1. Firstly, Thanks for taking the time to do this interview. Could we start by you telling us what we can expect to hear in a Phatchance joint.A lot of emotion, of one kind or another, a lot of my music is passionate and I try to convey that both through my lyrics and the arrangment and production of the music itself.
2. You have recently dropped 'Inkstains' a full length LP. How long was this in the making and what were the major headaches and pleasures in the process.
I'm really stoked to finally have it done, there were heaps of hurdles to overcome on the way but I'm glad for them, all told from concept to shelves there was at least three years of work. I went into the whole process from the perspective of someone who loved music and was experienced at creating songs and performing, but who was looking to elevate to a more professional standard. I knew I didn't want the album to go to waste, so I had to learn to negotiate and embrace the business side of the industry as well, I dropped the pretence of just being an artist focused on the creative aspects of the product; as an independent musician I'm not really afforded the luxury of working solely on my art and by recognising that I had to learn a lot in a short space of time about the mechanisms of the industry. There's so much more than just the music that goes into getting a product onto shelves, a lot of which I am still learning.
3. Do you think the radio plays a big part in getting hip hop out there?
A massive, massive part, particularly in Australia. When you break it down radio is just one more avenue through which people can hear your music and be exposed to your product, but because it's focused directly on music itself and because it influences consumer trends so heavily it's become a real 'gate keeper' for what opportunities you can get. Unless your music is on radio it is very difficult to secure festival spots and pack out shows, without those opportunities it's difficult to fund projects and elevate your profile further, thus it wasn't until radio embraced local hip-hop music that the scene started to really grow. Without the Nosebleed section (or a similar song) we'd still be where we were in 2000.
4. What can we expect from a Phatchance live show?
Hopefully a really dynamic and enjoyable performance. My live show varies hugely from month to month and state to state, it all comes down to what I can afford to do and how much planning time I have, I have a lot of big ideas and I love working with musicians and incorporating theatrical elements into my work, so at my larger shows pretty much anything can happen. Regardless I've got a lot of touring experience and we get quite positive feedback from crowds, there's a lot of fun energy in my set and I think listening to the album (which is fairly sombre) people might not expect that.
5. If you could collab and tour with any artist from any genre, who would it be and why?
That's a super tough question, from an artistic perspective I'd love to work with Atmosphere or Brother Ali, but from a performance perspective I think it'd be amazing to do something totally wild with a left of field band like The Presets that are renowned for the crazy shit they do with costumes, lights and setting, I think that no one in Australian Hip-Hop has really pushed the bar far enough with performance, the closest I've seen would be The Hoods with the Adelaide Symphony Orchestra, but I think it can be taken even further than that if the funding and support were there.
6. Do you have any formal qualifications in music and/or songwriting?
Absolutely nada, as Brother Ali says "self taught, it's as real as you make it". There's nothing you can't learn yourself with the constant expansion of the internet, besides, the hands on experience is the stuff that really teaches us.
7. When not listening to hip hop what music do you like to chill too?
I listen to a huge range of stuff, indie, electro, acoustic, folk, psychedelia, really it varies depending on my mood at the time, at the moment I am really getting down to more textured and ambient stuff, but I go through phases.
8. What's next in the works? What do you have coming up?
I'm off on tour in March which I'm really excited about, I've got a few spot shows over the New Years period and I'm hard at work recording new albums for Coptic Soldier, Mind Over Matter & Johnny Utah & Elgen. Next year I'd love to do an acoustic remix EP of some of the tracks off Inkstains and also wouldn't mind doing a brief free mixtape.
9. You're at the pub and about to order a counter meal. What's your meal of choice?
Anything Vegetarian, ideally Vegan, that shit is really hard on the road though, so probably I hit 7/11 and grab myself a salad sandwich, it's as shit as it sounds.
10. Lastly, Is there anyone you would like to give shouts to who has helped you along over the years?
Obviously the rest of I Forget, Sorry! (Mind Over Matter & Coptic Soldier) and all the friends, fans and musicians who helped me get the album together, so many people have (and do) help me out though, there's no way to really thank everyone properly.
Interview thanks to Skae!
Skae