In the part of town you come for shitty tourist pubs and Korean karaoke, hidden away in the Spanish Quarter of Sydney is Good God Small Club. A venue I frequent regularly, and find myself getting into various types of trouble a little too often. Once La Campana an old Spanish Salsatech/Restaurant, it was taken over by Jimmy Sing and Hana Shimada one year ago. To celebrate they threw three big parties over the long weekend. These are photos from their Bashment Jam with a massive line up including the UK’s biggest dancehall artist Gappy Ranks alongside Hoops, Guerre, Toni Toni Lee, Kween G & Bad Ezzy, Levins, Kato, Huggz, Max Gosford, Firehouse and more. Gappy Ranks totally merked it, despite the fact his DJ didn’t know how to use CDJs or Serato. Fortunately, Mike was there to save the day.
Maybe it will all change next year, when Steve Aoki is confirmed to play the festival. But as it stands, Changing Lanes has one of the lowest Southern Cross tattoo counts of all the festivals on the Sydney music calendar. While there was a noticeable absence of shirtless bogans and 18 year old girls group dressing as sexy nurses, it did register a 9.3 on the Hipster Scale. It was definitely a much more ironic facial hair, vintage clothing affair.
In it’s second year, at a new location in Surry Hills, the festival is an easier, inexpensive, low key experience. The acts may not be as uber famous, but the crowds are a little less intense. It is more a day for enjoying drinks and sunshine with friends while casually taking in some live music.
Though I didn’t get to see heaps of the festival, because I was playing most of the day, my highlight was Joyride spinning in the hip hop room with impromptu appearances from rappers 360 and The Tongue. Joyride provided instrumentals by Mariah Carey and Ginuine, while they traded semi-battley freestyles.
Listen: Ellesquire – Ferociousness ft Tenth Dan | iTunes
Kween G again in take over mode, while I was overseas. P Smurf of Daily Meds and the Big Village Massive popped by the studio. Not wanting to rap on his lonesome, the Kween dropped a verse or two with Mr Smurf. Watch out!
That Kween G is a problem. While I was away eating tacos and trying not to get kidnapped by taxi drivers, she was filling in on my show plotting a coup. This is her interview with Kurtis Blow backstage at Tone Nightclub in Sydney, before his performance. Pssssttt… whatever.
There is a lot of rapping out there in the world. Lot of noise being made, but not much of it is actually saying anything. As much as I love meaningless rap, occasionally I wonder where all the story telling and opinionated rappers went? Perhaps with the pressure on emcees to produce endless amounts of albums, mixtapes and throw away blog tunes, there comes a point where you have little else you want to express.
Meet Murs (Born Nick Carter in 1978). He is not of this breed. After releasing more albums than Too Short times E-40 to the power of Elvis, he still has tales and opinions to share in his music. It is when you have meet with him, that you realise that what you hear in his music is an extension of his sizable personality.
For the third time, we had the pleasure of chatting to Murs, this time about marriage, Osama, behind the scenes of the ‘Rock The Bells’ tour, and jumping off the stage mid set to kiss Melbourne lady rapper A-Love in the crowd.
Kween G (KillaQueenz) also joined us in the studio as we initated her into the Stolen Records Uber-Thug Family as she prepares to take over the show while I travel to the jungles of Mexico to join Sub Commandant Marcos and his indigenous rebel army.
Playlist:
Mon’wel – Buggin’ (rmx) f. El Prez & Fresh Daily
Gucci Mane – Gucci Time (Feat. Swizz Beats) (Sinden Remix Feat Tinchy Stryder)
Chris Brown – Look At Me Now ft Busta & Lil Wayne (Less Chris Edit)
Lil Wayne – 6’7″ (feat. Cory Gunz)
Shystie ft Lioness & Lady Leshurr – Warning
Beastie Boys – Don’t Play No Game That I Can’t Win (ft Santigold)
Reuben Wilson – We’re In Love
Nas – Memory Lane
Katalyst – Ready To Drop ft Kween G
Kanye West ft KiD CuDi, Pusha T, John Legend, Lloyd Bank, Ryan Leslie – Christian Dior Denim Flow
Murs – Varsity Blues 2
DELS – GOB (David Andrew Sitek Remix) (Clean)
Pharoahe Monch – Clap (One Day) Ft. Showtyme And DJ Boogie Blind
Jean Grae – You Don’t Like It (So What)
Jill Scott Ft. Eve – Shame
Young Chris Ft. Eve, Black Thought, Money Malc, Fat Joe, Fred The Godson, Diggy Simmons, Jermaine Dupri & Game – Philly (Megamix)
Beyonce Ft. Swizz Beatz – Move Your Body
Kardinal Offishal – Set It Off ft The Clipse
Paper Route Gangstaz (PRGz) – Bama Gettin Money (Diplo Remix)
Pegz – Bombs Away
Murs – First Love Blues
Murs – Are You Ready
Murs – Bad Man!
Daria – Try Sleeping With A Broken Heart (Alicia Keys Reggae Cover)
Janini Panini
STOLEN RECORDS 