Finally, after two outstanding EPs – The First Sample (produced with the assistance of The Australia Council for the Arts in 2005) and In Tha Place from 2006, Diafrix are back with a full length album Concrete Jungle. They’re back from their first European tour that they started earlier in the year, where they sold out every gig in small venues around the UK, France and The Netherlands and have just finished touring over here to promote the album – which is one of the best debut releases I have ever heard.

It’s a solid hip hop album, but it brings a lot of different influences like reggae and soul so they have a unique sound that is truly their own. So fresh it goes crunch. They have also stayed true to their African roots with tracks like African Affair and Birth Of Hip Hop, which has an old sample of am African lady “rapping” in a traditional dialect and Mama Africa which includes a Baliphone or ‘Marimba’, which is a traditional African xylophone. All three tracks are still rocking party tracks though, and are oh so dance-able.

Most of the tunes are first class party toons, and first single from the album Concrete Jungle is not only damn groovy, but also has a very cool message of the struggle that we all go through to survive, but which is even harder if you are a refugee or asylum seeker. The message is reiterated in the video that you can check out online, it’s a great vid filmed around Footscray and the Fitzroy high-rises in Melbourne, and anyone who hails from the city will probably recognise most of locations on it, including a few iconic graffiti pieces.

My absolute fave track is Crazy featuring N’Fa from 1200 Techniques, it’s a track that would get a whole room moving with its infectious funky high energy groove, reminiscent of their dance floor melting track Shake Ur Body featuring Empress from their In Tha Place EP. Coming in a close second would be a toss up between ESL and the In The Place, which first appeared on their In Tha Place EP and still sounds as fresh now as it did the day it was penned. All these tracks show how close they are to most of Ozzie hip-hop royalty like Bliss n Eso and The Herd and Elf Transporter who have toured, collaborated with or jammed with them since their humble beginnings in 2001.

The slower tracks like So Upset and Redemption that end the album are outstanding tracks to wind things up well, so it plays out like a beautiful journey that you don’t want to end. Azmarino, Momo and producer/mix-master Petro-Stylus just keep getting better and better, this album has all the energy and party vibe of the existing EPs but seems a lot more mature and well rounded with a good mix of jump up tracks and laid-back tunes.