Melbourne's Curse ov Dialect have been well and truly revived, releasing a brand new album, 'Twisted Strangers', last month.
This release comes after a six-year hiatus for the heavily-costumed foursome and endeavours to blur hip hop norms.
Being together for over two decades, their "socially conscious, zonked-out" LP stretches alternative hip hop boundaries like never before, with the album being described as a complete anomaly. The four-piece band are particularly well-known for their non-conformist and inexplicable beats, of which this album makes no exceptions.
Made up of members Raceless, Volk Makedonski, Paso Bionic and Atarangi, the band have also brought Hemlock Ernst (alias of Future Islands' Sam Herring) back, who features on the album title track 'Twisted Strangers'.
Going on hiatus and disappearing from the music scene some six years ago, we're all curious to know, what has been happening since then?
[Atarangi] Our disappearing act was necessary to explore our worlds separately and together. We have all had the opportunity to evolve our skills with the myriad of life's inspiring interventions. Some of us have branched out musically, become husbands and fathers. Some of us have been lost, become brilliant tennis players, learned new skills and refined old ones.
This is the sixth album under your belts; how have the tracks on 'Twisted Strangers' evolved from your previous records?
Well, the Curse message is the same but we have certainly showed how we have evolved both musically and personally in this new album. We have been able to express what we feel is important and still make it fun. And, of course, with the advancement of technology since our last album we have been able to play with new tools to craft our sounds to suit these crazy times.
What was the main inspiration for the new album?
The inspiration is usually the same for us: dealing with social issues such as racism, gender equality and animal rights; the terror of capitalism and industrialism on the natural world and indigenous cultures worldwide; the importance of spiritualism and ancient teachings. The world is full of injustice and we are always inspired to address these things.
In Curse ov Dialect's formation, the group had a common inspiration and love of US hip hop during the era. What are all the members into now?
We did enjoy the hip hop coming out of the USA in the '90s, but our love of music has and still does encompass a global platform of many different styles and eras. Some of us are heavy into avant-garde and experimental music. Some are still following underground, progressive hip hop and others love the folk music of the world.
You brought in Hemlock Ernst aka Sam Herring for the 'Twisted Strangers' title track. How was it to work with with him and how did that partnership come about?
We were lucky enough to see him performing with his band Future Islands on the David Letterman Show about 18 months ago and we all really enjoyed their sound. After Samuel gave us a shout out on Triple J we decided to get in contact with him and it rolled on from there. He is a genuinely lovely guy, a true gentleman and fun to be around. It was a pleasure working with him.
What do you want listeners to take away from 'Twisted Strangers'?
People are going to take whatever they want from it. It's broad and varied so there is a lot to choose from. We just hope that people enjoy what we are offering.
The group's music has been described with a diverse range of styles and genres, from raw-cultural expression to a mix of surrealism and activism. How would you best describe Curse ov Dialect's style?
Our sound reflects the world we live in: it is lively, diverse and multicultural.
Lastly, where will the rest of 2016 take Curse ov Dialect?
This year will see us touring to various places around the world (see our Facebook page for details and updates), and continuing to create and record new material.
'Twisted Strangers' is available now.
