Beats Working have wowed Triple J listeners with their innovative blend of hip hop, soul, rock, and pop. Now they’re hoping to turn Australia on to their eclectic sound with the release of their debut album Harbour Drive on 30 July. I caught up with vocalist and music production master James ahead of this exciting release.
You’re releasing your debut album Harbour Drive at the end of the month. What can music lovers expect from it?
It’s a pretty eclectic album, so hopefully there is something there for most people. Even my mum is into it, but maybe she’s biased. We’re all into a lot of different music – from hip hop to rock to pop, funk, soul … and the album has a bit of all that thrown in. If you’re already a hip hop fan I think you’re going to like it, but hopefully it will expand to a larger audience.
Triple J has been a great supporter of your music. How important has their support been in getting your name out there?
Obviously having airplay and support on The Jay is really important for any new band. They’re such a great avenue for getting your music out there, and the people that run the station are obviously really passionate about Australian music.
Aussie guitar legend Phil Emmanuel plays on your new single “Hey Lena.” You’ve got such different styles so the collaboration might seem surprising to some people. How did it come about?
It was the last thing that we recorded on the album, actually. We had this section in the track – a breakdown, basically, that we were planning on putting a scratch section in. We decided that would be too much of a cliché in a song that is so different from most other hip hop, so we were sitting around scratching our heads, wondering what to do. Dan’s uncle runs a studio in Coffs Harbour, and is mates with Phil, who happened to be in town at the time. I’ve forgotten whose idea it was, but someone suggested we get a guitarist to do a solo … and within about an hour we were recording with Phil! It was amazing watching such a virtuoso, with complete mastery of his instrument, jam out in a studio. He was incredible. There is only about a 30-second solo on the track, but he recorded enough for us to put a wailing guitar solo on every track on the album if we had wanted to.
Your songs incorporate elements of pop, soul, funk, and more. What artists are you listening to at the moment?
At the moment the two albums that are really grabbing me are Seeing Sounds by N.E.R.D … I think those guys are at the forefront of making hip hop that is as innovative as possible but still has that pop edge that makes their music cross over. The other album is The Fire is on the Bird by Jackson Jackson – it’s the trumpet player form the Cat Empire, actually. That album really takes Australian hip hop to places that I never thought possible. Lyrically and musically it is a stunner.
You’ve toured with some of the country’s biggest hip-hop names like The Herd, Casual Projects, and Nikkita & The Tongue. What have you learned from working with these guys?
Mainly how to work a crowd I guess. One of the best things was playing with seasoned pros like Pegz and the Resin Dogs … both those acts really had their shit down … complete professionals.
People might have caught your set at Groovin The Moo in Maitland. What was it like being part of such a big festival?
I actually don’t think a whole lot of people would have caught our show, seeing as we were playing at the same time as The Presets! But it was fun … we met up with some really cool people – especially DNO from the Resin Dogs, who we’ve gone on to work with on a few tracks.
You’ve got some shows scheduled for your hometowns of Coffs Harbour and Newcastle. Are you planning to take this album on the road and show it off to the rest of Australia?
Yep for sure. There’d be no point releasing an album and then just sitting on our hands, would there? I think any Oz act has to do a significant amount of touring to get their music out … most punters will give you a lot more respect, and be more likely to buy your album, it they’ve seen you rock a live show.
Australian hip hop is really becoming a force thanks to the popularity of bands like The Hilltop Hoods and The Herd. What do you think makes Australian hip hop so strong?
I think it has its own sound that is uniquely Australian. We use our own accents and our lyrics are about things that Australian’s can relate to – I think that is important to the audience … especially a hip hop one – a hip hop audience can smell a fake from a mile away.
How do you respond to critics who say Australian hip hop artists are just trying to emulate American hip hop stars?
I just don’t think it’s a valid criticism. It is patently not true. Maybe if you give it a fleeting listen, you might be under the impression that we’re trying to rip off the yanks, but it you give oz hip hop even a half decent listen you would quickly realize that it has it’s own unique sound and language. So I guess my response would be “go and actually listen to it.”
And finally, do you have a message for your fans out there?
Yes. Send us money. We’re broke.
The easiest way to do that is to make sure you pick up a copy of Harbour Drive when it hits record stores at the end of the month!
Image used with permission from Australian Music Biz