Australian hip hop OGs, Downsyde are back with a new studio album alongside a run of live shows nationally this spring.
The tour will see Downsyde headline shows in Brisbane, Melbourne, Adelaide, Hobart and Fremantle, while Sydney heads should stay tuned; Downsyde will play the Harbour City, but can't share the details just yet."We did it, fam! 🙌 Downsyde is finally hitting the road with our new album 'Stereotypez'! 💥 Thank you for the love and support 🙌."
Originally emerging in the late '90s alongside contemporaries like Hilltop Hoods, Bliss N Eso, The Herd, Koolism, and 1200 Techniques, it's been seven years since Downsyde's last studio album (2017's 'ClassicILL' featuring 'Only Got Now').
At their peak, the Western Australian collective supported the likes of The Roots, A Tribe Called Quest, Jurassic 5, Cypress Hill, The Black Eyed Peas and Public Enemy, gaining Chuck D as a huge fan along the way.
Their 2000s hits 'Fortune & Fame', 'Lesfortunate', 'To Tha Stumps', 'Bittersweet', 'El Quester', 'Gifted Life' and 'Kingswood Country' were staples of triple j as well as local community radio, the Perth group winning 10 WAMIs (now known as WAMAwards) during the decade.
Now a trio, Optamus, Dazastah and Beni Bjah are prepping the release of 'Stereotypez' (out 11 October); a record that stretches back five years when they dropped the single 'Odds', the first record featuring Beni Bjah, followed by 'Call' in 2021 featuring James Abberley and First Nations Fire Management practitioner Victor Steffensen.
'Winding Road', the next taste, came in 2022, coupled with a performance at the Perth Festival as part of Flewnt's Boorloo Block Party. Hot on the heels of 'Winding Road', came 'Po'Boy', a collaboration with Harts and a fresh take on Howling Wolf's 'Poor Boy'.
"This album is a labour of love, an ode to our diehard fans and the new school Downsydians," explains Optamus. "Daz and I experimented production wise with the MPC and live instruments, plus having Beni join the crew has brought about a new era.
"We teamed up with James Abberley and Matty Gresham on a couple of tracks, plus the usual Syllabolix suspects and a bunch of talented musos. It's raw, it's real, and we can't wait for the crew to hear it."
Tickets are on sale.
Downsyde 2024 Tour Dates
Sat 12 Oct - Can You Keep A Secret (Brisbane)Sat 19 Oct - Laundry Bar (Melbourne)
Sat 2 Nov - Northern Sound System (Adelaide)
Sat 9 Nov - Republic Bar (Hobart)
Sat 30 Nov - Mojos (Fremantle)
