The hip hop group with an African-inspired, reggae-roots vibe make an effort to provide entertainment and information for their younger fans, a refreshing and validating approach that many artists and groups lack. Diafrix are looking forward to their headline slot at the VIVA Youth Festival on Saturday March 2. They enjoy engaging with underage fans at events, because “those young people are the ones you wanna inspire, people [aged] 15, 16 , 17 appreciate that kind of thing.” The VIVA festival will have plenty of opportunities to do just that, with basketball, workshops, hip hop performances, skating, prizes, stalls, food and more, including performances from Diafrix, Dylan Joel, and Battle of the Bands winners, Stereoking.
The City of Stonnington-funded and organised event, now in its sixth year, promises to be drug, alcohol and smoke-free. “It’s going to be great, man! They just called us up and we jumped at it. We love to play for the kids and we know they love to see their role models up close,” Azmarino says.
It’s all going down at Prahran’s Princes Gardens, and a total of $2,000 in prize money will be given away over the course of the day, for basketball and skating competitions. “Kids get to come and have some fun, maybe win, if they are good. Mostly just chill out and listen to music.”
It’s been a busy year so far for the group, having recently released an album, Pocket Full Of Dreams, which was received “really well” with “three massive singles.” Khaled is humble but pleased with the release, and mentioned that 360 in particular was “a real pleasure to work with. He is great!” Working with variety of artists is a boon for any musician, especially being appreciated by artists from outside your immediate niche.
“It’s the best ever. We were at a warehouse party the other night, and these cats from Miami Horror were chatting to us. They were digging our album. It feels so good to be appreciated from dudes outside your genre,” says Azmarino.
They also did shows with Ryan Lewis and Macklemore on their Australian tour, having nothing but good things to say about the enigmatic duo. “The Ryan Lewis and Macklemore tour was awesome! Seven days. Seven shows.” He briefly touched on the backlash Ryan Lewis and Macklemore received after Thrift Shop hit number one in the triple j hottest 100. He identified the tall-poppy syndrome that is prevalent in Australia, especially against overseas artists. “People will hate on anything if it’s popular but you just ignore them, man. Those guys (Macklemore and Lewis) sold out three shows in Melbourne, three shows in Sydney so it just goes to show.”
The conscious yet comical nature of their music obviously appeals to people. “They are doing positive shit, but still having a laugh, you know. Heads at every show were going absolutely wild. There was no controlling them but nobody got hurt or anything. Everyone is just having fun. VIVA will be like that.”
BY REI BARKER
