This is the brand new film clip for Melbourne MC Maundz, the new track Take It Back is taken from the upcoming album titled Zero. Shot over a hot weekend in Preston Melbourne, the throw back clip features many notstalgic memories from back in the 90′s. The clip features a who’s who of local hip hop and is sure to get that head noddin’.
The clip is executed by Full Clip (Heata & Discourse). Additional skate photography by Andrew Dorny. Beat produced by WIK, mixed & mastered by Geko. Maundz - Zero will be out soon on Crate Cartel.
Clip stars: Maundz, Bias B, WIK, Fluent Form, Aetcix, Geko, Discourse, Raven, Bigfoot, Tornts, Sherrif Rosco, Nevs, Funky Jen, G Force, Alyson Murray, Briggs, Rob, Chenie, Hamish, Dorny, Cass Bowman, Deece, Royalz, Grega, Natasha, Chris Maunders (AKA Mini Maundz), Cyclone Rebecca, Sabina Turner, Howie, Rex Mundi CO, Deon Williams, Tim Barling, Haycha, Nath, Carson & Fraksha.
Make sure you check out the whole animated GIF set over at Peak Street, posted in celebration of this release, truly classic stuff.
It’s rare for the scene to be blessed with the release of a 7” in these often cynical times. Making music is an expensive habit, and there are a lot of broke artists languishing out there with stillborn plans. Melbourne based producer/MC Dazed has said fuck all that and gone ahead with a limited release, collectors edition vinyl featuring two tracks from Sydney based artists and his own inimitable production.
Rest in Syn is a record by a man who still values the memories of flipping through magazines and freaking out on seeing new track produced by a favourite artist; as Dazed puts it, “it’s all about remembering where we came from in this digital age.” The solid, dependable feel of a slice of vinyl, slightly warm in your hands – so much more precious than an mp3 ever could be. But this record isn’t about unchecked nostalgia and pissing on where local hip hop has taken us. It’s all one, big, unknowable, inexpressible ride we’re on – and looking back with gratitude to the past and sheer amazement at where our travels have taken us is the theme of the A side to Rest in Syn, No Regrets featuring Sydney’s powerful Bingethinker, Rinse.
“No one gets to hide from their fate,” as he says – and the choices make the man. “What if I’d've never smoked weed? What if Hoods had never had the Nosebleed? What if Kingsmill was a fan of real hip hop?” - how different life could be if things had taken a different turn! The ribboning Trem vocal sample combined with yearning strings folding throughout this track create an impressively mature sound that lingers long after the needle has found the end of its groove. Flipping over the record we’re treated to another taste of Sydney, this time in the form of the Grand Arkiteks crew.
Dazed has chosen a more sinister sound for the B side, layering unsettling synths over the tics of insolent strings and ominous dragging bass for the track King Killaz. The contrast between the two sides could not be more pronounced, but it shows off the malleability of Dazed’s production – this is not a man to get stuck in a rut – or one to happily choke on the easy lies of the powers that be. King Killaz is a healthy, alert companion to the dazzled wonder of No Regrets.
Rest in Syn is a rare collectable gem in this modern throwaway world, and a fitting tribute to the places we’ve been. All copies include the digital album and pre-orders receive a DFTC Records compilation CD featuring new tracks from G-Force, Sparts, Sinks, Mol1 and Dazed.
It’s rare for the scene to be blessed with the release of a 7” in these often cynical times. Making music is an expensive habit, and there are a lot of broke artists languishing out there with stillborn plans. Melbourne based producer/MC Dazed has said fuck all that and gone ahead with a limited release, collectors edition vinyl featuring two tracks from Sydney based artists and his own inimitable production.
Rest in Syn is a record by a man who still values the memories of flipping through magazines and freaking out on seeing new track produced by a favourite artist; as Dazed puts it, “it’s all about remembering where we came from in this digital age.” The solid, dependable feel of a slice of vinyl, slightly warm in your hands – so much more precious than an mp3 ever could be. But this record isn’t about unchecked nostalgia and pissing on where local hip hop has taken us. It’s all one, big, unknowable, inexpressible ride we’re on – and looking back with gratitude to the past and sheer amazement at where our travels have taken us is the theme of the A side to Rest in Syn, No Regrets featuring Sydney’s powerful Bingethinker, Rinse.
“No one gets to hide from their fate,” as he says – and the choices make the man. “What if I’d've never smoked weed? What if Hoods had never had the Nosebleed? What if Kingsmill was a fan of real hip hop?” – how different life could be if things had taken a different turn! The ribboning Trem vocal sample combined with yearning strings folding throughout this track create an impressively mature sound that lingers long after the needle has found the end of its groove. Flipping over the record we’re treated to another taste of Sydney, this time in the form of the Grand Arkiteks crew. Dazed has chosen a more sinister sound for the B side, layering unsettling synths over the tics of insolent strings and ominous dragging bass for the track King Killaz. The contrast between the two sides could not be more pronounced, but it shows off the malleability of Dazed’s production – this is not a man to get stuck in a rut – or one to happily choke on the easy lies of the powers that be. King Killaz is a healthy, alert companion to the dazzled wonder of No Regrets.
Rest in Syn is a rare collectable gem in this modern throwaway world, and a fitting tribute to the places we’ve been. DAZED INTERVIEW aahh: You have a new solo project that your working on at the moment which has resulted in a 7″ vinyl pressing titled ‘Rest In Syn’, tell us a little about the title behind this release? Dazed:It’s a name I’ve been toying around for a while actually. The 2 artists on the record are both from Sydney, so it’s play on the Syn-City thing and the overall theme of the 7″ is fairly sombre. It fits and works pretty well, I think. If you want to get deep and go on about how we all have a dark side and a past you could but let’s just leave it at that haha. It sounds dope.
aahh: Why did you want to release a 7″ at this point in time, we know your busy working on numerous other projects including an LP release for Dazed & Flawlezz? Dazed: Yeah the Dazed & Flawlezz album is on the way. I just heard the first mix and it sounds pretty crazy. It’ll be nice to finally put out an LP after all these years and EPs; it’s something we’ve been working really hard on and we hope to turn a few heads with it. I’ve always had respect and a passion for the DJ and vinyl culture. I mean, if it wasn’t for them we wouldn’t be here. In this day and age kids are growing up not knowing what vinyl is cos they have their mp3s and CDs to a lesser extent. My boy JD runs a studio and he had these kids come for a session, looked at the usual Expedit (shout outs to Ikea) full of wax and didn’t know what it was. They thought they were big arse CDs and these are hip-hop heads. That’s pretty sad, right? There’s only been a handful of local independent cats releasing wax in the past year or so, so we can’t let this shit die. It (vinyl) sounds better, you get to appreciate the cover art more and shit, what hip-hop artist doesn’t want their own wax?! I found myself in a situation where I think (as an artist) I’m finally happy to put my name and product out. None of this rushed bullshit. Now or never, you know?
aahh: Let’s talk a little about the tracks that will feature on this 7″. The first is an absolute cracker titled King Killers and features Grand Arkiteks. Firstly tell us a little about how you hooked up with Grand Arkiteks for this one? Dazed: Grand Arkiteks are Dazed & Flawlezz family. A few years back the lookUP boys held a comp with the winner getting CDs pressed, etc. We were both in the same heat that got through to the finals (we both lost), but we both had mutual respect for each other’s music, similar ideas and started building. There’s not many groups with 3-4 emcees out dropping raw underground shit as dope as those boys… easily one of Sydney’s best and underrated. We’ve done a few tracks together (plus some more to come) but when I made the beat it screamed for them to murder it. I sent it through and they came through. They seem to dig my production so it makes it a lot easier too haha… none of this back and forth shit.
aahh: King Killers is a fierce track addressing the state of government and those in control. Are you passionate about this issue and how did you guys develop this idea into the track we’ll see on the record? Dazed: To be honest when I made the beat it sounded like some regal “watch the throne” type shit and I named it “KingMPC” or something. I guess they either rolled with the name or picked up the same vibe haha. I’m not really into politics. I mean, I understand what’s happening in the world and have a view but it’s far from passionate. I have too many other things to worry about! We’re all fucked at the end of the day anyway.
aahh: The second track featured on the Rest In Syn 7″ features Mc Rinse from the Bingethinkers tilted No Regrets. Now this track is a little more chilled. Did you set out to make that contrast between the two tracks featured? Dazed: Subconsciously I probably did. I wanted to show a bit of diversity in my production as well as two completely different artists. When I made the track I had Rinse in mind the whole time. He rapped over one of my beats in the Undertow album, I think it’s probably the best verse on there, and he sounds dope over something real chill.
aahh: No Regrets is a great track questioning peoples past choices and also raises the issues of fate. Do you yourself believe in fate? Dazed: I wouldn’t say that our lives are already pre-determined and that there’s a fixed natural order in the universe which is unchangeable, but I think that free will and fate can coincide in some sort of harmony. At every moment of our life we make an unchangeable choice, so since a choice will inevitably be made at some point doesn’t mean that we don’t make our own decisions. I do believe that a lot of things happen for a reason, but it’s up to the individual how they handle it.
aahh: Why a 7′? Dazed: I think it’s the best way to highlight two dope tracks on a classic medium without any of the bells and whistles, It’s a mini record too, you can’t fuck with that.
aahh: Final comments? Dazed: Massive thanks to everyone involved in this record… Rinse, Grand Arkiteks, Cam, Talz, Geko and Jack The Bear. Keep and eye out for DFTC Records (G-Force, Sparts, Sinks, Mol1, Dazed) as there’s a gang of dope releases coming in the near future. Dazed & Flawlezz LP coming soon with production from Vanderslice (Black Poet, Roc Marci, Vinny Paz, Maundz), WIK, Must and more. Big ups Flawlezz, props to Jim for the Q’s, Big ups to all my friends and crew. Cop the 7′!
Tracklisting Side A: No Regrets feat. Rinse Side B: King Killaz feat. Grand Arkiteks
All copies include the digital album and pre-orders receive a DFTC Records compilation CD featuring new tracks from G-Force, Sparts, Sinks, Mol1 and Dazed.
24-year old Barbone started rapping around 2003. He’s listened to rap all his life taking inspiration from grimy 90′s hip hop like Onyx, Biggie Smalls, RA The Rugged Man, Das EFX to conscience and lyrical rap such as Kool G, Big L, Ras Kass, LC and so on. He started rapping in the Melbourne crew, Reverse Psychology but had a falling out with them years ago and decided to pursue a solo career.
He released a mixtape in 2007 aswell as an introductory EP early 2010 and has been doing shows around Melbourne ever since, performing alongside notable acts like Fluent Form, Geko, Illy, BBS, RKS, 360 plus many more. Barbone is well-known for his for his heavy live performance and his edgy persona. The tracks on Barbone’s LP, One to Self, are personal, hard hitting, dark and humorous. With features from well-known names like G-Force, J.Waters, J.Stark of BBS, BTrail and Reverse Psychology.
Track Listing Breaken Out. Prod by BNC Big Nose Bandit. Prod by Mizari – Cuts by Dukets Goon Ft Btrail, Skurgo & J.Stark. Prod by Scotopic Visions Transcience Ft Harvest & Ensyke. Prod by Glinsterworm This Life (Remix) Ft Reverse Psychology. Prod by Luger Paranoia (Interlude). Prod by Scotopic Visions Regress. Prod by Scotopic Visions Tainted. Prod by Glinsterworm – Cuts by EK Virgils Lead. Prod by Glinsterworm What could have been (Interlude). Prod by Glinsterworm The Catacombs Ft G Force & J-Waters. Prod by Blazin Marty Memory Lane (Remix). Prod by Luger Keep Moving. Prod by Glinsterworm
The album was recorded at these various Studios: Crate Cartel HQ, Chess Sound’s of BTE, Stronghorn Studios & J. Waters. All tracks mixed and mastered by Ciecmate at Chess Sounds for Broken Tooth Ent. Except for track 5 & 12 by Luger for 5 Foot Nothing.
Available through PayPal – Cranky_bones@hotmail.com Accepting Bank Deposits and Money Orders. (Contact for details) Now available at Obese, This iz It, Wax Museum Records, Collector’s Corner & Polyester Records (Fitzroy)
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.
Crew, motivation, good times and building blocks for the future reflect the past year for B wiv Deece and co. What better way to celebrate than putting together a FREE ep featuring some of the dudes that made the past year one to remember; Unleash The Beast features: such beasts as Maundz, Fatty Phew, G Force, Fluent Form and Luke Mac. All bringing their unique personalities with Deece over B wivs‘ ever growing banger catalogue. Fully produced by the man B wiv, Unleash The Beast has a soundscape that stretches from laid back light-hearted to the serious.
The EP also features a bonus track Escape Artist Gate taken from the debut album Rise In Peace. The album is available from the B wiv Deece online store or digitally from itunes and amazon. Any purchase from the online store will come with a free signed hard copy of the ep, while stocks last.
Brand new clip for the track Escape Artist Gate…Check it.
Tracklist: Show Stealin One Mind feat. Fatty Phew There’s A Wall feat. Fluent Form Take A Second Look feat. G Force Where’d The Days Go feat. Maundz Unleash The Beast feat. Fatty Phew One Fine Government feat. Luke Mac Warmed Up Escape Artist Gate (From Rise In Peace)
Crew, motivation, good times and building blocks for the future reflect the past year for B wiv Deece and co. What better way to celebrate than putting together a FREE ep featuring some of the dudes that made the past year one to remember; Unleash The Beast features: such beasts as Maundz, Fatty Phew, G Force, Fluent Form and Luke Mac. All bringing their unique personalities with Deece over B wivs‘ ever growing banger catalogue. Fully produced by the man B wiv, Unleash The Beast has a soundscape that stretches from laid back light-hearted to the serious.
The EP also features a bonus track Escape Artist Gate taken from the debut album Rise In Peace. The album is available from the B wiv Deece online store or digitally from itunes and amazon. Any purchase from the online store will come with a free signed hard copy of the ep, while stocks last.
Tracklist:
Show Stealin
One Mind feat. Fatty Phew
There’s A Wall feat. Fluent Form
Take A Second Look feat. G Force
Where’d The Days Go feat. Maundz
Unleash The Beast feat. Fatty Phew
One Fine Government feat. Luke Mac
Warmed Up
Escape Artist Gate (From Rise In Peace) Download available now. Big shout out to our Goonbag Radio family for hosting the download. Goonbag Radio streaming hip hop 24/7 from www.goonbag.com Direct download link More info here.
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.
This banger of a track is a leak from the upcoming WIK project featuring G-Force, Maundz & Deece. This one is on that serious ish, do the knowledge. Download the track now by clicking the downward arrow on the player, and keep an eye out for WIK!
Check out footage of another track produced by WIK. This is the first time the guys have performed the track Loco Motive with all three emcees’s (Maundz, Fluent Form & Fatty Phew ). Filmed by B wiv. Taken from the Mr Nobody/Crate Cartel album launch @ The Johnston on 14/8/10
The name A-Diction says it all; wordplay, cleverness, and an overall obsession with the previous two points. Born and raised in Melbourne, the duo consists of emcee’s Breach and Boltz. Breach, the precise wordsmith with focussed flow and witty punchlines, and Boltz, the crooner known for his explosive debut album The Wishlist, which featured international heavyweight Royce da 5’9” and local producer extraordinaire M-Phazes.
Walkin’ Alone is the title of your first LP release and features a whole range of crews and mates chipping with vocals, beats and cuts on various tracks, from M-Phazes to Fraksha and Mules to DJ Juice of the battlehogs, Doc Felix and more. Has this release been a great project to work on because that reason?
Breach: Yeah, I guess when you put it like that the whole thing was a huge collaborative effort from a lot of people. This is part of the reason that the album took a little longer than usual, but is also the reason we’re so happy with the final product. Some of the people involved are mates, some are artists we’ve never met face to face before, but regardless we’re happy with everyone’s contribution.
Boltz: I feel like every track has a different personality to the last thanks to the guests and producers. I think if you’re a Mules fan or a Jase fan or a Phazes fan etc. you’re really going to listen out for the tracks we did with them; but in saying that, there’s cohesiveness between all of the tracks and we kept that in mind when we were choosing beats and guests. I think you can tell from the vibe of the album we had a lot of fun getting all of our mates and favourite artists involved.
2005 is where things starting coming together for A-Diction with the release of the ‘To Be Announced EP’, we then saw last year ‘The Three Year Itch Mixtape’ and more recently the ‘In Good Company Mixtape’. What was the most important thing A-Diction have learnt and put into practice since your first release?
Breach: To be honest, if you wanted a 16 bar verse from me about nothing in particular I could have it back to you in 5 minutes, but being able to actually write a song, that’s something that has taken me some time. I think The Three Year Itch had a lot of tracks from me that were basically exercise for the album, I was writing like 50 bars at a time at that point but most were non-topical, and had no real song structure. Moving on to the IGC mixtape and Walkin’ Alone, I’ve tried more to enhance my song-writing ability, which is a very different thing in my opinion. The mixtapes are great to put out, get some shine, and hear what the heads might like / dislike about the music you’re making.
Boltz: For me, it’s always been about patience, quality and doing the little things. I’m not saying every release we’ve done is perfect; I’ll still go back to our first EP and even our last mixtape and think “I could have said that line with more energy” or “Maybe we could have done this differently” but at the time we made sure we re-recorded anything we weren’t happy with and we spared no expense when it came to buying the beats we wanted or advertising in a particular magazine. I’m glad that when it’s all said and done we can say that from our first to our last release we always put in 100% and never released anything sloppy or half assed.
It’s clearly been a long road to this moment what will it be like to finally see the Walkin Alone LP in the punters hands?
Breach: HELL YES! I was talking to Jase (Beathedz) about this; me and him spent a lot of afternoons at his place mixing the album and one thing he said that stuck in my mind is that ‘putting out an album is like giving birth’… I couldn’t agree more, except we don’t have stretch marks to show for it after it’s out! People are ALWAYS asking “Hey where’s your album?” The last 3-4 years has all come down to this Friday, August 6th, when the album hits the shelves, we can’t wait.
Boltz: Breach is a bit more anxious than me because I dropped my solo LP so I’ve been through it once before; I have to keep reminding myself that this is still the first A-Diction album! It certainly doesn’t seem like a debut because we’ve been writing and recording for so long; it feels like a second or third album to me. Having said that, this will definitely be my proudest moment; better than the EP, the mixtapes and the solo joint- all of those things were just appetisers and this is the main course.
Breach: Anxious is an understatement haha
The track Walkin’ Alone contains a great verse and goes something like ” There’s too many emcees not enough talent, not enough quality too many haters, not enough honesty too many faker’s, too many freebies not enough payers, not enough retirees to many stayer’s…” Do you think that these are some of the negative aspects of the hip hop scene in Australia or in general?
Boltz: Yeah, that was the first track we wrote for the album so it’s one of the oldest verses on the LP. I think when I wrote it I was probably feeling a bit disillusioned with the scene; if you pay too much attention to what you read on internet forums or listen to some of the heads at shows, it’s easy to think there’s nothing but a world full of haters and know-alls out there. I’m probably a bit more mature now and I can see both sides of the coin. Whenever I go to a packed out show or hear a local act on the radio I am amazed at how much our scene has grown and how accepting the wider public has been towards some of our artists. In terms of the other stuff, everyone knows the music industry is going through some changes right now which has bought about the Myspace MC’s and an abundance of free mixtapes etc; it’s not all great but I guess you have to take the good with the bad.
Bekah and Vida Sunshyne both feature on the album with Bekah on the track Consistent and Vida on the Remix of Drop the Beat. Did you just have to have these guys on the album?
Breach: In terms of Bekah, me and Boltz have seen her perform a number of times, and every time she hits the stage its like the whole room freezes. We’re cool with her boy Ceefor too so it just made sense to get at her to contribute. We’re really happy with what she did for us and the album wouldn’t be the same without her.
Boltz: As for Vida, G-Force fans would recognise the original verse of ‘Drop the Beat’ from his debut album ‘Clouded’. When we heard that song with Vida on the chorus I said to Force “Dude, you have to let us remix that song; that hook is amazing!” Every one involved in the remix agreed that the new version sounds amazing and came out sounding like the hook was written specifically for the verses as opposed to the other way around.
The track One Fact features a great little sample from Brad Struts ‘It’s Official’, no need to mention the amazing beat by M-Phazes and cuts by Doc Felix. Was that sample bit of a shout out to Strut?
Breach: Man this track is really special to me, as soon as I heard that beat I contacted Phazes’ management and said I wanted it 100%, it’s just like that sometimes. The Strut sample is definitely a shout out to him, he’s still number one in this country in my opinion, and I still bump Legend: Official all the time. I contacted him and asked if it was cool to use the sample, and he was down, too easy. It also made sense to get Doc Felix on the cut, we’re mutual fans of each other and he is one of the most genuine dudes in the scene. See you on the next LP Doc!!
The track ‘Capital Vices’ featuring Billy Bunks, Scott Burns, Fraksha, Whisper and Raven will have fans reaching for the repeat button with its approach. Do you think the posse track is becoming a must have on a lot of releases?
Breach: I think a posse cut is a must have IF it’s done proper. This one did take a while to put together, but the final result will be an instant classic. What’s different about this particular track is that most posse cuts are just about “yeah yeah, we’re dope, your wack, blah blah”… Boltz came up with the idea of each MC choosing one of the Seven Deadly Sins and kicking 8 bars each and I think it worked really well. Every MC absolutely smashed it, shouts to Whisper for coming through at the final hour!!
Boltz: They’re definitely a lot of fun to hear but they are a bitch to organise! Ha ha. I would like to hear more themed posse cuts; like Breach said the braggadocio ones have been done to death so hopefully “Capital Vices” encourages others to put their thinking caps on next time they’re putting together a big colabo.
A-Diction will be officially launching Walkin’ Alone on Friday the 17th of September 2010 as a double album launch with the Gold Coast’s finest Choose Mics @ The Espy in St Kilda. We know your big fans and close mates with the Choose Mics crew, what will it like launching albums with them?
Breach: Man we can’t wait! Honestly, for me, all this hard work comes down to the launch; it’s like a celebration of what we’ve achieved. Sharing the night with Choose Mics couldn’t be more fitting; those dudes are just as hungry as us and have been down since day 1. It’s gonna be a CRAZY night!!
Boltz: I agree man, ‘fitting’ is the only word that comes to mind. Throughout the making of the album we would talk to Mules and his manager Adam all the time to get advice and ideas regarding the songs and also the business side of things. Adam gave us a lot of tips along the way and really helped us whenever we needed it. Mules too; whenever you asked him for a favour he would literally drop everything and you’d have what you needed within 24 hours, usually less. I’m really looking forward to having a drink with those guys, and Haunts, on the night and celebrating both of our releases.
