Good news for all you big city dwellers! UK production duo Snakehips have announced a few headline dates alongside their appearance a regional Groovin The Moo Festival.
Best known for their huge 2015 party anthem All My Friends, featuring Chance The Rapper and Tinashe, as well as collaborations with Anderson .Paak and Syd among others, their blended sound has branded them two of the most influential dance producers in recent years. Their latest tune Don’t Leave ft. MØ exemplifies their sound to a tee, with heartfelt lyrics and signature grooves dance elements. With their debut studio album still to be announced, Australian fans might find themselves treated to some sneak peaks as the pair traverse the nation.
On top of the regional dates, Snakehips will be performing in Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane. Dates can be found below.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQGcfudKBBs
Snakehips Australian Tour 2017:
Tuesday, 2nd May – 170 Russell, Melbourne
Thursday, 4th May – The Flying Cock, Brisbane
Thursday, 11th May – Metro Theatre, Sydney
In Addition To:
Groovin’ The Moo 2017:
Friday 28th April – Adelaide Showground, Wayville SA
Saturday 29th April – Maitland Showground, Maitland, NSW
Sunday 30th April – Murray Sports Complex – Townsville Cricket Grounds, Townsville QLD
Saturday 6th May – Bendigo’s Prince of Wales Showground, Bendigo VIC
Sunday 7th May – University of Canberra, Canberra ACT
Saturday 13th May – Hay Park, Bunbury WA
Get Tickets HERE
Image: Handsome Tours
2016 was Chance The Rapper‘s year and it’s already looking like 2017 will follow suit, having been announced as a Grammy nominee and performer, as well as promoting merchandise honouring the Obama family, a recent influx of social media posts about his daughter, and more. Chano has now debuted the fourth music video from his acclaimed, Grammy nominated Colouring Book mixtape.
The video is for deep cut Same Drugs, a song he described as “the hardest to write” on the tape. While the surface level of its lyrics suggest a fairly simply storyline, the deeper meaning of the relatively melancholic song is about loss and change, specifically looking at the relationship between Chance and a childhood friend, reflecting on how their interests and personalities have differed.
Debuted on Facebook Live (which Chance explained to be a bit of a hassle), the visual builds upon these nostalgic influences. Styled as a vintage TV style appearance, the faded video opens with Chance channelling his inner crooner, singing by a grand piano joined by a somewhat creepy life-size puppet, the same who joined him on his Magnificent Colouring World Tour. While the video opens very simplistically, it’s not long until we realise this is actually an alternate version of the single, which expands to feature vocals from singers Eryn Allen Kane, Yebba, John Legend, Francis Starlite and Macie Stewart.
Directed by Jake Schreier, the same man behind his other artistic Colouring Book cuts, No Problem, Angels, and How Great, the video of course takes creative twist in the closing stages of the clip. Snow begins to fall, and as Chano steps off the stage the video flips back into the HD, signifying his return to the present day rather than his reflective self, and as he walks out of the studio, we realise all those in control of the show are simply puppets.
No doubt Chance The Rapper will be making headlines later on this week as he performs at this year’s Grammy Awards, where he is sure to cash in on a few of his seven award nominations, which includes Best New Artist and Best Rap Album. Check out the video below!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=be37-T72DNk
Image: YouTube – Chance The Rapper
While 9th Wonder might be known for his work behind the boards with the likes of Mary J. Blige, Kendrick Lamar, and Jay Z to name a few, it’s his latest enterprise finding him cement other artists into history. Working in accordance with Harvard University and their archival Hip-Hop project ‘These Are The Breaks’, 9th has been hard at work to categorise 200 of the culture’s most pivotal albums, tracking down every single sample used on each.
Unveiling the first four to make their place in musical history, he began with classics, Nas’ Illmatic, Lauryn Hill’s The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill, A Tribe Called Quest’s Low End Theory and Kendrick Lamar’s To Pimp a Butterfly. Speaking of his first picks he explained, “These are the first four we chose to start with to live for forever in the Harvard Library, and to be forever placed in the canon, complete with liner notes and the vinyl that was used in the production of the album.”
Each of these albums made an enormously significant impact since they were released, with many being granted ‘classic’ status almost immediately. It’s unclear whether the rest of the list will follow this tradition, or whether albums of a lesser-recognised status will make their way into the archive. Either way, 9th Wonder’s 200 will serve as a fitting representation of hip-hop to exhibit the future generations.
For a little more insight, check out the trailer to Wonder’s documentary where he investigates and teaches hip-hop at Harvard University. Let us know what you think should make it’s way into the rest of the 196.
Image: Hip Hop 4 Life
It’s been a big twelve months for Brisbane’s premiere indie rockers The Jungle Giants. Coming off their massive national tour in July, the group ended up having a bit of time out with side projects (drummer Keelan with a café, and the super group Confidence Man), only to begin (and we assume finish) recording their forthcoming album.
As their previous Speakerzoid is about to reach its two-year anniversary, the four-piece have now unveiled their new sound with Feel The Way I Do.
Known for their gritty guitar riffs and irresistible melodies, this latest tune builds upon this with an undoubtedly fresh sound. A change of pace, it’s more electro-pop than indie rock, almost sounding like a love child between early Metronomy and Franz Ferdinand grooves.
Driven by a range of tangy synth stabs and piano chimes, there’s certainly strong funk and disco influences throughout, accented by bright guitar riffs and a signature grooving bassline. It’s oddly nostalgic, and lead singer Sam Hales is certainly taking a smoother and cleaner approach with his delivery. While it may surprise some fans of their heretofore jangly indie rock, we’re personally in love with this funk flavour.
Luckily for those of a like mind, the track comes along with the announcement of an album, due for release mid-2017, and of course their addition to this year’s Groovin The Moo festival (album teasers perhaps?).
Have a listen to the track and check out the tour dates below.
‘Groovin The Moo’ Festival Dates:
Friday, 28th April | Adelaide Showground, Wayville SA
Saturday, 29th April | Maitland Showground, Maitland, NSW
Sunday, 30th April | Murray Sports Complex – Townsville Cricket Grounds, QLD
Saturday, 6th May | Bendigo’s Price of Wales Showground, Bendigo, VIC
Sunday, 7th May 2017 | University of Canberra, Bruce, ACT
Saturday, 13th May 2017 | Hay Park, Bunbury, WA
Get Tickets HERE
Image: Supplied
Less than one week away from his somewhat mysterious fourth studio album I Decided, G.O.O.D. Music’s Big Sean has finally dropped the tracklist and it already looks to include some of his most illustrious collaborations to date. 14 tracks deep he’s linking up with the likes of Eminem, Jeremih, Migos, The-Dream, Twenty88 (himself and Jhené Aiko), and Starrah (she’s got writing credits on Drake’s Fake Love and Rihanna’s Needed Me), some of the biggest artists in recent times.
Eminem is a huge inspiration of Sean’s, and talking to Beats 1‘s Zane Lowe he explained how refreshing it was to work with his idol on his album, “Eminem, he was the only person I heard that could be on that song, to keep it honest. It kinda reminded me of why I am such an Eminem fan, and why I fell in love with Eminem’s work. The way he’s unique, he’s special. When he did this verse it brought that feeling right back to me. Like, this is like a brand new energy.”
The entire production credits on I Decided still remain uncertain, but already the man of the year Metro Boomin has an extremely prominent role with five of the fourteen tracks being Metro productions, including Sacrifices ft. Migos, Bigger Than Me ft. Starrah, the now certified gold Bounce Back and even No Favors with Eminem. I don’t know about you, but we can’t wait to hear Slim over a Young Metro production.
There’s no doubt this is proving to be one of Big Sean’s biggest (pardon the pun) releases ever. He’s taking a conceptual stance on this project, explaining to Jimmy Fallon that “the album is basically a chance, of having that wisdom of an old man when you’re young, and going through life and figuring it out.” In the lead up to its release he has also had listening sessions with the legendary Rick Rubin and Jay Z to ensure their blessing.
Other details regarding the project are limited, so make sure to keep your eyes and ears open for I Decided out this Friday. In the meantime, check out the track list below and keep Sean on your airwaves.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=phr1pOFK1V8
Image: Billboard
It’s been an extremely quiet five months for London’s buzzing grime artist Stormzy. Since taking part on the Brotherhood soundtrack in August, he’s been almost entirely AWOL, with almost all of his social media platforms bar Facebook disappearing and not to mention the frustrating cancellation of his 2016 tour dates (including Australian Listen Out dates). It’s no lie we’ve been on the edge of our seats since Scary announced the album was on the horizon, but it’s not until now that we have some (almost) concrete information.
There has been no official announcement, but suddenly appearing all over London have been billboards which feature Big Stormz’s lyrics , “Ain’t dropped nothing for a minute. I’m fine” and “You’re getting way too big for your boots” to name a few, accompanied with his signature hashtag #MERKY, along with the date February 24th and #GSAP. Could this be the title and release date of his heavily anticipated debut album?
Billboard In Hammersmith, West London // Image: The Fader
The album is rumoured to be produced by Wretch 32 collaborators Messers Mo and Mikey Samuels, and talking to Clash Stormzy explained this will be the return of his true self rather than his grime persona, “I’m using Michael not Stormzy, because I feel like I need to get back to who I am. There’s been glimpses of people seeing who I am but I’m talking on a musical level. You’re getting the freestyles, you’re getting the records here and there, but you’re not getting who Stormzy is. I want you to understand who I am, what I love, what I hate, what I treasure, what has stunted my growth, helped my growth. I want everything to be in this record.”
He went on to explain that the debut will feature collaborations with singers seeing as “there’s some bits I can’t do myself. I want people to feel that sense of bereavement or pain or mourning from my record.” This means it will likely feature thirteen-year-old viral star Deno Driz who Stormzy brought into the studio last year.
Details are sure to be revealed in the coming month, so keep your eyes peeled for what can only be good news.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7xA8Hzuyac
Image: Soccer Bible
While the lead-up to grime lord Wiley’s latest project The Godfather was touch and go, with Wiley having scrapped it multiple times and pushing back its September release date, one wondered whether the delays would have an effect on the quality of the music. It turns out that, despite all the fuss, there was nothing to fret about after all.
Since his early genre-bending Eskimo releases, and roles in revolutionary UK crews Pay As You Go Cartel and Roll Deep, Wiley has been continually branded the ‘Godfather of Grime’, hence this latest album title, but with this being his “last solo album”, there’s something about it all that feels a little different.
Packed right to the brim, this 17-track deep album itself is nostalgic without working itself up with the past. It’s a melting pot of all his past work, where he takes the pieces that worked and flips them into 2017. It’s reminiscent of the earliest Treddin’ On Thin Ice cuts while still remaining worlds away at the same time.
Whether or not this is the end of solo Wiley, given his pivotal role in the scene, the atmosphere of this release feels clear. It’s as if he’s vowing to show the kids how it’s done one last time.
Right from the get go, his signature sound shines through. Sharp, wobbly synths and electronic tones, wrapped around unfiltered, pulsating bass lines which result in that distinctive 140bpm head nod. Only ten seconds in and Wiley spits his classic Eskiboy name, going on to reiterate the bars “I can do it, I don’t need to try, I can do it, I done it already, bro”, proving that this music comes easily for him, that he’s made it, and this project really is for the fans.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcroTw04i-w
Devlin is the first guest from an all-star cast to make the tag, flexing on the track Holy Grime. Already the sonic change is evident. From experimental electronic groans, the pair’s explosive bars are now running over a selection of dark horns, with eerie choir wails and rampant drums. Another of the singles, Can’t Go Wrong, sports a similar vibe to this, where Wiley reflects on where he may have been without grime, going on to solemnly teach the youngins if you rap “straight from the heart, you can’t go wrong”.
With underlying thematics of family and integrity, Speakerbox chimes out with the grittiest bassline of the album, extremely reminiscent of grime’s early days. A change of pace, Wiley opens the track with a smooth hook, effortlessly explaining how he’s already at the top and doesn’t need to go further, “I’ve achieved tings I was dreamin’ of” he spits.
This same sound is then revisited on a later banger in Lucid which sees Wiley speak proudly about his role in grime. This gets built upon by Name Brand which speaks on another of the album’s major themes; fame and the evolving definition of fame. Almost 20 years in the game, he reflects on this alongside his Boy Better Know brothers in JME and Frisco along with one of his old Roll Deep collaborators J2K.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sa1glDxNvfk
There’s certainly a strong sense of reunion with his past Roll Deep brothers, Wiley praises his MacBook on Laptop with emcee Magna, talks grime business with Scratchy on Bait Face, and flexes his lyrical prowess with original members Flowdan and Jamakabi on Pattern Up Properly, a tune which sports an incredibly unique orchestral instrumental.
Yet if there’s any tracks where this nostalgia really shines through, it’s Bang, which plays out like a live rave thanks to the ferocity of NASTY Crew member Ghetts. Similarly on Joe Bloggs which sees Wiley rhyming alongside other pioneering emcees D Double E, Footsie, and Meridian Crew’s President T, each proving their OG status beyond doubt and comparing themselves to the most timeless faceless character in British slang, Joe Bloggs.
Where Skepta’s Konnichiwa had Ladies Hit Squad to take things down a notch, The Godfather has U Were Always, Pt. 2 to serve as its slow jam. A follow up to his classic 2009 tune with Dizzee Rascal and Tinchy Stryder this soulful tune is the only down-tempo sequence within Godfather’s hour long story. Featuring the aforementioned man of the hour Skepta alongside up-and-coming emcee Belly, the trio go on to deliver sentimental lyrics about past relationships and in true London fashion they somehow manage to tie this in with Nandos.
As if this project couldn’t feature any more legends, the mysterious Ice Kid, who disappeared in 2011 only to return in July last year, features alongside yet another Roll Deep pioneer in Little Dee and the hugely popular Chip. Over yet another gut wrenchingly dark electronic instrumental, Wiley confidently exclaims that he has “proved his point”, that his “name won’t die out”.
The album closes on yet another high, a remix of Wiley’s late 2015 tune that praised emcee P Money, ironically featuring the man himself. Back and forth, the pair spit lyrical revelry, springing off the heavy beat and proving they are at the top of their game to end a stellar swansong album.
The Godfather is the release we both desperately wanted, and needed from Wiley. He’s back with a purpose, and there’s not a single pop-flavoured or Americanised track in sight; it’s as iconically British as it can get.
When Wiley asserted that “it could only be [a grime album]” (Noisey), he really meant it, yet instead of delivering the same vibe for 57 minutes, each track’s instrumentation, subject matter and guest features feels fresher than the last.
If there was any post 2010 Wiley album that would make him deserving of the title The Godfather, without a doubt you’re looking at it.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cGP6p18H2sU
Image: Facebook – Wiley
Few can say they’ve had a career quite like Z-Trip. A DJ, turntablist and producer, his 20+ year career has allowed him to work with the likes of Chuck D (Public Enemy), Shepard Fairey and Kasabian among others, and currently works as LL Cool J’s resident tour DJ on the road. Also branded as the pioneer of the ‘mashup’ movement, Z-Trip has travelled the world time and time again, rocking crowds with his always evolving approach style. On the brink of his latest Australian tour, we managed to catch up with Z to chat about all things music, the DJ culture past and present, and where he finds himself now after working so long in the game.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBUDZeA9yE8
I was first introduced to you through the 2001 movie Scratch. In it, you explained how DJs at the time screwed themselves over by not pushing enough boundaries. 15 years later, how has DJ and turntablist culture evolved, and how is it faring?
Back then we had way more people who were interested in the art form, simply because it was new. We were developing a lot of the stuff at that time, we didn’t have as much technology, all the mixers, all the gear, all the endorsements. We were just getting to that stage where people were understanding what we were doing was an art form.
While there is still a huge community who are into it – maybe not the scratching, but what the community stood for – those people would gravitate towards producing and making beats. [Production] opened up and became really prevalent, whereas the turntablist world ended up taking a backseat.
Also, the secrecy and hunting around is gone. Technology has made it easier for people to get the music, or to be able to do what we were doing on vinyl. Now, you can pretty much get everything you need online, and the Internet’s there with a million different tutorials. I could go online and in ten minutes get everything I need to do this, and while that’s amazing, it’s made it accessible to everyone.
I feel because that opened up the doors to everything, turntablists became one branch in a bigger tree, which is figuring out how to manipulate music, how to remix and make music. It didn’t really matter about the turntable or the controller, vinyl or digital, it’s about getting their ideas out and I think that’s awesome because it’s still in the same vein, it’s creative people trying to do creative stuff.
The downside of that is you also have all these people who didn’t really get into the art in the live setting, they’d do it all in the studio. These people end up making great tunes and getting popular and people want to see them then perform and they go on stage and they don’t know what the fuck they’re doing. They go up there hit a couple buttons and jump around, and that is the sad thing of it being so accessible, because the learning curve went the way it did.
I do feel like that’s coming back to be honest. People are trying to figure out how to perform, therefore there’s this new wave of people who are just learning how to do this stuff now. In a metaphorical sense, I feel like once Serato [software] started, that’s when ‘babies’ were born. Now, seven or eight years later, people are finally figuring out how to form full sentences, figuring out how to perform in a sense.
Has your personal approach changed over the years with that digital influence?
100 per cent. The things I can do now are light-years ahead of what I was doing then. It’s funny, every so often for a bit of fun we’ll play all 45s or an all-vinyl set, and it’s not until then do you realise all the shit we had to deal with. If the record was warping, if you were outside – I did a show the other day outside and a big gust of wind came and blew the record off and it just sounded like hell – that was the reality. Now you don’t get any of that shit. When was the last time you heard a needle skip? When was the last time you heard someone fuck up a mix?
Do you still dig around? How has it changed?
I’m always digging, but now it’s different. Now I’m digging online, there’s more resources where you can find the thing you’re looking for and it’s not necessarily always vinyl; it could be digital, or movies, even YouTube, there’s so many samples just on that one platform. I might be watching a TV show and be like ‘oh shit, there’s a great sample.’ Back in the day you’d have to have VHS on hand or hopefully catch a re-run.
Digging has become way more accessible, but you never lose the ear, you’re always curious what’s around the corner, the next piece of gear, song, producer that can be introduced into the matrix, because that’s really it. It’s trying to figure out how to sound a little bit different to everybody else, and to do that that means that you have to be pulling things from different sources. If you go to other platforms you do you stand to find more shit, but we’re inundated with stuff. Before you used to have to go and find it, now it finds you.
Z-Trip as one of the judges at the prestigious Red Bull Thre3Style Competition // Image: Red Bull
It seems you have a love hate relationship with the term ‘mashup DJ’. How do you feel about how it’s been adopted into DJing?
It’s ‘love hate’ in that I love that it opened up a lot of doors and exposed a lot of people to me, that was a great moment in my career and in my life. But the problem is, imagine you’re a master musician, you can play any style of music really well, but if someone brands you as a country guy, you’ll never be looked at as the guy who can play reggae or funk or soul.
If I go and do a full bass set somewhere I’m doing any of that style of mixing, and people might not recognise or understand that diversity.
‘Mashup’ was no category, no genre, an open format, but then open format and no genre became the genre. People are always wanting to define what a certain sound or style is, they need labels to navigate it. People are exposed to all styles of music, but I consider myself a DJ, a master selector. When I say I’m a DJ, people ask ‘what kind of music do you play?’, ‘What radio station do you DJ for?’ ‘Oh, so you do weddings?’ When they realise that you play concerts, they’re like ‘so what kind of music do you play? House, Dance, EDM right? EDM?’
I just look at them and go, ‘I play really really good music, like the best music you’ve ever heard’ and they just walk away. It’s the epitome of someone trying to categorise something.
Are you still producing a lot too?
I still do it but I took a break from putting out new projects. I ended up taking a couple of years of not putting anything out, which gave me that minute to take inventory. I moved from Los Angeles to San Diego, and in doing that I realised I had all this stuff in storage from touring for fifteen, twenty years.
I moved everything, built a new studio and have just now started in the last six months spending a lot more time there with a new fresh perspective, start picking up these old projects I was working on and start putting them out.
I also changed a lot of things. I let go of my management after sixteen years, and now I’ve got three or four projects on the horizon. There’s no deadline, but now I’ve got a much better headspace, and I’m super inspired.
The lesson I learnt as a touring artist was if you don’t take those moments to stop and process, you’ll find yourself pretty much on your deathbed wondering how the fuck you got there. I never got to fulfil any other things because I was just constantly working, constantly grinding, not really paying attention to anything else. I missed every birthday from every family member, I missed every important occasion.
What can we expect from your live sets in Australia?
After taking that break and re-evaluating, I’m getting back into what got me into this in the first place – being so inspired by the music and wanting to share that music with people. I would just take whatever music I was really into and I would go out and just play that music.
After performing for a while you get to a point, like Guns ‘N Roses, they’ve gotta play this, this and this, they’ve gotta end with Sweet Child Of Mine, that’s the setlist, the same setlist for however long.
For me it ended up getting a little like that. You want to put on a good show, have that big ending, but what I really enjoyed was the improvisation, having the ability to rely on the instinct of what I’m feeling off that crowd that night. I might have an intro and outro, but everything that’s in the middle of that is really just me vibing off the crowd and seeing what works and what they don’t want, experimenting and taking a chance.
The best way I can equate this is, I started studying comedians a lot, because to me comedians have a lot of similarities between what we do and what they do. We’re both one person up on stage, taking the crowd on a journey, and we have to remind ourselves what we did or played in that market the last time we were there. So I started studying people like George Carlin and Louis C.K. Louis in particular was getting to this point where he was also getting kind of burnt out doing the same set over and over even though the crowd was none the wiser. So what he would do is plant these moments in his set that he could go to, vines he could swing to where he knew there was a new punchline and a bit, but he also knew he could then drift between the two, improvise and come up with really funny things and let his comedic mind just do what it does. In an environment that’s so sink or swim, that’s when you know you’re the fucking master at it; when you can go up there, not know what you’re going to play and smash the motherfucker.
Image: AU Review
So you’d say you’re now more confident than ever?
You get to a point after all the stuff I’ve done, that you have to challenge yourself, you have to have fun and be innovating. For me the confidence level comes from knowing that at the very least I can go back and play a set that I know works, there’s a safety net in a sense, but I’m really not wanting to pull that out.
There’s these moments, every good DJ knows the feeling, when you’re playing and it’s going good but you don’t know what the fuck you’re going to play next. There’s something about that adrenaline rush when there’s only a minute left of the song and you’re like, ‘I could blow this whole thing right now if I select the wrong tune’.
I have another project that I’ve been doing just like that. I’ve been doing this stuff with silent films. Back in the 1920s or 30s they had a piano player or orchestra play along with the movie because there was no sound. I was approached by Tribeca Films to do just that, to become the music person and compose live in front of an audience, and that sounded fucking amazing.
I’ve now done that three times and it’s incredible because it’s a whole new approach and angle to apply these skills, rather than just going to the club, raging, and then calling it a night. Trying to choose the right song, make sure it ends at the right time, have the right sounds to correlate to the images, it’s really interesting because it’s a completely different angle.
What’s on the cards for you in 2017?
There’s a collaboration project I’ve been working on with another producer, an on and off three year project where we work on stuff, then don’t see each other for another three months, then work on more stuff again. There’s no real deadline but we have like eighteen things that are basically 80-90% done. We’re going to take two weeks and find a studio far away from everywhere, and try and finish this thing. I can’t really go too deep into the details of who it is and what it is but that’s coming.
I’ve got another collaborative mix project as well, and there’s a string of 2017 shows that I still do with LL Cool J. Really it’s just about getting back into the studio and pushing those boundaries.
https://vimeo.com/189221724
DJ Z-Trip Tour Dates
21 January – Mona Foma, Hobart
22 January – Faux Mo, Hobart
25 January – Tivoli, Adelaide
26 January – The Laundry Bar, Melbourne
28 January – The Factory, Sydney
Get tickets HERE.
Image: Dublab
It’s Wednesday, four nights before what ended up being the best New Year celebration of my life, Beyond The Valley. Following a car ride from Melbourne city out to the Lardner festival and setting up the campsite, it was boogie time almost immediately, with a mystery international guest in tow to entertain the earlybird campers. And so, the festival began with an intimate set from none other than Claptone, whose chiming house tunes bellowed through the central park, gathering all attendees into the one spot for the first and last time of the festival – an amazing way to kick things off.
Image: Facebook – Beyond The Valley
Day 2
Waking up on day two, the skies were looking dim, and to make matters even more interesting a heavy storm was predicted to hit mid to late afternoon. So, we got out to as much as we possibly could. Alex Lahey cleared the skies and brought the sun and good vibes with her, delivering her signature Australian twang and down to earth lyrics making for a warm welcome to the main festival. Running through tracks from her debut EP like Wes Anderson, and PTSD early on, she amped up the crowd with the inevitable revelry of Let’s Go Out, and closing number You Don’t Think You Like People Like Me.
There was no question though, that the day peaked early with Boy Better Know’s CEO JME, drawing an energetic crowd at 3PM. Joined by BBK’s resident DJ, DJ Maximum, JME opened on strong with his latest album’s title track Integrity. Being his first ever Australian show, there was a solid mix of both classics alongside the more recent album cuts, smoothly transitioning from the tracks like Serious to Taking Over.
The energy in the crowd was wild, despite many not being fully aware of the artist, who is also the brother of grime’s standout king Skepta. Still, his raw and gritty delivery atop booming instrumentals was so on point that they were impactful whether you’d heard them before or not. Adding to the stage antics, at one point an Australian cork hat was thrown on stage, and JME proceeded to flip some of his verses and freestyle about Australia and the hat itself.
Soon, the rain began to pour, showering onlookers with much needed cool water. We were drenched from top to bottom, but we were happy with one of the highlights of the entire festival.
Image: Semplesize – Christopher Cohen
The storm picked up even stronger, so headed back to the tent to gather out gumboots and ponchos, ready to head to the main stage. While JME took us into the rain, GoldLink braved the storm and pulled us out the other end. Although he arrived little late (no doubt because of the rain), his DJ did an amazing job to keep the energy up and the worries away, playing tracks like Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head and Migos’ Bad and Boujee.
GoldLink emerged, thankful that his fans actually still came out in such weather. Tracks like Sober Thoughts and Dark Skinned Women had the intimate yet devoted crowd belting his lyrics, and the energy really heightened when he had a little covers jam, dropping tracks like Next Episode, Killing in the Name Of and Smells Like Teen Spirit. Sliding back into his own hits, Dance on Me and Fall In Love provided just the right upbeat energy needed to create another magical moment.
Thundamentals came through next with yet another energetic set that helped us forget about the weather. Joined by a DJ and live trumpet, the tracks sounded fresher than ever. Tuka’s vibrancy and jumps around the stage were infectious, while tracks like Smiles Don’t Lie and Got Love worked the crowd into a sing-along frenzy, while Thunda’s experienced their very first mudslide.
The highlight of the night came courtesy of Hermitude, who had a fully live set with an MPC (drum machine), turntables, keys and synths to bring their tunes to life. A well balanced mix of their own productions alongside remixes, they flipped tunes from Rihanna, Kanye and even The Lion King in between their own hits. Blitzhing through the classics, Speak of the Devil had an amazing breakdancing video, Searchlight featured a special appearance from Yeo, and of course Hyperparadise, which they couldn’t play without the Flume remix, resulting in a sea of screams and a chant of “I don’t have to worry!” As if the good vibes couldn’t get any better, they even handed out a gnome to the crowd, as this apparently brings good luck to whomever touches it. The only thing left was The Buzz, and boy did that go off.
Day 3
After Hudson Mohawke pulled out of his Australian tour, the anticipation was even higher for his TNGHT collaborator Lunice. Known for his dark, bass heavy beats, it was extremely weird to see him perform bright and early at 3pm. nevertheless, the Canadian’s DJ set was really fun and entirely unexpected. Rather than stay behind the decks pumping fists, he climbed on the table, partied with the crowd, and most of all took us on a journey (one that didn’t include actual DJing, clearly). Gliding through tracks from Rihanna, Travis Scott, Chance The Rapper, Goldlink and Kanye to name a few, he also delivered grime from Skepta, Novelist and producer Faze Miyake. From there, it only got heavier, with BPM continuously rising to a point of experimental hardstyle, and his own TNGHT tracks Higher Ground and Buggn. It ended suddenly, and we wished it could’ve lasted much longer.
Things took another turn with Luke Million, who delivered the funkiest set in the dance tent. 80s dance musicinspired dance music had the listeners grooving to their hearts content, and rather than simply spin tracks he too was performing live with additional synths and keys. When Arnold dropped, the audience followed suit in incredible fashion, squatting up and down to the bodybuilder-turned-politician’s voice, while Luke fired up the stage with a belter of a keytar solo, all in all making for an incredible moment. Of course, his Stranger Things remix was another hit, having enjoyed massive runaway success last year.
Returning to the state they used to call home, The Delta Riggs were certainly welcomed warmly. Keeping the energy high singer Elliott Hammond kicked the set into gear, quite literally with his bag of stage theatrics. Each track felt livelier and livelier. The Record’s Flawed and … got the crowd in a ramble, and despite the early microphone failures which popped and crackled through tracks, their raw bravado and punk nature kept things full steam ahead. Supersonic Casualties rung out through the arena as their final track, and regardless of their psychedelic sound their set had taken us on one hell of a trip.
Image: Tone Deaf – Brandon John
Emoh Instead of What So Not fame was the first of the three heavyweight acts to grace the main stage that night. If you had to describe his set in one word, fat would be it. Every drop felt bassier, grittier, deeper than the next, and pulled the crowd further into his grip. He delivered a varied set of his own tunes and remixes, including his own heavenly trap take on the Stranger Things theme. We sang to Gemini, moshed to Tell Me and Waiting, and went wild to Jaguar.
As far as stage setups go, ZHU’s eerily cloaked band members was incredible. His set was jazzy, funk rhythms, delicately wrapped up in a range of bouncing beats. With the addition of live guitar and saxophone from the cloaked band members, the American producer’s electronic jams sounded tastier than ever. Each tune received warm praise, but it wasn’t until Faded that the crowd really livened up in the latter end of his set. All in all while I enjoyed his set, the change from What So Not was so different that I found myself really just craving the next act.
The man of the hour year, festival headliner Chance The Rapper was the next and final to appear on the main stage for the night. Showing up around 10 minutes late, he wasted no time, jumping right into Angels. Cutting the track half way through, he switched to Blessings, before apologising for having lost his voice. It was clear that his voice was cracking a little, but it seemed so sincere and genuine, and the energy did not waver for a moment. Lesser artists would have cancelled with a lost voice, yet he pushed through, delivering the best set of the entire festival. Introducing Acid Rap, he then delved into some favourites like Pusha Man, Cocoa Butter Kisses and Favourite Song. He then performed a couple of tracks he’d guested on, namely Action Bronson’s Baby Blue (which he dedicated to his ex) and of course, the brilliant Ultralight Beam.
But he wasn’t done just yet. After a brief wait, Chance launched into a back-to-back medley of No Problem, Mixtape and All Night, bringing the energy higher than ever. Thanks to The Social Experiment behind him, he was also able to change things up a bit in comparison to the recordings, delivering a stripped-back, heartfelt All We Got and Blessings part 2 as the final track, blasting confetti out over the crowd. Frankly, only thing keeping this from being a perfect set was that the audience surrounding me weren’t as hyped as they should have been.
Image: Tone Deaf – Brandon John
Day 4
Finally at long last, New Year’s eve had arrived, bringing clear skies and good vibes along with it. The daytime was mainly focused on electronic singer-songwriters, with our favourite being the super talented Wafia. Delivering one of the most solemn performances of the festival, her emotive yet danceable music was the perfect kick off for the day. Racing through her own jams alongside those produced with collaborator Ta-ku, and we even got a glimpse into new material with an ‘unnamed track which doesn’t yet have a home’. While her performance was relaxed, and the audience mimicked this, the atmosphere was still extremely positive, and the set was so enjoyable.
Brisbane’s stoner rock heroes Dune Rats contrasted these calm vibes with a weed-filled whirlwind soon after. Walking out onstage to the Rocky theme song and jumping straight into Dalai Lama, Big Banana, Marijuana, it packed a mean punch from the get go. Tracks like Fuck It and Superman are perfect for festival sing-alongs, and later, they held a shoey competition, even giving a fan the stage for one song. What followed was a sloppy reinterpretation of Nirvana’s Smells Like Teen Spirit, yet once the drums slapped in, the mosh went wild, before they ended their set with the unruly Bullshit.
Image: AAA Backstage – Emily Mathison
Tokimonsta matched Lunice as my favourite DJ set of the festival, with her incredible ability to really transport the crowd. Beginning with hip-hop bangers like The Next Episode and Alright, it soon blended into trap, slowly getting heavier, bassier and more experimental, keeping punters on their toes. She also played a new track that she has in the works with one of our favourite artists Anderson .Paak, a tune we’ll be eagerly waiting for.
The night was now fully underway, with 2017 fast approaching. Phantogram delivered a gritty and dark set which masterfully demonstrated their blend of hip-hop, rock and electronic vibes. Their stage presence was intoxicating, especially when You Don’t Get Me High Anymore rang out, setting the bar high for the rest of the night.
Canberra kings Safia came through next with a mystical performance. Playing crowd favourite My Love Is Gone early on, the bass vibrated to a new level, and with only a few tracks into their set, the man next to me claimed that he could now die happy. Make Them Wheels Roll added to the adrenaline, but the major highlight was when the trio merged Led Zeppelin into their hit Counting Sheep.
As the countdown neared, Sticky Fingers took to the stage for one of the final sets before their hiatus. It was a bittersweet moment, and the topic of many discussions among the mosh. While they were meant to show up ten minutes before the countdown, the lads decided to take it time, only arriving in time for the ten second countdown.
Confetti exploded as the crowd cheered their way into the year, as the band launched into Australia Street, followed by Our Town and Gold Snafu; this was the the blast into the year we wanted, and we got. Gliding through their catalogue, it was clear that despite the controversy facing them of late, their fans are as dedicated as ever belting out every word as if it was their own. After playing through some recent tunes, their classic material really took the cake, Rum Rage, Caress Your Soul and of course closing with How To Fly made for a great start to a (hopefully) great year.
Image: Sam Brumby
The night was coming to a close, but first, Motez and Dom Dolla rounded it off in amazing fashion. With Motez on the hill and Dom in the tent, each set went off and kept the party going until 3am.
At risk of sounding reductive, everything about this year’s Beyond The Valley was incredible. The music was loud, and I mean loud. The stage designs were next level, and each even had its own side-of-stage DJ booth to keep the party going between sets. The people, food, bars and campsites were great, but it was the music curation that really won out. Okay, we would have preferred a bit more hip-hop, but that’s just us. The variety of local and visiting talent was so solid, and it made for the best possible way to ring in the new year. Bring on BTW 2017-8!
Header Image: Facebook – Beyond The Valley
It’s now only a few days until Wiley drops his eleventh studio album, Godfather. In a new interview over at Vice’s music website Noisey, the Eskiboy himself has ominously announced that this will in fact be his last.
“This is my last album, in theory” he said, “You know, Wiley the brand, you’re not going to see me trying to cane the arse out of tens of Wileys, you will not. I’ll always use my money to do other, smart things.”
Much like countless other artists who threaten their exit, this is not the first time he’s announced his retirement, and as such, we’re not taking seriously – yet. He first called it quits after releasing the 2013 The Ascent, only to release Snakes & Ladders in 2014, after which he made the same claim yet again. He insists that this album really will be his last though, perhaps due to the tumultuous production process, which has caused him to threaten scrapping it entirely several times, even calling it “pointless” in July last year.
The interview did not push further into the topic or any reasons as to why he’s retiring, and why he would actually be retiring this time around, but there were some more highlights throughout, namely his critiques of co-pioneer grime artists Skepta and Kano.
He explained Skepta’s Konnichiwa was “the right album for what this guy [Skepta] was trying to do and where he was trying to sell it.” But as for Kano’s Made In The Manor, he thinks that it was “the wrong album to be made by him at a time when grime was in fashion.”
“If grime is in and it’s popping, and you can see Stormzy and anyone else bringing it back, and you’re so good at it, you could have just given a fifteen track grime classic to follow up Home Sweet Home,” he explained, going on to continuously reference MITM as “a good Damon Albarn album”.
It’s frustrating that Wiley can’t let Kano evolve musically, and in a sense it’s almost in the wrong moral for him to say just because grime is taking off worldwide that you have to release an all grime album, making us almost question whether Wiley’s decision to stick with the genre is for the right reasons.
Despite this he also touched on whether there may be a Boy Better Know group album, to which he said it was up to Skepta, as he funnily called “the Wiley of BBK”.
So who knows whether this will truly be the final project from Wiley, we’ll just have to wait and see. In the meantime, The Godfather is set to be released this Friday, and features a plethora of artists, the BBK family – Skepta, JME, Frisco to name a few, alongside other pioneers and pivotal emcees, Devlin, Ghetts, P Money, Newham Generals (D Double E and Footsie), Lethal Bizzle, Chip and much, much more.
Have a listen to one of the lead single with emcee Devlin below, and check out Noisey’s full interview here.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcroTw04i-w
Image: VICE