Footscray Community Arts Centre presents
Diafrix and Friends in concert
The final FREE performance at Footscray Community Arts Centre for the year will be a high energy celebration of contemporary African music in Australia. Local outfit Diafrix takes centre stage on Sunday 3 December for an explosive afternoon of music featuring hip-hop group Nubian Life.
Combine two parts hip-hop with one part soul, add a twist of dancehall and you are well on the way to the understanding the sounds of independent five-piece hip-hop crew Diafrix.
Formed in 2002 in Footscray when aspiring MCs from mixed African backgrounds got together to make some noise, the Diafrix sound is a rare blend of Australian urban music with an African beat. Fronted by MCs Azmarino and Momo, and backed up by singer Nadee, Wax Vandal on cuts and production by Ptero_Stylus, the Diafrix crew, with its original funk, soul and reggae-infused hip-hop, has established itself over five solid years as one of Melbourne’s and Australia’s most exciting and original live acts.
“We just put together all the influences and vibes we have, to come up with our own sound. We can go from funk to dirty dancehall, to straight-up hip-hop – but it still contains my perception of soul,” explains Diafrix MC and Producer Momo, who grew up on Congolese rhythms, The Temptations, The Righteous Brothers, Chaka Demus & Pliers and the hip-hop beats and rhymes of Mos Def and Talib Kwali.
Members of the group are refugees from Africa and this experience is represented in their music and lyrics, with raps flowing from English to French to Swahili and back again. Diafrix see themselves as representing the motherland of Africa and refugees from all corners of the globe. With Triple J’s Next Crop Award and The Noise SOYA finalist behind them, as well as appearances at The Big Day Out, The Falls, St Kilda Festival, High Vibes and Earthcore, Diafrix are one mighty fresh hip-hop crew.
For this exciting concert celebrating African music, Diafrix are supported by local group Nubian Life. With a strong connection to their African roots, the Nubian Life sound consists of a balanced blend of straight up hip-hop, culture, a touch of soul and a whole lot of rhythmic flow. With this formula they tell stories of life’s diverse experiences including their own journeys from Sudan, Somalia and Ethiopia, and the stories of those who remain voiceless in their homelands in the horn of Africa.
Nubian Life came together as a group in 2006 after attending DJ Wasabi’s workshop as part of the Footscray Arts ID Check project in 2005. They have retained close ties with Footscray Community Arts Centre with two of the group’s members nominated by the Centre and awarded Western Chances Scholarships earlier in the year. Singer Kayte and DJ Metsation both took part in a Footscray Arts Workshop Intensive led by International Artist in Residence Daniel Bernard Roumain as part of the 2006 Melbourne International Arts Festival.
The Nubian Life crew features:
MC EZO
MC Ezo was born in South Sudan. In 2004 he arrived in Australia with the word ‘no’ being the extent of his English vocabulary. Since then he has taken every opportunity available to refine his natural ability to tell stories through rhymes and theatre. With his ultimate goal to be a filmmaker, Ezo’s infectious flows that weave in and out of English and Arabic dissolve language barriers through a hybrid form of communication.
MC DBUIA
MC Dbuia was born in North Sudan. He was forced to leave his homeland as a young boy who was cursed by local magic – which almost took his life – and lived in Egypt before arriving in Australia as a refugee in 2003. His love for music soon saw him cross paths with Ezo. Both MCs developed their skills together along with a determination to tell the stories of those without a voice in Sudan. Dbuia – rapper and human beat box – brings compassion through his lyrics and his influence of traditional African music shows through his percussive beat box.
METSATION
DJ/Producer Metsation left his homeland of Ethiopia and most of his family only two years ago. His journey led him to Australia and almost straight behind the one’s and two’s. Metsation’s future aspirations consist of test tubes, lab coats and possibly travel to the moon. His extraordinarily eclectic music taste, ranging from metal to house and everything in between, gives a colourful twist to the Nubian Life palate.
KAYTE
Kayte brings soul with her smooth sweet vocals, electrifying energy and skills on the turntables. The youngest of the crew, Kayte has trained with the best and is sure to shake up the hip-hop world for many years to come. Born of Australian and Somalian heritage, Kayte brings nothing but love to the stage and balance to the Nubian Life crew.
Sunday 3 December, 2pm
Front Lawn
Footscray Community Arts Centre
FREE
[Bookings] Bookings advised. Phone 03 9362 8888 or email reception@footscrayarts.com |
