Wicked Beat Sound System
Encyclopedia
Wicked Beat Sound System is a Sydney based group whose sound is best described as a mixture of electronica
, dub
and soul
. The group formed in 1992, following a series of live "jams" instigated by DJ Dave Carnovale (Crucial D) in collaboration with Damian Robinson and other DJ's Scott Pullen and Mark Walton which took place at the Bentley Bar circa 1991 in Sydney's Darlinghurst area. They have released five albums to date.
Originally featuring reggae
and hip hop
, the group expanded their sound to incorporate elements of soul
, jazz
, latin, funk
and breaks
. They have been nominated for three ARIA Music Awards
and an Australian Dance Music Award as well as creating dozens of remixes for others.
The lineup of the group was originally Linda Janssen and MC KYE on vocals, alongside producers Damian Robinson and DJ Dave Carnovale. Over the years many other artists have been included in the lineup of the 'Live' band including Marko Simec (Waiting For Guinness), the late Bruce (Babs) Clarke, well known breaks producer Andy Page, Dave Norris (Nubreed) as well as current performers Gerard Masters, Ian Mussington and Cameron Undy. Dave Carnovale departed the band in 2003 to concentrate on his 'Dubnosis' project and MC Kye departed the band shortly after the release of their fourth album 4ormation in 2005 to work on his Budspells Album. They have headlined their own tours and have supported Ben Harper
and The Fugees
, was frequently played by the DJ by Andy Glitre on Triple J
and was followed up by single "Local MP" also achieved high rotation . These tracks were featured on the soundtrack to the French film Clubbed to Death (Lola). They collaborated with other local artists such as Yothu Yindi
, Directions in Groove
, Deborah Conway
, Iva Davies
, Christine Anu
and Renee Geyer
.
The second album, Inna Styles was released through Mushroom in 2000, followed by an extensive touring schedule. Three singles from the album "I Don’t Wanna know", "Church of Al Green", and "Stay With Me Til Dawn" were again featured on Triple J. The album also featured dancefloor tracks "Cookin’ with Kazz" and "Genie of the Lab". In 2000 Wicked Beat Sound System received an ARIA
nomination for Inna Styles and a Dance Music Award nomination (DMA) for Best Band. They also played festivals across Australia including the Perth International Arts Festival
, Vibes On A Summer's Day and the closing of Sydneys Paralympics.
In 2002 the third album, New Soul Breaks was released and featured vocal tracks by Janssen including "I Want To" and "Brand New Day", as well as instrumental tracks "Do The Tings" and "Ounce Of Swing". In the same year they received another ARIA nomination for "Best Dance Release". In 2005 Wicked Beat Sound System released 4ormation featuring the track "Nightmare". Shortly after the release of 4ormation MC Kye departed the group to concentrate on his solo project and the group ceased touring for a period of time. In 2006, Wicked Beat Sound System, now largely Robinson and Janssen, recorded Hydromajestik
which was released on 24 March 2007. More in the vein of their previous Inna Styles album this album featured vocal tracks in addition to dub
-influenced instrumentals, the first single was "Won’t Let Go".
Electronica
Electronica includes a wide range of contemporary electronic music designed for a wide range of uses, including foreground listening, some forms of dancing, and background music for other activities; however, unlike electronic dance music, it is not specifically made for dancing...
, dub
Dub music
Dub is a genre of music which grew out of reggae music in the 1960s, and is commonly considered a subgenre, though it has developed to extend beyond the scope of reggae...
and soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
. The group formed in 1992, following a series of live "jams" instigated by DJ Dave Carnovale (Crucial D) in collaboration with Damian Robinson and other DJ's Scott Pullen and Mark Walton which took place at the Bentley Bar circa 1991 in Sydney's Darlinghurst area. They have released five albums to date.
Originally featuring reggae
Reggae
Reggae is a music genre first developed in Jamaica in the late 1960s. While sometimes used in a broader sense to refer to most types of Jamaican music, the term reggae more properly denotes a particular music style that originated following on the development of ska and rocksteady.Reggae is based...
and hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
, the group expanded their sound to incorporate elements of soul
Soul music
Soul music is a music genre originating in the United States combining elements of gospel music and rhythm and blues. According to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, soul is "music that arose out of the black experience in America through the transmutation of gospel and rhythm & blues into a form of...
, jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
, latin, funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
and breaks
Breakbeat
In 1992, a new style called "jungalistic hardcore" emerged, and for many ravers it was too funky to dance to. Josh Lawford of Ravescene prophesied that the breakbeat was "the death-knell of rave" because the ever changing drumbeat patterns of breakbeat music didn't allow for the same zoned out,...
. They have been nominated for three ARIA Music Awards
ARIA Music Awards
The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Australian Recording Industry Association...
and an Australian Dance Music Award as well as creating dozens of remixes for others.
The lineup of the group was originally Linda Janssen and MC KYE on vocals, alongside producers Damian Robinson and DJ Dave Carnovale. Over the years many other artists have been included in the lineup of the 'Live' band including Marko Simec (Waiting For Guinness), the late Bruce (Babs) Clarke, well known breaks producer Andy Page, Dave Norris (Nubreed) as well as current performers Gerard Masters, Ian Mussington and Cameron Undy. Dave Carnovale departed the band in 2003 to concentrate on his 'Dubnosis' project and MC Kye departed the band shortly after the release of their fourth album 4ormation in 2005 to work on his Budspells Album. They have headlined their own tours and have supported Ben Harper
Ben Harper
Benjamin Chase "Ben" Harper is an American singer-songwriter and musician. Harper plays an eclectic mix of blues, folk, soul, reggae and rock music and is known for his guitar-playing skills, vocals, live performances and activism. Harper's fan base spans several continents...
and The Fugees
The Fugees
Fugees were a Haitian American hip hop group who rose to fame in the mid-1990s. Their repertoire included elements of Hip hop, soul and Caribbean music, particularly reggae. The members of the group were rapper/singer/producer Wyclef Jean, rapper/singer/producer Lauryn Hill, and rapper Pras Michel...
Releases
The first album release, Music From The Core was originally released on Matt Hayward's independent label One Movement in 1996 and the first single release, "Summer Sun" produced by John PriorJohn Prior (musician)
John David Prior is an Australian drummer, composer and producer recognized for his work with Matt Finish, Adrian Belew , Mick Taylor , Roy Buchanan, Champion Jack Dupree, New Theatre, Coca-Cola, The Great Outdoors, iOTA, Wicked Beat Sound System, Kevin Borich and Dale Barlow.Sydney Morning Herald...
, was frequently played by the DJ by Andy Glitre 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...
and was followed up by single "Local MP" also achieved high rotation . These tracks were featured on the soundtrack to the French film Clubbed to Death (Lola). They collaborated with other local artists such as Yothu Yindi
Yothu Yindi
Yothu Yindi are an Australian band with Aboriginal and balanda members formed in 1986. Aboriginal members come from Yolngu homelands near Yirrkala on the Gove Peninsula in Northern Territory's Arnhem Land...
, Directions in Groove
Directions In Groove
Directions In Groove were a popular Australian acid jazz band originally from the suburb of Redfern in Sydney, who produced several distinctive acid-jazz / groove / funk albums in the 1990s....
, Deborah Conway
Deborah Conway
Deborah Ann Conway, is an Australian rock singer-songwriter and guitarist, and had a career as a model and actor. She was a founding member of the 1980s rock band Do-Ré-Mi with their surprise top 5 hit "Man Overboard"....
, Iva Davies
Iva Davies
Iva Davies , is the frontman for Australian electro/new wave/rock band Icehouse.-Biography:...
, Christine Anu
Christine Anu
-Early life:Anu was born in Cairns, Queensland to a Torres Strait Islander mother from Saibai and Mabuiag Islands.-Career:Anu began performing as a dancer and later went on to sing back-up vocals for The Rainmakers, which included Neil Murray of the Warumpi Band. Her first recording was in 1993...
and Renee Geyer
Renée Geyer
Renée Rebecca Geyer is an Australian singer who has long been regarded as one of the finest exponents of jazz, soul and R&B idioms. She had commercial success as a solo artist in Australia, with "It's a Man's Man's World", "Heading in the Right Direction" and "Stares and Whispers" in the 1970s and...
.
The second album, Inna Styles was released through Mushroom in 2000, followed by an extensive touring schedule. Three singles from the album "I Don’t Wanna know", "Church of Al Green", and "Stay With Me Til Dawn" were again featured on Triple J. The album also featured dancefloor tracks "Cookin’ with Kazz" and "Genie of the Lab". In 2000 Wicked Beat Sound System received an ARIA
ARIA Music Awards
The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Australian Recording Industry Association...
nomination for Inna Styles and a Dance Music Award nomination (DMA) for Best Band. They also played festivals across Australia including the Perth International Arts Festival
Perth International Arts Festival
The Perth International Arts Festival is Australia's longest running cultural festival, held annually in Western Australia between February-March. The program features contemporary and classical music, dance, theatre, opera, visual arts, large-scale public works, Lotterywest Festival Films and the...
, Vibes On A Summer's Day and the closing of Sydneys Paralympics.
In 2002 the third album, New Soul Breaks was released and featured vocal tracks by Janssen including "I Want To" and "Brand New Day", as well as instrumental tracks "Do The Tings" and "Ounce Of Swing". In the same year they received another ARIA nomination for "Best Dance Release". In 2005 Wicked Beat Sound System released 4ormation featuring the track "Nightmare". Shortly after the release of 4ormation MC Kye departed the group to concentrate on his solo project and the group ceased touring for a period of time. In 2006, Wicked Beat Sound System, now largely Robinson and Janssen, recorded Hydromajestik
Hydromajestik
Hydromajestik is the fourth album by Sydney electronic band Wicked Beat Sound System. It was recorded and produced on a farm in the southern tablelands of Australia during the drought of 2005-2006, and released in March 2007....
which was released on 24 March 2007. More in the vein of their previous Inna Styles album this album featured vocal tracks in addition to dub
Dub music
Dub is a genre of music which grew out of reggae music in the 1960s, and is commonly considered a subgenre, though it has developed to extend beyond the scope of reggae...
-influenced instrumentals, the first single was "Won’t Let Go".
Albums
- Music From The Core (19961996 in musicThis is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 1996.-January:* January – At the trial of two American teenagers, Nicholaus McDonald and Brian Bassett, for the murder of Bassett's parents and young brother, defense lawyers attempt to lay the blame for the murders on the fact...
, Mushroom RecordsMushroom RecordsMushroom Records is an Australian recoJrd company formed by Michael Gudinski and Ray Evans in Melbourne in 1972. After its sale in 1998, it merged into Festival Mushroom Records. From 2005 to 2009, it is one of the record labels operated by Warner Bros...
) - Inna Styles (20002000 in musicSee also:* 2000 in music Record labels established in 2000-Events:*January – Gary Glitter is released from jail, two months before his sentence for sexual offences ends.*January 1**John Tavener is knighted in the New Year's Honours List....
, Mushroom RecordsMushroom RecordsMushroom Records is an Australian recoJrd company formed by Michael Gudinski and Ray Evans in Melbourne in 1972. After its sale in 1998, it merged into Festival Mushroom Records. From 2005 to 2009, it is one of the record labels operated by Warner Bros...
) - New Soul Breaks (20022002 in musicThis is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2002.-Events:*February 3 – U2 perform during the halftime show for Super Bowl XXXVI...
, Wicked Beat Records through Sony) - 4ormation (20052005 in music-Events:*During the year 2005, 12 rock music albums scored number 1 in the USA. This was the first time even ten albums have scored number 1 since 1996.-January:...
, Wicked Beat Records through Inertia DistributionInertia DistributionInertia is an independent record company based in Sydney, Australia. It was established in March 2000 by Ashley Sellers. Inertia releases exclusively the music from many of the world’s most prominent independent labels...
) - HydromajestikHydromajestikHydromajestik is the fourth album by Sydney electronic band Wicked Beat Sound System. It was recorded and produced on a farm in the southern tablelands of Australia during the drought of 2005-2006, and released in March 2007....
(20072007 in musicThis is a list of notable events in music that took place in the year 2007.-January:*January 1 - George Shearing is knighted for services to music in the Queen's New Year Honours List. Evelyn Glennie becomes a Dame...
, Wicked Beat Records through Inertia DistributionInertia DistributionInertia is an independent record company based in Sydney, Australia. It was established in March 2000 by Ashley Sellers. Inertia releases exclusively the music from many of the world’s most prominent independent labels...
)