TELL Are Writing Music For The Apocalypse In A Time Where Trump Reigns

Hip hop as a musical genre has a way of challenging your comfort zone. Just as you think you relate to a song or you understand its ‘formula' or you can rap every word of Kung Fu Kenny's Swimming Pools (Drank), it veers off in a completely different direction you thought wasn't verbally possible. Artists confidently address taboos; they experiment with cross genres, exploit singing hooks and create completely new sounds (and at times movements) that become the current sound of hip hop as we know it.

This week I interrupted MCs Mantra and Grey Ghost, who have been moulding this constant experiment for years, from their "tasty cocktails". How have two of Australia’s most complex lyricists found time to start new outfit TELL in between their "sophisticated whisky highball (single malt), earl grey and tea turned up with ginger ale"?

"Addressing racially motivated hate speech is not controversial in 2017, it’s just necessary…"

"Well, many moons ago, probably about 10 years ago, we were in separate bands and basically we started to hang out writing raps," Ghost answers. "We’d hang out at Mantra's place and all we did was write… It didn’t really serve a purpose at the time which made it fun because we were just crafting and developing our styles. There was a lot of dreaming going on back then, we talked about writing a record together but we got busy and remained busy for the next 10 years…" he laughs.

Mantra cuts in: "Nah, nah, we did talk about doing a record together… We were open to the prospect and while we didn’t get the time we knew it was something we wanted to do. We’ve actually tried to get this project over the line several times over the years. We sat with producers, we wrote tracks and it just never came to fruition. So we got heaps of cool stuff, but never did anything with it."

It’s funny how the two energetically bounce off each other, even in conversation, let alone musically. Ghost continues, "TELL is simply the telling of us. It’s story-telling; whether we’re telling truths, or telling people about the world around us… we’re telling our insight and it just made sense as lyricists to call it TELL."

If you haven’t yet clicked on the clip for first single Life (Is A Mother Fucker), TELL transmit dirty, dark, slap-the-taste-out-of-your-mouth beats, and the way the two joke together over their single malt suggests the sound we’re hearing might be a darker side of the creative duo.

"The sound has changed a bit over time but it was always dark. I think what’s changed the most is now it’s more heavy-hitting," Ghost says. "I think a big part of what shaped the first two singles was working with Damn Moroda," Mantra continues. "It was different to our solo stuff but was also a meeting of our two styles." 

Ghost agrees. "Yeah the conversation we had was how to combine and meld the two styles together into the beat. Mantra has often had a boom-bap hard-hitting hip hop influence, while I have a tendency towards future sounds and synthy vibes. Damn Moroda had the swing of the drums and the hard-hitting beats but they also fucked with synths and somehow it got heavier and darker from there..." 

My colleague here at The Music tells me TELL's single Life is his Monday morning song. A pump-up if you will, for what the week is about to throw in your face after the weekend's bad choices... But the music isn’t just stereotypical punchlines, there’s intricate and thought-provoking lyricism in there too, I say to the duo.

"Ghost and I just shared a look of contentment there," Mantra responds to my statement. "That was kind of the brief for the project... As we started to write stuff we realised we wanted to make music for the apocalypse, something to address the darker issues of the world, or the world as we see it. But we didn’t want it to be just doom and gloom, we wanted it to have energy and hope so when someone says, 'It makes me think of the end of the world and dance at the same time', that’s our ideal reaction. But also when we started the project and looked at the dark and ominous overtones we were seeing in media and world politics, we didn’t realise that it would become therapeutic to us. It’s a way for us to reconcile in a way, with the fucked up shit that happens in the world."

After chatting with the two previously, they’ve told me this is a soundtrack to the end of the world. I know the MCs to be excitable, upbeat and generally fun-loving blokes so the concept seemed unusual to me they would take such a dark path. What specific fucked up shit in the world asks you to lend your voice?

“I wish there was just one thing," Mantra responds. "American politics sort of shapes world politics as we know it (and are affected by it) and watching US foreign policy fills me with despair. Seeing a possibility where the climax of your political decision is a horrible war-mongering, deceitful, sinister person like Hillary or Trump; that’s terrifying. The horrible things it brought out of people; there’s a huge sense of futility, despair and hopelessness... While closer to home there’s Pauline Hanson, the fact we’re still having conversation about her or Trump... that shit shouldn’t be able to happen! It’s a hard pill to swallow but one to swallow nonetheless. We’re torturing refugees off-shore and have been for many years with no signs of changing… The list goes on man!”

I can see that this is a political stand point for the two. It’s an audible middle finger and "fuck you" to political agendas not aligned to the duo’s viewpoint, which is I know is mutually for positive change.

"When you look at someone’s Instagram account for example," Ghost explains, "I tend to see it as everybody giving you the ‘best of’ their life… we’re kind of giving you the worst," the two laugh. "What I’m saying is this is a creative address. I think it’s a really dangerous thing when we hide from the darkness in the world. Let’s not pretend it doesn’t hurt… let’s make the beat hurt!"

I never thought I’d be discussing politics with two of Australia’s great MCs… In previous years it could be controversial or damaging to an artist’s reputation, yet these two aren’t hiding. They’re happy to address the warts and all face our country identifies by. Do you ever feel reluctance or hesitation in addressing controversial issues knowing that there are still a vast number of people supporting such horrible things?

“I can’t help but feel that sometimes in this game we’re preaching to the converted… We know who our audience are," says Ghost. "But if a single Pauline Hanson supporter listened to our tracks I would be pumped! They wouldn’t like it…" he chuckles. "But if you put either of us in a room with her followers we would have a conversation, we wouldn’t hide from it." Mantra adds, "Addressing racially motivated hate speech is not controversial in 2017, it’s just necessary… and that’s a shame cos we shouldn’t have to have this conversation."

TELL have proudly been announced by Thundamentals as supports for their show in Melbourne with Dialectrix. If you know hip hop like I do, you’ll recognise that is a dope line-up! I asked how TELL found themselves to be a part of the Everyone We Know tour.

"Thundas are fucking good at this shit man. Their clips, their releases… they always have interesting pursuits and endeavours so when we heard they were going on tour and taking along ‘everyone we know…’ we had to get on it," says Mantra.

"We’ve known the boys for a long time now," Ghost continues. "We would go there (Sydney) and have crew and vice versa. I’m really close with the dudes from Suburban Dark who do a lot of shit with Jeswon so we got to know each other that way... and Tuka was one of those cats that was always an artistic appreciator, so I felt like I had synergy there. We fuckin’ love those dudes and we love their music, we’re pumped to be able to kick it with them."

Let me ask you this then fellas: if the world is going to end, how’s it going to happen?

They both laugh. "Who cares bro?" says Mantra. "Just play the fucking record!" adds Ghost.

An apt attitude to the beautiful dark twisted reality we now live in. If you’re going to see TELL at their upcoming support show for Thundamentals buy yourself a drink so you can throw it around and lose your shit on the D-Floor… There ain’t no one doing it like Mantra and Grey Ghost and if you believe there to be, pray, do TELL.

Head to theGuide for details on TELL's upcoming shows.