This is something I was inspired to write in 2016 in the lead up to the Elefant Traks 18th Birthday celebrations. As I am about to write a blog about their 20th Birthday celebrations I thought I would share this as a prelude. I hope you enjoy.

“Music is like bread. It is one of the fundamental nourishments that we have available”  Leonard Cohen

Elefant Traks are celebrating their 18^th birthday. This celebration has moved me to reflect on the role the music and artists from Elefant Traks have played in my life and more broadly the role of music has had in my life. With the recent passing of Leonard Cohen I happened across the above quote and to me this about sums up how important music is to me, it is intrinsic in inspiring me, helping me through tough times, being a soundtrack to the good times, being a companion on long drives and walks. I love music and it is something that has nourished me in many positive ways. I could not imagine life without music.

So where did my love for music start?

Music wasn’t a big thing for my family, mum and dad didn’t have a huge record collection so my musical journey didn’t have a strong influence from my parents. Growing up, the first band I really got into was Midnight Oil and I still listen to them. This was in the early 1980’s. At this time I also dabbled into 80’s pop music due to the influence of my older sister.

I was first exposed to hip hop music watching movies such as Beat Street and Breakin’. I used be a bit of a break dancer and remember trying out my moves at primary school during lunch and recess. Around the same time one of my sister’s boyfriends brought around a Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five album, The Message, I was hooked on hip hop after that.

As a teenager I loved Public Enemy, Ice T, Ice Cube and later on Cypress Hill. Public Enemy was my favourite at the time and are still regularly on my play list. This was back in the time of LP’s and cassettes, however the first CD I ever bought was Public Enemy’s ‘Apocalypse 91…The Enemy Strikes Back’, I bought it at the same time I invested in my first stereo that had a CD player with money saved from my part time job at Kmart. My stereo was one of the best investments I ever made! I remember being at an in store appearance Public Enemy did at HMV in Sydney. The first time I was up close to these heroes of mine and if only the camera panned a few more metres when capturing a crowd shot I would have been in the Fight the Power Live Video. I recently bought ‘It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back’ in a bonus CD package that included this video on DVD and I still watched hoping it may pan across to capture me standing up the front of the crowd.

It was at this time that my fashion sense was formed, band t-shirts are it for me. From when I was 14-15 all you would see me in was a Public Enemy t-shirt…and now all you are likely to see me in is an Elefant Traks t-shirt or hoodie. Some of my favourite band t-shirts I have had over the years hold special memories of concerts, festivals and celebrations with friends and family. I was even offered sex in exchange for a tie dyed Doors t-shirt I once had while at schoolies in Queensland, suffice to say I didn’t give up the t-shirt, it meant too much to me.

Anyway, my love for hip hop started at an early age however I longed to hear Australia Hip Hop and it wasn’t until the early 1990’s that I first heard Sound Unlimited Posse and Def Wish Cast. I immediately fell in love with A.U.S.T by Def Wish Cast and they have been a favourite band of mine ever since.

As far as me playing music, my parents sent me to piano lessons for a couple of years. But I didn’t commit or work hard at this which I do regret at times. But at that stage of my life I was more interested in kicking the footy. I remember trying out for a musical at school, Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, and was part of the chorus, suffice to say my singing is fairly ordinary. I do remember being at a friend’s place in the mid 1990’s and he had obtained some music production software on his computer which we played around with. I sometimes reflect back and think perhaps I should have taken this seriously and could have fulfilled my dreams of being on stage performing and being a hip hop artist. But my passion is not making music, I never had the drive or inclination to make music myself and I should leave it to those that have, like the amazing artists at Elefant Traks. Perhaps my want to being on stage is best to occur through my work, making presentations and speaking on matters I have a passion for.

The early 1990’s saw my appreciation of music really grow and my musical taste broaden. I finished school in 1992 and headed off to Uni. The music I was listening to was very much influenced by my friends at the time as well as listening to JJJ which has been my staple radio station for the last 25 or so years. However now I sometimes listen to ABC and Radio National, probably a sign that I must be getting old. One of my greatest friends, Chris loved his guitar and heavy metal, and he put me onto bands such as Halloween (his favourite), Megadeth, Metallica, Pantera, Allegiance and Jimi Hendrix. He also played in a band and it was great to go see our mates on stage do their thing. James another great friend of mine put me onto an array of great bands. Janes Addiction, Grant Lee Buffalo, Morphine, Violent Femmes, Green Day, Ministry, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds and Rollins Band to name a few. I doubt I have missed a Henry Rollins tour to Australia for the last two decades, the majority being for his spoken word shows which are always brilliant. Henry Rollins has been a massive influence on my life. I first saw him live at the Hordern Pavilion, I was right up the front and was close enough to have Henry’s sweat fall on me. Sounds ordinary now but it was worth every kick to the back of the head from the crowd surfers to be that close to him.

Probably my favourite band at this time was the Offspring. I remember seeing them at a Big Day Out in Sydney and completely losing my shit. However one of the best live shows I ever saw was Primus in the Hordern Pavilion also at the Big Day Out, they were a sensation but I have never bought one of their albums. The memory of that gig is enough.

During the 1990’s I also fell in love with bands such as Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Skunkhour, Paul Kelly, Front End Loader, Jeff Buckley, the Cruel Sea, Rage Against the Machine, Regurgitator, the Whitlams and TISM. I have to make special mention of You Am I. Tim Rogers was my school captain a few years ahead of me and he worked at the local record store in Castle Hill. I have been inspired following his success since that time. I also love his music and have most of his releases. Into the 2000’s I fell in love with the likes of John Butler Trio, Jack Johnson and Gurrumul.

I also delved into reggae music and love Bob Marley and Peter Tosh. I remember my mate James putting us onto some ‘saxon reggae’ which I have on an old cassette tape. The quality of the recording is ordinary but the music was mind blowing, like nothing we had ever heard before or since.

So overall, I have a fairly eclectic taste in music and love to listen to new artists. My music collection is closing in on 700 CDs and my most valuable possession nowadays is my iPod which contains almost 2,800 songs. I can’t leave home without it.

I love to see artists perform their music and enjoying live music is still something I seek whenever I can. I’m not a fan of cover bands and prefer to hear original music no matter what it is. My favourite music festival is Womad, has been for many years now. It used to be the Big Day Out but that has now ceased to be a thing. Womad is an amazing experience and it’s brilliant to see bands and artists that I’ve never seen or heard before, the atmosphere of the event is always inspiring and lifts my spirits. The bonus in recent years has been being able to see The Herd and Astronomy Class perform and next year I can’t wait to see L-Fresh the Lion do his thing at Womad. So perhaps this is a good opportunity to segue into my thoughts on Elefant Traks and Aussie hip hop in general.

My first ever exposure to Elefant Traks was listening to Scallops by the Herd for the first time. This is still one of my favourite tracks and one that I always love to hear live, I‘m one of those annoying punters who are calling out for it to be played during Herd gigs. It was around this time, the late 1990’s and early 2000’s that I started to get back into hip hop, and particularly Australia Hip Hop in a big way. The Herd have been my absolute favourite band ever since this time. My other favourites include Reason, Matty B, Hunter, Bias B, Pegz, Hilltop Hoods, Thundamentals, Brothablack, Terrafirma, Thorts, TZU, P Smurf, Omar Musa and the One Day Crew (especially Joyride, will he ever release something himself?). To be honest there would not be many Oz hip hop releases from the last 10 years that I have not bought, and I have enjoyed most of them.

However special mention needs to be made for all the Elefant Traks artists who also hold their own for providing me some of my most significant inspirations that I have been blessed to draw upon for my own life.

I have mentioned the Herd. They have just blown me away at times with their music and message. I guess my predilection for music with a political message was founded with Midnight Oil and Public Enemy and the Herd have taken that to another level given their music and messages resonate with me, align with how I feel and think and inspire me to stand up and tackle our political challenges. Seeing the Herd perform live also holds a special place in my memory. I am willing to travel far and wide to see them on stage.

It’s always fraught with danger but I have delved into the catalogue of Herd songs to come up with a top ten. A difficult assignment when I could easily pick 10 songs from each album and be happy with the list, but anyway here goes.

• ‘Scallops’ from the album ‘The Herd’. What a fun song and it resonates with my love of the potato scallop (or potato cake here in SA). I’d love a dollar for every potato scallop I have enjoyed! This song also introduced me to the Herd.
• ‘States of Transit’ from the album ‘An Elefant Never Forgets’. Such a classic laid back groove depicting a typical urban story.
• ‘77%’ from the album ‘An Elefant Never Forgets’. This song is still as relevant today as when it was released. It expresses the anger and despair many of us feel towards our politicians and political system.
• ‘Unpredictable’ from ‘The Sun Never Sets’ album. A great fun song that is brilliant when played live.
• “Full Moon’ from “The Sun Never Sets’ album. Tells a story that reflects the vibe of regional Australia and depicts some of the challenges it faces. I can relate to this song given I have lived in regional SA for the last 15 years.
• ‘2020’ from ‘Summerland’. A call to arms with a great beat, a real head nodder. A depiction of the political struggles and challenges we have.
• ‘Time to face the Truth’ from ‘Summerland’. Represents the indigenous struggle and makes you reflect on your own experience with racism. I was first exposed to racism when I was playing football in a state carnival when I was about 12 years old. We had an indigenous boy in our team and he was an excellent footballer. However the racial abuse he copped on the field from the other teams was something I had never seen before and shocked me, and as I reflect now on it I can’t imagine how it would have made him feel. This crap is still occurring today.
• ‘A Thousand Lives’ from ‘Future Shade’. Teaches us that life is to be lived, learn from our experiences and don’t change a thing, no regrets, it is as it is. Keep to your priorities and keep perspective.
• ‘The Sum of it all’ from ‘Future Shade’. Just a great song that inspires reflection of our lives.
• ‘Same Song’ from the ‘Better Alive’ EP. A song I can relate to given my love for hip hop which goes back to the 1980’s. Reflects everything I love about hip hop.

So what about some of the other Elefant Trak artists? In no particular order here is what they mean to me.

Astronomy Class – some of the best beats, some with a hint of reggae and Ozi Batla on the mic, can it get any better? It can, the ‘Mekong Delta Sunrise’ album is a beauty with the Cambodian influences and Channthy Kak on vocals, just wow!

Urthboy – Has produced some of the most fun songs as well as others that hit the mark politically. ‘Letters from Jamshed’ should be played to everyone to provide a human perspective of our refugee policies which are the epitome of evil to me. It’s one of my all-time favourite songs.

Jane Tyrrell – My favourite female artist. Her album ‘Echoes in the Aviary’ is probably the most played album in my collection. It’s the album I choose to listen to most often when I go to bed. It’s a soothing and relaxing album that’s perfect to end your day with, just brilliant.

The Last Kinection – I’ve seen these guys play live twice now and look forward to seeing them again at the 18^th. So many of their songs mean so much to me and provide a great insight into the perspective and challenges of our indigenous brothers and sisters. The inspiration of the Wenitong family was also brought home on Australian Story this year. I will always be thankful for Joel who took time to chat to me after a gig in Adelaide. I reckon we chatted for ages and it was inspiring to hear his story. I can’t wait to hear their next album. I also regularly wear their ‘red tie’ t-shirt to special occasions!

Horrorshow – Solo and Adit have produced some of my favourite tracks and albums and their live show is brilliant. Not only have they created songs that are filled with energy and get you jumping they have also played gigs for hip hop to sit down to. I’m looking forward to their next album as well.

Jimblah – I was lucky to have a chat to Jimblah after the recent Horrorshow gig at the Gov. Similar to the Last Kinection his music provides a great insight into the indigenous perspective but most of all I just enjoy his music. He is a genuine person who also follows me on Twitter!

Joelistics – I first listened to Joelistics when he was a member of TZU. His latest solo album has been on high rotation at home since its release. ‘Not in my Name’ is one of the more moving songs I have ever heard.

Sietta – James and Caiti put on a great live show. I don’t listen to their music as much as others but wouldn’t miss a chance to see them on stage. Have enjoyed every show I have seen them play at.

L Fresh the Lion – What can I say about L. His live shows are amazing with such great energy and stage presence. I can’t really talk about L’s live performances without also mentioning Mirrah. Together they are force to be reckoned with on stage and her new EP, Life, is fantastic. L-Fresh the Lion has become one of my all-time favourite artists and his music is inspiring and I love it. I can’t wait to see him perform at the 18^th as well as at Womad next year. If everyone listened to L-Fresh the Lion then the world would be a better place.

Okenyo – I had the opportunity to see Okenyo perform on the recent Urthboy tour. She is an amazing artist and I look forward to listening to whatever she releases in the future.

B Wise – the freshest face on the label, I had the opportunity to see him play live on the recent Horrorshow tour, he was great. His Semi Pro EP is pretty good too, I just love the song ‘Smile’. A great talent and I also look forward to listening to his future releases.

What’s makes Elefant Traks special to me?

Firstly, the music produced from the collective of amazing artists. I love them all. Collectively they provide such a diverse range of perspectives and stories. I love what Elefant Traks stands for. They sing and perform from the heart. They are independent. They say it as it is. They inspire me. I can relate to their stories and perspectives but they also expose me to other stories and perspectives providing me with a greater understanding of what it is to be Australian.

Everyone whom I have had the privilege to meet from Elefant Traks has also been welcoming and friendly. Not that I have talked to many, Im a bit shy by nature and it’s not a natural thing for me to just start a conversation with someone, especially when there are loads of other people around after a gig wanting to do the same. Being more outgoing is something I need to be better at, something to work on I guess. But it’s why I was so thrilled when Dale came and introduced himself after a herd gig at the Gov in Adelaide a few years back. I have had semi regular contact with Dale given his role looking after the Elefant Traks merchanise, I do tend to buy a lot of merch and he is always making my experience a great one! One of the great things about hip hop gigs is the artists coming out and chatting to us punters, it means a lot and it’s why I will always remember my conversations with Joel and Jimblah as well.

So that’s my music experience and that’s why Elefant Traks have played such an important and central part of who I am as their music influences and inspires how I think and what I want to add to this world in my own way.

To think back on the quote by Leonard Cohen, Elefant Traks have provided the bread that nourishes my soul.

Elefant Traks represent everything I think is great about Australia and Australian Music and I wish them all the very best for their 18^th birthday, may there be many more years of brilliant releases, gigs and new artists to continue to build on the tradition and inspiration that is, Elefant Traks.