I’m not one for sweeping statements (maybe I am…) but I 100% believe that jazz/hip hop outfit Astro Travellers are the best band in Brisbane right now. If not the best, then most definitely the coolest! Their unique way of mixing saxophone, laid back percussion and simplistic keys, suited for a dark bar after work, with some incredible flow and lyrics from two MC’s is downright astounding. I’ve caught these guys in action more times then I can remember, and they never cease to amaze me.
They’ve been doing the groundwork, testing the waters and making Brisbane groove with their style, and now finally patient fans have been rewarded with an official release, Future Supernova and an accompanying video clip! The simplistic video filmed in a car shows frontmen Rui and Ali rapping and driving around town, all from side angles and through the rear-vision mirror. Simplistic, yet effective, and they let the music take care of the rest.
I really, really, really cannot stand “Aussie Hip Hop” as a genre, but I am noticing a slow but steady uprising of a new type of hip hop – that just so happens to be from Australia. They rap poetry, and cover a plethora of topics scarely discussed in local hip hop prior to this. It’s not violent, it’s not “fuck your bitch, I’m the best”; it’s intelligent, considered and well crafted. Artists like Astro Travellers, Baro, Midas.Gold and many others are slowly but surely changing the face of Australian hip hop at a grassroots level, and I am holding my breath for this to really take off!
You can catch Astro Travellers at Jungle Love Festival on November 22!