100% Magazine #1354

WED JA N 16TH 2 012

AFRICA HITECHAUS

NATHAN FAKEUK

PEANUT BUTTER WOLFUSA

S TOURS, CLUB PICS AND MORE NEEWS, US: N PLLUS P

FOR MORE UP TO DATE NEWS GO TO BEAT.COM.AU

FEBRUARY

AUDIO INJECTION [USA] Friday January 18, Brown Alley MOULDY SOUL [UK], MISTER ROGERS [UK] Friday January 18, Brown Alley PLEASUREKRAFT [USA] Sunday January 20, Revolver Upstairs CRYSTAL CASTLES [CAN] Tuesday January 22, Billboard THE BLOODY BEETROOTS [ITA] Thursday January 24, The Palace SOUL CLAP [USA] Friday January 25, The Liberty Social CLAUDE VONSTROKE[USA], JUSTIN MARTIN [USA] Friday January 25, Brown Alley RAINBOW SERPENT: GUY J [ISR], CHRISTIAN SMITH [SWE], PETER VAN HOESEN [BEL] Friday January 25 - Monday January 28, Lexton BIG DAY OUT: THE BLOODY BEETROOTS [ITA], KASKADE [USA], CRYSTAL CASTLES [CAN] + MORE Saturday January 26, Flemington Racecourse WOLFGANG GARTNER [USA], PROXY [RUS], HUORATRON [FIN] Saturday January 26, Royal Melbourne Hotel SASHA [UK] Sunday January 27, Chasers DERRICK CARTER [USA] Monday January 28, Alumbra JESSIE WARE [UK] Wednesday January 30, Prince Bandroom SWEDISH HOUSE MAFIA [SWE] Thursday January 31, Sidney Myer Music Bowl Friday February 1, Sidney Myer Music Bowl KLUTE [UK], GRIDLOK [USA] Friday February 1, Brown Alley ABOVE & BEYOND [UK] Saturday February 2, Hisense Arena HOLY OTHER [UK] Tuesday February 5, Workers Club EL-P [USA] Wednesday February 6, Corner Hotel BUTCH [GER], EDU IMBERNON [ESP] Friday February 8, Brown Alley JACKMASTER [UK], SHLOHMO [USA] Friday February 8, The Liberty Social ULTRAMAGNETIC MCS [USA] Saturday February 9, The Espy BICEP [UK] Sunday February 10, Revolver Upstairs MACKLEMORE [USA], RYAN LEWIS [USA] Tuesday February 12, The Palace Saturday February 16, Corner Hotel BLAWAN [UK], MARCEL DETTMANN [GER] Friday February 15, Brown Alley LUNICE [CAN] Saturday February 16, Revolt Artspace JUDGE JULES [UK] Saturday February 16, Room 680.

DAMIAN LAZARUS [UK], SUBB-AN [UK], SHAUN REEVES [GER] + MORE Sunday February 17, Brown Alley PICTUREPLANE [USA] Sunday February 17, The Liberty Social DIXON [GER], HUXLEY [UK] Friday February 22, Prince Bandroom BOK BOK [UK], L-VIS 1990 [UK] Saturday February 23, Revolver

UPCOMING

JANUARY

ONTOUR

MOODYMANN [USA] Friday March 8, Prince Bandroom FANTASTIC MR FOX [UK] Saturday March 9, The Liberty Social GOLDEN PLAINS: MOODYMANN [USA], JULIO BASHMORE [UK] + MORE Saturday March 9 - Monday March 11, Meredith Supernatural Amphitheatre FUTURE MUSIC FESTIVAL: THE PRODIGY [UK], DIZZEE RASCAL [UK], BOYS NOIZE [GER] + MORE Sunday March 10, Flemington Racecourse ELI VERVEINE [SWE] Friday March 15, La Di Da ATARI TEENAGE RIOT [USA] Friday May 17, Billboard

REAL TALK That heatwave was rough. I am not built for climate change. I do not want to be a puddle when I grow up.

Tyson Wray

The XX: Coexisting

After a fleeting 2012 visit to our shores, red-hot UK three-piece The xx have announced their return to Australia for their biggest tour yet. This April will see Romy Madley Croft, Oliver Sim and Jamie Smith bring their striking aural palette around the country once again. This will be The xx’s first Australian tour since the release of their sophomore LP Coexist, which we described as “hitting all the right pleasure buttons with the least amount of fuss, and is definitely one of the year’s finest.” Though their last visit was relatively subdued, The xx’s Melbourne performance proved to be more than worthy of the preceding hype. As with last visit, tickets are expected to be snapped up in a brisk fashion. We advise you to get in quick. The xx perform at Festival Hall on Thursday April 4.

Judgement Sundays: Ibiza Comes To Melbourne

A legendary night of the Ibiza clubbing scene, Judgement Sundays is heading our way for some summer lovin’. Headlined by British DJ/producer/ radio host Judge Jules and starring production guru Sean Tyas along with Marlo, Judgement Australia will be one of the most memorable nights of summer.

Catch it on Saturday February 16 at Room 680.

Boiler Room: Stream Of Awesomeness Boiler Room – the well-respected live streaming initiative that showcases sets from world-renowned artists on the web – has announced the lineup for its tour of Melbourne. In conjunction with its appearance at Sugar Mountain Festival, Boiler Room will feature Cut Copy DJs alongside Roland Tings, Naysayer & Gilsun, Tornado Wallace, Andras Fox, Bamboo Musik, Zanzibar Chanel and Out of Focus DJs at The Bottom End on Sunday January 27. Tickets are on sale now through Moshtix.

Slaughterhouse: Murder On Dance Floor

Slaughterhouse are coming to Australia for the first time ever. Slaughterhouse herald from all over American boasting the talent of Royce da 5’9, Joe Budden, Californian Crooked I and Joeel Ortiz.

Despite their individual successes, Slaughterhouse has met its own Billboard success with their debut, welcome to: Our House, peaking at #2 on the US Charts. In tow will be LA lyricist ScHoolboy Q, and Australian hip hop group Full Tote Odds who will perform work from their debut Place Your Bets.

Slaughterhouse will be playing the Palace Theatre on Friday March 1.

Holy Other: Otherworldly Sounds

Holy Other is like his music. Enigmatic, atmospheric and meticulous. The Manchester producer, known for his enrapturing tunes, has announced a one off sideshow for his St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival debut in Melbourne next year. Holy Other creates a world of melancholic introspection about modern love, embracing a subtle house sound ridden with repetitive twists. It has earned the artists critical acclaim nationally and internationally. Holy Other will be playing at St. Jerome’s Laneway Festival on Sunday February 3.

Mac Miller: Broad Beats Derrick Carter: Chicago Sounds

Enigmatic Chicago house icon Derrick Carter has announced that he will be returning to Australia, performing in Melbourne later this month. At the forefront of Chicago’s house movement since the mid-‘90s, Derrick Carter has since grown to one of the most recognised and respected names in the world of house – touring internationally near nonstop for almost two decades, having begun his DJ endeavours at the age of nine, spinning disco records at family reunions. Derrick Carter will be performing at Alumbra in Melbourne on Monday January 28.

Pittsburgh prodigy, Mac Miller, is making his debut in Australia next year. The 19-year-old who is known for his sass, smooth rhymes and reflective lyrics has been creating his rapper identity through the internet over the past few years. Miller’s penchant for freestyle earned him YouTube success, propelling his singles Donald Trump and One Last Thing to international attention. Watching Movies With The Sound Off will be the American’s debut album next year, which Miller will perform during his shows.

Mac Miller will be playing at The Palace on Thursday February 21.

Atari Teenage Riot: Revolution Action

It’s about fucking time: digital hardcore legends Atari Teenage Riot are coming back to us. Sweet, sweet Atari. The crew, formed in Berlin in the ‘90s, broke apart in 2001 but have been revitalised with a new lineup. Bringing their wild mesh of hardcore punk and thrash metal with techno and drum and bass, along with highly political lyricism, Atari Teenage Riot play Billboard The Venue on Friday May 17.

RESPONSIBLE: Managing Editor: Ronnit Sternfein ronnit@beat.com.au Editor: Tyson Wray tyson@beat.com.au Listings: club/promoter submissions clubguide@beat.com.au - now online at beat.com.au - it’s free!

Production: Pat O’Neill art@beat.com.au Typesetting: Rebecca Houlden Cover Design: Pat O’Neill Advertising Senior Sales: ronnit@beat.com.au (03) 8414 9710 Taryn Stenvei taryn@beat.com.au Fashion and Beverages: Tegan Butler tegan@furstmedia.com.au Ph: 03 8414 9732 Deadlines: Editorial Friday 2PM – absolutely NO exceptions. Club photos Monday 9AM (email only clubpics@beat.com.au). Advertising artwork Monday 12PM. Photographers: Callum Linsell Contributors: Rezo Kezerashvili, Miki McLay, Shane Scott, Simon Traspier, Brian Rotide, The Knowledge, Ellen Devenney, Dan Watt, Aaron Ralston, Birdie, Liam Pieper, Simon Hampson, Chad-Michael Michaelson, Mikolai, Reuben Adams, David Edgley.

Publisher: Furst Media, 3 Newton Street Richmond 3121 Ph 03 9428 3600 www.beat.com.au

EDITORIALDEADLINE - 2PM FRIDAYS NO EXCEPTIONS

2.

UP TO DATE

Bok Bok And L-Vis 1990: Night Slugs

Since its formation as a club night in London, headed

by Bok Bok and L-Vis 1990, Night Slugs is now one of the most respected labels in the world of bass. Along with the release of Night Slugs All Stars Volume 2 this February, Bok Bok and L-Vis 1990 will headline a historic night at Revolver on Saturday February 23.

Ultramagnetic MCs: The Bronx

After almost 30 years in existence, hip hop legends Ultramagnetic MCs will be hitting the Espy Front Bar next February. Established way back when in the Bronx by Kool Keith, the group released their legendary debut album Critical Beatdown in 1988.

Next year they will be making their debut appearance on Australian shores. Don’t miss them on Saturday February 9 at the Espy Front Bar.

Darkbeat & Brown Alley Presents: AN OFFICIAL 2013

FEATURING

EARLYBIRD TICKETS NOW ON SALE mo sh ti x. co m. au or br ow na ll ey .c om

Friday 25 Jan 2013 @ Brown Alley th

FOR TICKETS & MORE INFO GO TO WWW.BROWNALLEY.COM - 10PM TIL LATE. 585 LONSDALE STREET, 9670 8599 - www.dirtybirdrecords.com TICKETS AVAILABLE ONLINE @WWW.MOSHTIX.COM.AU & IN STORE AT ALL MOSHTIX OUTLETS, PROFILE MUSIC & STORE DJ

THE BIG MAG FOR CLUB CULTURE

3.

CLAUDE VONSTROKE

“I am listening to new music every single day. I am really dialed in to what kind of sound I want to put out.”

BEWARE: DIRTYBIRD BILLIANCE

4.

Claude VonStroke is still going places. Partying, touring, producing, running a label and all associated activities continues to take up a significant portion of his time – in fact all of it – but there is little else the man would be rather doing. “I just got back from Holy Ship!” he says.

“It’s a rave cruise that goes from Florida to the Bahamas with about 50 DJs. It was pretty mental and really fun!

Right now though, I’m in LA mixing a cover mount CD for our Dirtybird issue of Mixmag and getting work done on my third album.”

So how did the teenager who was classically trained to play the cello make the move to the bass drivers and the mixing desk? “It really was a long process,” explains VonStroke. “Basically, I dropped the cello the second I could afford a sampler because back in the day, they used to cost a ton of dough! So I started off making hip hop beats, and then I gradually got more and more into electronic music. My kit has changed dramatically over the years but I notice that the less stuff I have the better the music is, so I like to keep my options open, but not too much! Admittedly, I failed many times before things worked out for me.”

Fast forward a whole lot of years and VonStroke has now worked across multiple genres – as well as under a number of different aliases – but he feels like he is settled now, to the point where things are moving with momentum. Indeed, his Dirtybird imprint continues to release consistently good music, while VonStroke is back in the studio, working on a follow up to his acclaimed 2009 LP, Bird Brain. Timing wise too, things are about right. His debut LP Beware Of The Bird was released in 2006, so it’s fair to say we are due for album three, being 2013 and all.

And luckily, our speculation around timing is spot on: “I am working on another album right now,” he chimes.

“I am really hoping to have the new album completed for the fall of 2013.” That makes it later this year, but fans will surely not be disappointed for he is once again hoping to mess around with the rule book. “I’m working on a number of different genres, I have to say. It won’t all be house music, that’s for sure. Another bit of trivia is that we have a pretty huge tour starting this year for the label. It’s going to be called Dirtybird Players and I will also have another artist tour towards the end of next year as well.”

Vibe wise, expect the parties to get down and dirty – much like any time VonStroke takes to the stage.

“Because our sound is bass heavy house music and influenced mostly by hip hop, funk and drum and bass, we felt it had to have that dirty vibe,” he describes. “But the name Dirtybird was in fact named after a free BBQ at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco!” So it seems then that with a combination of being a little free spirited – as well as having a love for the sound of grime – the label and its legacy were born.

“For us it was a bit of a combination actually,” describes VonStroke. “It started out from a distaste for the popular electronic music scene in San Francisco around 2003.

My friends and I wanted to hear something different and less polished than the vocal influenced house that was popular in the area at about that time.”

So in between touring, producing, running a label and some associated A&R duties, one wonders where the man finds the time. “It does seem like a big operation,” he admits, “though a lot of people help me these days.

But to be honest, it wasn’t like that for the first seven years when I did almost everything myself. I still do 100 COVER STORY

per cent of the A&R and art approvals nowadays, but I’ve had to step back from some of the other jobs on the label side just to be able to tour properly and make music. I also have a wife and two kids so you can imagine once you add touring and producing to that mix, it does get a bit hectic!”

No less, one cannot help but be impressed that he continues to hold down a family as well as run a mini musical empire – least of which, one that presents him with the requirement to stay current and fresh. Funnily enough though, it is not staying abreast of the latest trend, or even pushing boundaries that VonStroke struggles with. Surprisingly, it’s an issue of time. “That is the hardest thing,” he says. “I don’t actually have enough of it, but keeping things relevant is the easy part. I am listening to new music every single day. I am really dialed in to what kind of sound I want to put out.

Even staying motivated becomes an issue only on the production end because I find producing to be a slow process; realistically for me it is like that sometimes and I just get fed up with it. Right now though, I’m feeling like I’m really inspired to make some music but there are still lulls where I don’t want to go near the studio!”

That said, the man of the moment is rather looking forward to his upcoming working holiday in Australia – and likewise, he is looking towards experimenting in his sets, and going into different directions. If nothing else, he is enjoying being spontaneous and unpredictable, preferring to do things in his own way, but even freedom comes with its compromises. “I do actually wish I had a few more killer edits right now,” he says in jest. “That might be something I start working on again soon! I’ve noticed recently in my travels that I’m relying a lot on more solid grooves; like super funky stuff rather than necessarily big bangers. I find it more satisfying to get a room to go off to a really ill groove. In my opinion, anyone can get people to jump up and down with a huge banging noisy track. In all, I’m enjoying my work a fair bit more right now. It’s a tricky question, this one of genres.”

Now whether his is an opposite approach to what is going on the industry right now, VonStroke can’t be sure. He accepts that more recently, DJs have purposely moved across genres to keep the punters guessing, yet he questions whether it’s the correct approach. “I see some DJs doing this, but not as many as you would think.

People do sort of get really caught up in their niches.

Other than that, I don’t spend too much time thinking about it. I also like to do inside jokes and keep it light sometimes but I don’t want the set to be jokey or silly.

I think that musically you can do whatever you want as long as it sounds good and people are getting down!”

Otherwise, VonStroke is rather chuffed to have taken the time off to get down to Australia. Proudly, he describes his setup as much the same, but musically, he is pushing a slightly changed-up sound. “The music is different,” he says. “But I am really looking forward to the tour. I always have such a great time out there. It’s hard to believe that I have been coming out to Australia every year for the last seven years. Time flies when you’re having fun!”

RK Claude VonStroke [USA] plays at Brown Alley on Friday January 25 alongside Justin Martin [USA] and J.Phlip [USA].

BBA & LOADED DICE PRESENTS...

CITY

26th JANUARY 2013 [AUSTRALIA DAY] VENUE HI FI BAR , 125 SWANSTON ST CBD SUPPORT SAFIRE (DISPATCH RECORDS), PATCH (SA), FINNA, ENIGMA ENTRY 10PM-late DATE

TICKETS MOSHTIX.COM.AU + ALL MOSHTIX OUTLETS BROKENBEATASSAULT.COM WEB WWW.ANDYC.CC WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/ANDYC ENQUIRES INFO@LOADEDDICE.COM.AU

THE BIG MAG FOR CLUB CULTURE

5.

FRIDAY NIGHT LOFT PARTY

WEDNESDAY16TH

verse and it’s called Wonderlust! As luck would have it you can come and experience the effects of this strange new phenomena every Thursday night at The Carlton!

Carlton Club, 193 Bourke Street, Melbourne

FRIDAY18TH

Kitty Schmidt couldn’t find quality dance music in Fitzroy so she’s decided to open up her bedroom doors. Living above Melbourne’s stalwart lesbian/gay Libation Bar, she’s now throwing a monthly party in her boudoir. Come into her renovated upstairs loft, cocktail bar, dance floor and smoking terrace. With quirky house, deep disco and erotic electronica being spun by Marvin Roland, Mr. Pyz and Kitty Schmidt DJs. Libation, 302 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy

RETRO SEXUAL FRIDAY DJ Grandmaster Vicious spins Fitzroy’s finest mix of ‘80s and ‘90s pop, rock, new wave, hip hop, disco classics and cheese to please plus dance floor anthems from then to now.

One Twenty Bar, 120 Johnston St, Fitzroy

WAH WAH SATURDAYS Just when you thought Wah Saturdays couldn’t get any better, this week Rob Pix (Beng) kicks off a new rotating residency down Waratah place. Get down early to avoid the queue or alternatively you could come down very late for the infamous recovery kicking off at 4AM! Wah Wah Lounge, 185 Lonsdale Street, Melbourne

WEEKEND The brain child of the creative kids at 360 Agency and Seven Nightclub. The Weekend is here to put a smile on your dial every Saturday night. We want you to join the family. Dancing from 10pm weekly.

Seven, 52 Albert Rd, South Melbourne

SATURDAY19TH EDEN SATURDAYS Smashing it every week at Melbourne’s hottest looking venue! Top 40 dance, house and R&B 9-3am, then electro from 3am - 5am. DJ Ontime, DJ Ryza, Scotty Erdos and Azza M. $15/$20, free entry after 4am.

Eden, 163 Russell St, Melbourne

COQ ROQ

LOUNGE-CLUB

Rocking Wednesdays at Lucky Coq are rotating DJs Lady Noir, Agent 86, Kiti, Mr Thom, Joybot and guests giving you nothing but the best new wave, punk, brit pop, bong rap and hair metal. Coq Roq takes place every Wednesday from 8pm with free pool downstairs from 9pm as well as drink specials.

Roq out!

Lucky Coq, 179 Chapel St, Windsor

Dazzling disco lights? Check. Big dance floor? Check.

Stage to dance on? Check. Music all night long? Check.

We got Melbourne’s finest purveyors of music. You’ll get funk, boogie, disco, house, Latin, afro, techno and much more. Lounge-Club happens every weekend from 10PM and it’s free entry.

Lounge, 243 Swanston Street, Melbourne

MIDNIGHT SOUL ENSEMBLE Whether it’s a DJ on the one’s and two’s side by side with a drummer hitting the skins while jammin’ away into the night, or soul singers gracing our humble stage performing Erykah Badu tribute songs over wonky future beats, or hip hop DJs cuttin’ up Serato records, we got the mid-week party. You know you wanna. Free entry Lounge, 243 Swanston Street, Melbourne

SOUL ARMY With more flavour than a chocolate pizza, the Wednesday Soul Army throws down raw, uncut funk next to smooth soul grooves and rare blue jams. Bring that special lady because when the boys lay down the love it could be the difference between ‘we’re just friends’ to ‘let’s get it on’.

PBS stalwarts Vince Peach and Miss Goldie accompany Prequel and Black Diamond Kicks weekly. Free.

Bimbo Deluxe, 376 Brunswick St (Cnr Rose St), Fitzroy

LAUNDRY WEDNESDAYS Deep, dark, minimal dubstep and drum and bass.

Laundry Bar, 50 Johnston Street, Fitzroy

THURSDAY17TH BIMBO THURSDAYS Tigerfunk brings with him his full band of travelling gypsies, hipsters and middle class executives, all of whom are prepared to deliver the most excitement you can have this side of the weekend.

Bimbo Deluxe, 376 Brunswick St (Cnr Rose St), Fitzroy

CQ FRIDAYS The weekend starts here! Get on down for after work drinks from 5pm with DJs Marcus Knight, Mark Pellegrini, Nick Van Wilder & DJ Anferny getting your weekend started right. 5pm til 3am.

CQ, 113 Queen St, Melbourne

It’s house, electro, dub, anthems, disco and funk with guest DJs Genetix, B-Two and Oohee rocking til the break of day. Doors open 10pm with $5 basics til midnight!

First Floor, 393 Brunswick St, Fitzroy

Get Lit every Friday night with Mugen & D’fro slicin’ n dicin’ over jiggy beats and underground anthems.

Bounce to the ounce, and get yer “drank” on! And kids remember one thang, in the wise words of Lady: this pussy be yankin! YOLO. Free entry. From 10pm.

Lounge, 243 Swanston Street, Melbourne

The original and still the best Sunday in Melbourne.

Star Bar, 160 Clarendon St, South Melbourne

SUNDAE SHAKE

A journey of international music from all over the world; past, present and future rhythms incorporating afro, soul, funk, world and deep house elements!

First Floor, 393 Brunswick St, Fitzroy

FORBIDDEN

HOMECOMING

Forbidden’s venue is going to wow all those that attend through its state of the art sound and lighting system, an amazing balcony overlooking Russell and Bourke Streets and is located in the heart of the city. Forbidden will feature some of the hottest DJs in Melbourne including Anyo, Rufio, Stefan C, Alex Da Kid, Galo, Timmy Edgell and Azza-M. Forbidden is the hottest place to be on a Friday night – the location has just changed. Free entry applies to everyone between 8pm – 9pm and happy hour will run for 3 hours!

Eden, 163 Russell St, Melbourne

In the grand tradition of past Saturday nights at the Prince of Wales, it will regain it’s rightful place on the pantheon of Australian dance music playing host to the best and most exciting EDM locally, nationally and internationally. Local residents include Generik, Oskar, Swick, Tranter, M.A.F.I.A., Streetparty DJs and Clip Art, and scheduled guests The Aston Shuffle, Tonite Only, The Swiss, Luke Million, Parachute Youth, Louis La Roche, Alvin Risk and more. In addition, Homecoming has prepared a veritable roster of exciting drinks and cocktails to fuel the fun, including Fresh coconut cocktails, Dr. Pepper, Electric Lemonade, Tecate, Thai-style Buckets and Bubble Cup cocktails.

Prince Bandroom, 29 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda

Google Hot Step and you’ll get a bunch of Vietnamese game reviews and Balkanese dances on YouTube. But that’s nothing like what you can expect to find within the confines of Bimbo on a Saturday night. Developing thick and heavy but altogether groovy, enjoy an eclectic mix of fairy floss funk, doom disco and monk movement minimal every week. Free.

Bimbo Deluxe, 376 Brunswick St (Cnr Rose St), Fitzroy

Slow House Thursdays is just what Brunswick has been missing. Get down to the latest Thursday spot at Noise Bar, find a space with your bros and get into the as DJs Same O, David Bass and James Hurt spin bass laced tunes ‘til the early hours of the morning.

Noise Bar, 291 Albert Street, Brunswick

WONDERLUST Fate, karma, the yin and the yang, the balance between chaos and order or divine intervention? A new spiritual high has emerged from the cosmic energies of the uni-

8.

Our Signature serve. Each and every Sunday we play host to a self professed vinyl junkie caught between the golden years and boogie wonderland. A mouthful?

Perhaps. Phato Amano perfectly sets the mood for an audio-adventure that redefines the dance floor weekly.

Our Sunday aficionados Agent 86 and Tigerfunk stir up a full cream shake to the flavour of your liking. Forget everything you thought you knew about losing yourself to the grooves.

Bimbo Deluxe, 376 Brunswick St (Cnr Rose St), Fitzroy

MONDAY21ST IBIMBO Have you always wanted to be a DJ but been cruelly cursed with tone deafness and a general inability to version excursion? Well Bimbo Deluxe saves the day once again.. All you need is an iPhone and you’re set. Just download the free ‘remote’ application from the app store, log into the Bimbo DJ wireless network and you choose which song plays next.

Bimbo Deluxe, 376 Brunswick St (Cnr Rose St), Fitzroy

TUESDAY22ND COSMIC PIZZA NHJ and friends host every Tuesday night upstairs at Lucky Coq. Playing uneasy listening, freaked out bass jams, romantic comedy disco, tropi-jazz, soundtracks and shit you won’t hear on the other nights.

Lucky Coq, 179 Chapel St, Windsor

SATURDAYS AT ONE TWENTY BAR DJ CKass will take you on a musical journey to the retro sounds of the ‘70s and ‘80s, followed by Top 40.

One Twenty Bar, 120 Johnston St, Fitzroy

PANORAMA

SLOW HOUSE THURSDAYS

SOUTH SIDE HUSTLE

STAR BAR SUNDAYS

FIRST FLOOR FRIDAYS

Funk up your Thursday nights with Free Range Funk at the Windsor favourite Lucky Coq. Grab a couch early and enjoy one (or more) of their famous $4 pizzas from 7-11pm. Meanwhile DJs Who, Agent 86, Lewis CanCut and special guests tempt you into the night with their eclectic bag of treats. Setting the mood early is delightful jazz, deep soul, and funk. Later it’s fruity disco, choice house, and hipster dance drops. Free entry every Thursday.

Lucky Coq, 179 Chapel St, Windsor

SUNDAY20TH The perfect Sunday soundtrack with DJs Askew, Peter Baker, Booshank, Paz, Miss Butt, Junji, Disco Harry and guests. They will be laying down disco, afro beat and deep house til 3am. For lovers of good music - South Side Hustle.

Lucky Coq, 179 Chapel St, Windsor

GET LIT

FREE RANGE FUNK

Celebrate Thursday night at Co. with club classics and dance floor anthems.

Co., Crown Entertainment Complex, Lvl 3, 8 Whiteman St, Southbank

Co. At Crown’s Saturday night party Sound Empire this week features mega sounds from resident DJs Tate Strauss, Miss Sarah, Nova, Johnny M, Matty G, Dean T, Joe Sofo, Marcus Knight, Dinesh, Chris Ostrom, B-Boogie and Sarah Roberts.

Co., Crown Entertainment Complex, Lvl 3, 8 Whiteman St, Southbank

FIRST FLOOR SATURDAYS

HOT STEP

FUN HOUSE

SOUND EMPIRE

Start your weekend on a good note with Panorama Fridays at Lucky Coq. DJs Matt Rad, Mr George, Tom Meagher and Phato A Mano transform the upstairs area into one hell of a house party with Hip Hop, Funk, R&B, Disco and House. Meanwhile, downstairs gives you a secluded wind down atmosphere with cult films as background visuals and quality cocktails to sip on.

Let the new coqtail list wash away a crappy week!

Lucky Coq, 179 Chapel St, Windsor

STAR SATURDAYS Star Saturdays - smashing it every Saturday! Phil Ross, Scotty Erdos, DJ Ontime, LC, Nick James, Dane Gains, Ryan Hamill, Deja, Phil Isa, Nixon, Azza M, Scotty Nix, DJ Ryza, C Dubb, Alex-J, G-Funk, Dylisco, Achos, Az, Shaggz and guests.

Star Bar, 160 Clarendon St, South Melbourne

TEMPERANCE SATURDAYS DJ Marcus Knight & DJ Xander James drop sexy house, dance and drum and bass all night from 8pm. Free entry.

Temperance Hotel, 426 Chapel St, South Yarra

FREEDOM PASS Friday’s at Freedom with 2 premier clubs, 5 huge rooms, 10+ local and international DJs blending their unique sets across countless styles of tunes – vocal house, smooth R&B, electro and commercial top 40. Throw in a few sexy podium dancers, a world-class lights show and drink specials, the Freedom Pass is your personal ticket to a night you won’t soon forget!

Fusion, Crown Entertainment Complex, Lvl 3, 8 Whiteman St, Southbank ESSENTIALS

TEXTILE Saturdays at Lucky Coq tick all the boxes so start your night early and stay til close! Famous $4 pizzas from 7-9pm (that’s dinner sorted) then from 9pm spread over two levels with DJs playing hip hop, funk, disco, house and electro. Rotating guests on both levels keep the tunes fresh. Free entry.

Lucky Coq, 179 Chapel St, Windsor

BIMBO TUESDAYS Bimbo Tuesday’s have long been the discerning DJs midweek breath of fresh air. An opportunity to indulge in, and to each parade their individual takes on music. A night where by the weird and wonderful is not frowned upon but rather celebrated. Resident selectors Matt Radovich, Andras Fox and Henry Who draw from a colorful array of sounds that warm your midweek blues. From 8pm, free.

Bimbo Deluxe, 376 Brunswick St (Cnr Rose St), Fitzroy

MELBOURNE’S EPIC SATURDAY CLUB NIGHT

AUSTRALIA DAY

SIZZLES WITH THE HOTTEST

AUSTRALIAN FEMALE DJ’S! BROOKE EVERS | JODY MCLEOD FEMME | SAX ON LEGZ JANE DAFFY | 5FT2 | VAMP

SATURDAY 26 JANUARY 2 CLUBS | 1 TICKET DON’T MISS IT!

LEVEL 3 | CROWN

WWW.COATCROWN.COM.AU

To enhance the safety and welfare of all patrons, Crown promotes the following conditions of entry: Dress standards apply. Customers must be 18 years or over and submit their driver’s licence or other photo

FNC13383

WWW.FUSIONATCROWN.COM.AU

NATHAN FAKE FULL STEAM AHEAD: FAKE TECHNO As he prepares to arrive in Australia once again, it's hard to believe Nathan Fake's magnum opus Outhouse came out ten years ago. Despite misconceptions about his age, the now 29-year-old purveyor of synth-laden atmospheric techno is steadily becoming one of the industry’s stalwarts.

Fake's career took off unexpectedly back in 2003 when Outhouse was picked up and released as a 12 inch on James Holden's then fledgling Border Community record label.

Outhouse was only their second release. The song, the perfect soundtrack to a rave in a haunted house, still stands the test of time all these years later and is a testament to Fake's distinctive style. The release of the legendary Sky Was Pink remix by James Holden came soon after, solidifying his “hot newcomer” status.

“James just really liked the original. We never expected it to be this massive hit. It's nice that that record has reached so far but it's so old now – it's eight years old. People still go on about it which is nice but it's kind of annoying because I've had loads of records out since then,” he laughs. The friendship between Fake (his real name, funnily enough) and his mentor Holden still continues to this day.

Fake puts his hand to the odd remix himself now and then, reworking the likes of our own PVT, Annie and a little band called Radiohead for their TKOL RMX 1234567 album (Thom Yorke is a fan).

Many DJs completely change their sound over time in line with trends and changed tastes but Fake has stayed true to his original aesthetic over time and with his 2012 album, Steam Days. Although he may have matured and added in a few more bells and whistles, this album is in keeping with the emotive quality of his work over the last decade, albeit with a slightly harder edge.

The new album, with incredible tracks like Iceni Strings, Neketona and Paean (including the awesome Lone remix) is his

most impressive work to date. Steam Days is his third album, following the mini-album Hard Islands in 2009 and Drowning in a Sea of Love in 2006 (featuring The Sky Was Pink). Using an analogue tape machine in his London studio he has attempted to achieve a grittier sound.

“For the last two years I've been playing around with tape. It's quite an interesting effect because you can get weird sounds from tape that you can't really get through digital means. I used a lot of that on Steam Days, playing around with different tape recording techniques.”

His first time back in Australia since an under-appreciated set at Meredith Music Festival in 2009, Fake is looking forward to returning. “[Meredith] was really good. The location is amazing.

It was quite cool to see some of the outback because I only ever stay in the city.”

This time he'll be playing at a very different kind of festival, Rainbow Serpent. The festival's psy-trance roots, while different to his own sound, aren't as foreign as you might think.

“It's kind of fun the whole raver scene in the UK, with all these free parties going on. Where I'm from in Norfolk, you get loads of illegal psy-trance parties on the beach. They do these weird parties where it's been the same crowd for the past eight or nine years.”

Fake remains coy on the topic of whether he is going to be playing any sideshows during his visit, although he will be spending the week in Melbourne between Rainbow Serpent (Sunday January 27) and shows the following weekend in Perth and Sydney.

As for his live set, Fake plays live using a simple set up of laptop with Ableton and a couple of midi controllers, as displayed in his recent Boiler Room set.

“It's all stuff off my new album with a few old bits and pieces chucked in. The live set sounds like a raved-up version of the album pretty much.”

He says the live set changes a lot from the sound of the album.

“I'm using Ableton when I play live but when I'm in the studio I use Cubase and random bits of hardware and software. I find the live set sounds quite different to the recorded stuff.”

He likes to mix up his sets depending on the crowd, so no two sets are the same.

“Musically it's actually totally improvised. It's all set up on my laptop so I can go in different directions because it's fun playing different kinds of shows. A festival is quite different to club shows. Last month I was on tour with Orbital doing the support slot. It's quite different as I was playing really early evening so it was quite mellow – much different to playing a rave at 4am.”

The producer, who is often compared to other UK electronic artists Aphex Twin and Boards of Canada, has managed to attach a real emotive quality to his productions. Some are sad

and melancholy, some uplifting, many build slowly and create that feeling of going on a “journey”, as corny as that may sound.

“My favourite music is sad music,” he jokes.

“A lot of it is quite sub-conscious. I like to think my music is quite visceral. I'm into a lot of different textures and moods and stuff.

I like to play with lots of contrasting textures and sounds which is what makes it sound quite rich. I don't think too much about what a track is feeling like or what mood it's going to have.

“The stuff you write when you're not thinking about it is usually the best stuff.”

Rose Callaghan Nathan Fake [UK] plays alongside Guy J [ISR], Prometheus [UK] and more at Rainbow Serpent Festival which runs from Friday January 25 to Monday January 28 in Lexton.

AFRICA HITECH 93 MILLION: SMILES FROM FANS Aussie girls have always struck a nerve with foreign men.

Often smitten by their down-to-Earth demeanor, many men have fallen victim to their charm, humour and kindness. That’s probably the biggest load of shit I’ve ever spun as a writer, but it was certainly the case for Mark Pritchard and Steve Spacek, better known as Africa Hitech. The duo, who met in the UK, later learned through a mutual friend that they were both living in the same country halfway across the world. They both married Australian girls and made the big move Down Under around the same time. Now they stand at the intersection of an eclectic diaspora of electronic styles. The result is a synthesiserfuelled syncopated bass explosion.

With the acknowledgement that all electronic music stems from African musical traditions, Spacek and Pritchard have formed a musical partnership that knows no boundary in terms of style, drawing from soul, dub and acid to UK garage, grime, techno, house and Jamaican dancehall. 100% speaks with Africa Hitech about their successful solo careers, how they teamed up, and the Australian music scene.

While their first tastes of dance music were different, Africa Hitech have mastered their art. Mark says he came across electronic music via Science Fiction soundtracks and was lucky to hear Chicago house music and Detroit techno when he left school. Steve reminisces on his encounter with Donna Summer’s I Feel Love marking his exposure to the genre at the tender age of five. “[It was playing on a] massive reggae sound system in my school hall,” he says, “This was during the holidays at play school – southeast London style!”

Around 1990, both men began dabbling in the early beginnings of their music careers. Mark says, “I worked with

Tom Middleton and from that, various names came [including] Reload, Global Communication, Jedi Knights.” Steve created the ambient group Spacek and worked with a conglomerate of hip hop gods including Common and the late J. Dilla. “[J. Dilla] was one of the most humble and gracious peeps that I have ever met in the industry,” Steve says. “He was a real joy to be around. He was all about trying to make great music. He wasn’t into scenes or bullshit. I walked into his apartment, who he was sharing with Common at the time, to pick up a beat.

When I walked in he was flipping it saying, ‘Yo Spacek! I can’t believe you’re here.’ That blew my mind. He was so humble and appreciative.”

After collaborative work together in the early 2000s, fate would have it that both Mark and Steve wound up in Bondi. “We met Aussie girls in the UK and moved here at the same time,” Steve says. “All I really knew about Australia was from Neighbours.

When we had our first kid I said we should go where my wife is from so she can be comfortable. I was a bit scared because it was so far away and I’d never really been there.”

Their earlier collaborative work proved the two were on the same wavelength when it came to making music. “I heard the first Spacek single Eve via a mutual friend. I was blown away by that record,” Mark explains. “It was way ahead of its time. Steve has a really unique voice and is the most talented musician I have worked with. I suppose we have very similar roots into music and we are both striving for something new. So when we both ended up ten minutes from each other on the other side of the world almost eight years ago we started working straight away.”

Since then, Africa Hitech has put out two EPs on the globally respected Warp Records. Their style flirts with elements of dubstep,

grime and funk with a hard hitting and encompassing edge. “We are open to all music,” Mark says. “We just want to hear fresh things and also get inspired by music from the past.” Steve adds, “It’s nice to try and visit different places within music.”

Despite having different exposures to dance music, the duo shares the same perspective on African rhythms. “As soon as you start making modern dance music, you start touching on African music,” Steve says, “especially the rhythms, arpeggios and mantra type melodies. You can start with any of the genres and trace them back to Africa. Our thing was to really be conscious of that fact whilst making 93 Million Miles [and to] always maintain that raw tribal swing, mixed with a bit of beautiful tech.”

Both Mark and Steve have separate projects they continue to work on. Steve has been busying himself with a solo album and Mark is returning to a Harmonic 313 project. “I’ve been working on it for a while in the background and I am trying and get it finished in June ready for release in September,” Mark says.

Having lived in Australia for nearly eight years, Africa Hitech has good insight into the Australian music scene.

“Now the dollar is strong, even more people are coming out which is great,” Mark begins. “Whatever type of music you are into, you can find people doing good parties in that style across Australia. Sydney suffers from a shortage of medium sized venues and great sound systems though.”

Due to play the No Parlay VIP Boat Party and Shed4 Party, Melbourne will see Africa Hitech grace our stages once more after a hiatus due to the pair gigging overseas.

Tamara Vogl Africa Hitech [AUS] play No Parlay Boat Cruise and Shed4 Party on Saturday January 19 alongside Kid Kenobi [AUS], Ben Browning [AUS] and more. The No Parlay Boat Cruise leaves from The Victoria Star, Central Pier Docklands while the No Parlay Party is held at Shed4, South Wharf Docklands.

DARSHAN JESRANI DISCO: DEVOTION Darshan Jesrani is one of the foremost electronic producers of the past decade, and with his best bud Morgan Geist, is part of the forward-thinking disco duo known as Metro Area. He is also renowned as a DJ, however, unlike many beat-makers who get behind the decks, he views these as two very separate areas of expertise. “I don’t like that producing music and DJing have become conflated,” he tells me. “Many talented producers have bored dancers to tears. I’m not talking about the kind of crying on the dance floor that one reads stories about from the clubbing days of yore, mind you,” he continues. “I’m talking about actual, palpable, hopeless boredom, because of a complete lack of awareness of how, or what music, to play at a party. Conversely, there are many great DJs who should never, ever make records.”

As Metro Area, Jesrani and Geist rose to acclaim as part of the same wave of disco and punk-funk purveyors that included the likes of LCD Soundsystem and the DFA Records crew. Their releases, while only sporadic, are uniformly excellent, and I ask Jesrani how often he catches up with Geist, and indeed, if there’s anything new for them on the way.

“We’re good, long-time friends so we’re always in touch,” he says. “We tend to meet at least weekly for lunch. We’ve finally decided to finish a new album,” he continues, “but the only thing is that it’s not an album of music, per se. It’s a photo album called Metro Area – Out to Lunch, which chronicles our various lunches over the past two years. It features such hits as Empanada Café in Corona, Queens, Golden Mall in Flushing, and ends on a refined note with Jean Georges.”

Jesrani is not the most prolific of producers, and he takes a

10.

while between releases, all of which makes his collaboration with Tracey Thorn all the more special. A few years back, when the Everything But The Girl singer released a solo album, he contributed in the form of the sublime disco-house hybrid It’s All True. As for how this collaboration came about, he tells me that it was a complete accident. “Tracey and I have never met,” he explains. “I was in Berlin staying with Sasse Lindblad of Moodmusic, and we were just jamming at his studio, which was in his apartment at the time. Ewan Pearson came by and got down with us. Ewan was in the middle of helping put together Tracey’s album and played her a demo of what we’d done that day.” The singer liked what she heard, and decided to write lyrics around it. “I mocked up string parts and had them recorded when I came back to New York,” he explains, “then I sent them to Ewan in London, who mixed the whole thing, and it became a single!”

In his capacity as a DJ, Jesrani travels the world a lot, although his busy schedule sometimes prevents him from indulging in the crate-digging he so loves. “A lot of my visits to cities revolve around the gig itself, with not much extra time to do anything else,” he says. “When I stay somewhere for a few days I might get a chance to find some music.” He has, however, made a few interesting discoveries of late. “I have some friends in Berlin who are pretty deeply involved in the second-hand record store scene, and one of them turned me on to a crazy, electronically-produced East German Schlager song called Mingo. It’s from the early to mid-‘70s, and my friend tells me it’s about a monkey – I’m gonna take his word for it because I understand very little German.”

FEATURES

The technology available to DJs has changed a great deal over the last decade, and I ask Jesrani what, from his perspective, has been the biggest shift. The question gives him pause. “I’m not sure,” he says. “I mean, there was always a chance you’d hear really shitty music at the club, because plenty of bad music was pressed to vinyl records, but now you get to hear really shitty music which also sounds like complete shit because it’s played back from MP3s. I also hear a fair amount of good music which is ruined because it’s played from MP3s.”

In short, he says, the proliferation of digital formats has led to a proliferation of mediocre music and unremarkable DJ sets not that he wants to be a grumpy old man about it. “Please don’t be taken aback by my hatred of MP3s!” he laughs. “It’s the necessary flip side of my complete devotion to music.

Philosophically-speaking, it has to exist. I’m really a lot of fun, I swear. Let’s party!”

Disco music represents extremes of emotion – it can be euphoric and also very sad, often at the same time – and before I let him go, I have to ask Jesrani what it is that has drawn him to disco music for all this time. “I’d have to say, it’s the stylistic range as well as the emotional,” he says. “Disco can take on many different forms – electronic or earthy, futuristic and sleek, or folksy. The only constant requirement seems to be that it is dance-oriented music and, classically speaking, embodies its original ingredients – African American, Latin and European influences.”

Alasdair Duncan Darshan Jesrani [USA] plays alongside Lindstrom [NOR] at the Prince Bandroom on Friday January 25.

PURPLEEMERALD BIMBOS

ONETWENTYBAR

LUCKYCOQ

STRIKE

FIRSTFLOOR WORKSHOP

100% CLUB PICS

11.

LIGHTATREDLOVE BE.ATCO.

RHYTHMALISMATFUSION

FAKTORYATKHOKOLATBAR

KHOKOLATKOATED

12.

100% URBAN PICS

EL-P

THURSDAY17TH MOTOWN THURSDAYS Kick start your weekend with Melbourne’s newest Thursday night! Motown Thursdays caters to all true music lovers. Join us on an eclectic musical journey of soul, funk and disco through to early R&B. A live Soul Band features some of Melbourne’s most talented musicians; Carmen Hendricks, Laurent Soupe, Duncan Kinell and Aaron Mendoza just to name a few. DJs keep the records spinning into the early hours; residents are Reg-e, Lee Davies, Kalepe, Dinesh, Suga, Rubz and Alwin Rafferty. Join us around a big, shiny disco ball or two, for free entry, soulful tunes, drink specials all night and a dance floor full of friends!

Fashion Lounge, 121 Flinders Lane, Melbourne

RHYTHM-AL-ISM Start the weekend early with Fusion’s Resident DJs. Music for your funkin’ soul. Special guests every week!

Fusion, Crown Entertainment Complex, Lvl 3, 8 Whiteman St, Southbank

FRIDAY18TH FAKTORY This is it. Faktory Fridays are open for business at Melbourne’s home of R&B, Khokolat Bar. Where else?

Damion De Silva, Ken Walker, Durmy, K Dee, Simon Sez, Yaths and Jacqui Dusk spinning all night long.

Khokolat Bar, Basement, 43 Hardware La, Melbourne

SWEET NOTHING FRIDAYS LIKE FRIDAYS Like Fridays at La Di Da serves up R&B and electro house across two rooms giving you a fun filled end to your week. DJs Dinesh, Dir-X, Sef, NYD, Shaun D, Shaggz, Broz and more.

La Di Da, 577 Little Bourke St, Melbourne

LIGHT We celebrate everything that has made Light at Red Love, kicking off with our after work drinks session from 4pm. Our DJ lineup includes each and every one of the Daddy Mack’s who have helped lead Light into our 5th running year of old school R&B. Harvey Yeah, Ripz, TMC and Stel Kar locking down that Old School Flava with guest appearances by G.A.K. & The Seminar of Funk and Nick K. It’s all happening this Friday as we celebrate five years of doing our do and bringing that Red Love!

Red Love, Level 1, 401 Swanston Street, Melbourne

THE LOOSE GOOSE The Loose Goose is focused on providing a wonderful array of cocktails and offers a great CBD location to lounge and relax in while overlooking busy Flinders Lane. A small plates menu is available to graze on whilst trying our delicious cocktails from the classics to contemporary, beer on tap and a wide range of beers, wines and spirits. Every Friday evening DJ Jumps of The Cat Empire will take to the decks at the bar spinning his rare afro Latin funk vinyl collected from around the world from 6.30pm until late.

Papa Goose Cocktail Bar, 91-93 Flinders Lane, Melbourne

PEANUT BUTTER WOLF SUGAR DADDY: STONE THROW AWAY

DJ Marcus Knight and DJ Xander James spin hip hop, R&B and house tunes all night from 8pm. Free entry and early drink specials.

Temperance Hotel, 426 Chapel St, South Yarra

THE NICE UP Tom Showtime presents The Nice Up. All flavours of hip hop, ghetto funk and reggae niceness provided. Sailor Jerry nice up the cocktails, Dos Blockos nice up the $5 beers. Fridays done proper.

George Lane Bar, 1 George Lane, St Kilda

ULTRAMAGNETIC MCS After almost 30 years in existence, hip hop legends Ultramagnetic MCs will be hitting The Espy. Established way back when in the Bronx by Kool Keith, the group released their legendary debut album Critical Beatdown in 1988. This will be their debut appearance on Australian shores.

Saturday February 9, The Espy, 11 The Esplanade, St Kilda

MACKLEMORE AND RYAN LEWIS

SATURDAY19TH KHOKOLAT KOATED All new experience, same great location with a fresh koat of Khokolat. Restless Entertainment reloads your favourite Saturday night party. Damion De Silva, K Dee, Jay Sin and weekly guests playing R&B & ol’ skool sounds strictly for the urban elite.

Khokolat Bar, Basement, 43 Hardware La, Melbourne

REDLOVE SATURDAYS RedLove Saturdays is all about solid classics from the ‘80s, ‘90s and into the ‘00s! Dropping beats of retro pop, disco classics, old school funk, and certainly some of that old school R&B and house to kick! RedLove Resident DJs Phil, HB Bear and Da Gato bringing down the house every Saturday night. If you’re looking for quality service, music to rock, sumptuous drinks and just a cold hard good time; look no further!

Red Love, Level 1, 401 Swanston Street, Melbourne

SHAKA SATURDAY The newest R&B Superclub Shaka Saturdays grand opening is set to hit Melbourne over two massive weeks.

The northern suburbs newest, freshest club playing all of your favourite R&B, hip hop, old skool and reggae. Shaka Saturdays is showcasing Australia’s newest and favourite R&B DJs, including DJ C-RAM bringing video mixing to Melbourne and special guest hip hop band Yellow Cake. Set at one of the most amazing venues Melbourne has to offer with two levels, good music, great ‘Shaka’ atmosphere and cheap drinks, we are hoping to pack it out and create a night for people to remember.

Level 2 The Club, 2 Arthurton Rd, Northcote

UPCOMING

Chris Manuk, better known as Peanut Butter Wolf, may not be a household name to most, but anyone who’s had even a passing interest in hip hop over the past 20 years has likely felt his influence, whether they realise it or not.

The founder of Stones Throw Records, home to cult figures like Madlib, J Dilla and Dam-Funk, he has been bringing some of the biggest names in underground hip hop to our ever appreciative ears for years now. His own musical career could have been an entirely different tale altogether though.

“It was just something I couldn’t imagine you know, a 20-year-old person dying. One minute he’s healthy and the next minute he’s gone. I lost my friend and my music partner all in one and it just made me really vulnerable.”

As Manuk discusses the loss of his collaborator and close friend Charizma, who passed in December of ’93 as the burgeoning duo were gearing up to take off, you get the sense he lost much more than just a friend and musical companion.

“I have so much belief in him and I, and what we were going to do together, and to be stripped of that didn’t make any sense to me at all,” Manuk says. “We worked all day long together and to have somebody taken away from you that you knew so well it was like a part of me left with him. I basically fell under a depression and didn’t really want to do anything and I found eventually making music helped me heal the loss of losing my friend. I thought that he and I were going to be a group forever and then I had to really re-think like, ‘What am I going to do with my life now?’ and I didn’t really want to be another group with somebody else so I decided I’d work behind the scenes and do the label thing.”

Doing the label thing lead to Manuk starting Stones Throw Records in ’96. The label’s debut release was My World Premiere by Charizma & Peanut Butter Wolf. Three years since its recording and the death of Charizma, the world finally got to hear their music.

“It felt great. His family was into it, they were really supportive of me,” Manuk says, explaining that the Charizma legacy lives on too. “Actually there’s guys doing a documentary on my label at the moment and a large part of that is my partnership with Charizma. I just uncovered a 20-minute video interview that a guy had done in Oakland and he gave me the footage like three weeks ago. I’d never seen it even though it was from ’92, 21 years ago. Just to be able to get my hands on that footage and to be able to give it to Charizma’s family is awesome.”

Stones Throw really took off towards the end of the

Touring Australia for the first time since 2009, El-P will be bringing beats from Brooklyn and promoting his critically acclaimed 2012 album Cancer For Cure when he visits early next year.

Wednesday February 6, Corner Hotel, 57 Swan Street, Richmond

Seattle hip hop duo Macklemore and Ryan Lewis have announced their debut Australian tour. Macklemore released his debut record, The Heist, in early October to critical and commercial acclaim, with an excellent review in popular rap publication XXL complemented by the record reaching number 1 on iTunes in the US and number 1 on the Australian iTunes Hip Hop/Rap Charts.

Macklemore will be accompanied by producer Ryan Lewis, who he teamed up with in October 2010 to create the VS. Redux EP. Tuesday February 12, The Palace, 20-30 Bourke Street, Melbourne. Saturday February 16, Corner Hotel, 57 Swan Street, Richmond

MAC MILLER Pittsburgh prodigy, Mac Miller, is making his debut in Australia next year. The 19-year-old who is known for his sass, smooth rhymes and reflective lyrics has been creating his rapper identity through the internet over the past few years. Miller’s penchant for freestyle earned him YouTube success, propelling his singles Donald Trump and One Last Thing to international attention.

Watching Movies With The Sound Off will be the American’s debut album next year, which Miller will perform during his shows.

Thursday February 21, The Palace, 20-30 Bourke Street, Melbourne

CATCH WRECK Australian hip hop event Catch Wreck have announced the lineup to their mammoth show this coming March.

Headlining is Queensland’s Lazy Grey featuring Jake Biz and DJ DCE with a cast of other household names such as Brad Strut, Maundz, Simplex (Terra Firma), K21, Fluent Form, Raven, Mata & Must, Smiley, BackYard Funk and Def Men Walking with DJs Slap 618 (Obese) and Heata (HG) on mixing duties for the evening.

Friday March 1, Prince Bandroom, 29 Fitzroy Street, St Kilda

‘90s as Manuk proved an astute talent finder, leading to a string of groundbreaking underground hip hop recordings.

“When I first started working with some of them nobody had heard who they were. With Madlib in particular he was an unknown when I worked with him and when I heard him I thought, ‘How can this not be known? This is the best thing I’ve ever heard’. Take Quasimoto for example, that was just something he did for the fun of it and when I first heard him he said, ‘Oh you won’t supposed to hear that. I’m embarrassed’ and they turned into this cultish thing and people get a tattoo of Quasimoto or Lootpack, who were the other band Madlib was in at the time. That just reminds me how passionate people are to get something permanent on their body like that.”

As Stones Throw became a full time venture his earliest passion as a beat producer took a back seat. It’s never fully gone away though according to Manuk. “I kind of go back in the studio, I did what was supposed to be a remix but became a cover of a song called Go Bananas, this old electro song from the early ‘80s that was kind of unknown. I actually just started making hip hop beats again, Homeboy Sandman was asking me to make some tracks and kind of inspired me to get back in the studio and see if I can still do it. I’ve been coming up with some good stuff, it’s just finding the time when I’m doing a lot of travelling and a lot of stuff for the label.”

Having seen every trend and style of hip hop across the past two decades, when Manuk talks about where the genre is at you shut up and listen.

“Some artists are dumbing down their work and some are coming from the heart who are just simple lyrically and that’s kind of just what people like to hear and they embrace those artists. It was that way even when I was doing it. My influences were like Ultramagnetic MCs and they never sold a lot of units. The hardcore heads kind of knew who they were.”

The big, bad wolf of the hip hop underground has spoken.

Ryan Butler Peanut Butter Wolf plays the Sugar Mountain Festival at The Forum on Saturday January 19 alongside Action Bronson [USA], Naysayer & Gilsun [AUS] and more. He will also be speaking at the Stones Throw Records Q&A at the Rooftop Cinema on Sunday January 20.

URBAN

13.