hip hop
Pataphysics
With few Australian artists entering the scene in underground hip hop as of late (at least of any quality), it’s all good when you happen to come across a group as interesting and talented as Pataphysics. Based in Melbourne, Patrick Marks, a.k.a. Brother Pat, The Brown Militant, Pat Malone is self described as an “Australian/Sri Lankan(Tamil/Singhalese). MC/Trumpet player, rhythmic soundshapa, revolutionary poet, multi-instrumentalist, producer, composer, arranger, teacher” – and I’m glad that he has put this together as
it would be hard to describe what you experience when you are lucky enough to stumble across he, and his collective of musicians that are Pataphysics.
Finding a vocalist who can sound this good while delivering his own unique conscious thoughts is rare which was made pretty obvious by the crowds acceptance and involvement in the performance.
All too often when you are lucky enough to find a vocalist compelling, you find the musicians and P.A. aren’t up to the challenge… in this case, the P.A. was the only thing lacking with an incredible group of musicians in support. Pataphysics Avanipaala as a collective, deal with issues from local/international politics, Indigenous resistance, dreaming, eastern philosophy, life, existence and even spirituality, and the live show draws on elements of Sri Lankan Culture that bring a certain energy.
While The group are ever-changing they are currently based around the present line up of Rhymes, Beats, Percussion, Double Bass, Flute, and Guitar (with what I think was an electronic tabla) plus guest vocalists and a host of other friends from the Melbourne music community. The performance is captivating in a way that is not often seen live, on this particular night especially with a puppet show, random soliloquys, and freestyles incorporating all sorts of funky props. Tie these all in together and you have a truly enjoyable evening of awakening music, tie these all in together and you have… Pataphysics
You can check out more of Pataphysics at:
www.myspace.com/brotherpataphysics
be sure to check him out during his residency at ‘The Evelyn’ in Melbourne, Australia in September…
Pete Philly and Perquisite release Mystery Repeats video
Pete Philly and Perquisite this week released the new video for their second albums title track ‘Mystery Repeats’. The video was directed by Amsterdam creative duo KGB and features dutch hiphopacts La Melodia, Blaxtar, Spacekees and Cmon & Kypski. Enjoy!
Ya Heard? The Mighty Underdogs
Welcome back y’all to the second installment of Ya Heard? This week we’re going to take a look at a new release that may have slipped under the hip hop radar for you: The Prelude EP from The MIghty Underdogs, a new supergroup consisting of Gift of Gab (Blackalicious), Lateef the Truthspeaker (Latyrx), and Headnodic (bassist/producer Crown City Rockers).
The Prelude EP is a six-song taste of things to come from these guys, and if its anything to go by, their full album (entitled “Dropping Science Fiction”, slated for release in October) will be straight heat. The EP is full of talented features also, with appearances from underground king MF Doom, DJ Shadow, Ladybug Mecca (of Digable Planets and The Dino 5) and Raashan Ahmad (Crown City Rockers).
The chemistry between these three artists is noticable from the first track, “UFC” aka “United Flow Champions”, which features characteristic scratching and samples from DJ Shadow. The banging Hednodic beat and Gab’s tight flow sets the scene for the rest of the album. The EP then blasts into “Gunfight”, where MF Doom emerges from the wilderness to add his trademark style to the infectious Wild West-themed track, which incorporates a catchy guitar loop and a spooky, slow whistling trill (think tumbleweeds and western showdowns). Check out the video for this track below.
Gift of Gab is really on point on this EP, bringing back memories of the “Melodica” and “Blazing Arrow” days, no more obvious than on”Get out of my life” and “Status Symbol”. “Love Life” is a nice slow headnodding beat, featuring a solid showing from Ladybug Mecca.
The EP finishes off in style with “Bring Me Back”; a shout to the old skool, and a true Bay Area beat. In my mind, certainly the best track. Hednodic’s production skills are something to take real notice of, as is the ridiculous verse dropped by Raashan Ahmad. The track just has this funky party vibe that makes you want to listen to it all day.
The new album, “Droppin Science Fiction” (out October 14th), will surely be an anticiated release after this small taster. A full tracklisting, which features additional album guests such as Lyircs Born, Juliam and Damian Marley, Mr Lif and Chali 2na, can be found on the Def Jux website where you can also pre-order and listen to short clips of each track.
Giant Panda – Electric Laser
Nothing on ‘Electric Laser’ quite utilises the raw, heavy bass and dirty drums found on ‘Fly School’ tracks Sho’ Improve and Just Cause, rather GP have added a more zappy electro current without losing the ability to make songs that are instantly appealing and have you nodding your head like nobody’s business. This album also proves they are equally comfortable on subtle, lounging tracks, none better than AIM that showcases Maanumental’s awesome undulating flow and clever rhymes and the laid-back rhythm is continued on Let it Go. Being rather multi-cultural, Giant Panda often like to poke fun at the different stereotypes associated with each of their races. You really must listen to Racist on ‘Fly School’ to fully appreciate new tracks like Precise Calculator which features a pretty cool Chikaramanga rap in Japanese. It’s also nice to get a taste of some dope scratching which I haven’t heard a lot of in other recent releases. Things get a bit more serious on Pop in which Newman expresses his concerns over the prevalence of homophobia in hip hop, and life in general, in particular the issues his dad faced after admitting he was gay later on in life. Predominantly the album stays on the lighter side of life, to the point where tracks like Laser Ray and Do the Robot in Cyberspace could be labelled a little gimmicky. The album even features a smooth song for the ladies in Cinemax.
La Bloquera (Giant Panda+Thes One) – Shine On
‘Fly School Reunion’ is a hard act to follow but GP signal their intent with ‘Electric Laser’ to keep creating music that is fun and reflects their passions and influences from comic books to coffee, graffiti to gadgets. This is best showcased in the ironically titled Same Old Shit, which is anything but. I would liked to have heard a little more grime on this album but you can’t really complain with what else they have provided. Giant Panda have developed their rapping prowess to display a greater range of tempo from their traditional fast-paced blitz to a cruisy lilt and proven they are no shrinking violets. It seems Newman, Maanumental and Chikaramanga have once again produced a truly worthwhile album that is sure never to hibernate in your collection.
You can check out more of Giant Panda at:
Clash Of the Titans
This new documentary released as part of the New Zealand International Film Festival takes a look at the Wellington live hip hop scene, as rappers declare verbal warfare to become champion battle MC. Shot over eight consecutive evenings during December 2006 it follows events as reigning champion Juse1 takes on his competitors who are mostly Wellington based but also include RuggedTek, a Drum n Bass MC from London, and Raysa from Johannesburg.
Clash of the Titans – short introduction
Independently produced and directed by Will Moore, the film had its world premier in New Zealand’s capital on 25 July. Moore, who is described in promotional literature as a long time hip hop supporter, believes that 
Clash of The Titans was “the first real Wellington hip hop story, driven by inspiration and passion rather than corporate branding. The lens has captured a freedom of expression”. The movie has a mixture of live free-style footage and behind the scenes interviews with some of the battling MCs including Lyrix, Ladysouljah, Rogue, Poetic and Xhale. I haven’t seen the film myself so can’t give any opinion or criticism, but you can check out some preview clips online to judge for yourself.
…Yossarian
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