The Dark Passengers

One of 2011's more unexpected musical breakthroughs came in the form of vocalist Caiti Baker and producer/instrumentalist James Mangohig, who together make up Sietta. Described by Mangohig as “future beats and soul vocals”, the duo signed to Elefant Traks and released their debut album The Seventh Passenger. With swinging hip hop beats but no rap element to speak of, they were seen as a rather unusual addition in some quarters to the Elefant Traks label, although their prolific touring, including supporting Illy nationwide, certainly increased their profile.

“We did expect more of a backlash, to be honest,” says Mangohig. He was well aware that Sietta's unique sound wouldn't necessarily be seen as a good fit with the broader Australian hip hop community. “We knew that with Elefant Traks, the older Aussie hip hop heads would turn to see who we were.” Fortunately, audiences warmed quickly to the Darwin duo. “I think a few people, friends of ours, were worried that signing with Elefant Traks would mean that we were pigeonholed as Aussie hip hop, but I think that label, and even more so now with Hermitude's record, proves that [CEO] Urthboy's a pretty good tastemaker,” explains Mangohig. “He thinks to the future. He's a music lover, not only an Aussie hip hop lover. I guess a lot of the Elefant Traks fans got on board, but I guess we'd built up a small fan base beyond that, as well.”

After all, Sietta had been touring hard for a couple of years prior to their fortuitous signing with Elefant Traks, although it wasn't exactly champagne and caviar. Mangohig remembers a particularly unmemorable residency in Melbourne: “We'd have guys wanting to bum-rush the stage. They'd come up to us after and say, 'All you need is a rapper, hey.'” Indeed, Caiti Baker's vocals over Mangohig's beats often take listeners by surprise – a fact that Mangohig attributes at least in part to the male-dominated Australian music industry. “There's a higher percentage of male voices on the radio, and in the hip hop scene it can be a bit of a blokefest,” he says. However, he found the best way to counter such attitudes is simply to commit to the music that Sietta want to make. “We love our music and that definitely translates to the crowd – I think that puts people at ease.”

Sietta have recently reclaimed their acoustic roots with The Dark Passenger EP, which features stripped-back versions of songs from The Seventh Passenger. Mangohig enjoyed the opportunity to take the songs in a different direction, especially given the duo's acoustic origins. “Our first ever gig was actually playing acoustic at a friend's wedding in Darwin, and then Joelistics got us to play a few acoustic gigs in Melbourne,” he recalls. “We loved stripping it back and giving Caiti a chance to sing without all the noises.” The Dark Passenger EP gave them the opportunity to explore these sounds further, sometimes with unexpected results. “We were just like, 'What if we did a country version?' as a joke, but then we just liked it!” says Mangohig, remembering the recording process. Even when performing with acts such as Hermitude or Illy, Mangohig keeps an acoustic song in the sets for balance. “We still do an acoustic song in the set because we just love bringing that element.”

The future is certainly bright for the duo – Mangohig is hoping that a second album will come out within the next 12 months – and he's looking forward to exploring the complex, intricate sound of Sietta further. “I guess we haven't been really fully pigeonholed yet,” says Mangohig.  He just hopes that audiences, hip hop and otherwise, continue to embrace Sietta, even if the music isn't exactly what they were expecting. “I think it's important for bands to engage with the audience, but you've got to be yourself. If you believe in the song and the song's good enough, I don't think it always has to be one that makes people throw their hands in the air and be crazy.”