Why Spit Syndicate Are Keeping It In-house

There’s a group I’ve been listening to for some years now that seem to fade in and out of my life. Hailing from Sydney, the duo is completely unique in their sound and they’re one of those artists where, to me, some of their ‘unheard’ (or underappreciated) tracks are some of their greatest. This week I got to chat to Nick Lupi of Spit Syndicate about their upcoming album, Orbit, the industry and its immeasurable pressures, and what life is like on the road.

“The desire to make the album the way we did came from feeling like the ‘immediacy’ was kind of missing from how we made music and how we released it,” Lupi said. “By the time we released our last album [One Good Shirt Had Us All Fly], some of the tracks were already years old. So where we were at in our lives, wasn’t really represented in some of those songs by the time it came out, while we were obviously super proud of the album!.

“In 2018, people want music now, how society listens to and consumes music is fast and easily accessible so this time we wanted to take the frustration, impatience and disappointments you can experience making music and turn it into something positive, you know? We kind of went back to almost like a mixtape way of recording. We’re both (Lupi and Jimmy Nice) real ‘word nerds’ and Orbit is just one of those words we loved. Not from a fuckin’ Neil Armstrong NASA perspective but from the way different forces push and pull against each other to create this ongoing repeating pattern.”

I was interested in the “mixtape way of recording”. Mixtapes originally boasted value because they were exclusive, difficult to replicate in mass numbers and they were prestigious to their locale. Now we don’t necessarily see it that way as those things aren’t as apparent (unless you’re someone like Chance The Rapper – biggups Chance, care to do pRhymetime?) so why the change in recording style?

“Oh, we just didn’t want to overthink it. Is this going to be a single? Maybe we need a different feature? How are we going to release this? We didn’t want to fall into those traps because in music, like in life, there are things that don’t go your way or you feel out of control. So when we asked ourselves what we could control, that was the music that we make, the people we surround ourselves with and our creative minds and vision – that’s where this album came from.”

Upon thinking about it, one of the things that I feel Spit Syndicate do really well is keeping relevant even when they’re not releasing music. I can think of a vast number of singles over their 10-year career that I believe was taste making and evocative in a competitive genre.

The standard ‘release three tracks then drop the album’ may now be an avenue obsolete with the development in music release (as opposed to the product itself). I’ve spoken to so many rappers now that sometimes I wonder if it’s something apparent to hip hop as opposed to music in general. I think it’s really admirable when artists can actually paint a real picture of how hard it can be out there.

“Ah, man, it’s not all doom and gloom,” Lupi continues. “I’m just saying we do everything ourselves, from meeting with Apple Music to promoting our shows… Like, there’s no marketing team behind us. We do everything off our own backs so of course we want music to travel as far as possible. So when you put in that love, that time and that energy…” he trails off. I feel as though I can really hear how thoughtful and genuine he is.
“We’re doing this for us. We’re doing this for the people that support us and enjoy our music, not the people that make arbitrary decisions on what music goes up and what music goes down.”

I ask Lupi about the concept behind Orbit. After the release of singles Contraband And Conversation, Fuck It and Errands, I feel there’s a real theme behind this carefree attitude of how they live life.

“I think the bravado-esque concept is something that’s always been present in our music. Now that’s sort of subconscious to us, but it’s certainly not an overarching concept for the album, or even for the songs! Sometimes over thinking that shit stifles and suffocates a track like I was saying before, so this time it’s just us doing us.

“There’s a very robust exchange of ideas that takes place between Jimmy and I...  Everything from art design, to song concepts to what we’re going to order for lunch! Our working relationship is strong enough to not agree on everything you know? We are both strong minded people and while sometimes we might clash, we do it with the utmost respect and love for each other. The unwavering confidence in one another is what brings us both up you know? Shit can be hard! But for every frustration there are far more smiles and laughs.”

Looking at their upcoming 20-show tour, I wanted to ask Lupi about life on the road. There are very real mental health issues in our current world (I say ‘current’ not because they’re new, but because we’re finally fucking able to talk about them!) and I can’t imagine it’s a stress free environment touring the continent.

“Well we’re a bit older now. We’re smarter and more experienced and that’s not to say we know everything, but when you’re younger shows can just be the thing you need to get out of the way so you can get back to the real focus - partying and having a good time. It’s not like that anymore, there’s always an excuse to party but we’re grateful for the opportunity to go on tour in the first place so giving the audience a memorable experience is our main priority.

“Touring can be a really tumultuous environment when you think about how often you’re surrounded by alcohol or drugs… Can you imagine that in any other job!? It’s the perfect recipe for dependence and mental health issues. We have a million examples of people experiencing the adverse effect you know? We’re lucky we have a strong team, we’re family and we know what we’re here for.”

I’m not sure if you’ve been privileged enough to hit up Oneday Sunday’s party, but the shit is lit! Imagine a Dave Chappelle style block party in your own back yard. Dope beats, packed venue, cocktails flowing and best of all its super affordable.

“With Oneday Sundays and the block party events we’re doing, it’s less about particular artists and more about a community. The sense of vibe you know? I don’t feel like we can take much credit for Oneday Sundays, the formula is actually really straight forward – it’s hip hop in the day in a fun, safe and inclusive environment. When it goes well it’s not because of me or us, it’s because of the local community embracing unity through music. Different people, backgrounds and walks of life.
“In a time when it feels like there are so many forces in this world pulling us apart and creating division, it’s nice to be reminded how music can be that unifying force. In one hour, you can hear Travis Scott to J Cole, Sampa the Great to Horrorshow, and Remi back to Lauryn Hill because there is no division in American and Australian hip hop. We’re really proud to break down those barriers.”

I can personally tell you the features on Orbit are pretty damn exciting too. The likes of Turquoise Prince, Imbi The Girl, Kai, Tuka, and Sarah Corry lend their expertise to really round out the album.

“Well some of the features are just a no brainer. When we hear a beat, when we start working on a verse or when we hear other music for example… We heard Imbi The Girl’s track and I hit her up on Instagram saying ‘we want to do a song with you!’ Within a week of hitting her up we had the track, and now she’s one of our friends!

“Or another example, is that Jiimmie and Jono (a producer working with Onedayers) live together and one night Tuka came round. He wrote his verse there on the spot! It’s as simple and authentic as us making music because it fucking feels good. None of this is label shit, this is us organically celebrating one another’s creativity and art.

“I’m extremely proud of the songs, these are some of the strongest we’ve ever made. But more than that I’m so proud of the fact that we did all of this ourselves, the way we want. Regardless of outcome there are so many people involved in this project, not just me and Jimmy, that can look at this body of work with their heads held high – we’re doin’ it ourselves ‘cause we don’t fuck with labels. We’ve made some great decisions and we’ve made our own mistakes, it’s all led to this part of the journey. This is all ours, and I’m so proud of that.”

Spit Syndicate are about to head out for the Orbit tour; check out theGuide for all the details.