The boys from Spit Syndicate have been touring the country following the release of their third album, Sunday Gentlemen, and this Thursday is Adelaide’s turn. Fellow One Day Crew members Jackie Onassis are joining the SS for the huge 20 date tour which hits Jive Bar on the 18th.
With Spit Syndicate’s singles Beauty In The Bricks and Folly getting a lot of JJJ love, as well as Jackie Onassis’s single Crystal Balling being on high rotation for many months, and their new single from their Holiday EP, Smoke Trails being added a few weeks ago the Sunday Gentlemen tour is no doubt going to be epic. 2013 is set to be a massive year for these boys from the inner west of Sydney, with both acts also being announced as part of the huge Come Together line up in June.
Joining them in Adelaide will be our very own Koolta, winner of the 2011 Hilltop Hoods Initiative. With tickets still available, we don’t know what else you’d rather be doing on a Thursday night in Adelaide. Go here to get them.
Spit Syndicate are also playing as a part of the Movement Festival alongside acts like Nas, Bliss N Eso, Joey Badass, Chiddy Bang, Diafrix and Iggy Azalea. Jimmy Nice chatted to us a few weeks ago about Sunday Gentlemen and the Movement festival tour, peep that here.
Fresh off supporting Macklemore and Ryan Lewis on their sold-out tour of Australia, Melbourne duo Diafrix proudly announce I’m A Dreamer Tour which sees them performing across Australia featuring special guest, emerging Sydney based rapper Miracle.
In 2012, Diafrix returned with their new album Pocket Full Of Dreams, with special guest appearances from 360, Dwele and Daniel Merriweather and the majority of the production helmed by Styalz Fuego, the ARIA Award winning producer behind 360′s double platinum Falling & Flying LP.
The album saw rave reviews and was named iTunes Best Australian Hip-Hop Release of 2012. The band featured prominently at the Queenscliff Music Festival, Homebake Festival and Rainbow Serpent as the singles Running It,Easy Come, Easy Go and I’m A Dreamer featuring 360 found extensive national radio support from triple j and Nova.
2013 has already been a busy one for the group. Kicking off the year as AFL club and fellow citizens of Footscray, the Western Bulldogs, hand picked Running It as the official campaign theme song of their 2013 season, they most recently joined triple j Hottest 100 toppers Macklemore and Ryan Lewis on their sold out national tour as the only local support
Catch Diafrix on tour this coming March, April and May.
Tour Dates: Fri 22nd March Bondi Beach Road Hotel, Sydney Sat 23rd March Civic Underground, Sydney Thu 28th March Yarra Hotel, Geelong Sat 30th March Karova Lounge, Ballarat Sun 31st March Corner Hotel, Melbourne Fri 5th April Ferntree Gully Hotel Sat 6th April Pier Live, Frankston Pelican Bar Wed 10th April UTS Uni Bar, Sydney Thu 11th April Great Northern Hotel, Newcastle Fri 12th April Entrance Leagues Club, The Entrance Sat 13th April Mona Vale Hotel, Sydney Sat April 20th Rocket Bar, Adelaide Wed 24th April Coniston Lane, Brisbane Thursday 25th April Spotted Cow, Toowoomba * Fri 26th April Great Northern Hotel, Byron Bay * Sat 4th May Waratah Hotel, Hobart
Originally from Adelaide, South Australia – Candice Monique is a talented & unique singer/rapper/poet whose individual vocal and lyrical style draws comparisons to Neneh Cherry, Me’shell Ndegeocello, Lauren Hill and Erykah Badu.
It is this distinctive style along with her stage presence & artistic depth which makes her one of Australia’s most exciting & original new artists. After being discovered by Professor Griff (Public Enemy), Candice was flown to Atlanta, Georgia to record her first demo CD produced by Griff himself. There she worked with Atlanta’s Jason Orr (The FunkJazz Kafe) in 2003 and later returned to to the US in 2005 where she recorded with Neo-Soul Producer, Rich Medina in Harlem NYC.
Candice returned to her new home in Melbourne and formed her stunning five piece band, The Optics, whose first album, In My Soul, was released on Freestyle Records UK in 2010. The band are currently recording a second album for release this year on Freestyle.
Over the last 8 years in Melbourne Candice earned her stripes and became a staple crop vocalist on the local hip hop and soul scenes singing backing vocals for a host of Melbourne bands including Diafrix, SIB, Direct Influence, Carmen Hendricks, Saritah and Traffik to name but a few. She has featured in collaborations with many local Hip-hop artists most notably the track Goodbye Gravity with M-Phazes and Muph (of Muph and Plutonic), singing the hook on the lead single to the M-Phazes album Good Gracious which won an ARIA.
She also featured on a track called Me Vs World, on the latest album by Simplex, as well as appearing on Moneykat’s single Nothing Is Safe produced by Lotek and stars in their new video clip for the song. Candice is also the front-woman for Metals (Illusive Records) who’s latest single was a collaboration written with rapper 360, and producer Styalz Fuego. She has also collaborated with 1/6, Kojo (of Culture Connect), Motley, 14 year old prodigy rapper Soliloquy. Luka Lesson on their collaboration Killing Time and US rapper Louis Logic.
Candice Monique has just released a ‘name your own price’ mixtape titled Free Me: The Mixtape. We highly recommend you pick that up, either by following the link here or below. Also, be sure to check Obese TV: Episode 2 as Candice features on the artist ‘Spotlight’.
True daydreamers, Momo and Azmarino of Diafrix team with the one and only 360 to present I’m A Dreamer, the standout lead single from Pocket Full Of Dreams, the Melbourne duos acclaimed new album out now through Illusive.
Produced & Co-Written by 2012 ARIA Producer of the Year Styalz Fuego, I’m A Dreamer is quite simply a message of positivity over everything, an eternally optimistic anthem in both its sonics and lyrics. The piano driven beat provides a home for Diafrix’s hard knock tales, 360′s post-success narrative and one hell of a catchy group chorus. Diafrix are dreamers in the truest sense, and joined by two of Australian music’s tightest and most successful pairings, I’m A Dreamer is a surefire chance at bringing this long acclaimed group to the forefront.
If you head over to Diafrix’s soundcloud page by following the link below, you will be able to download Light Will Shine (To Be Me) Produced by M-Phazes lifted from Pocket Full Of Dreams as a free download for a limited time. Diafrix featuring 360 – “I’m A Dreamer” is out now through Illusive.
Australia’s fastest rising indigenous hip hop outfit, Yung Warriors are wrapt to announce their second single, Prey For Better Days, from sophomore album Standing Strong. A national tour in support of the new track (which features Egoz, Diafrix and Little G) has been announced and Prey For Better Days was added to full rotation on triple j Wed Oct 24th. Hardly surprising though since first single, and title track, has been enjoying high rotation on the station since its release.
This latest run of dates, and the release of Prey For Better Days, comes after a stellar trajectory supporting the likes of American hip hop heavyweights D12, Akon, 50 Cent, The Game and Outlawz, as well as local hip hop pioneer Urthboy; two sets of showcases in the New York and L.A. in the past twelve months alone. That’s without even mentioning a 2012 Deadly for Best Hip Hop Act (Yung Warriors played Standing Strong at the ceremony with feature artists Dizzy Doolan, Sneake 1, Dubbzone and Karnage and played the after party with a live band), a Best New Talent gong at the first Indigenous Hip Hop and R’n’B Bump Awards and a nomination for Best Independent Hip Hop Album at last month’s Jagermeister AIR Awards.
Yung Warriors have in-fact been paying their dues and honing their art for 7 years though it’s certain their artistic upbringing was facilitating creativity years before they chose a moniker for their music. Their maternal grandfather is revered Australian Aboriginal artist Clifford Possum Tjapaltjarri, D-Boys parents, too, are both artists, and as a youngster Yung Warriors’ Tjimba often accompanied his father Selwyn Burns (Coloured Stone, Mixed Relations, Blackfire) on stage first getting an opportunity to control the mic at the age of 15.
Coming across TZU around that time woke Tjimba up to the idea that Australian’s could write hip hop – in fact TZU’s Joelistics invited him onstage at his own shows – and from there his skills as a musician on guitar, bass and keyboard started getting a serious work out. Producing beats and strengthening his power as a lyricist was just one of the creative outlets Tjimba was able to share with his brother D-Boy, who as a formidable beat maker in his own right, has also developed his own distinctive sound within Yung Warriors: specifically, his smooth vocal style, organically developed through his love of reggae, jazz, alternative rock and of course, hip hop.
Though they spent their childhood’s separately – as Tjimba explains: “D-Boy went this way and I went that way,” – they never lost their kinship; when Tjimba played his beats and rhymes to D-Boy, the latter knew “this is what I want to do.” Starting life in the Northern Territory, moving to more urban cities for schooling, or their parent’s work commitments, not to mention travelling extensively for the past five years through both inner city and outback Australia in support of their music, the brothers admit to seeing “a lot of struggle through our people, and a lot of people wanting to succeed” but realised they had a unique vantage point as “urban blackfella/bush blackfella.”
We’re both sides of the fence,” says Tjimba. “Put that together; we could do something with that. I just [thought I’d] put my culture into hip hop culture and see what I could do.”
With Standing Strong released on Payback Records [the indigenous label founded by prominent indigenous AFL player Nathan Lovett-Murray], and produced by Momo from Diafrix, Yung Warriors knew they were in a comfortable, mentoring, environment. Of the collaboration with Momo, Tjimba reckons not only was Momo “just an awesome brother to hang around with,” but he “teaches us a lot about beats…and about putting music together. We were all the same level.”
Standing Strong marries hip hop flows and beats, smooth r’n’b stylings and pop hooks with universal themes of culture, pride and family, growing up, trying to understand the fairer sex and discovering marijuana and nightclubs. While Yung Warriors are proud of the way they can connect with their own indigenous community, and offer encouragement to those who need to be reminded to hold their head high, ultimately, says Tjimba, “Music brings people together. To see people smiling and having a good time: that’s what I love.” The added dimension? “We’re finding ourselves, too.
You can catch Yung Warriors on the Hip Hop Corroboree Tour on the following dates:
Fri 23 Nov – Amplifier Bar, Perth, WA Sat 24 Nov – POW, Bunbury, WA Thu 29 – Karova Lounge, Ballarat, VIC Fri 30 Nov – Factory Theatre, Marrickville, NSW Sat 1 Dec – Yours & Owls, Wollongong, NSW Fri 7 Dec – Sand Bar, Mildura, VIC
True daydreamers, Momo and Azmarino of Diafrix team with the one and only 360 to present I’m A Dreamer, the standout lead single from Pocket Full Of Dreams, the Melbourne duos acclaimed new album out now through Illusive.
Produced & Co-Written by 2012 ARIA Producer of the Year Styalz Fuego, I’m A Dreamer is quite simply a message of positivity over everything, an eternally optimistic anthem in both its sonics and lyrics. The piano driven beat provides a home for Diafrix’s hard knock tales, 360′s post-success narrative and one hell of a catchy group chorus.
Diafrix are dreamers in the truest sense, and joined by two of Australian music’s tightest and most successful pairings, I’m A Dreamer is a surefire chance at bringing this long acclaimed group to the forefront. If you head over to Diafrix’s soundcloud page by following the link below, you will be able to download Light Will Shine (To Be Me) Produced by M-Phazes lifted from Pocket Full Of Dreams as a free download for a limited time.
Diafrix featuring 360 – “I’m A Dreamer” is out now through Illusive.
To celebrate the release of their upcoming album Pocket Full of Dreams (Sept 28th), strikingly unique Melbourne duo Diafrix are proud to present a series of six video shorts detailing the inspirational story of the group.
Over each short instalment, the group explore their upbringing as African immigrants in Australia, their families back home, their formation as Diafrix and how these factors influenced their new album. Each episode features a new track from their upcoming sophomore album and are all directed by their long-time video collaborator Claudia Sangiorgi Dalimore.
Diafrix deliver their finest work yet with Pocket Full of Dreams, an unashamedly large, world-class album, with production helmed by Styalz Fuego (360′s ‘Falling & Flying’, Aston Shuffle, Seth Sentry). Boasting the triple j favourite singles Simple Man and Running It, and new single Easy Come, Easy Go, Momo and Azmarino are also joined by special guest appearances from 360, frequent Kanye West collaborator Dwele, Daniel Merriweather and more.
This first video covers the beginnings of Diafrix, their struggles in Melbourne’s inner west and their fight to pursue their craft as refugees. You can check out the rest of the video’s here.
Follow Diafrix on Facebook or Twitter and catch them live this coming October, and at Homebake Festival in December.
Mini-Tour Tix on sale now. Sat October 6th – Republic Bar – Hobart Fri October 19th – Northcote Social Club – Melbourne Sat October 20th – Northcote Social Club – Melbourne Fri October 26th – Great Northern Hotel – Newcastle Sat 27th October – Goodgod Small Club – Sydney
Mention Rainman amongst the initiated and the respect attributed to his name is palpable. Recognised nationally as one of Queensland’s finest, Rainman’s list of collaborations, support slots and guest appearances reads like a who’s who of Australian hip hop.
Rainman is poised to drop his second album Bigger Pictures, in stores Friday 4 May through Obese distribution. The album sees Sammsonite (The Optimen) return for the lion’s share of the production but also features some of Australia’s finest beat – smiths including the APRA and AIR Award winning, ARIA nominated Count Bounce (TZU/Urthboy), DJ Bonez, Mangohig (Sietta), Chasm (Astronomy Class), Cam Bluff (Spit Syndicate/The Tongue/Vegas Aces) and Calski. Guest MCs on the record include Muph, Tommy Illfigga, Yuin Huzami (The Coalition Crew), and many more, while Laneous (Laneous & The Family Yah) and Kel on Earth (Bankrupt Billionaires) lend soulful vocals across the album.
Tracklist: 01. Welcome (Intro) Production: Cam Bluff 02. Can’t See You (Feat. Laneous) Production: by Chasm 03. A 1000 Words (Feat. Muph) Production: Rainman & Sammsonite 04. WTF (Feat. Kel on Earth & Yuin Huzami) Production: Sammsonite & Rainman 05. Duck Face (Feat. Kel on Earth) Production: Rainman & Sammsonite 06. Muse Sick (Feat. Laneous) Production: Sammsonite 07. Big Night (Feat. Tommy Illfigga) Production: Rainman & Sammsonite 08. The Valley Production: Rainman & Sammsonite, Cuts: DJ Butcher 09. Everything Ain’t (Feat. Leah Carr) Production: Chasm, Cuts: DJ Butcher 10. Count Blessings Production: Count Bounce 11. The Buzz (Feat. pear) Production: Cam Bluff 12. Darlin’ (Feat. Calski) Production: Calski 13. Move! (Feat. Seven & 4TH) Production: Calski 14. Too Much (Feat. Youka) Production: Mangohig 15. The Bigger Picture Cuts & Production: DJ Bonez
Rainman is also proud to release the brand new film clip for the single The Valley. An ode to Brisbane’s notorious night spot of the same name, the tune and clip were inspired by and filmed amongst the grit and circumstance found in abundance on any seedy inner-city nighttime adventure. In Rainman’s own words: ‘It’s a pretty jaded and sarcastic portrait of the epicentre of Brisbane’s nightlife that is Fortitude Valley. It’s a place I definitely have a love/hate relationship with, having had some of the best times in my life there, along with the worst – and a whole heap in between.’
The release also comes with the announcement that Rainman has officially become a newly minted member of the Born Fresh Records family, joining label mates and album co-conspirators including producer Cam Bluff and MC’s Tommy Illfigga, Yuin Huzami, Seven, Mr Hill and more. The Valley follows on the success of recently released first single Darlin’ which was received strongly across the country; receiving triple j airplay, FBI Radio (Sydney) rotation and widespread praise for what critics are calling a “classic slice of hip-hop” (Sherlock Ohms.org).
Catch Rainman launching the clip at the following dates: Calski (feat. Rainman) supporting Joelistics (TZU) and Diafrix for the ‘Running to Shine’ Tour: Thursday April 12 Beach Hotel Byron Bay 18+ Free Show Friday April 13 Alhambra Lounge, Brisbane 18+ Saturday April 14 Sol Bar, Maroochydore 18+
Calski (feat. Rainman) supporting Dialectrix for the ‘New Generation’ Tour: Friday April 27 The Annandale, Sydney 18+ with Ellesquire Saturday April 28 Great Northern, Newcastle 18+ with Ellesquire Thursday May 3, Juicy, Brisbane 18+
Diafrix is one of Australia’s most explosive and eclectic live acts. Following on from their hugely successful EP in 2006, their debut album Concrete Jungle has taken Diafrix’s iconic concoction of African rhythms, dance hall, funk, Australia hip hop and reggae and developed it into a truly world-class product while still maintaining the same raw energy they’ve carried since they formed in 2001.
This trademark style has transcended any specific genre to create a totally unique, but entirely harmonious sound. The group – which heralds from the Melbourne suburb of Footscray – comprises two frontmen, Momo and Azmarino. Both are African refugees but have lived through struggles which are worlds apart. Momo arrived in Australia with his family at the age of three after fleeing their homeland of the Comoros Islands. His background and culture left him feeling isolated in a community which was not yet accustomed to African migration. Azmarino, on the other hand, originally hails from Eritrea and arrive in Australia earlier this decade after a life of hunting citizenship throughout countries like Jordan, Italy and Switzerland.
Throughout their extensive career in the live circuit, the boys have made their stamp at festivals like Big Day Out, Meredith, Good Vibrations and Falls Festival to name but a few, and held down infamous residencies at Melbourne haunts like The Evelyn. The duo are joined by Ptero Stylus, a young producer from the Blue Mountains who has helped shape their worldly signature sound. Diafrix have recently been announced as Make Poverty History ambassadors, alongside current ambassadors Rove McManus, Brooke Satchwell, Zoe Naylor and musicians Missy Higgins and Lior.
Running It is the lead single to Diafrix’s upcoming sophomore album Pocket Full Of Dreams – Available June 29. You can catch Diafrix with Joelistics on the Running To Shine National Tour now. Full dates & ticketing info here.
Mention Rainman amongst the initiated and the respect attributed to his name is palatable. Recognised nationally as one of Queensland’s finest, Rainman’s list of collaborations, support slots and guest appearances reads like a who’s who of local hip hop.
Rainman is poised to drop his second album Bigger Pictures, in stores Friday 4 May through Obese Distribution. The album sees Sammsonite return for the lion’s share of the production but also features some of Australia’s finest beat – smiths including the APRA and AIR Award winning, ARIA nominated Count Bounce, DJ Bonez, Mangohig (Sietta), Chasm, Cam Bluff and Calski. Guest MCs on the record include Muph, Tommy Illfigga, Yuin Huzami and many more, while Laneous (Laneous & The Family Yah) and Kel on Earth (Bankrupt Billionaires) lend soulful vocals across the album.
The first official single off Bigger Pictures is Darlin’. Featuring and produced by Calski, the track was available as a free download at the end of last year limited to one hundred fans only but will now be available on iTunes from Fri 23 March.
Rainman deliberately wanted Darlin’ to set the scene for the new album. In his own words: “Darlin’ is a love song. An ode to lady hip hop, a soul drenched Australian take on Common’s ‘I Used to Love H.E.R’ classic – with a twist. The initial demo of the beat from_Calski inspired me to flip the hip hop-as-lover idea from Common and put a fresh take on it. I didn’t want to just leave it at that though. I’ve been pretty interested in how passionate we all are about hip hop, those of us that grew up with it as kids, and how even for those of us as white kids from Australia, from all that distance away from hip hop’s origins, literally_and culturally, can still feel this whole-hearted connection and even a sense of ownership_of this music. I wanted to try get into the character of what hip hop – the lady – might have to say back to those of us that call her out. I figured she had to be a bit pissed off and wouldn’t be afraid to say it”.
It’s this lyric writing approach – taking songs to that next level of depth – that sets Rainman apart and sees him attract high praise from peers and fans alike. He paints bigger pictures. To launch Darlin’, Rainman will be touring nationally with Calski supporting Joelistics and Diafrix on the Running To Shine National Tour.
