Having rocked the sold-out Sydney show the previous night as part of his For Good tour, local hip hop royalty Remi was all set to bring the heat on his home turf, supported by a host of House of Beige labelmates.
Kicking off proceedings was one of Australia’s most hardworking DJs, MzRizk, who spun a mix of chilled tracks and some banging old school beats. Man Made Mountain got heads bobbing in no time, with MC Cazeaux O.S.L.O. showcasing his incredibly smooth flow over producer Billy Hoyle’s infectious Brazilian-inflected beats. Aside from handling the decks and doing backup vocals, Hoyle also jumped on the sax for a few songs, as did Cazeaux a short while later. During the last song, Man Made Mountain were joined by N’fa Jones, who burst onto the stage and launched into some killer freestyles.
House of Beige are big on the collaborative approach to live performance, which enables them to divert from the typical gig format and create a real onstage party, taking the concept of the live hip hop show in a new direction.
Remi’s live performances can easily be described in one word: passion. He has a natural sense of how to get the party vibes flowing and to make everyone feel a part of the show. Effortlessly commanding the stage, Remi opened with XTC Party, and his fiery, larger-than-life stage persona triggered a palpable surge in crowd energy. From first song to last, he was completely at one with the music and seemingly made of rhythm, busting out some amazing dance moves. Crowd participation is important to Remi. In fact, his shows involve what he calls “crowd participation appreciation time.” As a performer, he’s endlessly energetic, all heart and all about the fans.
Between songs, Remi gave away a few copies of one of his mixtapes and allowed the fans an exclusive sneak peek into his upcoming album Divas and Demons, which drops in September. Among the new tracks was the first single For Good, featuring Sydney-based rapper and singer Sampa The Great. Remi then invited Cazeaux and N’fa to the stage, and the boys whipped the crowd into a frenzy with some unreal freestyling. Crowd pleasers Ode to Ignorance and Livin had the whole house pumping and were definite highlights of the night. Remi closed with the explosive Tyson, with his House of Beige family partying onstage.
BY DIMITRI ZRAZHEVSKI
LOVED: The show.
HATED: Cramped bandroom.
DRANK: Hargreaves Hill and Mac Daddy.
