Multi-Award winning producer M-Phazes has dug deep into his production vault and lifted the drums used in some of his best productions to date. Literally exported directly from the original session files, these drums are still layered with M-Phazes’ original effects processing.
Mix and match the drums taken from any of these 15 songs to create your own bangers:
Aint Gonna Wait — Ed OG Assassins — Pharoahe Monch ft. Jean Grae & Royce Da 5’9″ Back On The Scene — Slaughterhouse ft. Dres Flying Through The City — Bliss N Eso Good Morning — Drapht The Hit Man — Pharoahe Monch I Can — Bliss N Eso ft. Jehst Middle Finger — Emilio Rojas Priceless — Pegz ft. Dialectrix & Joe New Rock & Roll — Illy Sex, Drugs & Video Games — David Banner Still Standing — Pharoahe Monch ft. Jill Scott Thanks For Tuning In — Mantra The Raw — Saigon ft. Inspectah Deck & Bekay You, Me & Everyone We Know — Jean Grae
Whilst many other drum libraries contain hundreds upon hundreds of drum samples, M-Phazes has opted to avoid throwing a random bunch of drums sounds together in a zip folder and calling it a drum library. Instead he’s giving YOU quality over quantity with a package of professional sounds all normalised and featured on songs from some of the best artists in the world. Video filmed & edited by Nate Flagrant.
Obese Records, Australia’s first hip hop label, was established in 1995 as a small record store originally named OB’s. After the business was bought and renamed by Tirren Staaf (Pegz) in 2002, the label was created as an outlet for the distribution of Australian hip-hop.
Melbourne’s emcee Reason with his album Solid, was the first release on the label, closely followed by the scene-defining Culture of Kings and Obesecity compilations. Over the course of its twelve years, Obese Records has seen success stories such as Hilltop Hoods, Muph & Plutonic, Drapht, Illy, release award winning albums, play to crowds of thousands at Obese Block Parties, and cement their places in Australian hip hop history. Current artists on the roster include Plutonic Lab, M-Phazes, Dialectrix, Thundamentals, Spit Syndicate, Pegz, Chasm and more.
The nerve centre at Obese HQ, headed by Operations Manager Fern Greig-Moore, Publicist Lindsey Martin, and Sales Manager Terry Ho, includes sales, publicity, marketing, accounts, and A &R services. In 2013 Obese Records signed its first management contract with successful underground emcee Kerser, one of many important artists on the extensive distribution roster.
As the label continues to wave the banner for credible hip hop releases in Australia, the demand for distribution has increased. Boasting industry stalwarts such as Broken Tooth Entertainment, Crate Cartel, Wordburner/Bias B, Lookup and Karsniogenics, Obese Distribution umbrellas over 100 of the country’s finest hip hop acts. Managed by Frank Mincone, The Prahran store (4A Izett Street) has become a hip hop mecca in Australia for committed fans, hosting media listening parties, in-store signing sessions, radio marathons, and its own segment on Obese TV.
After years of demographic observation, Pegz recognised the demand for a cultural hub in Frankston after noting a large portion of hip hop enthusiasts inhabited the bay side region. The decision was made to replicate a second retail store. Conveniently positioned at the heart of the township, the shop features an impressive wall piece by Melbourne graffiti artist Shem and will be open five days. Business hours are Tues – Sat 10am-5:30pm, and 10am – 6pm on Fridays. Besides vinyl, CDs, and the label’s own merchandise, Obese Records retail will stock street apparel and accessories from brands such as 1Line, Wu Tang, Burn Crew, and Kangol. Quality paints from Ironlak, Molotow will also be available to customers over 18, as well as a wide range of arts supplies, street art magazines and DVDs.
The store’s opening signifies an important time in local hip hop culture, where in the face of the demise of physical music sales across the industry, the hip hop community continues to support vinyl and CD production. With a highly productive 2013 and beyond planned, keep an ear out for upcoming Obese Records related events, and other announcements in the coming months.
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’.
The third studio album from Illy came in the form of Bring It Back. Described by the popular emcee as “a heart album“, the LP was not stylistically intended to follow-up from its predecessor The Chase. Reflective of the scene behind the genre, Bring it Back is largely a collaborative album, including all manner of vocal and production guests.
aahh: After a bit of a break from recording, you’re back now with your latest LP titled ‘Bring It Back’. Tell us a bit about the new album? Illy: It’s a throwback to music I listened to coming up. It’s also an album that I wanted to make for a while, well the idea of it anyway: just get a bunch of mates on some beats produced by mates and fucking rap. My style is never going to be grimy underground shit, that’s not who I am or want to be, but I think this is a lot more of a traditional hip hop sound to it than my other albums. When you have people like Reason, Trials, Mantra, Pez, Thundamentals etc involved in it, it’s going to work better if you’re coming into it like that. So yeah, Bring It Back is really just some sick raps over sick beats with a bunch of sick cunts.
aahh: The last couple of albums from Illy have been heralded as great successes, did this put any extra pressure on you to repeat this feat for the new album? Illy: Not at all. It could have, but no. Coming at it from the angle I did, the pressure was never a thing. I knew it wasn’t a big mainstream kind of album, so I wasn’t worrying about competing with the Hoods or 60 with it. And the dye was cast on a lot of heads opinions long ago, so there was no thought of impressing them either. The last album in particular was a massive success, so it’s good to have that to build on, but it doesn’t mean that formula was what Bring It Back was going to be measured against.
aahh: You’ve just come back from a massive tour titled the ‘Bring It Back’ Tour, how was that? Were the crowds diggin’ the new tunes? Illy: It was great, man. We had real dramas with the scheduling of the tour and the album release date, so it ended up that the tour finished before the album dropped. It made it very hard to really play people new stuff other than what was on the radio, but we did throw a couple of jams in. The crowd definitely ate that shit up. In my opinion we put on a really high-energy show even in the worst case, so I find if you do shit with the same level of intensity, even if it’s completely new, people generally can get behind it. But as far as the tour itself, it was a blast, and we did some of our biggest numbers, which blew me away given that we were touring with no album out. Very thankful to have the support I do.
aahh: Where Ya Been featuring emcee Pez, seems to be a track where both of you are all too familiar with the subject matter. How did you find yourself dealing with that situation leading into the release of Bring It Back? Illy: Just getting hit up by people man. It’s crazy how you stay really busy (in my case) or go off the grid for a long time (Pez) and are met with the same reaction. It just shows that your fans want you to be in their lives, which is a privilege, but at the same time it’s a bit like “shut the fuck up give me a minute to breathe” hahaha. I think Pez was a perfect fit for this track because of his extended hiatus. My verses are a bit more jokingly exasperated, I think the shit he’s been dealing with for the last few years really meant something. But in a lighthearted way. And in the lead up to Bring It Back, I just kept working to deal with it, did the Friday Flips, got a couple of other things on the go which haven’t seen the light of day yet.. Just kept busy man.
aahh: Diverting from hip hop for the moment, tell us about your recent graduation? Do you think hip hop in Australia will get to a point in time where the majority of artists in Australia will be able to live off their music? Illy: No, definitely not. But there’s nowhere in the world, in any genre, where music provides such a utopian situation. There’s simply not that much room for everyone to be able to, especially in a country as small as Australia, in a genre as not universal as Australian hip hop. I got my degree, which was a LOT of hard work and effort and time, because it means in one way or another il be ok. It also means I can stick to my guns and not have to make music geared towards making money. No dance, no dubstep, none of that trendy shit. Same pop influence I always have written with, but never flavour of the month.
aahh: There are some big names on Bring It Back including Mantra, Thundamentals and the recently retired local icon Reason. What does it mean to you to be able to work with someone like Reason especially after retirement? Illy: It means a lot, man. Re is from the generation before me, or 5 or 6 before me, from the suburb I grew up in Melbourne. He went to the high school a bunch of my mates from primary school did, used to put up in the alleyway behind where I was living etc. So even removing all the dudes done for the Australian hip hop scene, on a personal level its important to me. Also he has helped myself and especially my BBS mates out a lot over the years. I’ve given talks at his school, and he’s even written up a great review of Bring It Back, from an obviously biased position, but still obviously took a lot of time to do, and he didn’t have to. So there’s a lot of love there for Re and to come out of retirement for it was great. As for everyone else, Mantra, Grey Ghost, Prime etc.. Everyone involved in this album is there cause I think they’re fucking dope, and represent the different facets of the scene well. It makes it easier to not give a fuck about negativity when some of the dopiest in the scene are dropping verses or producing your album.
aahh: Where Is My Mind pt. 1 was a track you performed on triple j’s Like A Version a few years back. The track was released on an Acoustic EP you did not long after that. Bring It Back features part 2 of Where Is My Mind tell us a bit about how the concept for these two tracks developed? Illy: I don’t know to be honest. When I did the like a version, I had like a week to write it and had no idea what to do, then the night before I like just thought fuck it, it might be cool to mash-up lines. It would make it more memorable than just spitting the verses I’d already written. So, I was up till like 4am writing the two verses, then up at 7 to get to the j’s studios, and put it down. It went really well, and the plan was always to do another one, just needed enough material to come out, thankfully it did by Bring It Back release, because it really fit well into this album. It was originally over a Ta-ku beat, but Trials did a remix of it which worked so well that it ended up becoming the album version. There will definitely be a part 3 in a few years, no doubt!
aahh: You have been working and touring with a super talented dude in M-Phazes, tell us a bit about the working relationship you guys have together. There was a series you guys worked on called Friday Flips, let us know about that one? Illy: Friday Flips was a way to keep busy and producing new tunes. BIB was finished in April, and we couldn’t get a release date until what eventually became late September, so I wanted something to get me back out there, and I came up with the idea of Friday Flips. Basically it was just a cool way of making music with a degree of interaction from our fans, in that they select the track that we ‘flip’. It has been really well received, and so we will be doing a part 2 early this year.As for Phazes, I don’t think there are that many words left to describe the dude. He’s a phenomenon. IMO, and its again a very biased one, he is the best producer in the country, with a considerable amount of daylight between him and the few ultra talented dudes who would be next on my list. I’m lucky to be able to work so closely with Phizzle, and I’m really excited for the next album because I think that we have made some great music so far but the best is really going to come in future releases.
aahh: How do you see the state of Hip Hop in this country currently? Illy: I think its great. I think there are a lot of great people involved, the quality of music is always increasing, this year has been a new benchmark for quality releases (Hilltops, Maundz, Tuka, Thundamentals, Seth, Urthy, Trem etc), and there is a real sense of community still, as evidenced by the amazing, utterly brilliant Robert Hunter Cup weekend that just passed. There is a great vibe at the moment. I think the most important thing is for the ones coming up, young dudes etc, making sure they follow the right lead, and don’t rush into making decisions regarding their music, which will fuck their careers up. But on the whole I think even the younger generation who have a real chance of killing shit can can bullshit without being influenced by it, so on the whole shit is looking mad rosy.
aahh: There has been a lot of discussion around negativity in the local scene, with the majority of that discussion revolving around racism, what are your points of view on this subject and do you think hip hop gets a bit of a raw deal? Illy: I don’t think racism in the scene is something I’ve witnessed, to be honest with you. In a direct sense, definitely not, ever. I came up performing with Iron Projects, Diafrix and 1/6 the same as with Mantra or Forthright or BBS, and we all got along. In a broader, systemic sense, removed from the artists, who all get along, I don’t know, but it is probably reflective of the country as a whole, so to single out this genre seems harsh. I do think it’s extremely important to give a voice to those without power, and hip hop is a perfect vehicle for that, always has been. Seeing the work a lot of artists do with workshops around the country, and labels like Elefant Traks who are bringing a lot of really dope indigenous talent to the fore, is sick and long may it continue, and inevitably attitudes of the general public will shift. As far as the charitable nature of the local scene, I really don’t think that can be called into question. There are far, far too many examples of big hearts to take any comment to the contrary seriously.
aahh: What’s next for Illy? New film clip or another tour? Illy: Currently working on the next album with Phazes, and other than a few shows over the summer period, that’s me till early / mid next year. Yesssss! Thanks to everyone who made it to a show on the Bring It Back tour. Was a great tour and I am very grateful to have people support me without even hearing the album! New Friday Flips – Series 2 in early 2013. Bring It Back out NOW!
North Carolina’s own Supastition releases The Blackboard EP, a FREE 8-track digital EP. The project serves as a thank you to the listeners who continued to support his music after his sudden departure from the music business in 2010. The Blackboard is about returning to the basics of emceeing and rediscovering that vintage sound that Supastition has been known for since his debut album in 2002.
The project features the critically acclaimed, Yada Yada, the conceptual Best Worst Day, and the boom bap inspired Indestructible. The only guest appearances on The Blackboard EP are the DJ duo, Faust & Shortee, and German-based vocalist Dominique. Production on the EP is handled by longtime producers Marco Polo, M-Phazes, Veterano, the Mighty DR, and Croup as well as Rik Marvel and Dirty Art Club. Along with the EP, a Lyric book and write-up about each song has been included with the download of the EP via Supastition’s Bandcamp page.
Download this EP for FREE, please input $0.00 (at the “name your price” option) and you will receive your free download via email link. If you wish to purchase the EP (at any price that you choose) and contribute to support Supastition’s music, you have that option as well.
The Blackboard EP 1. The Blackboard ft Faust & Shortee – Prod. by Rik Marvel 2. Daydream – Prod. by Veterano 3. Indestructible ft Faust & Shortee – Prod. by M-Phazes 4. Rejoice – Prod. by Veterano 5. Best Worst Day – Prod. by Dirty Art Club 6. Yada Yada – Prod. by Marco Polo 7. Expectations – Prod. by The Mighty DR; Scratches by Shylow 8. Perfect World ft Dominique – Prod. by Croup
M-Phazes is one of Australia’s most accomplished hip-hop producers, having worked with an impressive array of artists from home and abroad. One of his most applauded efforts so far is his showcase record Good Gracious.
New Era was lucky to collaborate with Mark Landon aka M-Phazes on a cap that gives a nod to this iconic Australian album. This cap was designed by Sydney based label Ones Clothing and will be hitting selected retailers mid December 2012. This is the first in a four part collaboration series celebrating some of our favourite music producers
You can cop the hat at these stockists in the coming weeks. Obese Records, 4A Izett St, Prahran Da Klinic, 20 Currie St, Adelaide Jimmys Skate & Street – Tasmanian stores.
Allday is a 21 year old rapper based in Melbourne, Australia. His last release A Skateboard Soiree has received nationwide airplay on triple j and earned him & producer C1 ‘Unearthed Artist of the Week‘ honours.
Allday now brings you an 8 track mixtape titled Eurphoria, available now for free download.The mixtape features production from C1, Soul Marauder, Savo and Woodz from Sweden. Some tracks are mix tape jams on jacked beats and some of them are tracks that didn’t make the cut for his upcoming EP.
Allday’s upcoming EP will feature product form M-Phazes, One Above and of course C1 and more. The EP will be out early next year with more details to be announced. Allday has also released a film clip for the track Steezed Out which was shot and edited by Eightlimb Films. Eurphoria mixtape is available for free download here.
New Jeru rap veteran Rah Digga joins forces with Australia’s go-to producer M-Phazes for the Maxi-Single Never Back Down. Consisting of two versions, the original mix featuring Fresno’s Fashawn and Beantown’s REKS, in addition to the previously leaked remix featuring the Michigan born, Florida raised and now NYC transplant Nitty Scott, MC, Never Back Down showcases top notch lyricism and wordplay over M-Phazes fusion of glitched-out dubstep and gritty guitar riffs.
This title is now available via Coalmine Records and is bundled for sale with both the main and clean edit passes of both versions, along with the instrumental and acapella of the original version, all for just $2.99. The original mix is also set to appear on Coalmine Records highly anticipated compilation album Unearthed, which is scheduled for an early second quarter release, 2013. Unearthed will feature guest appearances from the likes of Pharoahe Monch, Blu, Large Professor, Kool G Rap, Sean Price, Billy Danze (of M.O.P.), Maffew Ragazino, Rock (of Heltah Skeltah) Artifacts, Apathy, Celph Titled, Torae and more. Producers tapped include Nottz, M-Phazes, !llmind, Khrysis, Young Cee, Ayatollah and BeanOne, among others.
Off the back of a 26-date national tour celebrating the release of his #15 ARIA debuting third album Bring It Back, Illy has announced a special show for Gold Coast fans. The pre- New Year party will be happening at the Coolangatta Hotel on Saturday 29 December, with special guests Spit Syndicate and M-Phazes.
An overwhelming response to the Bring It Back tour earlier in the year saw 6 new shows added across Far North Queensland and Tasmania. And with Illy’s hometown of Melbourne reaching capacity, a third Corner Hotel show was quickly added. A sign that Illy’s standing as one of our country’s most popular hip-hop acts has been cemented. Already spawning the hits Heard It All and Where Ya Been feat. Pez, Bring It Back, is described by the emcee as “a heart album”. Reflective of the scene behind the genre, it’s largely a collaborative album, including all manner of vocal and production guests.
Having built his friendships and networks over a fruitful career thus far, Illy set about selecting vocal appearances from both well-known and underground emcees. Bring It Back features Pez, Thundamentals, Reason, Mantra, Grey Ghost, Raven, and more. Production credits going to M-Phazes, Trails, Taku, Billy Hoyle, and One Above. Lyrically Illy employs hindsight to explain the existence of his current philosophies on the industry, relationships, envy, and creativity, as well as the odd trademark braggadocio anthem thrown in for good measure. As polished as ever, Bring it Back showcases Illy’s aptitude for engaging penmanship and resonant song formation to flawless effect.
Tickets for Illy’s show at the Coolangatta Hotel are on sale now, details at http://www.illyal.com. Bring It Back is out now through Obese Records. Illy also performs in Dubbo at the RSL on November 23, Canberra’s Foreshore Festival on November 24, Darwin’s Discovery Nightclub on December 7 and Pyramid Rock Festival at Phillip Island over New Year’s Eve.
Illy with special guests Spit Syndicate and M-Phazes Saturday December 29 – Coolangatta Hotel, Gold Coast (18+) Tickets on sale now.
Ushering in a new era of lyrical excellence, Kendrick Lamar is the genius MC who, on the eve of releasing his major label debut, announces his first Australian tour presented by Niche Productions.
Kendrick Lamar (born June 17, 1987), is from Compton, California and is currently signed to Top Dawg, (Dr Dre’s) Aftermath and Interscope/Universal. A member of hip hop supergroup Black Hippy, along with fellow West Coast rappers and label mates Jay Rock, Schoolboy Q and Ab-Soul, Lamar first gained major attention after the release of his fourth mixtape, Overly Dedicated in 2010.
The following year he released his first independent album Section 80 to critical acclaim. Released exclusively through iTunes, it was instantly ranked as one of the top digital hip hop releases of the year.
Across his career Lamar has amassed a large following and has already worked with Dr. Dre, Game, Drake, Rick Ross, Talib Kweli, Busta Rhymes, E-40, Warren G, Bun B, Tech N9ne, Lil Wayne and Lady Gaga among many other artists. His major label debut studio album good kid, m.A.A.d city, is set to be released in Australia on October 26, 2012.
“Kendrick is one of, if not, the best rapper out right now. I haven’t felt this excited about a hip-hop release since Wu Tang released their debut album in 1993. Either get to know Kendrick now, or get left behind” – M Phazes
The album has spawned the crossover hits The Recipe and Swimming Pools (Drank), which have further propelled his status as a supreme MC who crosses over topreviously disparate fan bases. Before the release of good Kid… Lamar also dropped the Just Blaze produced Compton and the Hit Boy produced Backseat Freestyle, showing even more diversity to his output.
Niche Productions is thrilled to announce the debut Australian tour of this phenomenal artist Kendrick Lamar. Do not sleep on these shows!
