“It got to the point where we needed that time to take a breather,” Mohan says.
The band are returning to play the Melbourne fundraiser for Knapsack Entertainment’s Hip Hop Exchange – a program which seeks to bring a New York hip hop artist to Australia to play shows, engage in workshops and network across the local scene. One lucky Australian artist will then get go the other way, doing the same in New York.
Mahon was sold on the concept from the start. “I like the idea because for a lot of local artists all you want to do is go to America or overseas and play a show. Basically the Knapsack crew has made it, they’ve got some connections over there and they’re actually making that a reality.”
Mahon and Voglis know just how hard it can be to find any sort of landing point in the US. “We went over there ourselves and we were pretty green. We had no idea who to talk to or what to do. I found a few places online that looked cool, places like Arlene’s Grocery which are massive – as if we were ever going to get booked there.
“These guys have actually worked it out. They’ve established the connection and they’re putting on for really cool artists here and over there as well. They’ve got that crossover.”
Developing a strong scene is about nurturing emerging artists, and though they’re established now, the band have mad love for those who’ve supported them in the past.
“Desh from Planet Urban,” Mahon says straight up. “They used to have a website. It was one of the first urban hip hop magazines or outlets in Australia that pushed that culture. Desh runs a conference now called Think Inc and brings out Neil deGrasse Tyson and all these big scientists and thinkers and he’s very successful. He’s always got my back.”
“He got us the Naughty By Nature support back in 2011,” Voglis chimes in. “He got us a few cool gigs.”
In the same spirit, the band are looking forward to giving some younger acts a leg-up via the fundraiser. With one foot firmly in the future, the lineup sports some of the Melbourne scene’s best up-and-coming talent, including northside cloud rapper DEX.
“DEX is sick and he’s from our area as well, which is even doper,” Mahon says. They’ll be joined by Zhane White, the dark horse trap rapper with flow for days, and Sophy Grophy – a vocalist whose jilted croon is surpassed only by her ability to spit fire like an anti-aircraft gun. Talk about a welcome back party. “This is the perfect opportunity just to come back and get back into it,” Mahon says.
The band are deep in rehearsal, working on a fresh batch of tracks, and trying to get their head around where they’re at. “We’ve got a whole bunch of new songs in the band,” Voglis says. “We’re just trying to figure out what they mean.” He considers for a moment. “They’re pretty out-there, pretty weird and hard to pull off.”
Not that playing has ever been easy for the sextet. In a genre dominated by DJ and MC combos, they often struggle to squeeze themselves and their instruments into a venue. “We don’t fit anywhere,” Volgis says. “We’ve played tiny shows and we’re hanging off [the stage] and it’s just fucked. We’re a difficult band to play with.”
Mahon, who – let’s be frank – only has a microphone to worry about, is more positive. “I like the challenge,” he laughs.
Voglis shakes his head. “There’s always a problem with us.”
