Dominic Wagner is one of the founding members of Foreign Brothers. Alongside musical director Lawrence L Ricks and the rest of the core ensemble also known as the Coretet, Dominic is responsible for giving shape to the energy while holding it down as one of the group’s main MCs. Though the concept of a group with only a handful of regular members might be hard to get your head around, for Wagner it couldn’t be more natural. “The main pillar of the group is collaboration. It’s a real orthodox approach to any artistic endeavour.”
As the name would suggest, Foreign Brothers are an international bunch and their collaborative spirit is based on the idea of the collective as a found family. “Originally the concept was just being a group of creators from our individual motherlands finding each other in a strange place. We latched onto each other as a way to survive creatively. We all need family and friends to get through life and we eventually realised how much more we could accomplish together than as individuals,” Wagner says.
He credits this attitude with attracting a wide range of talented collaborators. “In terms of our live shows and parties, we’ve basically become a platform for artists we’ve met in that same organic way. I think that’s one of the points of difference, we don’t go booking acts because they’ve got a name or we’re trying to make tons of money, these are just people we know and break bread with.”
The feeling of being a stranger in a strange place also became essential to the group’s philosophy. “When you’re in a foreign place – Australians know this better than anyone because you get out of Australia so much – everything’s fresh and you’ll go out and do those things you don’t usually do. The main essence of the group is trying to maintain that traveller’s spirit and be foreign even when you’re at home. People who are down for that and know the liberation of being outside your comfort zone, those are the sort of people we’re trying to reach out to.”
Despite their global perspective, Foreign Brothers are very much rooted in the Melbourne scene. “When I came here in 2008 and saw Hiatus Kaiyote play and watched all these people drawing energy from it that’s when I knew this was a special city. Melbourne’s our town. It’s a musical town and there are places around the world like it but it’s a rare thing to live and operate in one and feel completely free to be ourselves.”
The strength of the scene will be in evidence at their upcoming showcase of local hip hop, which for Foreign Brothers was where it all began. “When we first started connecting we’d always vibe to some MF Doom joints. We’d just bug out and that’d be our background music. I really believe there’s a major place for hip hop in Australian culture so this is our first step into running a mini festival to bring as many different vibes together as we can.”
BY TIERNAN MORRISON
