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 | |  | | Paris Pompor
It’s always good hear something fresh from MC Kye – he’s arguably one of the most soulful, tuneful and rhythmically smooth MCs currently calling Sydney home. The Kiwi often has more in common with British or Jamaican lovers rock emcees than ocker rhyme spitters. His earlier work Wicked Beat Sound System is hinted at here, especially in opening tracks Nomadik and Ramzzy and later Jah Mind Check and slo-mo dub ‘n’ bass tune Oh No. Kye’s partner in Budspells is producer Ants, whose soul-dub, drum ‘n' bass, hip hop and jazzy influences can at times also recall WBSS vibes. Yet elsewhere on this LP things stiffen significantly, turning rugged. The obviously surprising tough-as-nails standout comes midway in the almost demented shape of Rum Tings, which rocks with long-locks. Inspired they say by London’s late-‘70s punk-reggae mash ups, Kye’s tone has most of the bottom ended shredded by FX and he sounds as venomous as he’s ever likely to, pursued by a rush of choked guitar chords, siren-like leads and a toppling rock kit from hell. Matched by some heavier d ‘n’b, crunk and digi-dub, the pair mood-swing throughout the 14 tracks, even trying their hands at a kind of souly jazz-house number called Inna Sunshine, which is also the first single.
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| Martyn Pepperell, 2008
At first glance Bondi Beach in Sydney seems like a strange place for a hip hop reggae jazz outfit called Budspells to call home. Then and again while watching the youtube video for their Polynesian soul/grime driven calling card 'Ruckus' (a collaboration with P Diggs from Shapeshifter) I notice an odd spaced out color treatment has been applied to footage of the Bondi foreshore and it becomes schizophrenically apparent that Bondi Beach, as I've always seen it and as Budspells know it, are completely different pots of tofu and veges.
Somewhat of a cultural riddle, Budspells consists of singer/rapper Kye and beatmaker Antz. Two longstanding musicians who despite possessing inescapable roots overtones still, thankfully, delve into musically futuristic and esoteric territories that remain baffling and inexplicably inhospitable to many established local artists.
As I really should have stated earlier, though they are based in Australia, Budspells are unsurprisingly both ex-pat New Zealanders, but call them citizens of both New Zealand and Australia, or like MIA, the world town.
For Budspells, it is their individual and collective experiences on countless musical, personal and social trans-tasman journeys and voyages across the globe that has come to characterise and shape their oddly familiar, yet slightly alien urban roots sound.
Like singer Kye explains. Our sound is a hybrid of reggae, hip hop and jazz on a progressive tip, shaped by our journeys as nomadik souls, beginning with the dub conspiracies and heading outwards on infinite travels through the genres and back and forth between countries. We can do the drum'n'bass and breaks thing as well, but it's more we are a group that can shift gear into the higher tempo range, create a journey and move with the energy of the vibe.
Despite having extensive musical histories in New Zealand and Australia, Budspells first arrived collectively on the local music scene in 2006 through a series of tours with Salmonella Dub, appearances on the Dub Conspiracy compilation albums and the release of an EP entitled 'Inna Senses'. While their presence in New Zealand has been reasonably unobtrusive over the last year, Budspells have been busy working in the studio and plan to release their debut album 'Nomadik Souls' late may. They will also be taking part in a series of peninsula small town shows across the north island with Salmonella Dub during the last week of April. I've always wanted to go peninsula, but every time we've been back it's been Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. Christchurch because they [Salmonella Dub] come from that area. Auckland and Wellington because they have big arenas to perform in. Doing the smaller towns means all the cuzzies from TA [Te Awamutu] can come and check the shows out, cuzzies can get twenty dollars gas and drive to Hamilton or whatever, so I'm really happy to be doing these shows, Kye reflects.
Within their fusion of currently accepted musical trends and younger undefined styles, Budspells have uncovered a sound, or perhaps an aesthetic, as much shaped by life experience and cultural exploration as the influence of music itself. A sound of unity and togetherness where borders and boundaries blend together into nothing and we are all one, yet at the same time singular and diacritic nomadik souls, drifting across the universe on infinite journeys.
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