Combat Wombat
Encyclopedia
Combat Wombat are an Australian hip-hop
group from Melbourne. The group comprises Monkey Marc, DJ Wasabi, Elf Tranzporter and MC Izzy.
Monkey Marc met Izzy in Darwin in 1998 where they started up a solar powered party political sound system. Elf joined the band in 2000 after they all met whilst living together in a squat in the heart of Sydney. DJ Wasabi joined the band in 2002. Their first real performance as Combat Wombat was on a Channel Seven
music program This led to the release of the band's debut album, Labrats Solar Powered Sound System, and their subsequent signing to Elefant Traks
.
The band released its second album, Unsound $ystem, in March, 2005. Within a week of its release, Unsound $ystem was receiving airplay on Triple J
, with the single, "Qwest" reaching #2 on the Net 50. Unsound $ystem features a number of guests artists such as The Herd's Ozi Batla and TZU
's Seed MC, but the most confronting cameos are from MCG and SMS: two Afghan
refugees who had escaped from Woomera
detention centre.
and subsequently the family moved home consistently, running away from home at age 16.
Izzy Brown is a Hip hop artist and film maker from Melbourne Australia. Izzy has toured extensively in Australia, Europe Palestine and Africa for over a decade driven by a passion for music and cultural exchange.
Izzy is the founder of United Struggle Project, recording music and making film clips with artists in refugee camps, slums and prisons across the world.
Izzy has been involved in the Sonic Boom collective of artists as a Youth Workshop facilitator working on remote Aboriginal communities in the central and western desert in Australia and Palm Island since 2000 Workshops conducted included music, hip hop lyric writing, theatre, circus and film production working with 'youth at risk' and disadvantaged youth. Izzy has used hip hop as a medium to create a space for people to tell their stories.
Izzy has created 3 feature length documentaries 'GhettoMoto', 'Voices from the Ghetto' 'Too Deadly' and as well as numerous other short films and music videos.
Izzy was co founder of Labrats solar powered sound system and wind powered cinema that toured Australia in a vegetable oil powered van from 1997 to 2003 and is a member of Combat Wombat, a political hip hop group that has been performing for over a decade.
www.unitedstruggleproject
www.combatwombat.org
in 1985. Australia's (And right up there with best in the world) foremost proponent of the art of scratching
and 13 year veteran producer. At just 18, Wasabi set up his own label, Fortknight Productions, under which he has produced five albums. Wasabi first played with Combat Wombat when they were doing a free party in Newcastle, New South Wales
in 2000, but didn't officially join the group until 2002. In 2004 he was invited to remix "Waltzing Matilda" for comic outfit Scared Weird Little Guys
and subsequently performed with the trio at the Melbourne Comedy Festival National Telethon. DJ Wasabi was an ARIA award winner
in 2004 for his turntable work on the Scared Weird Little Guys' album, Bits and Pieces. He currently performs with and writes music for several bands including Bad Boys Batucada, and Fortknight. He also performs in numerous other groups around Melbourne including Phat Logic. He is also resident DJ at Big Mouth in St Kilda
on Saturday Nights
In Sept, 2009 Wasabi opened up Tetris Studios with his then girlfriend, now Fiancée Tanya El-Gamal (aka Jamima Jonez) - whether the fact they both share a surname be irony or fate is not undisputed - A studio warehouse in Brunswick, Melbourne that offers recording, with Wasabi as the in house sound engineer, rehearsal space for bands and artists, lighting and sound equipment hire and other services.
Fresh off the plane from a recent trip to China as part of a cultural exchange program, Wasabi is currently working on his new album, a full instrumental album, due for release early 2011.
DJ Wasabi enjoys; eating lollies, lighting and all things to do with lights, lasers etc, scratching, making beats, programming, and is nicknamed "smoke dog" a name he earned for his reputation of making turntables smoke with his hyper-charged scratching.
and emigrated to Australia in 1991. Porter was one of the founding members of early underground Australian hip-hop collective Metabass'n'Breath
. He is also an ‘offshore’ member of San Francisco group Heavyweight Dub Champion. In addition to the above duties, he’s also shared the stage with the likes of Allen Ginsberg
, Jurassic 5
and Grand Wizard Theodore
, whilst also playing a crucial role in the development of Melbourne-based acts such as True Live
and Red Eyes.
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
group from Melbourne. The group comprises Monkey Marc, DJ Wasabi, Elf Tranzporter and MC Izzy.
Biography
The band's name came about because they used to drive around in a camouflage painted van that looked like a giant wombat.Monkey Marc met Izzy in Darwin in 1998 where they started up a solar powered party political sound system. Elf joined the band in 2000 after they all met whilst living together in a squat in the heart of Sydney. DJ Wasabi joined the band in 2002. Their first real performance as Combat Wombat was on a Channel Seven
Seven Network
The Seven Network is an Australian television network owned by Seven West Media Limited. It dates back to 4 November 1956, when the first stations on the VHF7 frequency were established in Melbourne and Sydney.It is currently the second largest network in the country in terms of population reach...
music program This led to the release of the band's debut album, Labrats Solar Powered Sound System, and their subsequent signing to Elefant Traks
Elefant Traks
Elefant Traks is an Australian hip hop record label based in Sydney, Australia. Elefant Traks are distributed nationally through Inertia Distribution.-History:...
.
The band released its second album, Unsound $ystem, in March, 2005. Within a week of its release, Unsound $ystem was receiving airplay on Triple J
Triple J
triple j is a nationally networked Australian radio station intended to appeal to listeners between the ages of 18 and 30. The government-funded station is a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation...
, with the single, "Qwest" reaching #2 on the Net 50. Unsound $ystem features a number of guests artists such as The Herd's Ozi Batla and TZU
TZU
For the ancient chinese military strategist and author, see Sun Tzu.TZU are an Australian hip hop group, originating from Melbourne, Victoria. They are known for live shows with significant crowd involvement, at festivals such as Big Day Out, Falls Festival, MS Fest and the Meredith Music Festival,...
's Seed MC, but the most confronting cameos are from MCG and SMS: two Afghan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
refugees who had escaped from Woomera
Woomera, South Australia
The town, or village, of Woomera is located in the south east corner of the Woomera Prohibited Area ; colloquially known as the Woomera Rocket Range...
detention centre.
Monkey Marc
Marc Peckham (aka Monkey Marc) was born in Cardiff, Wales in 1972 and moved to Australia in 1986. Peckham has been writing music he was 11 and has been making electronic music with real gear since 1996. Bands included are BoySkool (at 11 years old), Blurred Vision (at 16 years old) and The Family Dog (18 years old), and his first solo album of 52 songs that was lost in a house fire in 1994. He wrote and produced Combat Wombats two albums and has been involved in numerous other projects. He has recently built a solar and wind powered recording studio in Melbourne at Abbotsford Convent. He spends six months of the year working on Aboriginal communities producing indigenous music.MC Izzy
Izzy Brown (aka MC Izzy) grew up with one parent working for ASIOAustralian Security Intelligence Organisation
The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation is Australia's national security service, which is responsible for the protection of the country and its citizens from espionage, sabotage, acts of foreign interference, politically-motivated violence, attacks on the Australian defence system, and...
and subsequently the family moved home consistently, running away from home at age 16.
Izzy Brown is a Hip hop artist and film maker from Melbourne Australia. Izzy has toured extensively in Australia, Europe Palestine and Africa for over a decade driven by a passion for music and cultural exchange.
Izzy is the founder of United Struggle Project, recording music and making film clips with artists in refugee camps, slums and prisons across the world.
Izzy has been involved in the Sonic Boom collective of artists as a Youth Workshop facilitator working on remote Aboriginal communities in the central and western desert in Australia and Palm Island since 2000 Workshops conducted included music, hip hop lyric writing, theatre, circus and film production working with 'youth at risk' and disadvantaged youth. Izzy has used hip hop as a medium to create a space for people to tell their stories.
Izzy has created 3 feature length documentaries 'GhettoMoto', 'Voices from the Ghetto' 'Too Deadly' and as well as numerous other short films and music videos.
Izzy was co founder of Labrats solar powered sound system and wind powered cinema that toured Australia in a vegetable oil powered van from 1997 to 2003 and is a member of Combat Wombat, a political hip hop group that has been performing for over a decade.
www.unitedstruggleproject
www.combatwombat.org
DJ Wasabi
DJ Wasabi (aka Tom Jones) was born in Matong, New South WalesMatong, New South Wales
Matong is a town in the central east part of the Riverina region of New South Wales, Australia. The town is east from Narrandera and west from Coolamon. At the 2006 census, Matong had a population of 194 people.-Notes and references:...
in 1985. Australia's (And right up there with best in the world) foremost proponent of the art of scratching
Scratching
Scratching is a DJ or turntablist technique used to produce distinctive sounds by moving a vinyl record back and forth on a turntable while optionally manipulating the crossfader on a DJ mixer. While scratching is most commonly associated with hip hop music, since the late 1980s, it has been used...
and 13 year veteran producer. At just 18, Wasabi set up his own label, Fortknight Productions, under which he has produced five albums. Wasabi first played with Combat Wombat when they were doing a free party in Newcastle, New South Wales
Newcastle, New South Wales
The Newcastle metropolitan area is the second most populated area in the Australian state of New South Wales and includes most of the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie Local Government Areas...
in 2000, but didn't officially join the group until 2002. In 2004 he was invited to remix "Waltzing Matilda" for comic outfit Scared Weird Little Guys
Scared Weird Little Guys
Scared Weird Little Guys were an Australian comedy music duo formed in July 1990, comprising John Chaplin-Fleming and Rusty Berther...
and subsequently performed with the trio at the Melbourne Comedy Festival National Telethon. DJ Wasabi was an ARIA award winner
ARIA Music Awards of 2004
The 18th Annual Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards were held on 17 October 2004 at the Sydney Superdome within the Sydney Olympic Complex...
in 2004 for his turntable work on the Scared Weird Little Guys' album, Bits and Pieces. He currently performs with and writes music for several bands including Bad Boys Batucada, and Fortknight. He also performs in numerous other groups around Melbourne including Phat Logic. He is also resident DJ at Big Mouth in St Kilda
St Kilda, Victoria
St Kilda is an inner city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 6 km south from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Port Phillip...
on Saturday Nights
In Sept, 2009 Wasabi opened up Tetris Studios with his then girlfriend, now Fiancée Tanya El-Gamal (aka Jamima Jonez) - whether the fact they both share a surname be irony or fate is not undisputed - A studio warehouse in Brunswick, Melbourne that offers recording, with Wasabi as the in house sound engineer, rehearsal space for bands and artists, lighting and sound equipment hire and other services.
Fresh off the plane from a recent trip to China as part of a cultural exchange program, Wasabi is currently working on his new album, a full instrumental album, due for release early 2011.
DJ Wasabi enjoys; eating lollies, lighting and all things to do with lights, lasers etc, scratching, making beats, programming, and is nicknamed "smoke dog" a name he earned for his reputation of making turntables smoke with his hyper-charged scratching.
Elf Tranzporter
Marlon Porter (aka Elf Transporter) was born in Los AngelesLos Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and emigrated to Australia in 1991. Porter was one of the founding members of early underground Australian hip-hop collective Metabass'n'Breath
Metabass'n'Breath
Metabass'n'Breath are a hip hop band from Sydney. The group was formed by Elf Tranzporter, Morganics and Baba Israel after they met while busking. They recorded two albums and toured America twice....
. He is also an ‘offshore’ member of San Francisco group Heavyweight Dub Champion. In addition to the above duties, he’s also shared the stage with the likes of Allen Ginsberg
Allen Ginsberg
Irwin Allen Ginsberg was an American poet and one of the leading figures of the Beat Generation in the 1950s. He vigorously opposed militarism, materialism and sexual repression...
, Jurassic 5
Jurassic 5
Jurassic 5 was an American alternative hip hop group formed in 1993 from members of two previous groups, Rebels of Rhythm and Unity Committee by rappers Charles Stewart , Dante Givens , Courtenay Henderson , Marc Stuart , and disc jockeys Mark Potsic and Lucas Macfadden...
and Grand Wizard Theodore
Grand Wizard Theodore
Grand Wizzard Theodore , is an American hip hop DJ. He is widely credited as the inventor of scratching.Born Theodore Livingston in Bronx, New York, his brother, Mean Gene, was Theodore's mentor, and began teaching him DJing before Theodore was even a teen...
, whilst also playing a crucial role in the development of Melbourne-based acts such as True Live
True Live
True Live is an Australian jazz rap band formed in Melbourne, Australia. They had chart success with "TV" reaching #76 on the ARIA Single Chart and The Shape Of It reaching #85 on the ARIA Albums Chart...
and Red Eyes.
Albums
- Labrats Solar Powered Sound System - Independent (2000)
- Unsound $ystem - Elefant TraksElefant TraksElefant Traks is an Australian hip hop record label based in Sydney, Australia. Elefant Traks are distributed nationally through Inertia Distribution.-History:...
/Inertia Records (14 March 2005)
Singles
- "Miraculous Activist" (2001) (12")
- "Qwest" (2005) (featuring Seed MCTZUFor the ancient chinese military strategist and author, see Sun Tzu.TZU are an Australian hip hop group, originating from Melbourne, Victoria. They are known for live shows with significant crowd involvement, at festivals such as Big Day Out, Falls Festival, MS Fest and the Meredith Music Festival,...
) - "Police Brutality" (2006)
Monkey Marc
- Western Desert Mob - Independent
- "Apocalypta" (Monkey Marc remix) on the The Herd's Trampled Remix AlbumTrampled - The Elefant Traks Remix AlbumTrampled - The Elefant Traks Remix Album is the first compilation remix album by Australian hip hop label, Elefant Traks and was released in August 2006....
- Elefant Traks (2006) - "Seven Guns and Seven Holes" (DJ $olal remix) - Ya Basta Records (2008)
- "Istanbul Engloutie " (Rafiralfiro remix) - Fresh Poulp Records (2009)
- "As The Market Crashed" - Omelette Records (1 December 2009)