So alas I am back from Europe, I am extremely Jet lagged which is a biatch!
But the show must go on, thanks to Pulse Radio, I have a new interview for all you readers, its with Sydney's hottest new rapper Snob Scrilla, and two of his band members Wax Motif and CSK OK. These guys have just finished touring around Australia with the Parklife festival I am rather disappointed that I missed out, because all I heard were amazing reviews. If you are like me and missed out, its alright they will be playing at Stonefest in Canberra, Homebake in Sydney, and the Falls Festival.
So without too much more blabber from me here is the interview!
Tell us about the origins of the name “Snob Scrilla”?
Scrilla is slang for cash where I’m from. Basically Snob Scrilla means I want to do whatever I want to do. People often misconstrue that as “Oh I’m gonna go hyper underground” and I don’t even want lights at my show its so underground. It doesn’t mean that. It means I do whatever the hell I feel like doing. Sometimes it’s pop, sometimes it’s rock, sometimes it’s hip hop, whatever. It depends on the mood I’m in on the day. That was the whole idea behind the project.
Snob Scrilla pushes the boundaries of the electronic/hip hop blend, what are your influences from both sides of the fence?
It’s all over the place, it’s not so much both sides of the fences as much as if there were a fence, it would probably be a bunch of different houses in the neighbourhood, and I’m the whore. My favourite band is Tokyo Police Club, and I always have to sight them because that’s a major influence on me, their “A Lesson On Crime” EP, on pretty much everything I do. But it flips all the time. I’m a huge fan of Miami Horror, I’ve listened to his stuff a lot. Not so much on the production side, more when I’m trying to get into the mode of writing. Like fun party stuff. Bag Raiders as well, who just did a track with us on the album, which is under wraps, we will be debuting it at Parklife, nobodies heard it yet. Lyrically, I would say the Gang Starrs, Common, Murs, more of the intelligible rappers.
"Moment of Truth” by the Gang Starr is one of my favourite albums. I’ve been listening to it non-stop.
Those guys are respected on both sides of the fence as well. They have the conscious lyrics, you don’t have to spit it all gully. It’s almost like realism. And not realism in the sense of “this is where I’m from so I can talk about bitches and hoes”, cos that’s bullshit. That’s just an excuse to glorify a bad situation. But in actuality, realism is the ability to discuss those things without going to the point of glorification. Hopefully I can get to the point of being an MC that would be able to deliver rhymes in that sense.
A lot of rappers find it hard breaking into the music scene, it must have been tough making it in Sydney of all places? How did you come about writing and eventually releasing your debut album?
I don’t know if its that hard, it’s possibly easier here, although I might be shooting myself in the foot, but I think that people perceive the US as the place to go to do your thing. And a lot of people go to the States and think that there are a lot of opportunities. Which there are. But at the same time, whilst there might be 100 more opportunities, there are 10000 more people going for it. Over here, it’s a smaller pond, and I wouldn’t be making this album over in the states. Just to get noticed over there, I would have been forced to conform to certain standards, and I didn’t have that here. Look at the state of hip hop in the states, its atrocious, its horrible. Even a compromise with the stuff that is really selling, I mean apart from a couple of good MCs that are still maintaining like Jay-Z because he has a really big fan base. Some of the new artists like Soulja Boy, to me it’s steaming hot rubbish, I wouldn’t compromise to even half of that. I think my only opportunity was to go somewhere where people were open to something different, and I think Sydney is like that.
Your song “There You Go Again” became the theme song of the NRL Footy Show. How did that happen?
They just emailed me. I don’t know how they got my personal email address, but I got this email one day. “Hi Sean, I really like your song, can I put it on TV?” I didn’t expect anything like that, so I passed it along to management, and they came back saying that it’s the Footy Show. Then we took it serious.
I saw you playing the other week, Cassian (CSK OK) was playing it pretty cool.
Cassian is a cool guy. He’s the love child of lee jeans and American Apparel.
Where did the idea for the video come from? Where you are going around Sydney?
Actually, it was my idea. I had always wanted to rep my city. There’s a lot of things I wanted to do in music, and I’m getting a few first opportunities. The director, Jan Reichle came up with the concept, and it was an opportunity to do one of the goals that I had. And it worked.
How did you guys all meet up to become the band that you now are?
Myspace
Wax Motif: But then I met you (Sean) at Ajax’s Sweat It Out party.
SS: Danny hit me up last. We had the band going, and I couldn’t decide if I wanted to put a DJ on, cos I was working so hard to go away from the image of the hip hop thing, as everyone was trying to typecast me as the next hip hop group. It’s more than hip hop, so I wasn’t going to put a DJ on. But then wax hit me up, and we chatted, and I didn’t want to pass up putting him on because he was the perfect fit at the time, and still is.
What’s one of the most bizarre things that happened at one of your gigs?
The first gig we did at Melbourne, the sound cut out, and we had a good engineer, he had a great sound, but he was good and knew he was good, and refused to believe he was wrong. One of the cables kept cutting out, and he just refused to fix it. That’s all it took, and we played the rest of the gig fine,
Wax Motif: It’s probably the first time he went “thank god we have a DJ” so we can put tunes on when we screw up. It basically solidified my spot in the band.
Danny, What are your thoughts on the growth of the Baltimore sound in Australia?
That’s what most people know me to play. I don’t think theres much growth anymore, in this country its more of just a fad. But I mean in America, its more of a movement, with people like Ayres, Tittsworth, Scottie B are quite big over there, where as over here, there hasn’t been any growth. It’s kinda come, and now its going. It’s the style, the way the music was made, its made with the same drum beat. People criticize it for having the same drum loop. But its made like that so you can smash each track for a minute, and it will all mix perfectly. That’s the effect, track a minute mixing. Where as dudes in this country play the whole song out, and it does get really boring.
Recently you have started on your own production work. What sound are you trying to create, and who are your main inspirations?
I guess I try to make my own sound, but inspiration wise its people like the Count (Of Monte Cristal) and Sinden, the Count the most so because its in between dance and hip hop, which ultimately reflects somewhere that I want to be. Act Yo Age, Im a big fan of them, Oh Snap!!!. Im really into fidget house, it’s a secret little passion of mine. Anyone on the the Pottymouth roster, dudes like Hijack, the Mighty Fools. Other names like Lee Mortimer, theres too many to name.
Cassian, what is more musically fulfilling, your role in the band or your own work as CSK OK?
Oh, definitely my own work, it’s something I can call my own. I get to play fun tunes, break out the guitar and have a jam. Definitely the DJ side.
How is your live act different to other DJs?
I'm only aware of about 2 other acts in Sydney that play guitars during a live DJ set. It’s something special.
Jax: what about that guy with the trumpet?
Sean: We don’t talk about him around here.
Snob Scrilla's debut EP The Day Before is available on Itunes, be sure to try and catch Wax Motif and CSK OK Dj, because there acts are some of the best in Sydney at the moment.
But the show must go on, thanks to Pulse Radio, I have a new interview for all you readers, its with Sydney's hottest new rapper Snob Scrilla, and two of his band members Wax Motif and CSK OK. These guys have just finished touring around Australia with the Parklife festival I am rather disappointed that I missed out, because all I heard were amazing reviews. If you are like me and missed out, its alright they will be playing at Stonefest in Canberra, Homebake in Sydney, and the Falls Festival.
So without too much more blabber from me here is the interview!
Tell us about the origins of the name “Snob Scrilla”?
Scrilla is slang for cash where I’m from. Basically Snob Scrilla means I want to do whatever I want to do. People often misconstrue that as “Oh I’m gonna go hyper underground” and I don’t even want lights at my show its so underground. It doesn’t mean that. It means I do whatever the hell I feel like doing. Sometimes it’s pop, sometimes it’s rock, sometimes it’s hip hop, whatever. It depends on the mood I’m in on the day. That was the whole idea behind the project.
Snob Scrilla pushes the boundaries of the electronic/hip hop blend, what are your influences from both sides of the fence?
It’s all over the place, it’s not so much both sides of the fences as much as if there were a fence, it would probably be a bunch of different houses in the neighbourhood, and I’m the whore. My favourite band is Tokyo Police Club, and I always have to sight them because that’s a major influence on me, their “A Lesson On Crime” EP, on pretty much everything I do. But it flips all the time. I’m a huge fan of Miami Horror, I’ve listened to his stuff a lot. Not so much on the production side, more when I’m trying to get into the mode of writing. Like fun party stuff. Bag Raiders as well, who just did a track with us on the album, which is under wraps, we will be debuting it at Parklife, nobodies heard it yet. Lyrically, I would say the Gang Starrs, Common, Murs, more of the intelligible rappers.
"Moment of Truth” by the Gang Starr is one of my favourite albums. I’ve been listening to it non-stop.
Those guys are respected on both sides of the fence as well. They have the conscious lyrics, you don’t have to spit it all gully. It’s almost like realism. And not realism in the sense of “this is where I’m from so I can talk about bitches and hoes”, cos that’s bullshit. That’s just an excuse to glorify a bad situation. But in actuality, realism is the ability to discuss those things without going to the point of glorification. Hopefully I can get to the point of being an MC that would be able to deliver rhymes in that sense.
A lot of rappers find it hard breaking into the music scene, it must have been tough making it in Sydney of all places? How did you come about writing and eventually releasing your debut album?
I don’t know if its that hard, it’s possibly easier here, although I might be shooting myself in the foot, but I think that people perceive the US as the place to go to do your thing. And a lot of people go to the States and think that there are a lot of opportunities. Which there are. But at the same time, whilst there might be 100 more opportunities, there are 10000 more people going for it. Over here, it’s a smaller pond, and I wouldn’t be making this album over in the states. Just to get noticed over there, I would have been forced to conform to certain standards, and I didn’t have that here. Look at the state of hip hop in the states, its atrocious, its horrible. Even a compromise with the stuff that is really selling, I mean apart from a couple of good MCs that are still maintaining like Jay-Z because he has a really big fan base. Some of the new artists like Soulja Boy, to me it’s steaming hot rubbish, I wouldn’t compromise to even half of that. I think my only opportunity was to go somewhere where people were open to something different, and I think Sydney is like that.
Your song “There You Go Again” became the theme song of the NRL Footy Show. How did that happen?
They just emailed me. I don’t know how they got my personal email address, but I got this email one day. “Hi Sean, I really like your song, can I put it on TV?” I didn’t expect anything like that, so I passed it along to management, and they came back saying that it’s the Footy Show. Then we took it serious.
I saw you playing the other week, Cassian (CSK OK) was playing it pretty cool.
Cassian is a cool guy. He’s the love child of lee jeans and American Apparel.
Where did the idea for the video come from? Where you are going around Sydney?
Actually, it was my idea. I had always wanted to rep my city. There’s a lot of things I wanted to do in music, and I’m getting a few first opportunities. The director, Jan Reichle came up with the concept, and it was an opportunity to do one of the goals that I had. And it worked.
How did you guys all meet up to become the band that you now are?
Myspace
Wax Motif: But then I met you (Sean) at Ajax’s Sweat It Out party.
SS: Danny hit me up last. We had the band going, and I couldn’t decide if I wanted to put a DJ on, cos I was working so hard to go away from the image of the hip hop thing, as everyone was trying to typecast me as the next hip hop group. It’s more than hip hop, so I wasn’t going to put a DJ on. But then wax hit me up, and we chatted, and I didn’t want to pass up putting him on because he was the perfect fit at the time, and still is.
What’s one of the most bizarre things that happened at one of your gigs?
The first gig we did at Melbourne, the sound cut out, and we had a good engineer, he had a great sound, but he was good and knew he was good, and refused to believe he was wrong. One of the cables kept cutting out, and he just refused to fix it. That’s all it took, and we played the rest of the gig fine,
Wax Motif: It’s probably the first time he went “thank god we have a DJ” so we can put tunes on when we screw up. It basically solidified my spot in the band.
Danny, What are your thoughts on the growth of the Baltimore sound in Australia?
That’s what most people know me to play. I don’t think theres much growth anymore, in this country its more of just a fad. But I mean in America, its more of a movement, with people like Ayres, Tittsworth, Scottie B are quite big over there, where as over here, there hasn’t been any growth. It’s kinda come, and now its going. It’s the style, the way the music was made, its made with the same drum beat. People criticize it for having the same drum loop. But its made like that so you can smash each track for a minute, and it will all mix perfectly. That’s the effect, track a minute mixing. Where as dudes in this country play the whole song out, and it does get really boring.
Recently you have started on your own production work. What sound are you trying to create, and who are your main inspirations?
I guess I try to make my own sound, but inspiration wise its people like the Count (Of Monte Cristal) and Sinden, the Count the most so because its in between dance and hip hop, which ultimately reflects somewhere that I want to be. Act Yo Age, Im a big fan of them, Oh Snap!!!. Im really into fidget house, it’s a secret little passion of mine. Anyone on the the Pottymouth roster, dudes like Hijack, the Mighty Fools. Other names like Lee Mortimer, theres too many to name.
Cassian, what is more musically fulfilling, your role in the band or your own work as CSK OK?
Oh, definitely my own work, it’s something I can call my own. I get to play fun tunes, break out the guitar and have a jam. Definitely the DJ side.
How is your live act different to other DJs?
I'm only aware of about 2 other acts in Sydney that play guitars during a live DJ set. It’s something special.
Jax: what about that guy with the trumpet?
Sean: We don’t talk about him around here.
Snob Scrilla's debut EP The Day Before is available on Itunes, be sure to try and catch Wax Motif and CSK OK Dj, because there acts are some of the best in Sydney at the moment.
Here is my favorite track from the EP, plus a Wax Motif Remix & CSK OK remix of two different Snob Scrilla Tracks.
Snob Scrilla - Chasing Ghosts
MediaFire Link
Snob Scrilla - There You Go Again (Wax n Styles Kittens on Crack Remix)
MediaFire Link
Snob Scrilla - Mr Officer (CSK OK Remix)
MediaFire Link
I must give a huge shout out to PulseRadio for organizing this interview for me, they even like what I am doing, so I will be pumping out a few more interview over the coming weeks, so stay tuned to both deckhead and Pulseradio for these!
Snob Scrilla - Chasing Ghosts
MediaFire Link
Snob Scrilla - There You Go Again (Wax n Styles Kittens on Crack Remix)
MediaFire Link
Snob Scrilla - Mr Officer (CSK OK Remix)
MediaFire Link
I must give a huge shout out to PulseRadio for organizing this interview for me, they even like what I am doing, so I will be pumping out a few more interview over the coming weeks, so stay tuned to both deckhead and Pulseradio for these!
5 comments:
nice interview man! heaps personal and stuff, snobs a real down to earth guy hey!
nice jax
top post man
"Jax: what about that guy with the trumpet?
Sean: We don’t talk about him around here."
HAHA!
nice post. good read.
Snob Scrilla rules! Csk - wax motif... the whole crew is rad, i would love to collab with em boys sometime if they dig my stuff that is!
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