Two and a half years may seem like a long time to incubate a debut EP, but for the four-strong hip hop crew A Devil Amongst the Tailors, the time’s been well spent. Investing it in finding their own voice (and a lineup to match) the lads persistent efforts are paying off, with ADATT earning the respect of peers in the Adelaide hip hop scene. From playing Rhino Room Fridays to their recent dream support for Loop Troop and People Under the Stairs, the debut release ‘Straight from the Underground’ documents the songs that stuck from their early days of writing. Over a hearty pub meal at the Duke of York and a few fine ales, MCs Leroy and AD took some time to share their story with the readers of ITM.

When people think of Aussie hip hop in my experience, they generally think of the extremes; the BBQ and beer bouncers, or the polarizing depth and critical slant of lyricists like The Herd or TZU. A Devil Amongst the Tailors fall somewhere in the middle. Similarly, the crew finds a home for itself somewhere between that of an expected MC/DJ show, and that of a live band. The current line-up (only consolidated in the last six months) sees Leroy and AD up front, with Jonesy playing live bass, and Mike, the band’s hardware geek and ace drummer punching out beats on an MPC sampler.

Focused on blazing headlong into musical careers, both MCs (and their absent counterparts) are keen self-publicists, and confess to active forum trawling, myspace socializing and promoter email ice-breaking. Not only do they pull it off in style, their genuine nature, directness and confidence are getting them places. Despite having already touched base with Da Klinic’s manager and tireless promoter Shep (having performed at the ‘Locals Lounge’), it was through making an interstate email contact with another promoter that won them the support spot for PUTS & Loop Troop. Not to mention the boys notable talent for hip hop artistry.

On the beats themselves, Leroy and AD are quick to point out all four band members’ various backgrounds. Each member’s ears have never been exclusive to any musical style, and that rings with crystal clarity when the crew is heard- live or recorded. Pulling samples from quirky places, and not shying away from sensitive and sentimental notes, the boys show a dynamic range comparable to an act like Atmosphere; one of intense deliveries (listen out for their new track ‘Fuck It’) and poetic chill tracks like ‘It’s Raining’, the last on their new platter.

While the boys are only now rolling toward the big launch, their music has been burning holes in their pockets for some time. Preview tracks have been available at their myspace website, and have even found their way into the hot hands of Triple J announcer, Caroline Tran. Attending the annual Adelaide-based conference, AD sought out the radio celebrity after a music business seminar, and palmed off a burned copy of their unreleased disc. Complete with texta titling and generic jewel case, Caroline made no promises to play the disc but went on the surprise the lads by dropping it as the opening track of her Australian music program. The boys were blown away. ‘I couldn’t breathe… I felt like running out into the street screaming ‘we’re on TripleJ!’ said AD.

The CD itself was recorded with the assistance of Darren Thompson at Third Ave Studios, whose partner also put the band through their first promo shoot. While all involved are thrilled with the new disc, AD is quick to show his humility. ‘We realize we’re still years off where we want to be. We just try to make every beat better than the last.’ While his lyrics rolls through each track on the disc beside Leroy’s, AD also produces the bed tracks, and churns out beats faster than a Dutchman makes butter. From his prolific productions, Tuesdays with Leroy see the pair flip through the unfinished beats until they find the ones that stimulate the best new lyrical flows. Surprisingly, the pair describes their writing process as beginning with the visual… an imagining triggered by sound, stirring the subconscious.

Already humble about their debut, ADATT are thinking about the follow-up and are getting pumped about their newer tracks, brought to life with the full band sound and live show. The bond of friendship between all four lads is also tight, reaching right back to the boys’ boozey Friday night beginnings with at the self-titled ‘Rhyme Club’. A convivial gathering of random attendance, there was only one unmovable rule: ‘If this is your first night at Rhyme Club, you have to rhyme.’ Laughter consolidates the bond of brotherhood among the lads, and apparently it’s often the least likely member of the band who’s responsible. Leroy describes Mike poetically as ‘the most nervous guy in Australia’ and as if demonstrating some bizarre coping mechanism, does ‘something you’re not ready for’ at every show. Once he was using a full drum kit, and poured beer all over it before pounding the skins in an attempt to splash the other band’s ‘precious’ glam-kit. There’s a lesson to be learned here folks, don’t sit boozing in your car alone before a big show… or in the very least, don’t drink and drum!

Paraphrasing pop culture is something the boys seem to save predominatly for their quips and onstage banter, while the MCs lyrics tend to be far more conversational and colloquial. At their recent Loop Troop support, Leroy confessed to getting a little ‘too intense’ early, pouring the emotion into his delivery. After the song he raised a few chuckles with a Back to the Future quote: ‘you weren’t quite ready for that, but your kids are gonna love it’. As far as expectations in the hip hop community go, the boys bravely state that they’re ‘not playing to an audience, just doing what (they) love doing.’

The writing to stage process for ADATT follows a complex path from beats to ideas, themes, emotions, lyrics, extended arrangements and finally transfer into the MPC for live performance. ‘The MPC’s the most radical fuckin’ instrument ever. It gets me so pumped!’ spouts Leroy. AD adds that the instrument has proven ‘bling’ value in the scene, proudly mentioning that Double K from PUTS nodded with approval when he saw it waiting onstage before their show. As far extending their live setup goes, AD mentions a desire to control their mix from onstage more precisely with their own mixer and compressor on the mics, in turn guaranteeing a better quality of sound than in-house engineers generally supply.

Asking about the crew’s observations and predictions for hip hop worldwide provided a few interesting responses. Both MCs would like to see more collaboration with UK MCs and producers, and feels that they have more common cultural ground with UK writers than with the dominating strain of booty and gun rap spewing out of the USA. They would also like to see audiences in Adelaide move a little closer to the more inclusive crowds that Melbourne hip hop shows draw, and shift away from the hoodies and kicks culture of exclusive, elemental hip hop code.

As the last of the night’s beers slipped down and the conversation drew to its close, I asked the lads for a quick ‘track by track’ walk through ‘Straight from the Underground’. The album begins with ‘Rock to the Rhythm’ a track detailing in AD’s words, ‘the perils of a night out… inspired by a walk down King William Street at 2am. The next track Leroy describes simply as ‘a bouncer’, which precedes ‘Two Years’ a literal tongue-in-cheek lament about the obligatory UK working visa exodus that so many South Aussie teens depart on. Leroy gets goose bumps when he raps through the heavy track ‘Can Kicker’ which features a flow written by the MCs’ friend Claire very early in the piece. ‘Closure’ follows, with a distant romantic sentiment before the album wraps with ‘It’s Raining’ a more abstract lyrical chill track, and suitable wind down.

Right now’s no time for chilling out though, with A Devil Amongst the Tailors taking their fresh disc and phat beats to the stage this Friday, July 7th at Rhino Room. Joined by DJ Dyems (of Terra Firma fame) and Lonely Shinobi, ten dollars will get you in with a brand spankin’ new copy of ‘Straight from the Underground’ to boot. If you’re keen on Aussie hip hop with its own distinct character, you’d be mad to miss it.