South West Sydney duo Pistol Pete & Enzo release their debut EP Front Row, the first big release of the Aussie Islander wave

It's safe to say that 2019 has been the biggest year in Australian hip hop. On all fronts of the genre huge strides have been made, particularly when it comes to our drill movement. When One Four dropped 'The Message' in late March of this year I don't think anyone could have predicted  the length that single video clip would push Australian hip hop. Not only did the Message make the rounds overseas it also caught the ears of hip hop fans within Australia who had tended to ignore the local alternative and most importantly, it welcomed Pacific Islanders into the scene. Not only did the Message welcome Pacific Islanders into the scene but it propelled them to the top over night, within a few months Pacific Islanders have become the face of Australian hip hop. By no means am I saying that groups like One Four,Pistol Pete & Enzo and HP Boyz are the first Islander groups in the country. Pacific Islanders have played a huge role in Sydney and Australian street culture and acts like Hauie from Koolism have been key players in the scene. Aus hip hop today seems almost unrecognisable to the scene 1 year ago, acts like One Four, Hooligan Hefs, HP Boyz and Pistol Pete n Enzo have become local celebrities with dozens of sell out shows. This really is an exciting time in Aus hip hop, never before have we had so many big acts in the country and the feeling is very similar to the grime explosion of London in 2014, it's the first time such a spotlight has been put on Aussie street culture. One thing that had been lacking from this new wave of rappers had been the lack of full albums. This isn't a bad thing, i can totally understand that the method of just releasing singles along with a video clip have worked so far, so why fix what isn't broken? Unfortunately though this has led to many fans thirsty for more content, and finally, just yesterday, Pistol Pete and Enzo bucked the trend and released their first EP titled Front Row.

Front Row did not disappoint, with 5 brand new songs from the duo it's obvious this EP is going to be in rotation throughout summer. Front Row demonstrates the duo's versatility with staunch anthems, cool west coast vibes and even some heartfelt lyrics. The first track, Rollin' , comes with a pretty damn catchy hook alongside a classic west coast synth, i can definitely see this one playing on a hot summers arvo.

"rollin, rollin, rollin with my uce" 

Track two, Just Illchay switches up the vibe opting for a more staunch delivery with calm beat, a style I think the duo do best. Pistol Pete and Enzo's word play shine throughout this EP, once again the duo has shown they have some of the best bars in the country. One of my favorite things about Pistol Pete and Enzo, and the whole new wave as a whole, is the full embrace of being from Sydney. Track three of the album titled That's My Ahh opens up with one of the most Sydney hooks I think i've ever heard.

 "Thats ma cuz

Thats ma lad

Thats ma brah, thats ma brother

thats ma uce

thats ma blood

thats ma ahh

thats my mouthfuckin g"

Sooo damn fresh, I think this is the best hook of the album and although the verses of this track aren't really an album highlight I think that the hook makes up for it in this one. Track five, Don't Know Me is song of the album in my opinion, it's the party track of the album and the duo throw back to their flow on Split Screen in this one. The beat has definitely got a west coast party vibe and i could easily see someone like Tyga on this beat. A personal favorite line from the track is:

  

"These girls want bags and bags Im just here for cash

poppin titties im givin em' rack for rack

life's good word to mez i'm just tryna kick back"

I also learnt in this track that the duo isn't related, there chemistry is so good that they had me fooled. Don't Know Me is definitely going to be a banger this summer. I really hope to see a video clip for this one. The final track on the album "On My Feet" totally switches up the vibe of the album but ends the album nicely. The track talks about life in the South West of Sydney and is a letter to one of the groups friends that they lost to drug addiction. The chorus is really inspiring and once again shows the groups versatility, I was really impressed by the production of this one, and the album as a whole. It all makes sense now why the duo has been so quiet as of late and it was well worth the wait. Front Row doesn't have a bad song, and it's pretty rare I say that. I could easily see this EP leveling up the duo. Front Row is one of my favorite releases of the year and sets the benchmark for future projects in the new wave of Aus hiphop. 

Sydney Serchaz, Smash Brothers and a tale of two cities [part 1]

Sydney and Melbourne have always been the cultural centres of Australia and when it comes to the story of hiphop in Australia the two cities have been jostling for leadership of the genre since its arrival. Ever since I started listening to Aus hip hop in the late 2000s i've noticed that the two cities have always had different priorities, styles and sounds. When talking about the influence an artist has on a city it's important not to get carried away, often in reality the artist is as much a reflection of their city as the city can be a reflection of the artist. Both Sydney Serchaz and Smash Bros marked the end in a lul in Australian hip hop , this was during the rise of youtube and social medias. It's fair to say that both groups had a huge influence on their cities not only in terms of the music but how the city would be viewed by the other city for the foreseeable future.

Smash Bros, a four man collective with two British members consisting of Fraksha, Diem, Scotty Hinds and Murky(rip).The group helped popularise grime music in Australia bringing sounds that hadn't ever really been heard in Australian hip hop. Melbourners like to think that their city is the most "European" in the country and the arrival of grime music through the Smash Bros seemed like a perfect fit. The authenticity of Smash Bros couldn't be denied, especially boasting two MC's who had come from the world of UK Grime. This is one thing I think Smash Brothers helped influence into the Melbourne hip hop scene, an awareness of trends overseas and an emphasis on seeming credible. While Sydney has always had a solid quantity of music Melbourne, at least that side of Melbourne, had maintained that quality and credibility is the top priority. Smash Bros were the first to be doing live radio sets and introduced Alex Jones into the scene, regarded as one of the best spitters in the country. For me the Smash Bros are what I think off when someone brings up Melbourne hip hop. 900km's north of Melbourne a different movement was gaining traction in Sydney. 

Sydney Serchaz were a three member group consisting of Sky'High, Nter and Skeamo. Although the members had much more successful solo careers the group changed Sydney hiphop forever. Sporting the popped collar polos, short shorts and TNs with the high socks, it was almost offensive how Sydney the Sydney Searchas were trying to be. Sydney Serchaz marked a total embrace of lad culture in terms of slang, dress code and attitude. What the Serchaz may have lacked in quality to their Melbourne neighbours they made up for in Authenticity and unapologetic bars. The group opted to rap on famous dirty southern beats a trend soon to be wide spread all over Sydney. Songs like Fukn Oath, Heard Of Me and Eshay were some of the first tracks I ever heard where it sounded like it could be made by someone down the road at the local housing commision. Many of their famous tracks sounded like they were recorded in bedrooms, but that just added to the whole vibe of what the group was going for. Sydney Serchaz really put lads to the forefront of Sydney hip hop for the first time with acts like Kerser, Gravy Baby and Fortay emerging not soon after. One of the biggest differences between Smash Bros and Sydney Serchaz is how long they lasted, Sydney Serchaz had disbanded by 2013 although as individual artists Sky, Skeaz and Nter went on to do some pretty big things for the city they are nowhere to be seen today while Smash Bros have take much more of a mentoring role to the younger acts in the scene. Sydney Serchaz showed many around the city that the DIY method was now possible with the internet and bluetooth media sharing, while Smash Brothers introduced a whole new genre and style into Melbourne.

Sydney Serchaz opted for a more quantity over quality method similar to many artists in America's deep south and that mind state has carried over to alot of Sydney Artist who seem to care more about views then quality, I think it might have something to do with the rat race mentality more prevalent in Syd. When we look at the scene today at younger acts, many are like a combination of both Sydney Serchaz and Smash Bros which is a great thing. The cool, grimey, fashion focused Melbourne and the Staunch, DIY attitude of Sydney have each played massive parts in Aus rap as a whole in the last ten years, rivalry between the two cities is only a good thing if it encourages competition. I'll be looking into examples of their influence in todays scene in part 2 of this article. 

Slim Set, Warrang and why experimental hiphop is important to Australia establishing its own sound

Slim Set are a producer-MC duo from Parramatta with one of the most unique sounds coming out of the country. For sure, they might not be for the average Ausrap fan but Slim Set are experimenting with sounds that haven't really been heard on this island. I first heard about Slim Set a few years ago from a friend of a friend and got a chance to see them open up for AJ Tracy at Oxford Art Factory. I've been watching their progress, their slow slow progress. The group hosts a show on FBI radio but sadly very rarely drops new music which is a shame because I think Slim Set is a group that still needs some polishing if it wants to reach the next level. With DJ Atro's quirky, chaotic, dub heavy beats and Kal's goofy vocals Slim Set is like a 2003 Grime crew if you turned it upside down, stretched it out and sprinkled on some Danny Brown. Because they are a duo-MC group its easier for Slim Set to really carve out its own sound, every song seems different while still maintaining their unique sound.

My favorite track of theirs is a song called "Cooked" which I think was made specifically for 19-25 year olds from Sydney. Riding an O-Bike, rapping about chopping buds and yugioh,  the song has a fun Murlo sound and has unique urban-Australiana references. The visuals are fun and it's definitely something new. It's not a perfect track, Kals delivery is so chaotic that sometimes i find him rapping off beat, which i'm sure is on purpose, but is also one of the hardest things in rap to pull off correctly.

The MC of the duo, Kal, captures one of the main themes of early UK Grime-MC'S which has been totally forgotten by most Australian fans, uniqueness. Legends like D Double E, President T or Tempz all have unmistakable personalities in their raps, Kal gets this and is trying to build his own character which is why groups like Slim Set should be appreciated. 

A few hours ago the duo released their new track and clip titled "Warrang" (Indigenous Australian name for Sydney). It's classic Slim Set with the beat style, trippy editing and Kals ridiculous all over the place delivery.  The lyrics and visuals are very Sydneycentric and there's a  mysterious intro to the song before the beat hits: 

"The sun shines on Warrang (Sydney)" 

"The steel smiles in summer"

 "Bulldozers humming, bitchumen drumming" 

"The sun cries for Warrang"

I'm assuming Kal is talking about the never ending gentrification of Syd. throughout the song themes of over development, gentrification and Indigenous rights are referenced too:

"City shut down for a bit of violence, can't recognise the horizon" 

I'm a big fan of the content in this new track, I think many around my age from Sydney feel this way about the changes in our city, that it's being over developed and losing its soul, we were too young to remember the more gritty pre-olympics Sydney but old enough to witness the introduction of lock out laws and the fact that the city has changed a lot in the last 15 years. This is what makes Slim Set unique, talking about specific shared issues in  the city help Sydney and the rest of Aus to develop its own sound; its own story. Of Course we should be looking overseas for new and interesting trends, but if that's all we rely on then we don't have a chance to ever find our own sound like the Brits were able to do last decade. Slim Set understand this and use Australiana themes throughout a lot of their music, as a New-Australian I'm a also a big fan of the chorus performed by a featuring artist called Shady Nasty, who i've never heard of. Shady Nasty has a booming voice, like the final boss in some anime game or something:

"Every nationality under the sun,

copping a piece of the Red One (Australia)"

I've found usually with Slim Set , for me at least, that their chorus's  don't usually stick and they made a good call getting this dude on the track it definitely gives the song the catchyness that it needs.  

All in all I think this new track is the best thing i've seen Slim Set deliver from the visuals to the actual music. All I can say is they need to be releasing more music, I can easily see them finding an audience as their target audience are probably not too different from Triple One, consistency is the key. 

Go follow Slim Set and tell them to make more music

@slimsetta