrands 6. The Offensive ft. Brad Strut 7. You’re All Goners 8. Warning Shot ft. Hunter 9. Battle Hymn of the New Republic ft. Ciecmate & Maggot Mouf 10. Horror Movie Life ft. Defyre 11. Australian Gothik 12. InTerrorGate ft. Tornts 13. Shield Your Fearful Eyes ft. FlashOne 14. The Mangled Frame of Truth 15. The Stampede ft. Addroit Effusive, Trials & Evolve 16. Put in Work ft. K21 & Motion 17. The Joint ft. Bunks & Briggs 18. Swan Song ft. SBX
Credits: All tracks Produced by Mortar except: ‘Relaxing in Blood’ Produced by Suffa ‘Daydream of a Killing’ and ‘The Mangled Frame of Truth’ Produced by Trials ‘InTerrorGate’ Produced by Tornts ‘The Stampede’ Produced by Conseps ‘Put in Work’ Produced by K21 All cuts by Defyre Artwork by Tomahawk and Deej Mastered by Neville Clarke at Disk-Edits
It’s the return of the chosen ones, Perth’s undisputed overlords of hardcore, Clandestien from the mighty Syllabolix Crew are back in effect. The trio of Tomahawk, Graphic, and Mortar have ventured out from the citadel to once again unleash their trademark darkness upon those who would claim king.
They’re back, and this time they’ve bought the whole armory. An armory full of weaponry in the form of hip hop at its most razor-sharp. Weapons Grade, the groups forth release, sees the cohort combine their venomous lyrical prowess teamed with a gang of the countries standout bomb manufacturers to conjure up eighteen tracks of raw firepower. Clandestien again display a depth of skill which lies beyond the norm; alongside such esteemed marksmen as Brad Strut featured on ‘The Offensive‘, an onslaught of vicious spiticism. The Funkoars and Vents on ‘Daydream of a Killing‘, a foray into the twisted writings of rap’s most heinous. As well as Billy Bunks and Briggs on ‘The Joint‘. Other appearances also include Ciecmate, Maggot Mouf and Tornts, Defyre, FlashOne, K21, Motion, Evolve and the un-stoppable Adroit Effusive collective. The album detonates with ‘Swan Song‘, a track that sees the Syllabolix squad, including the late great Hunter, breach all primary containment barriers and burn through the reactors core in a critical meltdown. Unlike the groups previous releases such as Dynasty (2004) and Chasms of the Citadel (2007), where production was handled predominately by Mortar. Here the sonic weaponry has been deployed by a variety of arms dealers.
Suffa of the Hilltop Hoods provides a guitar heavy stomper with ‘Relaxing in Blood‘. Trials kicks the system into def-con-1 mode with ‘Daydream of a Killing‘, and Tornts wires up the beat for shock and awe with ‘InTerrorGate‘. Conseps and Beats lay down heavy covering fire on ‘The Stampede‘ which sees the Clan, AE, Trials and Evolve absolutely smash through the speakers and run wild through the city streets taking no prisoners. With uncompromising lyrics, sharp-witted word play, masterful bomb production, and their signature artwork, Clandestien have cemented themselves a cult-like following in the minds of many a hip-hop aficionado. The timer has been set, and Weapons Grade is about to explode…
Track List 1. Clandestino 2. Relaxing in Blood 3. Light It Up 4. Daydream of a Killing – Feat. The Funkoars & Vents 5. Firebrands 6. The Offensive – Feat. Brad Strut 7. You’re All Goners 8. Warning Shot – Feat. Hunter 9. Battle Hymn of the New Republic – Feat. Ciecmate & Maggot Mouf 10. Horror Movie Life – Feat. Defyre 11. Australian Gothik 12. InTerrorGate – Feat. Tornts 13. Shield Your Fearful Eyes – Feat. FlashOne 14. The Mangled Frame of Truth 15. The Stampede – Feat. Addroit Effusive, Trials & Evolve 16. Put in Work – Feat. K21 & Motion 17. The Joint – Feat. Bunks & Briggs 18. Swan Song – Feat. SBX
Golden Era Records artist Vents is set to release his highly anticipated second album Marked for Death which will be in stores and online on May 13, 2011. The first single History Of The World has already been released to a whirlwind response. We catch up with Vents below for a quick chat about his new LP, the release of the single and much more.
You have just dropped the first single from the soon to be released sophmore LP titled ‘Marked For Death’. The first single ‘History Of The World’ is a cracker. Tell us a little bit about the concept behind this track? It’s been around three years since I wrote that, but I guess I’m trying to convey the idea that the history of society is really the history of the class struggle. The class struggle is the motor that drives society; it’s a historical “process”, if you like. And really, if you’re born working-class, you have three options: work, crime, or the dole. And even if you find the dole a desirable alternative, it is getting much less realistic as an option. So most of us (where I’m from anyway) will take a job in the call centre, or an insurance firm, or retail, doing work that we most likely have no control over, and probably bringing us very little joy. We spend most of our lives trying to get away from “work”; recreation is just time spent winding down from work. I could go on, but the song’s really about what we call “work” in a capitalist society, and the alienation and unhappiness that it produces in individuals. I’m not saying to tell your boss to, “go fuck himself”, just that if it gets a few more people thinking critically about things, I’m happy.
Why did you pick ‘History Of The World’ as the first single? I originally suggested another song as the first single but it was inferred that radio would be more inclined towards spinning ‘History of the World’ if we picked that one, so we changed the single. We got put into rotation… radio has played it a few times so far. You do what you can.
Does the ‘History Of The World’ give us an accurate taste of what the full album is going to be like, concept, beat and lyric wise? Trials and myself are probably five years older since we made the last album, and we love what we do – the artform – and we’ve both continued to make music together during that time so this time around the beats are better, the ideas are more evolved, the album is more varied – I can’t wait until we can put the whole thing out there for people to hear. Lyrically, I covered a pretty wide range of topics on this album – alienation, depression, drug use, militarism, technology – sometimes in the same song. Adfu is a now a full-time member of the group now and has had a huge influence on the overall sound of the album in every department.
May 13th is the date slated for release of the LP ‘Marked For Death’. Was there any particular reason behind the release date? Are you at all superstitious? I don’t have much say in things beyond the creative side of things. Which suits me just fine. I’d like to think I’m not superstitious in the slightest. Raised pretty Catholic, though, so I probably carry some of that around with me.
‘History Of The World’ dropped the on iTunes the other day, followed by a killer film clip. Tell us a little about the people behind this great clip? The film clip was a collaboration between quite a few parties. I worked with videographer Selina Miles who suggested an infographic video that bombarded the viewer with facts relevant to the song. A friend of mine who runs a blog (slackbastard.anarchobase.com) compiled the data, which I took to Adelaide-based visual effects company Resin, who created the motion graphics. The goal was to inform and engage viewers, encourage them to discuss and even argue, and I’m happy with how it turned out.
One of the stats that really caught our attention, was that 1 in 4 Australians illegally downloaded content in 2010. What are you views on downloading illegal content. Firstly as an artist and secondly as a consumer? We see a clear argument for downloading information when certain groups and companies try to control the flow of information and products. What’s your thoughts on this? Good question. Firstly, as an artist, I encourage everyone to download my music and hopefully they play it to their little brothers, out the car window at full blast, at school, etc. I figure, the more people who hear it, the better. Also, I haven’t really ever seen any money whatsoever from CD sales so I am usually pretty insistent that people download my music even when they tell me they went out of their way to buy it. Whatever small amount of money I’ve seen has been from touring. At the same time, I recognise there are certain contradictions inherent in being an artist and being a commodity. In order to exist – or survive at all – you need money. You probably need a record label. The label needs money, or more importantly, a return on their investment. I’m (now) lucky enough to be on a label which is owned by friends who don’t really have exploiting artists as their main source of income – it’s more of a hub for all of us to put out music through – it’s something that feels like it’s “ours”. So yeah, we have to sell some records. That’d be the ideal scenario. At the same time, I would never get on anyone for downloading my shit. If they were selling it, it might be a different story. Secondly, as a consumer, I think it’s great – awesome. I download shit all the time.
You’ve just mentioned Golden Era Records, tell us a little bit more about the set up there. Golden Era is our record label – Hilltop Hoods, Funkoars, Vents, Briggs. It’s our new home, so to speak. Suffa helps me with everything. I basically confer with him before I make any decision regarding music. He is superego. Debris lets me hang out at his house quite a lot – he’s also a good friend. The other guy is Pressure – a strange and mysterious person with a shaved head who I still think he is probably the best MC in the country, for what it’s worth.
Will we be seeing a national Marked For Death tour this year? Yes, Adfu and myself will be doing capital cities sometime around mid-June most likely.
Over the whole recording period, your time in Take Away studios and filming clips etc what is your favorite part of the whole album making process? Just hanging out with mates and creating something that we’re proud of. It’s a good buzz. It’s one thing that I can say for certain I am sure life is really about. Recording with Trials is good times – he is a hilarious motherfucker. His mind is always completely on his work and I trust him 100% with regards to music. That, and listening to a track when it’s done!
Most enjoyable track to record for the album and why? Probably ‘Marked for Death’. That’s probably my favourite song and the first track on the album. I am very proud of that one. Lyrically I think it’s one of the best things I’ve written, and the beat is disgusting.
We recently saw Vents appear in the Rappertag with a few mates. Did you have fun doing that? I was in Melbourne staying with Conrad, (the drummer in the video) and I got tagged by K21, who funnily enough I used to live with for a year. I highly recommend it! Contrary to popular belief, the Porsche 911 was there purely for its use-value: we had the windows wound down and the beat was playing out of the car stereo. Pretty sure Bunks and them just killed it though. Thanks a lot, Billy.
Final Comments, words of wisdom or hello’s to ya mum! Thank you! Be kind to people. ‘Marked for Death’ comes out May 13th.
Rappertag started a few months ago when 360 ‘tagged’ in Urthboy. Since then we have seen the list of participating emcees grow and grow. To celebrate the first half of Rappertag (#1-28) and for no other reason then our man @sroc hooking us up – You can check out and download all the Rappertags (# 1-28) in HD 1080p or normal widescreen video – back to back!
This is the 33rd instalment of Rappertag featuring Fubex
That’s right all Rappertags #1-28 have been packaged beautifully in this video format. All you have to do is follow the download the link below (in your choice of HD or Widescreen) and let us know what you think on either Facebook (here) or Twitter (here).
So far it’s been: 22.)Sesta 23.) K21 24.) Vents 25.) Maundz 26.) Delta 27.) Simplex 28.) Motion 29.) Dedlee 30.) Ciecmate 31.) Billy Bunks 32.) Odin 33.) Fubex
Rappertag started a few months ago when 360 ‘tagged’ in Urthboy. Since then we have seen the list of participating emcees grow and grow. To celebrate the first half of Rappertag (#1-28) and for no other reason then our man @sroc hooking us up – You can check out and download all the Rappertags (# 1-28) in HD 1080p or normal widescreen video – back to back! That’s right all Rappertags #1-28 have been packaged beautifully in this video format. All you have to do is follow the download the link below (in your choice of HD or Widescreen) and let us know what you think on either Facebook (here) or Twitter (here).
This is the 32nd instalment of Rappertag featuring Odin
This is the 31st instalment of Rappertag featuring Billy Bunks
So far it’s been: 22.)Sesta 23.) K21 24.) Vents 25.) Maundz 26.) Delta 27.) Simplex 28.) Motion
29.) Dedlee
30.) Ciecmate
31.) Billy Bunks
32.) Odin
Here is the brand new clip for A-Dictions track Lost For Words taken from the 2010 Release Walkin’ Alone, distrbiuted by Obese Records. Find our album review below and the link for the interview below that.
Walkin Alone is the title to Melbourne duo emcee’s Breach and Boltz. Many will recognise these two, with previous mixtape releases under their belt, some may also remember Boltz’ classic Wishlist release from years back. Walkin Alone is an album which combines the observations of city life, relationships, the future and even the 7 deadly sins into a hip hop painted outline of Boltz and Breachs reality. Walkin Alone the title track to the album has Breach and Boltz asking the hip hop community to join them on a journey or they will be going it alone. Lewis One provides the beat to the lead single and was the answer to our A-Diction – Walkin Alone competition. We had three copies to giveaway and those winners have been announced below.
As the level of pressure increases on groups to produce quality debut albums, no shortcuts we made on Walkin Alone. The list of producers include some of Australia’s best, M-Phazes, Jase, Lewis One, Mules and Whisper. Behind the mic the guys are joined by a range of respected emcee’s with Haunts and G-Force making memorable contributions; in addition to Scott Burns, Billy Bunks, Whisper, Raven and Fraksha who appear on the posse cut track Capital Vices. We should also mention the amazing vocals from Vida Sunshyne and Bekah.
“Routine is another word for habit,
do something enough and you’ll forget why you began it
God damn it now your old and gray
and still searching for a dream that’s been thrown away.
Kanyes definition of a man, is everything I’m not made me everything I am,
but as for me I thinking more honestly everything I’m not,
is everything I wanna be.
My advice is life your life, never let em say you’re not doing it right….”.
As we progress through the album it’s clear that Boltz and Breach have paid considerable attention to the overall flow and structure of the album. Each and every track builds on the last, offering something new and exciting for your ears enjoyment. It’s with this dynamic flow that A-Diction are able to present an amazing ‘walk’ throughout the album and the lives of Breach and Boltz. We found ourselves wanting to listen to the album from start to finish every time, rather than jumping in at say track 4 then skipping 5 songs to our favorites. Obviously there are some clear highlights including the track Consistent feat.Bekah, with Mules delivering some absolute fire on the beat. It’s then backed up by an outstanding M-Phazes produced track titled One Fact. Both tracks will be keeping those chriopractors in business over the next few months.
“I manufacture tracks proper not just a, monotonous records that get forgotten in seconds.
See its a habit of my that in the back of my mind,
I got these thoughts and they just happen to rhyme,
to have you clapping in time, I bless you with the rapping that’s fine,
I’ll come to your rescue like your were trapped in a mine…”.
The humorous Wingman“goes out to single guys” and has A-Diction discussing the plan of attack for any successful Friday and Saturday night. Whisperdoes a brilliant job on the beat with the bouncy feel tying in nicely to the theme of the track. Next track worthy a mention is the Drop The Beat (Remix), featuring G-Force and Vida Sunshyne. This is one of the most impressive remixes we have heard in a long time. Enough said?
Jase delivers with a funky soul filled beat on Ladies and Gentlemen. We also pay the “That’s What She Said” joke….nice work fellas. There has been much talk about the posse cut track Capital Vices (prod. M-Phazes) feat. Fraksha, Billy Bunks, Scott Burns, Whisper and Raven. We all love a posse track but the way A-Diction tackled this one, was as an original concept as we’ve seen. Each of the 7 seven rappers undertake one of the 7 Deadly Sins with each spitting a verse to great results. This will surely go down as one of the best posse tracks of the last few years. Mules exceptional production work continues on the track Just You, which sees Breach and Boltz slowing things up with a nice soulful joint about the inner workings of friendships.
The ease for which A-Diction are able present a vast range of styles and pull off each and everyone is a testament to the skill and hard work that the guys have put in to prepare for this debut. At no point did the sound seem out of their depth, in fact the album was quite inviting and appraochable….sorta like that really hot chick who’s easy to get along with. The track Unbalanced is a dark tale of humanity and the pain that ‘some’ share throughout the world. Trillholds it down for his only produced track on the album and once again A-Diction continue to deliver some great verses:
“The 3rd world starves the situations hectic,
while western obesity’s become an epidemic,
the greed and gluttony I’ve seen in my country
to me, it just seems to be a beast that is ugly.
Seems strange that we,
can still find things to complain about and its so crazy how,
we stress over the rent or new mortgage,
but we aint never had to worry bout a food shortage….”
Backed with some impressive artwork by renowned illustrator R. Lyons, great beats from Australia’s best producers and also the dynamic duo that is A-Diction,Walkin Alone is set to awaken the sleepers.A-Diction deliver an amazing album that’s meant to be listened too and enjoyed. The guys have grabbed 2010 by the scruff of the neck, slapped that bitch up and left a nice big Walkin’ Alone imprint on her check. (We don’t condone violence against numbers). We really can’t fault this effort – all in all get some! We score A-Diction’s – Walkin Alone 4.3 out of 5.
A stalwart of the Melbourne music scene since the mid 90’s, Bigfoot needs little introduction to those with an ear to the underground. Etching out a reputation for thunderous production, aggressive flows and a formidable stage presence, Bigfoot has been a scene-stealer since day one.
Following the momentum created by his regular appearances on the now legendary PBS Formula sessions, Bigfoot began his reputation as a prolific guest-spot killer with his verse on Brad Strut’s Authentic LP in 2001, and he soon appeared on studio tracks and live bills with the likes of Bias B, Tornts, Hospice Crew, Brothers Stoney and Reason. As the buzz intensified, he released the Footprints 12″ in 2004 which has become a much sought-after collector’s item.
Building on his close ties with members of Queensland’s 750 Rebels, Bigfoot temporarily relocated to the Sunshine State, where he dropped yet another devastating guest verse on Lazy Grey’s – The Soundtrack. People were starting to wonder when he would drop a full length album of his own. Giant Steps is what the fiends have been waiting for. It marks Bigfoot’s emergence from the underground into the upper echelon of Australian Hip-Hop, and years spent building his strength as an MC and producer have paid off with this stunning debut.
“I didn’t want to just slap together a sub-par album and throw it out there,” explains Bigfoot “It’s been so long in the making that I had to make it worth the wait.”
Produced entirely by Bigfoot himself along with Hired Goons accomplice Heata, Giant Steps is a sonically diverse opus constructed from all manner of eclectic sounds, ranging from dirty funk samples and jazz infused live guitars, to ghostly synths, monstrous bass lines and hard hitting drums.
Opener Stepped On is a driving electro-fuzz stampede laced with an unrelenting verbal tirade that harks back to Bigfoot’s days spent on the battle circuit, while What Goes Around and Stop are mercilessly dramatic street stories detailed over eerily hypnotic backdrops. Can I Kick It? is an energetic workout that sees Bigfoot teamed with Bias B for some tongue in cheek verbal sparring, with the Melbourne veteran also trading rapid fire verses over Burnin’ Hot, a blisteringly paced microphone meltdown. With Giant Steps, Bigfoot proves his versatility: one minute it’s the smooth fusion of Bigfoot and Dialectrix on We Got That with dialogue delivered deftly over the fluid instrumental.
The next, it’s Bigfoot and his Hired Goons crew letting loose on Hell’s Gates, with Tornts, Fletchrock, Billy Bunks, Gargoyle and Ciecmate all proving their prowess over an ominous track. Sucker M.C.’s finds Bigfoot and the 750 Rebels paying homage to their influences over a spine chilling banger laced with old school hip hop, and Round & Round takes us on a bleakly introspective journey tinged with a touch of soul courtesy of Muph and Miss Brown, lamenting the burden that comes when every- thing feels like it’s about to fall in on you.
Rounded out with additional appearances by Brad Strut, Fluent Form and Brothers Stoney, Giant Steps is an epic ride through the mind of a Melbourne emcee and producer at the peak of his powers, not just living up to expectations, but surpassing them. Keep an eye out for some music videos on their way!
Tracklist 1. Stepped On 2. Let ‘em Burn 3. Can I Kick It? (Featuring Bias B) 4. Hell’s Gates (Featuring Hired Goons) 5. What Goes Around 6. Crime Wave 7. Can’t Fool All the People All the Time (Featuring Brothers Stoney) 8. Eliminate (Featuring Brad Strut & Fletchrock) 9. Devil’s Rejects (Featuring War Pigs) 10. Burnin’ Hot (Featuring Bias B) 11. Round & Round (Featuring Muph & Miss Brown) 12. We Got That (Featuring Dialectrix) 13. Damage (Featuring Fluent Form) 14. Sucker MC’s (Featuring 750 Rebels) 15. Stop
Staggering out of the radioactive fog that tolls the end for the rotten city crumbling behind comes Tornts, the shuffle of dead feet the only sound in this blasted landscape. The Deadbrain Diaries charts the final, terminal years of a tumoured city. The last, brief flares of light spark from amber glass to sharp steel and rough paper. Tornts has unleashed a furious tirade, raging against the indifference of the bone grinding machine and the piss stained nightmares on every street corner. This is the staggering power of the Tornts juggernaut at full throttle. As one of the leaders of underground rap in Australia, this is the first Tornts LP featuring work by other producers as well as the man himself. Beats have been crafted by Beat Butcher (Brad Strut, Sean Price, Ghetts), Ciph Barker (Killah Priest, Hell Razah), Chemo (Skandal, Triple Darkness) and Ciecmate (BTE, Hospice). This all star cast is joined by Tank Beats (Germany), INCH Productions (France), DJ Lopsided (750 Rebels), Heata (Hired Goons) and up and coming Melbourne producer Illuminate.
Tornts has been ready since he left the womb, and with fellow spitters such as Bigfoot, Diem, Billy Bunks, Ken Oath, Jake Biz and Kid Selzy, his rhymes are merciless. Tornts is back to devastate, with 18 tracks ranging from cold street visions in No One to the relentless Hit Never Miss and the apocalyptic soundtrack synth reality of Wastelands Author. Anthems You’re All Goin Out and Bad News are placed in contrast with the brief, bleak Wish I Was Dead and the double time inspired Reaper’s My Chauffeur.
This album also sees the return of the devastating combination of Tornts and Brad Strut, tearing their lyrical sandstorm through the carefully manicured gardens of soft radio pop rap. Strut and Tornts are set to appear at the Hip Hop Kemp Festival in the Czech Republic, sharing the bill with acts such as Masta Ace, Large Professor, Necro, and Buckshot, Heltah Skeltah, plus Smif N Wessun of the legendary Boot Camp Clik.
Accompanied by two professionally shot HD video clips from leading director Heata, the lead single Hit Never Miss and the follow up joint No One, Deadbrain Diaries is set to smash through expectations for hardcore hip hop in this country and worldwide.
Track listing
01. Intro
02. Hit Never Miss
03. Stuck In the Streets
04. Merciless (ft. Brad Strut)
05. No One
06. Warpigs (ft. 750 Rebels)
07. Bad News
08. Sinking Visions
09. Strife On My Mind (ft. Kid Selzy)
10. Wastelands Author
11. All Goin’ Out
12. Don’t Like Ya Shit (ft. Billy Bunks)
13. One
14. Wish I Was Dead
15. Talk Is Cheap
16. Reapers My Chauffeur (ft. Diem)
17. Gravel In Ya Guts
18. Slang Sicko
Walkin Alone is the title to Melbourne duo emcee’s Breach and Boltz. Many will recognise these two, with previous mixtape releases under their belt, some may also remember Boltz’ classic Wishlist release from years back. Walkin Alone is an album which combines the observations of city life, relationships, the future and even the 7 deadly sins into a hip hop painted outline of Boltz and Breachs reality. Walkin Alone the title track to the album has Breach and Boltz asking the hip hop community to join them on a journey or they will be going it alone. Lewis One provides the beat to the lead single and was the answer to our A-Diction – Walkin Alone competition. We had three copies to giveaway and those winners have been announced below.
As the level of pressure increases on groups to produce quality debut albums, no shortcuts we made on Walkin Alone. The list of producers include some of Australia’s best, M-Phazes, Jase, Lewis One, Mules and Whisper. Behind the mic the guys are joined by a range of respected emcee’s with Haunts and G-Force making memorable contributions; in addition to Scott Burns, Billy Bunks, Whisper, Raven and Fraksha who appear on the posse cut track Capital Vices. We should also mention the amazing vocals from Vida Sunshyne and Bekah.
“Routine is another word for habit,
do something enough and you’ll forget why you began it
God damn it now your old and gray
and still searching for a dream that’s been thrown away.
Kanyes definition of a man, is everything I’m not made me everything I am,
but as for me I thinking more honestly everything I’m not,
is everything I wanna be.
My advice is life your life, never let em say you’re not doing it right….”.
As we progress through the album it’s clear that Boltz and Breach have paid considerable attention to the overall flow and structure of the album. Each and every track builds on the last, offering something new and exciting for your ears enjoyment. It’s with this dynamic flow that A-Diction are able to present an amazing ‘walk’ throughout the album and the lives of Breach and Boltz. We found ourselves wanting to listen to the album from start to finish every time, rather than jumping in at say track 4 then skipping 5 songs to our favorites. Obviously there are some clear highlights including the track Consistent feat. Bekah, with Mules delivering some absolute fire on the beat. It’s then backed up by an outstanding M-Phazes produced track titled One Fact. Both tracks will be keeping those chriopractors in business over the next few months.
“I manufacture tracks proper not just a, monotonous records that get forgotten in seconds.
See its a habit of my that in the back of my mind,
I got these thoughts and they just happen to rhyme,
to have you clapping in time, I bless you with the rapping that’s fine,
I’ll come to your rescue like your were trapped in a mine…”.
The humorous Wingman“goes out to single guys” and has A-Diction discussing the plan of attack for any successful Friday and Saturday night. Whisper does a brilliant job on the beat with the bouncy feel tying in nicely to the theme of the track. Next track worthy a mention is the Drop The Beat (Remix), featuring G-Force and Vida Sunshyne. This is one of the most impressive remixes we have heard in a long time. Enough said?
Jase delivers with a funky soul filled beat on Ladies and Gentlemen. We also pay the “That’s What She Said” joke….nice work fellas. There has been much talk about the posse cut track Capital Vices (prod. M-Phazes) feat. Fraksha, Billy Bunks, Scott Burns, Whisper and Raven. We all love a posse track but the way A-Diction tackled this one, was as an original concept as we’ve seen. Each of the 7 seven rappers undertake one of the 7 Deadly Sins with each spitting a verse to great results. This will surely go down as one of the best posse tracks of the last few years. Mules exceptional production work continues on the track Just You, which sees Breach and Boltz slowing things up with a nice soulful joint about the inner workings of friendships.
The ease for which A-Diction are able present a vast range of styles and pull off each and everyone is a testament to the skill and hard work that the guys have put in to prepare for this debut. At no point did the sound seem out of their depth, in fact the album was quite inviting and appraochable….sorta like that really hot chick who’s easy to get along with. The track Unbalanced is a dark tale of humanity and the pain that ‘some’ share throughout the world. Trill holds it down for his only produced track on the album and once again A-Diction continue to deliver some great verses:
“The 3rd world starves the situations hectic,
while western obesity’s become an epidemic,
the greed and gluttony I’ve seen in my country
to me, it just seems to be a beast that is ugly.
Seems strange that we,
can still find things to complain about and its so crazy how,
we stress over the rent or new mortgage,
but we aint never had to worry bout a food shortage….”
Backed with some impressive artwork by renowned illustrator R. Lyons, great beats from Australia’s best producers and also the dynamic duo that is A-Diction,Walkin Alone is set to awaken the sleepers.A-Diction deliver an amazing album that’s meant to be listened too and enjoyed. The guys have grabbed 2010 by the scruff of the neck, slapped that bitch up and left a nice big Walkin’ Alone imprint on her check. (We don’t condone violence against numbers). We really can’t fault this effort – all in all get some! We score A-Diction’s – Walkin Alone 4.3 out of 5.
A-Diction – Walkin Alone Comp Winners. Each will take home a copy of A-Diction – Walkin Alone plus a copy of the recent In Good Company Mixtape featuring Whisper and Syntax.
Tim Horder of NSW.
Thomas Page of VIC.
and Elliott Mahar WA.
Stay close to those postboxes people.
