Over the years True Vibenation have developed a strong following thanks to a live show which revels in making you dance in a semi-retarded, unselfconscious way to songs combining infectious hooks and razor sharp raps with big horns and genre-bending electronic beats. Now with the release of their second album ?ON' on July 11th through Big Village Records the Sydney trio are really in their element and are celebrating with a national tour of Australia.
With three horns, three vocalists and three beat-makers logically True Vibes should have 9 people in the band, but after graduating with a masters degree in ballin on a budget they get by with only three members and strange delight in lugging equipment to shows.
The album ON was birthed in an interesting way, between touring, recording and a stubborn refusal to get a real job band members Native Wit and Klue ended up living together in a squat house in the Sydney suburb of Newtown.
The electricity was unreliable, the roof was definitely not waterproof and there were some funny smells but on the flipside we were allowed to do whatever we wanted with the house so we set-up a recording studio and went all out recording and writing beats. Says Native Wit of the recording experience.
Despite the unconventional recording process, True Vibes (being the resourceful little mofos they are) have delivered a kick arse album, blending hip hop with everything from future beats to gospel to dancehall to trap music and even a touch of pop, all held together infectious hooks, slick raps and of course the trademark True Vibenation horns.
If you've ever seen a True Vibenation live show you know that this is where the trio really shines, known for their innovative ideas and a performance which features the band transforming into a blasting horn section as well as a self-made instrument that literally turns audience members into human drum machines.
With hundreds of shows under their belt, festival slots at Sydney Festival, Peats Ridge, Future Music, Secret Garden, Subsonic, Woodford and changing lanes as well as support slots with Chali 2na, DeadPrez, Foreign Beggars, Horrorshow Thundamentals and many more True Vibenation are a group set to carve a brand new and distinctive sound into the Australian music scene.
