New York hip-hop polymaths Phony Ppl are among the tightest five-pieces in music, flowing as seamlessly in conversation as they do on stage.
Their connection shines as keyboardist Aja Grant tells Beat about a favourite hometown venue, Blue Note Jazz Club, and how the band compels its mostly-seated patrons to get up and dance.
“We certainly don’t stand in their way, we encourage it,” he says. “We’ve seen the energy change in that room a bunch.”
Bass guitarist Bari Bass slides in: “Plus, it’s small. So there’s endless food and the waiters need to get through.” Drummer Matthew ‘Maffyuu’ Byas starts twisting and moving like a funky maître d’ balancing imaginary dishes. Frontman Elbee Thrie leans back in his seat and smiles, making eye contact with guitarist Elijah Rawk.
“The Blue Note has turned up over the years,” Grant says. “The waiters have obtained some tricks.”
Phony Ppl are bringing their latest tricks to Australian shores in October, playing a run of dates in support of their 2022 studio album Euphonyus.
The 12-track record is a sweeping vista, taking the band’s free-flowing jams in new directions: the thumping Nowhere But Up features a sample, while the album’s centrepiece – the bluesy Been Away lets Rawk rip on a vicious guitar solo.
Euphonyus is still a Phony Ppl project, which means a healthy serve of synth, funk and energy. An eclectic roster of guests breeze through, including Kaytranada, Jojo and Megan Thee Stallion.
Nearly a year after the album’s release, Thrie says fans are beginning to complain about songs from the project that don’t make Phony Ppl’s already-bursting setlist.
“Now we’re getting the, ‘Hey, why don’t y’all play this song at the show?’ or ‘Hey, next time, y’all better play this!’” he says, smirking. “We’re starting to get the aggressive, violent demands from all the people who enjoyed Euphonyus.”
Last time Phony Ppl came to Australia in 2019, they played Splendour in the Grass amid what Bass calls a “crazy run” of festival dates.
“We’d play in the afternoon and then it would start off really light,” he says. “Then, by the end of our set, it was just people as far as the eye could see.”
The band exchange their fondest memories of Australia: Grant remembers Splendour giving them the best hotels of any festival, Byas recalls Byron Bay’s bush turkeys, and Rawk’s praise for Australian brunches prompts Bass to bring up a steak he ate in Sydney that “changed [his] life”. Grant adds: “It’d be nice to collaborate with some Australian artists. I think Australia has some of the best musicians in the world.”
He name-checks some favourites: Brisbane’s Laneous and Melbourne’s Hiatus Kaiyote, including bassist Paul Bender’s offshoot, The Sweet Enoughs.
Phony Ppl are students of music – each bandmate comes from a musical family – and they jump at the chance to discuss the evolution of hip-hop, in light of its 50th anniversary.
“The first thing that came to mind for me was drum breaks, that’s the thing passed down from generation to generation,” Thrie says. “There’s just enough links to see that there is a chain that is endless.”
“The samples, as well,” Grant adds. “You might hear something really cool and then be like, ‘Yo, that was chopped, but where is it from though?’
“And then you will go and listen to that album, and then you’ll go and listen to the whole catalogue, and then the musicians on the album, see what they recorded on…it’s just like a whole educational experience.”
Bass gets introspective about hip-hop’s broader influence: “It’s the latest culture to come about and then capture everyone’s attention. That’s such a huge thing to accomplish for any type of culture that comes out, to capture the minds of everyone for generations and generations.
“It’s not going anywhere, we’re going to be back here in another 50 years with grey hairs talking about the 100th anniversary of hip-hop.”
Byas wraps up by shouting out rap luminaries, including his father – the legendary DJ Jazzy Jeff.
“I hear my dad downstairs, he’s cutting up. That’s my guy! Shoutout to him.”
Catch Phony Ppl at 170 Russell on October 17.
