The Brag

Funkoars
That Adelaide Vibe
By Birdie

‘Maturity’ ain’t the first word you’d think to associate with Adelaide hip hop rascals Funkoars, but for new album The Quickening, DJ Reflux aka Dan Yates insists that the lads did a lot of growing up – and it certainly shows. If first album Who’s Your Step Daddy was the endless party, and follow-up LP The Hangover was pretty self-explanatory, then think of The Quickening as the mid-week guilt-trip that comes back to bite you on the butt.

“Some people would say that maturity could never be the case with us; we’re not usually the ones who’d get tagged with that,” laughs Yates. “In terms of music and the way we
make music, we’ve definitely matured, though. We know what we want to do and we know who we are and we know how we fit into our own brand of hip hop. I think this album is a heaps more mature effort, [in] the polish that’s gone into the songs and the depth… It’s not just quickly smashed out and moved on. We’ve had time to sit on the songs a little bit. Even the lyrical content is more mature, I think. We’re all getting a little bit older and more cynical, maybe.”

Be that as it may, Yates is still quick to point out that he and Funkoars can’t wait to take this new show on the road. Listening back to the album with pride is one thing, but doing it all over again in front of crowds of fans is another altogether. “Right now, I feel like I’m going crazy from being in the studio for so long,” Yates says. “I just want to get the hell out of the house! We’ve chilled a lot just to be able to keep our health for when we’re going to really need it, which is on the road. Trials [MC] has also had a bad back, so we didn’t want to aggravate that too much or jeopardise [anything]. The last six months of putting the album together have been especially intense, and I’m so sick of hearing it now and talking about it – I just want to do it! It’s the start of a new album cycle, and I just want to get the live show cracking again!”

Renowned for their out-of-control shows, their rabid crowds and some of the biggest beats that Adelaide has to offer, Funkoars are bringing a crew of locals along for the ride, some of which also feature on The Quickening. With Ciecmate, Vents and Mase & Mattic as supports, Yates explains that Adelaide’s hip hop scene is defined by its tight-knit community. “I think it gives us a different sound, too; I think every area of the country has a different, unique sound. Well, I can hear it, anyway,” he says. “I hear the difference between a Sydney MC and a Melbourne MC, and there are certain traits that Adelaide MCs carry as well. But it’s not a blanket rule, because people influence each other too. Like, Drapht used to get bagged for his delivery, and now people are mimicking him all the time! There’s also heaps more lanes of hip hop now, from the Illys to The Herds to the Bliss N Esos. One thing I will say is that Adelaide has always had a good grounding in terms of the core of the Aussie hip hop culture; we don’t mess around with it.”

If the legacy of the Hilltop Hoods is anything to go by, there’s no mistaking that Adelaide does take its hip hop very seriously indeed. Initially a small crew of local hip hop heads, Yates explains that the Certified Wise Crew – also featuring Hilltop Hoods – came about mainly out of necessity over a decade ago. “It’s not like a crew, it’s more like a community,” he explains. “The hip hop scene back then had no fans the way it does now; it solely consisted of people who were making the music. In Australia, hip hop music was in the minority and was shunned by a lot of the media. How things change… I remember when we were all kids 15 years ago – and I look around now at the people who’ve been successful, and it’s all the same people! This scene was born out of mateship and having to stick together because nobody else would give you the time of day.”

And while the local crew Yates refers to – consisting of acts from Hilltop Hoods to up-and-comers like Vents – have all found some form of success over the years, the mateship is still as strong as ever, with the recent announcement that Funkoars signed a record deal with Hilltop Hoods’ very own Golden Era imprint. Talk about keeping it in the family. “It actually came about more out of the fact that we had nowhere else to go at the time this record was coming along. We were with Obese, then we switched to Shogun, but then they went belly-up and so it was quite a while there that our records weren’t even on the shelves. At the same time, we were doing all these big festivals like Homebake and stuff, but nobody was able to get access to our albums – it was stupid and ridiculous! So the ‘Hoods came to our rescue and said they’d pick us up, which is fantastic, to be able to work with them,” Yates beams. “Sometimes it can be difficult to mix business and friends, but the ‘Hoods are unbelievable – they’re so professional and dedicated and smart.”

What: The Quickening is out now through Golden Era Records
With: Vents, Ciecmate, Mase & Mattic
Where: Upstairs @ Beresford
When: Thursday October 20
More: Also playing at Fat As Butter festival at The Foreshore, Newcastle on Saturday October 22