allaussie spotlight on: DJ Wasabi

To Australian hip-hop, dnb and dubstep heads, DJ Wasabi needs no introduction. The 25-year old turntablist, DJ, producer and youth mentor has amassed quite a reputation and following throughout his 13 years behind the decks. Long considered one of the pioneers of the Melbourne urban scene, Wasabi holds down three separate weekly club residencies, national tours, youth mentor programs and is the head engineer at Tetris Sound Studios in Brunswick. Wasabi’s much sought after DJ skills have landed him gigs djing for Kool Kieth earlier this year and supports for Redman & Method Man, Jean Grae, Talib Kwali, Scribe, DJ … Continue reading allaussie spotlight on: DJ Wasabi

Rapper Tag (Round’s 2 & 3)

The creative cat 360 (women start swooning) started a great idea of rappertag using youtube as a medium. We now have two more particpating emcees.  Elefant Traks legend Urthboy was tagged ealier last week by 360 and he has now responded. Find the video below. Urthboy then tagged another Australian legended in none other than Brad Strut. Check that below. This is a great idea and we hope to see it continue further, so if your an emcee get you ideas ready… Continue reading Rapper Tag (Round’s 2 & 3)

Jagermeister Independent Music Awards – Hip Hop Focus

Proudly presented by Channel [V], NOVA, and MySpace, the fifth Annual Jagermeister Independent Music Awards (formally known as the Jagermeister AIR Awards) will be held on Friday October 1st at The Forum Theatre in Melbourne. The event is a rare opportunity to join great Australian Musicians and the Industry at large, as they celebrate success with the Award winners, and enjoy performances by some of the country’s most sought after artists. The Jagermeister Independent Music Awards  are Australia’s only official independent music awards, rewarding the country’s highest achieving independent artists across all genres, in any given year. The evening will feature performances … Continue reading Jagermeister Independent Music Awards – Hip Hop Focus

Urthboy News + Free Download

As part of the Urthboy mailing list – you get stuff before anyone else gets a taste. Here is a new Urthboy song sent out to mailing list members a few days ago, its called Your Thing. You can grab your copy below by using the down arrow. This is what Urthboy had to say about his latest track: I wrote Your Thing in Istanbul but it’s something that was started years ago and I think you might like it. Production is by Count Bounce and it features a handful of kids, including Traksewt’s little daughter from The Herd. Please … Continue reading Urthboy News + Free Download

Yung Nooky – Survivors EP (Indent Ten Year Tour)

Nooky is from Nowra on the South Coast and is a proud member of the Yuin Nation. Yung Nooky is a fresh new blend of club banging sounds and socially conscious lyrics. Yung Nooky keeps strong cultural identity at the forefront of all his artistic endeavors. He has over 90 performances under his belt, ranging from community to international events and festivals. Ozi Batla from Elefant Traks produced Yung Nooky’s debut EP Survivors as well as featuring on the track Salute. Survivors is due to drop next month. Nooky also recently flew to LA to record with Taboo from the … Continue reading Yung Nooky – Survivors EP (Indent Ten Year Tour)

The Tongue – Alternative Energy

Alternative Energy is the title to your second full length LP dropping today. How are you feeling about the finished product? I feel like its my best work to date. I’m working with the best producers, I’m writing the best songs of my career, all the guests brought their A-game….I’m really proud of this album… It’s a slick-looking package for sure, is there any meaning behind the title Alternative Energy? The human race is headed for disaster….I don’t believe in that 2012 crap but all the signs suggest we need to change our ways. If we don’t find a better … Continue reading The Tongue – Alternative Energy

The Optimen ‘The Out of Money Experience’ Album Launch with Rainman, Vegas Aces and Special Guests

Brisbane Sounds is pleased to announce the next showcase in their series of spin off events to showcase Brisbane’s diverse music artists. The Brisbane Sounds Hip-Hop showcase will take place at the Hi-Fi in West End on Saturday 9 October and will offer a tasty selection of Brisbane’s finest Aussie hip-hop artists that includes the amazing crew The Optimen launching The Out of Money Experience, the esteemed talents of Rainman and fresh newcomers Vegas Aces as well as more guest DJ’s that are yet to be announced. The Optimen The Optimen or The OPees to their friends have quickly become … Continue reading The Optimen ‘The Out of Money Experience’ Album Launch with Rainman, Vegas Aces and Special Guests

The Tongue – Alternative Energy

Some are content to watch on as life unfolds: happy to experience the movement from a distance. Others burst into life, like a reptile breaking open its own shell in order to get things happening. The latter would aptly describe The Tongue, and this is his brand new album Alternative Energy. Blessed with an infectious style and charisma, The Tongue has a knack for creating ‘sticky’ phrases that stay with you – wrapped inside hooky flows that suck you in. His style has an elegant complexity, dispatching pop culture references with acerbic wit, speaking straight to true hip hop heads … Continue reading The Tongue – Alternative Energy

The Tongue – Alternative Energy Press Conference

It’s safe to say that this past week has been more, err interesting than most, and we respectfully request you keep in mind Elefant Traks’ generally good reputation as we pass on some less than flattering news. The internet chatter circulating from an ‘incident’ that took place at The Tongue’s album announcement press conference has forced us to make a public statement addressing the issue. Elefant Traks has footage from the press conference that we have made available below in the interest of transparency. We unequivocally condemn any musician resorting to violence against music journalists and The Tongue has been … Continue reading The Tongue – Alternative Energy Press Conference

Indent 10 Year Tour

Indent, a project of Music NSW, has been providing all-ages events and opportunities for young musicians for 10 years. Indent dates back to the 1996 Drug Summit where one of the many outcomes was the development of a Youth Entertainment Pilot (YEP) project to promote developments in government policy relating to the staging of under 18’s and all ages events and drug and alcohol free entertainment. This excellent program is now 10 years old so in celebration of ten years of live all-ages drug and alcohol free events MusicNSW has just announced the Indent Ten Year Tour, supported by NRMA … Continue reading Indent 10 Year Tour

Recon – The Beatnik EP

Recon is an emcee and producer from the Sunshine Coast, Australia. His music is a melting pot of styles, and demonstrates a unique approach to production.  The sun and warm climate of the coast have found their way into his studio and add an island vibe to his creations. Recon is an established artist and has supported a range of Australian  hip-hop acts including Urthboy, Koolism, Hermitude and Muph + Plutonic. His debut solo release The Beatnik EP sees a noticeable increase in substance and quality from earlier outings.  Determined to circulate his art as efficiently as possible, Recon has … Continue reading Recon – The Beatnik EP

The Tongue – The Show (Alternative Energy Sept 10)

The Tongue climbs back into the ring with the announcement of his explosive new single The Show. Widely regarded as one of Australia’s most imaginative and skillful emcees, The Show mixes his signature sharp word-play with humour in equal measure to give us a taste of what we can expect from his forthcoming and most accomplished record to date Alternative Energy (Out September 10). The beat is a big-swinging funk bombshell produced by Elgusto (Hermitude, Urthboy) who doesn’t seem to be capable of putting a foot wrong. A bold and energetic music video is in production to accompany the single … Continue reading The Tongue – The Show (Alternative Energy Sept 10)

Uncensored Conversations: Freedom of speech and censorship: How free are we? – Highlights

The third and final event of the Uncensored Conversations Speaker Series, ‘Freedom of speech and censorship: How free are we?’ was held in King’s Hall at the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House, Canberra on 15 June 2010. Three members of Sydney hip hop group, The Herd, (Urthboy, Ozi Batla and Traksewt) shared their thoughts alongside Professor Dr Julianne Schultz. The Herd have used music as an outlet to express their opinions on a variety of issues. Their song ‘77%’ – which features the line ‘77% of Aussies are racist’ – refers to survey results that revealed the … Continue reading Uncensored Conversations: Freedom of speech and censorship: How free are we? – Highlights

Horrorshow: Walk You Home Tour

Elefant Traks is pleased to announce Horrorshow’s Walk You Home Tour with 8 shows nationwide this August/September. The horse that is Horrorshow’s live reputation has bolted! Their Inside Story tour earlier this year was a smashing success playing to over 4000 people including 2 sellout Sydney shows (the first selling out 3 weeks in advance) at the Factory. The buzz around Horrorshow keeps growing: their evocative, ego-free hip-hop continues to strike a chord with a diverse and growing legion of devoted fans. They were recently featured in J-MAG for the tattoos fans have made out of their lyrics. After appearances … Continue reading Horrorshow: Walk You Home Tour

Uncensored Conversations: Freedom of speech and censorship: How free are we? – Interview with Herd member Traksewt

Ozi Batla, Urthboy and yourself (Traksewt) will be taking part in a Speaker Series forum titled ‘Uncensored Conversations: Boat People, the F-bomb and political power. High profile Australians speak out”. Held by the Museum of Australian Democracy (MOAD) in Canberra, can you tell us a bit about this important event? A lot of Australian’s might not know MOAD exists, as it was only opened in 2009. The forum of Uncensored Conversations is promoting people to think about what makes a successful democracy and to remind us that it can disappear if no one cares about it. So democracy is like … Continue reading Uncensored Conversations: Freedom of speech and censorship: How free are we? – Interview with Herd member Traksewt

allaussie hip hop spotlight on: Daily Meds

Sydney crew Daily Meds are emcee’s P.Smurf and Mikoen, vocalist Billie Rose and producer Roleo. Since the bands formation in 2009 they have supported and toured with Horrorshow,  Thundamentals, Urthboy, Spit Syndicate, Def Wish Cast and Dialectrix to drop some names. They also helped to launch the popular Sketch the Rhyme show which is now a national touring success featuring their very own P-Smurf. Don’t think that Daily Meds are just show openers though… they have rocked big shows at the annandale, factory theatre, gaelic club, club 77 and some huge warehouse parties. No doubt their mutual drive to fuel … Continue reading allaussie hip hop spotlight on: Daily Meds

Urthboy takes tour to Europe

Urthboy will be performing a special intimate show in Sydney on June 19 before departing on his first European tour. It’s going down at the tiny Sandringham Hotel in Newtown with special guests. Urthboy heads to Europe in July playing at Open Air festival in Switzerland (Jay-Z, Eminem, Nas & Damien ‘Jr. Gong’ Marley) and Splash! Festival in Germany (Wu-Tang Clan, Missy Elliot). Club dates include three shows supporting Brother Ali in Germany and a headline show in London with label-mates Hermitude. Tix are extremely limited for this send-off show at the Sando. First in first served. Urthboy feat. Elgusto … Continue reading Urthboy takes tour to Europe

Mantra – Power Of The Spoken album launch

With a successful touring run supporting Urthboy already in motion (Sneakquel Tour – Adelaide leg gig review here), acclaimed Melbourne emcee Mantra is gearing up for his hometown launch show on the 28 May. Celebrating the release of his Triple J featured, debut full length album Power of the Spoken, Mantra will take to the East Brunswick Club with DJ Wasabi. Mata & Must and Class A have been lined up as supports for the evening. Tickets are $18. The show is shaping up to be a killer, with  Mantra and Wasabi putting together a one-off set featuring visuals, special … Continue reading Mantra – Power Of The Spoken album launch

Urthboy – The Sneakquel Tour (Adelaide Leg Review)

Elefant Traks giant Urthboy, Jane Tyrell and Elgusto (Hermitude) hit Adelaide last weekend, bringing an in your face, energetic live show that had the punters out of control.  Joining Urthboy on The Sneakquel Tour this time round is Melbourne emcee and lyrical magician Mantra. Local lads Mase and Mattic kicked the night off, warming up the crowd early on. It was then on to Koolta who performed tracks of the recently released Deportation EP, both groups were well received by the eager crowd. You could tell that the atmosphere was hyped, a real sense of excitement hung in the air. … Continue reading Urthboy – The Sneakquel Tour (Adelaide Leg Review)

Mantra debuts new single/video from Power Of The Spoken

Obese Records’ exciting new signing Mantra has released the first single and video from his highly anticipated debut album. The M-Phazes produced track, I Hereby Stand, is the album’s right hook, the telling of Mantra’s coming of age and laying a gauntlet to his future. The video accompaniment for the track was shot and directed by The Artifact (Gully Platoon, Dialectrix) and features the no-nonsense attitude Mantra embodies; gritty, hard-hitting, and to the point. Links to both audio and Myspace can be seen below. Mantra will soon head out as featured support for Urthboy’s upcoming tour and will appear at … Continue reading Mantra debuts new single/video from Power Of The Spoken

The Sneakquel Tour with special guest Mantra

In the name of late nights and lost mornings, Urthboy is coming to your town on the Sneakquel Tour throughout April and May 2010. Nominated for this year’s Australian Music Prize (one of the only artists nominated twice) Urthboy is joined on stage by the incandescent Jane Tyrrell and DJ/producer Elgusto. Their Spitshine Tour in Oct/Nov 2009 was a huge success playing to over 10,000 people. After successfully navigating their way through the Australian Summer Festival collision course, the time for a headline tour with visuals, dance moves and new tunes has come. In support is gun-lyricist Mantra, whose debut … Continue reading The Sneakquel Tour with special guest Mantra

Horrorshow Ticket Winner!

The buzz around Horrorshow is staggering: they’ve swept up everyone from Triple J kids to purist heads and indie hipsters. Their new album Inside Story was JJJ Album of the Week & Hip Hop Album of the Year (SMH) and their joint launch with Urthboy sold out the Metro Theatre in Sydney. The evocative brand of earnest, ego-free hip-hop announced by their debut album The Grey Space, earned them an ARIA nomination for Best Urban Release. Coupled with acclaimed recordings is their growing reputation for explosive live shows, most recently winning over a swag of new fans during 25 shows (over 7000 payers) on … Continue reading Horrorshow Ticket Winner!

Urthboy nominated for an Australian Music Award

Sydney artist Urthboy (Elefant Traks) aka Tim Levinson has been nominated to join the shortlist for this year’s Australian music award, The Amps, for his new album, Spitshine. Urthboy, also known for his work with The Herd, worked on the new album with fellow stable mates Hermitude. Levinson makes up one of the nine artists on the shortlist for the Australian Music Prize for outstanding album of 2009, the second time he’s been nominated after The Signal made the cut in 2007. Now in its fifth year, the music prize is not just the most reputable of the gongs handed … Continue reading Urthboy nominated for an Australian Music Award

Phatchance – Inkstains Tour

After being crowned both a Triple J Unearthed and MySpace.com feature artist in 2009, Phatchance is ready to tour nationally unleashing his own unique style . Coming off the back of multiple years of a touring schedule supporting the likes of Bliss N Eso, The Herd, Urthboy, The Potbelleez, Drapht, Pez, The Funkoars, Pegz, Muph N Plutonic and Phrase, as well as numerous international artists; Method Man and Redman, Planet Asia, De La Soul and K Rino to name a few, Phatchance has developed a reputation for his personal, captivating, yet highly energetic live performances. Beginning March 5th in WA … Continue reading Phatchance – Inkstains Tour

Funkoars Top 10 for 2009 + Tour News

The lads over at Golden Era, The Funkoars thought it was about time they sent in their top 10 songs for 2009. Even though voting has already closed, it’s good to see what the guys were feeling last year.  The Funkoars and Trials top 10 are listed below. The Funkoars – Top 10 for 2009 Hilltop Hoods – Chase That Feeling Hilltop Hoods – Super Official Hilltop Hoods – Still Standing Hilltop Hoods – Fifty In Five Hilltop Hoods – The Return Hilltop Hoods – The Light You Burned Hilltop Hoods – Last Confession Hilltop Hoods – Hillatoppa Hilltop Hoods … Continue reading Funkoars Top 10 for 2009 + Tour News

Urthboy’s Top 8 for 2009

Urthboys Top ummm 8 for 2009. 1. Fashawn – Life as a Shorty Flipping the Inspectah Deck line from C.R.E.A.M, Fashawn gets his autobiographical on in this swinging beat from Exile. I love this tune and this whole album (Boy Meets World), it’s half science and half west coast swaggering street talk – enough so that you can’t peg him into any one scene. I grew up on political rap; NYC bragging rap; gangsta rap; Native Tongues cool shit – so I love hip hop that represents a cross section of these styles. I highly recommend this record (it’s one … Continue reading Urthboy’s Top 8 for 2009

Vote For JJJ Album Of The Year (aussie hip hop style)

Richard Kingsmill from Triple J will countdown the Top 10 albums of the year voted by you on the final ever ‘2009’ on December 13. He will also be going through his Top 10 album list and maybe contacting you to talk about the albums you’ve loved from this year. To vote all you have to do is submit you selection online via the website below. To make it easier for everyone out there we have narrowed the list down to as many  ‘aussie hip hop’  releases only. Please note Chasm and Vida Sunshyne’s release Move is incorrectly labeled as … Continue reading Vote For JJJ Album Of The Year (aussie hip hop style)

Spit Syndicate – The Tongue – Chasm & Vida Update

Three of Sydneys premier acts are teaming up to see 2009 off with a massive night of slamming hip-hop and reggae-infused jams. On Friday the 18th of December, the Oxford Art Factory will host Spit Syndicate, The Tongue and Chasm & Vida Sunshyne in what is sure to be one of the biggest nights on the local music calendar. After bursting onto the Australian hip-hop scene last year with an ARIA-nominated album and two national tours, Sydney wonderkids Spit Syndicate have been relatively quiet in 2009 as they prepare their sophomore record. They are breaking their 12-month hiatus with their … Continue reading Spit Syndicate – The Tongue – Chasm & Vida Update

Spit Syndicate, The Tongue, Chasm & Vida Concert

Three of NSW premier acts are teaming up to see 2009 off with a massive night of aussie hip-hop and reggae-infused jams. On Friday  December 18 @ the Oxford Art Factory,  Spit Syndicate, The Tongue and Chasm & Vida Sunshyne hit the stage for what is sure to be one of the biggest nights on the local music calendar. After bursting onto the aussie hip hop scene last year with an ARIA-nominated album and two national tours, Sydney wonderkids Spit Syndicate have been relatively quiet in 2009 as they prepare their sophomore record. They are breaking their 12-month hiatus with … Continue reading Spit Syndicate, The Tongue, Chasm & Vida Concert

Horrorshow – Inside Story JJJ Feature Album

If you haven’t heard, Horrorshow’s Inside Story is Triple J’s feature album of the week. It’s great to see that the lads are getting the props they deserve for this truely awsome album. Horrorshow are constantly noted as one of the most exciting prospects on the aussie hip hop scene, through excellent live shows and much-loved songs.  If you haven’t already, check out allaussie hip hop’s review of Inside Story here to get the full run down. You can catch Horrorshow as a part of the Spitshine Tour with Urthboy in Fremantle this weekend, November 12. You can get tickets … Continue reading Horrorshow – Inside Story JJJ Feature Album