The Very Good Agency

Big Daddy Kane at Okayplayer

For Those of you who follow the origins of hip hop, I thought I would point out a sweet little video on Big Daddy Kane that www.okayplayer.com just published. As one of the forefathers of hip hop, and one of the major introductions of smooth hip hop, it’s nice to see his take on the scene over the years.

Enjoy

…bs

Tags: hip hop

Hip Hop – Australia VS New Zealand Round 1

A lot of people, both artists and fans, hit our website in search of an ‘underground’ or conscious group of artists that represent the Australasian  hip hop scene. I’m not talking about the hip pop, candy rap, gangster lifestyle that has become commercially accepted as what hip hop is, I’m talking about artists that have grown up listening to a diverse range of styles, artists and genres, and have been so taken by the underlying beat that is present in real hip hop that they have built it into whatever music they are creating … and then collaborated with the modern day poets and singers. So following this logic it usually leads to the question from foreigners – where is the freshest music coming from? hmmmmm well…

In the Red Corner: weighing in with some of the dirtiest MPC’s, meanest harmonies, and authentic reggae and soul influences is Aotearoa a.k.a. New Zealand

In the Blue Corner: weighing in with some of the most innovative crossovers, upbeat summer jams, and wide variety in the world right now is Ozzy a.k.a Australia.

For the purposes of this title fight there needs to be many rounds, with so many groups and individuals bringing their styles to the table.

Round 1:

Olmecha Supreme

Hometown: Arrowtown New Zealand

Group Members: 4

Special Attacks: MPC, Imagination, Dirty Bass

VS

True Live

Hometown: Melbourne, Australia

Group Members: 6

Strengths: Full Classical ensemble, theatrical performance, an Aussie accent that’s ok in hip hop

In reality there will be no champion between the countries, and the true question should be – why don’t these two countries have more collaborations between these awesome artists to solidify the community of like minded artists with something more to offer?

But for the purposes of this little comp… what’s it going to be people

We’re installing the voting poll section soon – so in the mean time just click on the picture of the kiwi and aussie at the top, and leave your vote on the comment section.

Two innovators in their games, tight vocals, wicked tunes, but only one can win.

You can check out more of these artists at:

www.myspace.com/olmechasupreme

www.myspace.com/truelive

see you in round 2

…bs

Tags: Australian Artists, hip hop, New Zealand Artists

Little Bushman on tour

Impromptue meetings this morning meant that I got to take a pleasent tram ride over to South Melbourne, giving me a chance to soak up one of the local Melbourne street press mag’s Inpress. As usual the mag is full on advertisements for controversially dressed people of all different ages and genres trying to communicate their sound in an unusual promotional piece. The big advertisements are usually the same as the last week and generally reserved for those artists who have management and promotion handled for them, so I usually check out the smaller ads and write-ups to see what’s going on that’s not hot on the streets, ’cause there’s a far better chance that i’m going to be into it.

And a little ad in the corner of the page for New Zealand’s psychadelic soul group Little Bushman proved my theory right once again.

Yossarian covered them well in his earlier article if your not familiar with these dudes.

They will play starting next week in QLD, VIC, WA, NSW and both of New Zealand’s north and south island’s with a complete gig listing on their myspace page.

Little Bushman – Mary

For anyone who is trying to work out where they know that beautiful voice from, your not crazy, Warren Maxwell is one of three parts of one of the best groups to have ever come out of New Zealand – Trinity Roots. So i’m really excited to see how this event plays out having thrashed Trinity Roots albums ever since they split a few years ago just waiting for the chance to see any of them play live again. A complete shift away from the style of Trinity Roots, Warren brings a really new and innovative style to the party in Little Bushman, unless of course you grew up in the seventies. I’m not really sure if i’m gonna dance or grab a couch and chill for this set, but I am sure i’m going to have an awesome night, and for $12 in Melbourne, I hope the brothers have a tip jar out, because that’s just crazy for this quality of music.

Trinity Roots – Home, Land & Sea

You can check out more of Little Bushman at:

www.myspace.com/littlebushmanband

…bs

Tags: Funk, gigs, New Zealand Artists, Reggae, Soul

Sola Rosa – Get It Together

So it is now official: there is no such thing as “genres”. They were just generic classifications used to put music into arbitrary categories with stuff that sounded similar. Well these are now all outdated. The proof comes in the form of Sola Rosa’s diverse new offering ‘Get It Together’, which was recently released as the follow up to the 2005 masterpiece ‘Moves On’.

Sola Rosa has grown and developed over the years since beginning as essentially a one-man project,  started by New Zealand DJ/Producer Andrew Spraggon in 1999.  He has overseen the expansion to a fully-fledged band capable of powerhouse performances, both live and in the studio. There is a strong Latino personality and feel to the album, but it encompasses a wide and varied range of genres, which all seem to compliment each other perfectly.

Giving you the equivalent of a good mix CD or compilation album, except all the music is from the same band. Guest contributors from around the globe also add their influence, including Spikey Tee (Jah Wobble, Bomb the Bass, etc.); German globetrotter, poet and singer Bajka; UK MC Serocee; and emerging Wellingtonian songstress Iva Lamkum, who features on the new single Turn Around (which you can watch just below).  Because music is sound (and highly subjective) it’s better for you to sample it for yourself rather listen to a description, so go check out the official band site (links at the bottom).

This is an album balancing both organic and electric elements, that are fused with precision and intensity. Mixing effortlessly between all kinds of funky sounds the album incorporates parts of dub, hip hop, lounge, jazz and whatever else can help set the scene. It even includes a song that sounds like the next James Bond theme. The results of the flexible production is a eclectic mix of brilliant songs. ‘Get It Together’ is about as upbeat and party-friendly as you can get, while always remaining smooth and composed in a laid back jazzy style, it all ends up sounding like a party on a beach in South America, and everyone is invited!

Find out more about the diverse mixture of sounds from:

The band’s official website

‘Get It Together’ Album Website

Strickly uptown living
…Yossarian

Tags: Collaborations, Funk, Jazz, New Zealand Artists

Che Fu’s in Melbourne

The man who needs no introduction in Australia and New Zealand, Che-Fu, is back on one of his semi-regular Easter trips to Melbourne to pay his respects to his the huge Aussie and Kiwi following down under. The Fresh RnB Club has been bringing a bunch of the underground hip hop, soul, Rnb, reggae acts that have been big players in New Zealand over the last decade in the likes of King Kapisi, Nesian Mystik, Savage, and now topping it off with one of the godfathers of Aotearoa for our generation, Che-Fu. You can check out the history and score card for this dude in his Artist Profile but if you’ve been in Australia or New Zealand in the last 15 years you probably already know how many dope tracks and kiwi anthems he has given us. To put it his influence in perspective, The Very Good Agency first existed in the market to run an East Coast tour of Che-Fu, DJ CXL, and PROJECT nRt a few years ago, so all you international readers out there can understand a lot about New Zealand music from checking out not only his solo work, but some of the funk rap mix he kicked in the old school in Supergroove.

Che-Fu – Misty Frequencies

The rastafarian influence in NZ hip hop, Che-Fu has always been related to by kiwi guys and girls ’cause he talks a real game with an every day vibe that exists in New Zealand. Always bringing the soft soul vocals, Che’s also one of the few artists in New Zealand who raps as tight and as consciously as he sings. (never overlook Olmecha Supreme and MC Hazaduz).

Che-Fu plays at The Colonial Hotel this Friday 10th April. hopefully after Supergroove re-united last year he may have been practising some of his rhymes to drop from back in the days…

like this

Supergroove – Can’t Get Enough

You can check out more of Che-Fu at:

www.myspace.com/chefunz

www.che-fu.com

…bs

Tags: gigs, hip hop, New Zealand Artists, Reggae, Soul