Omar Musa releases his new EP Dead Centre today, off the back of much excitement surrounding the Queanbeyan artist’s step back into the music realm after touring Australia and overseas with his acclaimed debut novel, Here Come the Dogs. A wordsmith with a razor sharp approach to the creation and execution of his art, Musa’s new music has already generated praise and momentum surrounding its composition, the lyrical content and Musa’s continued developed musicality.
“I can’t wait for people to engage with it,” Musa tells us this week, ahead of Dead Centre‘s official release. “Of course, there’s a bit of nervousness, because every time you pour your whole heart into a project and put it out in the wild, hectic world, it feels like a massive risk, but mostly I feel excitement and pride. I know we’ve made it as good as it could be and that it’s ready for the listeners. We tried to make Dead Centre a real journey, lyrically and sound-wise, so that it would be the type of record people can live with, vibe with, think on, over repeated listens.”
Set to be an introduction to his work for many as well as satiating those fans who have been rocking with Musa for years now, waiting for some new music, Dead Centre saw Musa link up with Joelistics and Poncho (Thundamentals) on production for the new EP.
“Those old diabolical scallywags!” he says. “Working with them was a dream. They are such forward-thinking dudes and we were all on the same page, in terms of keeping the record listenable, but pushing at the boundaries. There are influences from all over the shop on this record: soul, old-school hip hop, Thai and Malay folk songs, grime, trap. They’re also outrageous shit-talkers, just like me, so it was perfect.”
“I think “The Razor’s Edge” is probably my favourite track on the EP.” Musa adds. “I really let loose all my frustration and fear and anger, over the most filthy, grimy Poncho beat, then ended with a poem about contagious fear. It feels like a real statement.”
https://soundcloud.com/bigvillagerecords/omar-musa-7-the-razors-edge
On why it had taken him some time to get back into music, Musa explains how the making of Dead Centre was able to fall in line with all the commitments Here Come The Dogs had him engaged with.
“I wrote a novel called Here Come the Dogs over three years,” he explains. “In that time I kind of gave up on putting music out in the world, because I thought that the hip hop scene had moved on without me. Writing raps/songs is a more physical, lively, rhythmic and (probably) enjoyable process than sitting locked away in a room in silence piecing together a novel, so I kept writing raps throughout.”
“Actually, it was guys like L-FRESH and Remi who asked me, ‘When the hell are you gonna put some music out?’. That got me thinking about it again and then I did a show with Joelistics in late 2014 and he said, ‘Dude, you have to do a record. I’ll make some beats for you.’ He sent me the actual “DEAD CENTRE” beat; I wrote and recorded it with a bit of a Giggs‘ (British rapper) influenced flow and it just hit really hard. It was coolly aggressive and political, but you could dance to it. We knew were were onto something, so I dedicated pretty much all of last year to writing and collaborating with people I admired, like Kate Miller-Heidke, Lior, Mataya, L-FRESH the LION and Hau.”
With a range of musical influences from across the board, genre and culturally speaking, Musa comments on the way storytelling through music affects different types of audiences, an effect he witnessed first hand as he toured through some starkly different regions with Here Come the Dogs.
“Music and storytelling is such a potent, fun way of connecting with people.” he says. “I was on tour in India in January and I went and visited a group of B-Boys in one of the most impoverished slums in Mumbai, Govandi, which is built on a massive rubbish dump. Firstly, I saw how hip hop had given these kids such a sense of freedom and hope and joy and confidence, as it has to so many around the world, from Jakarta to Johannesburg. Secondly, I remember sitting down with them and thinking, ‘God, I’m a bit out of my depth here. We are from such different backgrounds. What the hell can I talk to them about?’ I felt my privilege more acutely than ever before.”
“Slowly, I started telling them how I got into hip hop. I said that I had grown up feeling like an outsider as a Muslim in Australia, but when I came across hip hop, I saw rappers like Chuck D and Ice Cube who were proudly influenced by Islam, and how cool and liberating that seemed to me. The kids then told me that the neighbourhood I was in was actually 90% Muslim and many of them also felt like unwanted outsiders in modern India, and so they could really relate to what I was talking about. This one story had connected us. Side note: from this trip I have footage of a B-Boy spinning on his head while the call to prayer is sung in the background, and it is absolutely mesmerising.”
https://soundcloud.com/bigvillagerecords/omar-musa-2-dead-centre
Near the end of the month, fans will be able to see Musa on the road with Dead Centre, as he joins L-FRESH The LION’s national Australian tour, continuing right through into September. Now we’re in an exciting time for music, where artists are pushing boundaries and musical convention seemingly more and more, filtering into the mainstream, Musa opens up on what’s exciting him on the music front currently.
“Here in Australia, Hiatus Kaiyote, JOY., Remi., B Wise, LTC (get it in yaaaa!). Sampa the Great is outrageously talented. A lot of the grime stuff in the UK is really exciting and gets the blood pumping. In the States, Anderson Paak. is on another level and make sure you watch out for my boy Marc E. Bassy – making huge waves at the moment.”
One thing to be taken away from Dead Centre and Musa’s work in general, is that he is a writer unafraid to shine a light on the darker elements of our society that some might shy away from overtly putting on blast. Channeling the pain and frustrations of the marginalised even within Australian society and pushing it through his music, Musa has created music that can both be vibed out to and be used as a way to look into issues that still overshadow progression.
“We have no choice but to have these conversations.” Musa says of his (and other artists’) focus on advancing his political and social activism through music. “We grew up with conservative governments at our necks and the alternatives seeming spineless and lacking in moral direction. We see Pauline Hanson back in the spotlight with her vile, debased politics and ‘thinking’ after terrorising many of us in our childhoods. We see people with massive media platforms demonising people like our friends and family. Like us. At times it feels like all we have is our voices, as small as they may be. Our art is our shield, our weapon, our wings.”
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Omar Musa’s Dead Centre EP is out now. Catch him on the road with L-FRESH the LION at the below tour dates.
August 26th | Amplifier, PERTH
August 27th | Odd Fellow, FREMANTLE
September 1st | Karova Lounge, BALLARAT
September 2nd | Northcote Social Club, MELBOURNE
September 3rd | Workers Club, GEELONG
September 8th | Small Bandroom, NEWCASTLE
September 9th | Transit Bar, CANBERRA
September 10th | Newtown Social Club, SYDNEY
September 16th | Great Northern, BYRON BAY
September 17th | The Foundry, BRISBANE
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