The Very Good Agency

Pataphysics unearths support for Indian Students

……………… Music, It’s just like politics for the cool young people yeh? well it can be, and the response to Pataphysics new track ‘Cloaked Guerilla’  is very cool people, very cool.

It’s early and there’s a movie on Cocaine trafficking i’m keen to finish watching so rather then re-write the events of the past week, below is the press release that we sent out to media which sums it all up quite nice and tidily, as well as the brand new video clip for ‘Cloaked Guerilla’… enjoy.

Young Australians vote against Indian student attacks

With Indian student attacks bringing Australian racism into question in both Australian and International media this week, Australia’s youth and young adults have used one of the few vehicles of expression in the mainstream media available to them, to vote against the negative perception of Australia that is being created on the world stage… and the vehicle is music.

Melbourne based musician Patrick Marks, a.k.a. Pataphysics, has spoken out in an attempt to give young Australian adults a voice in a political arena in which their voice is rarely heard, and with his new release ‘Cloaked Guerilla’ hitting #1 on Triple J’s ‘unearthed’ chart this week, Australian youth and young adults voices are supporting a message of understanding.

Pataphysics - ‘Cloaked Guerilla’

When quizzed as to the meaning of a ‘Cloaked Guerilla’, Pataphysics, who is presently writing his thesis on ‘Indigenous Resistance’ through RMIT University explains “I guess you could say people who are marginalized or a part of a minority, who aren’t treated fairly, and who stand up and resist being subjected to the will of oppressing forces”. “The concept of a ‘Cloaked Guerilla’ applies neatly to the current outcries from the Australian Indian community’s anger with attackers, what is also important in this scenario though, is that these attackers motivations whatever they may be, are distinguished from young Australian adults cultural norms, and the world media carrying images of a racist Australia is not helping to address and solve the real issue.”

With various prominent world media outlets painting a bleak picture of the safety for international visitors to Australia, Australian young adults; as both peers of the accused attackers, and leaders of tomorrow, are only too aware that they are the generation that will face the consequences of the damaged international relations that this nature of publicity will inevitably result in.

Liam Salem, a 20 year old Melbourne man drawn into discourse after seeing Pataphysics music video clip for ‘Cloaked Guerilla’ expressed deep concern with the media coverage he had seen exclaiming “We are not a racist generation, and don’t want the world media to let the actions of the racially ignorant, and criminally violent minority, speak for the majority of a generation of harmonious, young adults who welcome travelers of the world to our beautiful country”.

Pataphysics draws from personal experience as well as academic and activist pursuits, as a first generation Australian who’s parents migrated to Australia from Sri Lanka, very shortly after the ‘White Australia policy’ was abolished in the 1970’s. “Given that these policies were only abolished one generation ago, of course many of the attitudes passed down will still exist today to some degree, however these are in no way the dominant view of young Australia, or Australia as a nation, and the world media needs to convey the current situation accurately: as serious in nature, but not as a fair representation of Australian society and it’s cultural norms”.

With wide ranging participation in Australian political networks, currently including a masters in social sciences, and active involvement in grass roots political group ‘Free West Papua’, Pataphysics uses music to communicate his message in a political arena where discussion from young adults is generally limited. “By using a language that is widely enjoyed by youth and young adults around Australia & the world (hip hop), I am able to get their attention for long enough to convey a simple thought, or ask a simple question, that will stay with them long after the performance is over, and ultimately involve them in discussions in which they’re opinions are typically neglected or unheard”. With ‘Cloaked Guerilla’ soaring to #1 on Australia’s prominent ‘young’ radio station ‘Triple J’ with such speed, it appears that the support for marginalized communities in Australia’s young adults is far more apparent than the world media is suggesting.

Pataphysics ended by saying “I cannot speak for my country (Australia), nor for the attackers in question. All that I can do is encourage those who have an opinion which goes unnoticed to contribute through the channels available to them, and with the support that we have been shown for ‘Cloaked Guerilla’ this week, it is even clearer to me now that I have a continued responsibility to strengthen communication channels for the disengaged youth in our community, who wish for the world to know that Australia is a beautiful, diverse, multi-cultural nation, where racism isn’t tolerated, and never will be”.

You can see (could have seen) Pataphysics perform ‘Cloaked Guerilla’ and more in an evening where Australian’s can have the opportunity to hear West Papuan refugee’s stories, and speak about the current situation in West Papua. but now it’s too late ya chump

“FREE WEST PAPUA”
An evening of film, music & info at:
Northcote Uniting Church
251 High St Northcote
Melbourne
Thursday June 4th

…bs

Tags: Australian Artists, Funk, gigs, hip hop, Jazz, Political

Cloaked Guerilla Unearthed

Hey peoples…

Pataphysics has posted his new track ‘Cloaked Guerilla’ on Triple J’s ‘Unearthed’ for voting now! Shooting straight to #42 within the first few days, and #16 on the hip hop chart, it’s time for us to have our vote and push this track further up the list, to where it belongs.

You can vote at:

www.triplejunearthed.com/Pataphysics

and check out what Pataphysics had to say about the track in an earlier post here.

Cool

…bs

Tags: Competitions, Funk, hip hop, Political, Reggae

Pataphysics – Cloaked Guerilla

Pataphysics released another sweet track this week to add to the collection… we caught up with him in brief to see where he’s at, and where he’s going next…

You’ve just dropped your new track ‘Cloaked Guerilla’ this month. So what’s a Cloaked Guerilla dude?
Guess you could say people who are marginalised or a part of a minority, who aren’t treated fairly, and who stand up and resist being subjected to the will of oppressing forces.

Yeah, Australia’s history is funny, one of our favorite icons is a cop killer (Ned Kelly), but we find it hard to

remember warriors who resisted invasion and protected their families, warriors like Pemulwuy and Jandamarra, comparable to figures like Geronimo and Sitting Bull.

Got a film clip coming out soon for Cloaked Guerilla, as well as playing a show on the 4th of June with the Free West Papua campaign. These guys are fighting for basic human rights in West Papua . Check it out at www.freewestpapua.com.au/

And you can check out Cloaked Guerilla in

Pataphysics Artist Profile

Tags: Australian Artists, gigs, hip hop, Jazz, Political, Reggae

Society Is Brainwashed – Ill Bill

Obviously many of us are aware by now that governments and the media lie to us on a regular basis, whether we like to believe it or not. Some of us don’t really care anymore, while others get really into the whole conspiracy theory type thing. Sites like infowars.com manage to keep churning out some great ones. So how the hell does this relate to music you may begin to ask? Well here’s a song that came out end of last year by Ill Bill, it’s got a great beat which is pretty much guaranteed when Dj Premier is on production. It’s from the album ‘Hour of Reprisal’ which also came out in 2008. It should appeal to hip hop fans who like a bit of controversy or substance in the lyrics. With great lines like:

“Every society honours it’s live conformists and dead trouble-makers.”

“Old men start wars for young dudes to die in
Madison Avenue tellin’ what you should be buyin’
religion and science always profess peace but in the end
who created the deadly war machine society is?”

Ill Bill – Society is Brainwashed

We all should know by now that the world is run by people who don’t listen to good music!

You can check out more of Ill Bill at:

www.myspace.com/illbill

…Yossarian

Tags: Collaborations, hip hop, Music video, Political

Can’t Stop Won’t Stop

I like to think that I know a little bit about the history of the hip hop generation, the crossover of styles that had ignited to form a powerful new genre, and now the manipulation into sub genres which we haven’t even had time to name.

It’s been an explosion that has taken place over a few decades now, and I finally get to read what I feel is the best summary to date; Jeff Chang’s novel, ‘Can’t Stop Won’t Stop’.

Recommended by a friend from the b-girl breaking side, it covers all facets of b-boy and hip hop culture and also the the world view it has created. From the breakers, the graphers, the dj’s, and of course centre stage today… the emcee’s, rightfully this book does well to stay true to the origins of hip hop in the dj, from the transformation of reggae tracks onto dubplats in Jamaica, the flight of this new culture and idea in Kool Herc to the notorious New York Bronx, and its not so eventual viral like spread throughout the world… Can’t Stop Won’t Stop fills in so many of the blank’s of the experience of ‘being there’ that my generation of appreciators can only envisage or feel through reminiscing.

Profiles – Jeff Chang author of ‘Can’t Stop Won’t Stop’

Right now i’m just hitting talk of the days of NWA right after Public Enemy have been making waves, and already I have learned so much and come to understand so many re-occurring themes that I’ve heard over my years of listening. The actual happenings taking place in America lead me to thinking, how could we ever have an Australian or New Zealand hip hop culture that we could truly call our own. Are the off shoots of hip hop in countries around the world a homage to the original, or are they creations of their own right. Hopefully by the end of this book I will be have more light to shed on the future of the scene, but if I come up short Jeff’s got a follow up on that very topic.

For someone who doesn’t read all that much, I can recommend this book to anyone who is interested in hip hop cultures origins, and until i’m finished reading this book, I Can’t Stop, and I Won’t…

finish it in a cheesy way like that.

you can check out more of Jeff Chang at:

www.cantstopwontstop.com

…bs

Tags: hip hop, Political