Fundamental Elements is a Brisbane, hip hop duo who are set on fulfilling their musical vision.
MCs Species and Pleura will soon be releasing an EP titled 'The Prerequisite' in March and have a grand scheme in mind. “We've released two EPs, this being the second and this will be the prerequisite, basically to the album, bit of a stepping stone sort of thing, in the lead up to releasing the full length LP,” explains Species.
In a genre seemingly saturated with pop hooks, auto-tuned vocals and overtly commercial production, Fundamental Elements deviate from mainstream hip hop approaches, stripping down to a much more traditionalist approach. “People like KRS-One, Nas, Premier Beats, J Dilla, Gang Starr, a lot of Wu-Tang as well, but all of that '90s, classic hip hop is really inspiring for us, that's the sort of sound we're aiming for,” Species says.
“That's our real love and passion, that sound and that genre of music or style of hip hop. Real sample heavy, we sample all our stuff off records, we make it in a more traditional way, that resonates with us really, that's the sound we really like.”
Fundamental Elements have worked with a range of people for 'The Prerequisite'. “I would definitely say the track called 'The Sickness', just because we've got three other guys on there,” Species says when asked who his favourite collaboration was with. “Nuggy G, the rapper, Insideus, the other rapper and a mate of ours, DJ Upryt. It was a really cool in the way that it came together, we always wanted to collaborate on a track and we started writing together one day and things lead to coming up with a really good track. We used the metaphor of drugs and addictions, just talking about addiction to hip hop.”
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Although a decent amount of the production comes in-house from Pleura, Fundamental Elements reached out to other producers as well to give the songs a more varied feel. “Leaf Dog's a really good producer from the UK, he's really blowing up at the moment; his crew Four Owls is going really well at the moment. He sent us a few different ideas and we went back and forth and took it from there. We're really stoked with the outcome, it's a really cool beat he's given us for 'The Prerequisite'.
“We've also hooked up with another friend, a local producer for the intro goes by the name Solely. He's put together a few beats for us to work with and he put one together for the intro track and it really sets the mood. It's good fun working with different guys, you can really mix up the sound and the feeling of the EP.”
The duo received airplay on Triple J for their debut EP, 'The Homecoming'. This eventually led to them garnering attention from one of the best known Australian hip hop acts, Hilltop Hoods, who shared their video for their single, 'Independence', on social media. “It was great as a small, independent artist, it's always hard moving and getting out there. For them to comment on and share it around, it was a big help to us to get our message out there. It shows that you're doing something right if those guys you look up to are feeling your track and your clip, so it's a good sign, a good feeling,” Species says.
While reflecting on the internet's impact on creating a global, hip hop community, Species enjoys the freedom online content affords artists. “It's a lot easier with the internet and sharing and social media and stuff. The hip hop culture around the world is amazing, I've got a lot of friends all over the globe, simply from music. It shows when you put out music and people share it from all around the world, it's a good feeling, it's a good thing to be part of.”
