Artists to Watch in 2018: 30/70
The creative hub and charismatic energy of Melbourne's 30/70 have us strapped in and ready for a wild and successful ride come 2018.
It's so bloody cliché, but when a piece of music as a chamber of rhythms, melodies, beats and vocals independently realised and weaved so articulately together hits you in such an emotive, unexplainably impactful way, you wonder how on earth these strangers -or masterminds- behind the instruments managed to simultaneously fill your heart whilst punching your gut to the point of deep resonance, pain, romance and utter awe.
This of course doesn't apply to each and every musician and their song, but that just makes those hosting such special moments all the more empowering. When you cannot comprehend the magic that commits to spell out in words, but rather feel the energy on a higher plain whilst in your most vulnerable state of raw expression; a connection genuinely felt when experiencing the music of 30/70.
A self-proclaimed hip hop family, the collective are so much more than that. Their rough textures dabble within the four walls of jazz, soul, funk and R'n'B; each a separate room joined to the next with an open-door approach. Birthed in Melbourne in 2013, the 30/70 entity has grown from its three original members to a core five, and frequently sees its live show double in size.
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A group of creatives who have so wonderfully found each other, they not only create together, but live in the same residential hub, too. A vision of community with a warm emphasis on boosting each other up to dig deep within themselves as a means to awaken their creative potential, the cohesion of 30/70 is meditatively realised through the harmony of their music.
From self-releasing their debut LP Cold Radish Coma in 2015, 30/70 have become integral to Australia's sonic haven. Alongside members Allysha Joy and Zeke Ruckman (Ricochet) working on sister musical pursuits, 2017 alone has seen the collective take their written material and improvisation to the stages of Strawberry Fields, Queenscliff, Porchland and Bello Winter Music Festival, as well as take part in one of Cake Wines' conceptual Pies In The Sky rooftop parties; and of course, being picked up by South London's finest selector, Bradley Zero which subsequently saw the outfit release their second body of work Elevate on his label, Rhythm Section International.
Set to perform at Party In The Paddock and Freedom Time early 2018, 30/70 are hot contenders for high ladder climbers as they continue to contribute to the exciting jazz and soul resurgence we're experiencing in various pockets of the Western world.
Words by Hannah Galvin.
Photo credit: Maddie Stephenson.
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