With a newish single being rotated like a rotor blade on airwaves both commercial and not-so-commercial; a just completed national tour slot with 50 Cent; and a brand-diddly-spanking new album just released through all the usual outlets (“Day of the Dog”) – it seems like everything is coming up Bliss n Eso. And big props too – this hard-working triumvirate are just about to embark on yet ANOTHER whirlwind jaunt across the nation in support of their recent disc.
Heronimous Wang catches up with American-Born MC Bliss in the wide expanses of a friendly-cyber-wonderland (i.e. he emails Bliss.. Bliss emails him back.. They never actually meet.. I’m just being colourful..) to garner a low-down on just what the hell is happening in the wonderful world of Bliss n Eso.
The 50 Cent tour… How the hell was that? Being exposed to all those fresh-little-upturned faces of the teenage/mainstream/jailbait set? How was the experience and what kind of feedback came your way?
It was great! We had an absolute ball doing it… I mean it’s always tough when you’re a support act. You really have to work extra hard to try and win the audience over. We were pretty happy with the response we got, particularly in Brisbane and Perth. It was a great chance to get out in front of tens of thousands of people that might not know who we are (or that there is much of a local scene at all) and show them our stuff.
Did you get to hang with the “Fiddy” and his crew? How’d that go down? Did he show you those famous bullet-holes..?
Haha… na not much Fiddy hangin. He was pretty swamped with security the whole time so there wasn’t much of a chance. I hung out with Lloyd Banks briefly… he was cool. The most friendly in terms of wanting to chat and stuff was Lil John and the BME clique. They where cool dudes and how can you not love Lil John’s after party antics!
Did you get to command a heller decent rider? Fridges stacked with plonk? Bowls of M and M’s with all the red ones picked out? A couchful of hookers? That kind of gear?
Oh hell yeah! You know how BnE do! We had a barbeque in the corner with Weapon X cooking up some shrimps…. Izm and A Style were chillin’ on the couch mackin’ 3 virgin flight attendants… poppin’ crystal.. Eso and I were playin’ playstation with a couple of fat o grams.. chillin’ in our specially brought in spa bath. And Ken Hell was in the crowd with a bottle of tequila building up his “clicks” (go to http://www.shewantsme.com.au/ for a full explanation) you know this is just the way we get down before a show… nah mean?
‘Beer O’clock’... Obviously big fans of the amber fluid.. You handed out specially labelled Bliss n Eso bottles on your recent Wizards of Oz tour.. How’d that come about? Who was your brewer?
Ahhh… our brewer was Dr. Eso.. We got one of those brew your own beer kits and took to Eso’s bathtub and wahh-laaa… Bliss n Eso lager! Mental note: “mind his pubic hairs when drinking”...
Just what type of beer should a discerning Bliss n Eso fan consume at the hour of ‘Beer O’clock’? Is the brand optional? Or are there certain compulsory favourites?
The brand is most definitely optional. As long as it’s a golden drop it’s all good. As far as an ozzy fave goes for us – when we have the money its James Boags.. but usually when we are broke (which is most of the time) it’s good old VB.
So… What can we expect from this near-on-nigh forthcoming release? What are your own thoughts on it? When can we expect the sucker?
It’s in stores now actually! We are really excited about it… it’s very different than our last release “Flowers In The Pavement”. “Day of the Dog” is much more focused at the listener and transcending a message. There is also great variety on it, which we find really important for albums. We’ve got straight bravado bangers, party joints, introspective tunes and just straight classic hip hop gems.
Where was it recorded? Who managed production?
The bulk of the record was recorded at my studio in Sydney. We also did a bit of recording at Solid State Studios in Melbourne with Weapon X. Weapon X also mixed the whole album there. As far as production goes, there were range of beat contributors: Suffa (Hilltop Hoods), Weapon X, M-Phazes and a bunch of other dope cats. We basically took in their beats, recorded to them and then in certain cases added a few things, arranged them and produced them a bit further.
UK rapper Motley appears on “Party at My Place”. Any other notable guest appearances?
Yep, an ill MC from the UK named Mystro (from Natural Born Spittaz). Also Hyjak and Kye from Sydney who bring some magic.
Has the style changed at all on the new one? Is there a similar pervading good-time/party mood? Will we recognise this Bliss n Eso on offer?
Absolutely, as I said before the record is a lot different than the first album, but it’s still classic Bliss n Eso flavour. Just I guess we evolved a bit more as artists, which is inevitable.
I’ve always wanted to know – how comes it’s Bliss n Eso – and not Bliss n Eso n Izm? Did Izm miss the naming-meeting? Or is he just a little shy?
The actual original name is “Bliss n’Esoterikizm” but as you can probably imagine we had people having some pronunciation issues with it! So we just shortened it to Bliss n Eso, but our full name still has Izm in it.
I read in a previous interview with yourself that good hip-hop is about “being original and being yourself.” Bad hip-hop is encapsulated by “people not being honest with who they are…” With that in mind – where do you stand on the old chestnut regarding Aussie hip-hoppers adopting American accents when they rap? Obviously you have a pretty good excuse being US born and all. But what about rappers such as Figgkidd or Weapon X and Ken Hell?
I guess I’ve known those dudes for so long, I don’t really think about it, cuz it’s just the way I’m used to them rapping. But at the end of the day it’s about how skilled a rapper is. And in this case if dudes have got talent then you can’t really deny that. Personally I’m so over this particular debate that I don’t really care anymore… I just judge dudes that rap that way on their ability and what they are saying, rather than how they sound. I guess the accent is just one small element, when I was talking about being true to yourself, I was definitely referring much more to subject matter and lyrical content. ie – rapping about what you know and not just spitting a bunch of shit.
Speaking of dishonesty. What are your thoughts on this Australian Idol approach to instant fame?
I think Eso sums it up quite nicely in “This Is For You”. “The only time I’m aimin’ a riffle / is when there’s nothing on my telly but Australian Idol...”
Were they to allow a little bit more variety into the “competition” – say a bit of rhyming and slanging – instead of an endless litany of Robbie Williams and Mariah Carey covers – would a young Bliss or Eso have given it a shot?
Na bro. The one thing about hip-hop culture for us is it’s a very grass roots do it yourself deal. And there something cool about that, cuz when you start getting somewhere and doing your thing, you can look back and say we got ourselves to this point. We weren’t picked up by a massive media industry machine. It’s much more fulfilling.
Apart from the Bliss n Eso experience – who out there in your opinion is worth the watching in Oz hip hop at the mo..?
There is a bunch of acts and up and coming cats too… Downsyde, Hyjak n Torcha, Spit Syndicate, Mind Over Matter... the list goes on and on.
Best case scenario – on the strength of this new album – where are Bliss n Eso in five years time?
Hmmm… I think on a lear jet flying to some tropical island to do a show for the locals. Yes yes… keep the dream alive!
The new Bliss n Eso new album ‘Day of the Dog’ is out now through Illusive Sounds/Liberation. They’re currently on the road touring throughout March, April and May:
Thu Mar 16th – Shepparton, Yahoo Bar
Fri Mar 17th – Melbourne, Prince of Wales
Sat Mar 18th – Geelong, Preston Hotel
Fri Mar 24th – Sydney, Gaelic Club
Sat Mar 25th – Newcastle, Band Room
Sat Apr 1st – Katoomba, Tris Elies
Wed Apr 5th – Coolum, Sol Bar
Thu Apr 6th – Brisbane, The Rev
Fri Apr 7th – Gold Coast, Shark Bar
Sat Apr 8th – Byron Bay, Great Northern
Sat Apr 15th – Coffs Harbour, The Plantation
Fri Apr 28th – Hobart, Republic Bar
Sat Apr 29th – Launceston, The James
Fri May 5th – Albury, Sodens
Fri May 12th – Perth, Metro City
Stay tuned to ITM Whatson for updates.
