New Album 'Flying Colours' Out Now
Bliss N Eso are hailed as Australia's most dynamic hip hop acts.
And it's no surprise. With an exhilarating blend of fluid rhymes and banging beats coupled with a dedication to tour every inch of our fine country, the Sydney based hip-hoppers have built an extensive and loyal fan base that turn up time and time again for impromptu freestyling and seamless turntablism.
Formed when local hip-hop was just a twinkle in the eye of the Australian music scene, the trio has successfully delivered a unique brand of music in an industry that's dominated by rock and pop.
Now, after a year of crafting tracks for their new album 'Flying Colours', the Bliss N Eso team are back to showcase their new tunesto a salivating Australian public.
We sit down with Jonathan to talk touring schedules, the state of Australian hip hop and doing good things in Africa.
MTV: You guys have had such a massive reaction in the last few years what's been the highlight for you?
Jonathan: Going to Africa were obviously a fantastic experience and a life changing one, and the recent Unified tour with True Love was fantastic There's been a lot of different highlights but it's all been good so far.
MTV: Did you find it tough in the start, since there isn't a huge urban market here?
Jonathan: Oh yeah it was totally tough. When we started the scene was so small, there wasn't even an urban section in your local CD store, let alone any local product you'd be lucky to get one or two hip hop releases. It's grown massively since. Back then we had no one to look up to ask questions, like, how do make a song, do you make the beat first or how do write rhymes or how do you construct things - there was no one to really draw from, we had to work a lot of that out for ourselves. Whereas now, the upcoming artists have at least one generation in front of them that they can look to and ask questions and learn from.
MTV: There isn't a huge urban scene in Australia why do you think that is?
Jonathan: I think its definitely growing and its a lot bigger than it was a few years ago. There's a lot more media support nowadays and a lot more awareness from the general public, it's going to be a continual climb that will just get better and better. Over the years the quality of music that artists are creating is improving in leaps and bounds. I think its pretty much there. Hip hop is at all the major festivals, it's all over the radio, all over the TV its really coming to its own right now.
MTV: Any local acts that are doing it right?
Jonathan: Anyone that's out there making good, original music and pushing it, that's doing it right for me. Especially in hip hop because it's not as big as other genres and you have to work pretty hard to maintain and grow as a band. We slogged it out for years on the road and it's basically through that we've built our following and our reputation. Anything to do with going hard on the road is defiantly doing it right!
MTV: What about on the international scene? Who do you guys admire?
Jonathan: One of the all time favourite bands is Outkast - just because they've always not done the norm and broken the boundaries and been completely original and been successful.
MTV: How was your reception in the states, where the market is flooded by urban artists?
Jonathan: The cool thing about hip hop, especially underground hip hop, is that everyone helps each other out. It was a very embracing vibe we had, we had lots of artists come to the show and lots of punters that wanted to check out hip hop from another country so we found it really welcoming.
The highlight would have been when we got to Whistler in Canada where there are so many Aussies on the slopes its just crazy, there was like eighty percent Aussies at the show and it was completely sold out.
MTV: You've done support for Cypress Hill, Xzibit, Naughty by Nature, Jurassic 5, The Roots, Black Eyed Peas and DJ Shadow, who was your favourite to do support for?
Jonathan: They're always different and always good in their own way, I think when we did Xibit and the Cypress Hill support and that's when we met Elusive. They were touring at the time and we got on as support for the whole tour, that was definitely a great experience because that was the next level of supporting - we'd mainly just done one city in a tour so we got to see a bigger scale production of how it operates and runs so it was a great learning experience.
But it's always the local smaller shows that I love more than going out and supporting a huge international artist. At the end of the day you're still there to entertain the crowd until the main act comes out, and obviously we look at every opportunity to convert their fans to our fans, but I guess when you're at a local show you know everyone is there for you and it's just that local buzz, its incredible. So we definitely prefer the local shows over the big international supports.
MTV: Have you played many rural places?
Jonathan: We'll we were the first hip hop act to go to Wagga Wagga! Smaller towns are starved for music so when a band does rock up the whole town turns up to see it.
MTV: You guys like your mammoth tours, I heard in 2006 you did over 100 shows?!
Jonathan: Yeah! it gets tough out there, especially when you've got multiple shows with no break days and obviously there is some level of partying; but you've got to get up the next day and get on that plane to go to the next show! By about the fifth day your voice starts to go
MTV: How do you keep your energy up when touring?
Jonathan: By spacing it out, and by bringing the Playstation; that keeps us out of trouble! Generally we'll tour Thursday Friday Saturday then come home to Sydney and refuel then go back at it.
MTV: You guys are also involved in the Oaktree Foundation, can you tell us about your involvement?
Jonathan: At the time we were on tour with Make Poverty History shows, and one of the guys from MPH called Hugh Evens came up to us and told us about an African Zulu Choir that he had touring and we said we would be keen to collaborate. So we ended up recording half a track with them when they were here in Sydney. Then later on in the year, The Oaktree Foundation got in contact again and said they we're doing a documentary with MTV in Africa with Evermore and that they'd like another band to join so we jumped at the opportunity. The best thing was we got to finish the song out there, and got to record it in a little mud hut and then shoot the video the next day! It was an incredible experience.
MTV: 'Flying Colours' is your new album, which landed in the Top 10 Aussie charts. Why do you think your brand of hip hop resonates with so many that perhaps aren't into that genre?
Jonathan: We are getting cross-over appeal, the album has a lot of variety in terms of different sounds and different vibes and tracks so there's lots of different things that could appeal to just about everyone. JJJ have picked up with a track we've done Angus and Julia Stone called Eye Of the Storm which has been really great and I guess it's the whole crossing over with their market and mixing that with hip hop and putting rhymes over the top and it's just been working wonders in terms of converting people into fans that wouldn't ordinarily be into hip hop.
MTV: If you could collaborate with any one live or dead who would it be?
Jonathan: Jimmy Hendrix.
MTV: How would you describe your sound to someone that hasn't popped their Bliss N Esso cherry?
Jonathan: I would describe it as a Kaleidoscope of colours in a black and white world. Like Pushing a little flower through the pavement.
By Penny Newton
To check when Bliss N Eso are playing near you click here!
To win tickets to Bliss N Eso click here!
For more information on the Oaktree Foundation click here.
Bliss N Eso are hailed as Australia's most dynamic hip hop acts.
And it's no surprise. With an exhilarating blend of fluid rhymes and banging beats coupled with a dedication to tour every inch of our fine country, the Sydney based hip-hoppers have built an extensive and loyal fan base that turn up time and time again for impromptu freestyling and seamless turntablism.
Formed when local hip-hop was just a twinkle in the eye of the Australian music scene, the trio has successfully delivered a unique brand of music in an industry that's dominated by rock and pop.
Now, after a year of crafting tracks for their new album 'Flying Colours', the Bliss N Eso team are back to showcase their new tunesto a salivating Australian public.
We sit down with Jonathan to talk touring schedules, the state of Australian hip hop and doing good things in Africa.
MTV: You guys have had such a massive reaction in the last few years what's been the highlight for you?
Jonathan: Going to Africa were obviously a fantastic experience and a life changing one, and the recent Unified tour with True Love was fantastic There's been a lot of different highlights but it's all been good so far.
MTV: Did you find it tough in the start, since there isn't a huge urban market here?
Jonathan: Oh yeah it was totally tough. When we started the scene was so small, there wasn't even an urban section in your local CD store, let alone any local product you'd be lucky to get one or two hip hop releases. It's grown massively since. Back then we had no one to look up to ask questions, like, how do make a song, do you make the beat first or how do write rhymes or how do you construct things - there was no one to really draw from, we had to work a lot of that out for ourselves. Whereas now, the upcoming artists have at least one generation in front of them that they can look to and ask questions and learn from.
MTV: There isn't a huge urban scene in Australia why do you think that is?
Jonathan: I think its definitely growing and its a lot bigger than it was a few years ago. There's a lot more media support nowadays and a lot more awareness from the general public, it's going to be a continual climb that will just get better and better. Over the years the quality of music that artists are creating is improving in leaps and bounds. I think its pretty much there. Hip hop is at all the major festivals, it's all over the radio, all over the TV its really coming to its own right now.
MTV: Any local acts that are doing it right?
Jonathan: Anyone that's out there making good, original music and pushing it, that's doing it right for me. Especially in hip hop because it's not as big as other genres and you have to work pretty hard to maintain and grow as a band. We slogged it out for years on the road and it's basically through that we've built our following and our reputation. Anything to do with going hard on the road is defiantly doing it right!
MTV: What about on the international scene? Who do you guys admire?
Jonathan: One of the all time favourite bands is Outkast - just because they've always not done the norm and broken the boundaries and been completely original and been successful.
MTV: How was your reception in the states, where the market is flooded by urban artists?
Jonathan: The cool thing about hip hop, especially underground hip hop, is that everyone helps each other out. It was a very embracing vibe we had, we had lots of artists come to the show and lots of punters that wanted to check out hip hop from another country so we found it really welcoming.
The highlight would have been when we got to Whistler in Canada where there are so many Aussies on the slopes its just crazy, there was like eighty percent Aussies at the show and it was completely sold out.
MTV: You've done support for Cypress Hill, Xzibit, Naughty by Nature, Jurassic 5, The Roots, Black Eyed Peas and DJ Shadow, who was your favourite to do support for?
Jonathan: They're always different and always good in their own way, I think when we did Xibit and the Cypress Hill support and that's when we met Elusive. They were touring at the time and we got on as support for the whole tour, that was definitely a great experience because that was the next level of supporting - we'd mainly just done one city in a tour so we got to see a bigger scale production of how it operates and runs so it was a great learning experience.
But it's always the local smaller shows that I love more than going out and supporting a huge international artist. At the end of the day you're still there to entertain the crowd until the main act comes out, and obviously we look at every opportunity to convert their fans to our fans, but I guess when you're at a local show you know everyone is there for you and it's just that local buzz, its incredible. So we definitely prefer the local shows over the big international supports.
MTV: Have you played many rural places?
Jonathan: We'll we were the first hip hop act to go to Wagga Wagga! Smaller towns are starved for music so when a band does rock up the whole town turns up to see it.
MTV: You guys like your mammoth tours, I heard in 2006 you did over 100 shows?!
Jonathan: Yeah! it gets tough out there, especially when you've got multiple shows with no break days and obviously there is some level of partying; but you've got to get up the next day and get on that plane to go to the next show! By about the fifth day your voice starts to go
MTV: How do you keep your energy up when touring?
Jonathan: By spacing it out, and by bringing the Playstation; that keeps us out of trouble! Generally we'll tour Thursday Friday Saturday then come home to Sydney and refuel then go back at it.
MTV: You guys are also involved in the Oaktree Foundation, can you tell us about your involvement?
Jonathan: At the time we were on tour with Make Poverty History shows, and one of the guys from MPH called Hugh Evens came up to us and told us about an African Zulu Choir that he had touring and we said we would be keen to collaborate. So we ended up recording half a track with them when they were here in Sydney. Then later on in the year, The Oaktree Foundation got in contact again and said they we're doing a documentary with MTV in Africa with Evermore and that they'd like another band to join so we jumped at the opportunity. The best thing was we got to finish the song out there, and got to record it in a little mud hut and then shoot the video the next day! It was an incredible experience.
MTV: 'Flying Colours' is your new album, which landed in the Top 10 Aussie charts. Why do you think your brand of hip hop resonates with so many that perhaps aren't into that genre?
Jonathan: We are getting cross-over appeal, the album has a lot of variety in terms of different sounds and different vibes and tracks so there's lots of different things that could appeal to just about everyone. JJJ have picked up with a track we've done Angus and Julia Stone called Eye Of the Storm which has been really great and I guess it's the whole crossing over with their market and mixing that with hip hop and putting rhymes over the top and it's just been working wonders in terms of converting people into fans that wouldn't ordinarily be into hip hop.
MTV: If you could collaborate with any one live or dead who would it be?
Jonathan: Jimmy Hendrix.
MTV: How would you describe your sound to someone that hasn't popped their Bliss N Esso cherry?
Jonathan: I would describe it as a Kaleidoscope of colours in a black and white world. Like Pushing a little flower through the pavement.
By Penny Newton
To check when Bliss N Eso are playing near you click here!
To win tickets to Bliss N Eso click here!
For more information on the Oaktree Foundation click here.
No comments:
Post a Comment