Live Review: Remi, Man Made Mountain, Hau

Hau brought a breathy and clearly still developing flow to a modest crowd. His stage presence seemed laboured and reeking of false confidence, though there was definitely potential in his rhymes.

 

Man Made Mountain threw down some sick beats and delicious rhymes. The band played inescapably groove-worthy tunes with smooth melodies and pumping rhythms. "There's always a time to groove," said MC, Cazeaux O.S.L.O. "Y'all ready to groove? We're about to give you a time to romance, a time to dance." The nectar-like bass lines blended with hip hop beats, samples and live sax all added by producer, Billy Hoyle. 

 

Remi burst onto the stage like firecrackers, fizzing and banging in an opening that whipped the crowd into a frenzy. Remi, comprising vocalist and rapper, Remi Kolawole and producer and percussionist, Sensible J. The boys filled the stage and packed out Newtown Social Club, playing their first sold out show, demonstrating why they’re the fastest emerging hip hop act in Australia right now. The pair topped the intensity on the studio tracks, creating a real party atmosphere, warming spirits on a chill Friday night in May.

 

Remi demonstrated an eclectic array of musical talents, debuting songs off their forthcoming album Divas And Demons and early joints from Raw x Infinity and Call It What You Want (F.Y.G. ACT: 2). Not only did the boys lay down some heavy jams and poignant rhymes about the state of contemporary Australia, they involved the crowd, igniting the night with a smorgasbord of guests. These included the supports and one of the other rising stars of the Australian hip hop scene in Sampa The Great. The group performed a vibrant and raucous rap around James Brown’s Payback.

 

The set moved from the standard call and reply between audience and performers, to a display of the burgeoning catalogue, and moments of improvisation that sparked a second wind in the crowd.The highlights reel goes deep when Remi is involved, including the contagious summer anthem For Good, a collaboration with Sampa. Remi himself showcased his style, sass and soul when some drunken mess took to the stage, a moment Remi handled with great maturity and characteristic assertive smoothness. And the music wasn’t bad either.