And while he admits the gigs weren’t as massive as they had been previously, the vibe was amazing – and everyone had a great time. “Regardless of the number of people, it’s great to see so many peeps coming out for hip hop. Unfortunately the Melbourne gig got cancelled and a lot of the artists were pretty shattered – everyone on the tour pretty much knows each other and they all wanted to get down and rock it for Melbourne but as it turns out, it didn’t go ahead.”
For shame – but Melbourne fans can rejoice once more because Bam Bam is firing up for his next round of shows in the city – and this time, cancellations are not on the radar. Perhaps somewhat modestly too, he claims the shows will maintain the same energy and vibe – with a twist. “I would expect the shows to be the same as usual actually; I really enjoy putting basically 110% into everything that I do. I’m known for putting on the odd crazy live show – it’s not my angle or what people expect but I like to do something like that. Especially this time, because I have a new live show and while I’ll be playing some stuff that people know, I’ve also got plenty of new material that people haven’t heard before.”
Indeed, the lad has spent some down time working on finishing a new EP that he expects will be out in March or April next year. The new single, Bags Packed featuring Allday is already doing great things and is on high rotation on triple j. “I was stoked when they picked it; it’s been getting great airplay and it has really helped promote my sound.” No less, half way through the current and aptly named Singles Tour, Bam Bam has just arrived in Brisbane and again, is looking forward to hitting the stage in Queensland.
“Music is just an extension of what I do; I don’t like to pigeon hole myself as an artist and that means you never really know what you’ll get at one of my shows. I wouldn’t say that I’m just a rapper. I make music – and while my new EP has a hip hop influence without necessarily dub or electro anymore, I feel that it is still fresh and innovative.” Doubtless then, staying up to date and relevant is a key driver for Bam Bam, as he reflects on just how transient and fickle the business can be.
“I don’t want to do something for the sake of it; if it’s a phase, I’ll explore it and make some tracks and move on. Some of my older dub focused tracks are still my favorites and when I do my live show I want people to recognize what I’ve done in the past. The two mixtapes I did, the EPs, it’s all about doing good music – that’s it. Bags Packed is probably the most hip hop focused work I’ve done actually.” What that means though for his future musically though, is anyone’s guess.
With that though, he talks briefly about his other studio work – which he ultimately hopes will lead to an LP. “I’m really looking forward to doing something like that,” he explains. “Right now though, we’ve made the decision to do the EP and work on the album after that. There are a lot of tracks that I’ve done that will make it to the album, but I’ve been really busy and haven’t had the chance to finish it all off. It’s really just a case of recording and mastering the album so with a lot of the tracks laid down, I’d say it’s well on the way.”
And the direction of the LP? Well he doesn’t forget his roots – or where the local scene emanated from – so gives praise to guys like Bliss N Eso and Hilltop Hoods, claiming they opened the door to a local market that has benefited everyone. “All of us are better off,” he says. “The artists, the fans – all the people that had dreams of doing music and stuck it out; their dreams have come true and it no longer has to be something that we just do on the side. So much so, that even with no real guidelines, it comes naturally. I have never wanted to conform and right now, I’m feeling like I don’t have to.”
BY RK
