I remember the first time I heard Curse Ov Dialect. I was visiting Melbourne with my girlfriend and she wanted me to meet a friend who was into hip hop. Being that she was more of a grunge & Indy-rock fan my assumption was that this friend would be more into commercial rap, something I've never had much time for. I had always leaned more toward experimental hip hop artists like Freestyle Fellowship, Divine Styler & Kool Keith.
At that time I had discovered the diverse catalogue of Mush records - a Californian based independent responsible for the releases of Anticon, Sole, Dose One & Buck 65 to name a few. All my friends at the time were bemoaning the death of hip hop, believing that it's glory days ended around 1992 and I was starting to think i was the only one in Australia who liked this 'weirdo music'.
I was more than suprised when I finally met the friend and discovered that not only was he into the same music, but he was an MC and discribed his music as a bit like 'Dr Octagon' - Kool Keiths alter ego with the incredible production talents of Dan The Automator - one of my all time favourite albums. He was taking us to punk gig/house party in the inner suburbs of Melbourne, an unexpected treat for a couple of outer towners used to the torture of pub bands and they're limited repartee.
After standing on the fringes of a mosh in a backyard filled with punk fans of various colours & attire, drinking & pissing in the adjacent alley, we were on the road again - this time to meet up with a few friends parked in a quiet residential street. After meeting this new group of people and feeling elated to be able to talk about experimental hip hop and the recent break up of Antipop Consortium (another favourite) the friend started telling me about the new album his group was about to release through Mush. Suddenly I was really interested in checking out this guys music. He said he went by the MC name of Raceless, an interesting moniker that would make more sense once I listened to his music & heard the groups message.
Raceless happened to have a copy of his new pride & joy and was enthusiastic to share with all. He passed the CD to the driver and we all gathered around the car to hear. Right off the bat we were hit by a crazy song built on samples from childrens musical toys with four MC's flipping styles like a high diver and a sampled chorus of someone singing "baby how'd we ever get this way?". I had never heard this kind of hip hop coming from Australia before and although it was 'out there' like other Mush artists, it was totally unique. We listened to the whole album that night and I was constantly bowled over by the rhymes, levels of production & message.
I found out the name of the album was 'Lost In The Real Sky'. The group - Curse Ov Dialect. I became an instant fan.
Over the years I've been fortunate to be able to get sneak previews of their latest songs and I'm amazed at how they continue to sound fresh. Especially they're new album, 'Crisis Tales', which was nice to see get some heat on national radio - no mean feat with the overwhelming ammount of Hilltop Hoods clones saturating the airwaves.
Curse Ov Dialect have always been very open & generous and it's with the attitude of give & receive that they are sharing their catalogue on Bandcamp. If you are unfamiliar with their sound or have just started listening to them, here's your chance to get fully aquainted...
http://curseovdialect.bandcamp.com/
Another element of the Curse Ov Dialect experience is their live performances. Veering away from the traditional and over used hip hop routines of "everybody throw ya hands in the air and say hoooo" these guys actually entertain rather than stalk and gesticulate on stage. Each member has their own look and style representing their culture & personalities. The most difficult thing at a Curse show is knowing where to look because, in true sense of performance art, there is always something going on.
Fortunately we've had the oportunity to capture the madness of a Curse performance onto a digital time capsule in the form of a DVD. Here's a sample...
If you are interested in purchasing a copy of the DVD contact vilevorticesproductions@gmail.com
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