Pushing The Boundaries

“I’m not the type of producer that’s on every Aussie release, I’m only on a few. A lot of the beats I send out to people for their albums tend to get turned down. I think a lot of people in this country are used to their own style of production.”

So says M-Phazes of his placing within Australia’s urban, hip hop scene. Originally from the Gold Coast, the Melbourne producer is finalising preparations for the release of his debut album, ‘Good Gracious’, later this month. Featuring a host of premier, all-Australian emcees, it should ultimately prove to be one of the most highly anticipated local releases of the year.

The album is to be released through Obese Records; M-Phazes describes the context of how he became affiliated with the label.

“Basically I met Pegz when I moved to Melbourne, he was one of the first guys I met down here when I moved from the Gold Coast. I didn’t plan on signing with a label, but me and my manager decided it would be a good idea to release an album with all-Australian artists so we approached Pegz with the idea. I had a few other projects at the time but this has worked out really well. Me and Pegz get along quite well. It ended up being the logical way to go.”

M-Phazes is becoming increasingly well known for notching up more collaborations and production credits with respected overseas artists than any other Australian producer. However the desire for more local connections on ‘Good Gracious’ had a logical rationale.

“Basically everyone on there I have a relationship with; I’ve worked with them in the past or I know them personally. I didn’t want to just get names in Australian hip hop just because I respect them or whatever. I also wanted a variety of emcees. I know it’s a tough one with Aussie hip hop releases because (there’s) not a huge amount of artists in this country. I tried to give each emcee something different to what they were used to production-wise.”

Going for this diversity generated one of the most intriguing facets of recording the album for M-Phazes. He elaborates on the products of this challenge.

“It was definitely interesting to see how each artist worked the track I gave them. I felt like it wasn’t an album where people just used a throwaway verse. I had to re-record a few people here and there, but in the end I’m happy with every track and feel that the different style of production, than what they’re used to, made them step up their game a little bit.”

A number of projects happening both here in Australia and over in the States has meant the time from the album’s conception to its fruition has expanded somewhat.

“I’ve been working on the album on and off for about two years. I had a little bit of a break when I went over to the States year before last. For the last six to eight months I’ve been solidly working on it. It’s been a pretty long process from the initial tracks to getting the artwork and that kind of thing.”

Although the album has occupied the better part of the last few years, M-Phazes has much broader plans over the coming months.

“I really want to move to the States, even if it’s only for a couple of years. I just want to relocate there for a bit and see what happens. So right now I’m just sorting out visas and things like that. I’m just seeing what I have to do, how long it’s going to take, even if it is possible. It’s not definite yet but I’m pretty confident that I’ll get over there by the end of the year.”

However, prior to this career move, there are plans for album launches in major cities around the country. M-Phazes describes the live agenda for the debut album. “There’s nothing confirmed yet but obviously there’s the launch for the album in the major cities. In Melbourne, we’re looking to do a show with the whole roster of the album, but that’s only in the pipeline so far.”

‘Good Gracious’ is out through Obese Records from February 26. M-Phazes supports Illy at the Step Inn April 25.