The Tongue - Battle for Balance
» Sounds in the Grounds - Manning Bar - Sydney University, NSW - November 2, 2007
» Three Strikes Tour - East Brunswick Club Hotel, Vic - October 20, 2007
Life is a balancing act. We strive for a work / life balance. We try to eat balanced meals. We balance the treble and the bass. We struggle to balance the rent and the nights out. For freestyle battle hero The Tongue the last twelve months have been a perfect example of life’s seemingly random events conspiring to balance things out. The upshot being the raucous applause set to follow the mind-shattering release of Shock and Awe.
“A lot of shitty things happened to me while making this album- my cat died, I had writers block, a producer I was working with stole a bunch of money from me and then pulled his beats from the record at the last minute, I had a health-scare, I lost my licence, DJ Diaz quit…Life just kept kicking me in the shins.
But while all this was going on, a lot of amazing things happened as well - I fell in love, I managed to hook up with some hip hop legends (Braintax, Dudley Perkins, Ozi Batla etc), I got a grant from the Australian Arts Council. I guess I really learnt that life is a mixed bag…It’s all about the ying and the yang… Shock and awe.”
That old adage ‘if it’s not hard work, it’s not worth doing’ certainly rings true in this instance. The good and the bad balanced in the mix, and The Tounge has produced something to truly be proud of.
“I love it. I put a year of my life into this record, thinking about it day and night, stressing until I felt like I was going to have a heart attack….I would have given up long ago if I wasn’t confidant that there would be a kick-arse record to play at the end of the process. People will remember this album, its different.”
I suppose it can’t help be different when the environment The Tongue is used to performing in has been completely upturned. The balance was maintained however, as the separation with long time friend DJ Diaz allowed the formation of a new alliance with another buzz on the scene, DJ Skoob.
“Diaz has been DJing for his entire adult life… He dropped out of Year 12 to become a DJ and just went for it. He’s achieved a hell of a lot for a 23 year old. But there comes a time where you realize that there is more to life than music, and that there are other things worth exploring. He wants to take a break so he can travel and catch up with his family...and that’s something I fully support.
Skoob has crazy talent and I’m stoked that he agreed to play with me. He just took out the NSW DMCs for the second year running so he’s finally getting the props he deserves from the wider hip hop community.”
The Tongue is also known around the traps in Sydney as somewhat of an actor. Somewhat good that is. Similar to the footy vs cricket argument that many young athletes face, I imagine there will come a time for a difficult decision. For now however, the two are manageable.
“Its not that hard to balance- both art-forms are about entertainment and communication and the use of language. I seem them as being more similar than different. With that said however, I did have to turn down a pretty special acting role in order to get the album finished. But, you know, I’m cool with that, as Nas would say ‘hip hop’s my first wifey’.”
I guess hip hop is Mormon then. It has to be one of the most genre distorting avenues of music in history. Whether it be old vinyls, classical samples, or new soundscapes, the search for the perfect note is something only a surfer could empathise with.
“Music should never be restricted by genre. I don’t like the idea that music needs rules. Rules are the anthesis of creativity. Rules are about restriction rather than expansion. How can you create something original by copying those who have come before you? You can’t.
As I interact with more musos and learn from them the main thing I realize is- ‘damn, music is 90% ideas and 10% talent’. I know a few bands who have great knowledge and technical skill but struggle to come up with original songs….they often don’t get anywhere. On the flipside, some of the best artists out there can’t even play an instrument- but they have original ideas so it doesn’t matter. The public is always hungry for a fresh sound and if you can give it to them then they’ll show you lots of love.”
The Tongue plays Sounds in the Ground - Manning House Sydney University, November 2
