Man On A Mission

Illy is poised to release his second full-length album, ‘The Chase’, at the end of the week. The Melbourne local has already generated a groundswell of support following the release of the first single, ‘It Can Wait’, featuring a delectable, infectious hook from vocalist Owl Eyes.

Illy dominates a synth-heavy beat with a set of concise verses concentrating primarily upon ideals of escapism; solid love from Triple J and Nova amongst others ensued. You merely have to hear the hook to understand why. More recently Illy, showing superb foresight and a proactive mentality, embarked on his ’14 Tracks In 14 Days’ concept, showcasing tracks from ‘The Chase’ via streaming links on his website accompanied by detailed descriptions of the concepts at work and the recording process. He’s currently causing a ruckus around the country, touring alongside friends Skryptcha and 360, headlining the ‘Three Up’ tour.

Illy’s 2009 debut, ‘Long Story Short’, catapulted his name into wider attention and won him a legion of fans. So how are his efforts this time around distinguished from his debut opus? “From my end especially, better structured songs. I’ve put a lot of effort into getting unique sounding tracks, I don’t think there are really two tracks that sound very similar on the whole album. There’s a lot of different sounding stuff. Generally, beyond what I have put into it, it has just been better produced.

“All the producers have stepped their game up. A lot more heart and soul has gone into this one beyond the lyrics I think. It’s definitely a more professional sounding album as well. It sounds like a lot of the errors I made with the first one, I’ve been able to remedy on this one.”

Speaking of producers, Illy goes on to name those who have contributed their talents towards ‘The Chase’: “Skub, Phazes, J-Squared, Ta-Ku and Stylez Fuego make up the production team.”

However when it came to guest appearances from other MCs, Illy explains how it’s somewhat more of a solitary endeavour. “It’s entirely solo as far as verses go. I’ve done it all myself and I’ve written all the hooks myself as well so if it goes well, it’s glorytown for me and if it falls then there is no one to blame but myself. There’s a few vocalists though, there’s a couple males and a couple females on there. I didn’t think of guest verses right up until the end of the recording process. There was one person in particular I wanted to get on there but couldn’t because he is currently finishing his album. Once that fell through, I had a bit of time to think about the idea of doing the whole album myself. I don’t think there will be another chance to make an album that’s all me, probably not anyway.”

Evidently the title for Illy’s new album is quite a forthright and bold statement: so what sort of meaning does the handle have attached to it in the MC’s mind? “Well basically since putting out the last album, everything has been crazy with working on this album, finishing uni and touring pretty flat out for the better part of the year. It’s just been like chasing the bigger picture, not really arriving at where I want to be at yet but putting in the yards to get there. That’s what this album signifies to me.”

Many are probably unaware that for the previous few years, Illy has also been completing a university degree on top of his recording and touring commitments. “I’m currently studying law and I finish at the end of summer. It’s been pretty tough. There’s definitely been points where one has had to take a back seat to the other but just keeping busy, staying on top of things and not missing deadlines with either one has kept me in good stead with it all man. I have somehow managed to scrape through which still amazes me.”

Fans of Illy can expect a number of summer festival slots for the talented MC off the back of quality sets at concerts such as Groovin The Moo. Illy explains what is in the pipeline for him in regards to festival season. “Yeah I’m playing Pyramid Rock Festival (Victoria) but that’s about all I can announce right now but hopefully we’ve got a few other things lined up for early next year.”

Do both yourself and a uni student a massive favour and drop your hard-earned on ‘The Chase’. If the response to the single is anything to go by, it’s bound to be an addictive listen.

‘The Chase’ will be available from October 29.