One Time @ Bandcamp With... Ezroh

Sounds enter into our ears via so many directions these days, it can be hard to narrow them down, pick and choose which ones are worth more time. We can consume so much and still not even scratch the surface. But when you do catch something new and dive into it out of curiosity and piqued ears sometimes you are blessed with something new and worthy of the investment.

Australian sounds have been floating into my ears recently via a multitude of sources, most of it lying closer to the jazz sounds flourishing worldwide at the moment, so when I read about Ezroh in an email from Alpha Pup I was instantly intrigued. Upon pressing play that intrigued turned into fascination. It was as if I had been transported back into time from the land down under. Here was a producer channeling those classic sounds that lured me into hiphop so many years ago and yet it wasn’t sounding like mimicry - just a digger chopping up old vinyl and hitting us with that boom bap.

With only 2 projects to his (new) name I was interested in learning about his back story and what brought him into this realm of dusty beats. You will hear unique samples, heavy bass and classic scratches delivered by Exile on his most recent release. If you dig into the previous release you will catch an all instrumental affair filled with crunchy beats you’ll be bound to nod your head too. With an ear for the right spooky sample, Ezroh is early in his career but already developing an aesthetic unique unto himself.

As is my MO with this series, I shot him off some questions and he graciously responded. Dig into the man's mind and definitely press play on his joints!

How old are you?

32

What is your first memory of music?

Sesame Street and Elvis.

Your bandcamp page says you're based in Adelaide, Australia - is this where you grew up?

ADL born n bred!

If so, how did it's culture shape your musical perspective?

ADL is quite a free n chilled place which gives you the time to listen to all kinds of music.

Your music feels very rooted in the "classic" 90's era boom bap of hiphop, was exposure to this easy to come by? Is there much local hiphop present both new or old?

Local hiphop has been around for awhile in ADL with many different styles within that genre. I was drawn by the grittiness and raw vibes of the 90s era hiphop. 

Are you an avid record collector?

My bank account says yes.

Can you walk us through your creative process?

Normally I'm just sitting with the MPC or SP making a drum pattern then going through a bunch of records until I find something I vibe with or vice versa. 

What has quarantine looked like for you? Has it been an opportunity to explore your creativity or has it been hard to find inspiration while stuck at home?

It’s definitely been an interesting year but the extra time at home has allowed me to finish projects that may still be in the works if it wasn't for that extra time. It's also given me time to experiment with new ideas and listen to a lot of new music.

2020 has been a productive year, from the Mini Mixtape for groundfloor to Error on Green to Blank Lux, how long have these projects been in the works? What's next?

Some of these projects were in the works for a while and some were created during quarantine for example most of Blank Lux was made during that time. currently working on a few collaborative projects. 

How did you connect with the LA artists Blu, Exile & MED? 

Shout out to Jules Habib (Inkswel) from local label Inner Tribe who put me in contact with Blu & MED. Blu suggested that Blank Lux have some cuts on it - from that discussion he put me in contact with Exile who agreed to lay some cuts down for the track. 

With one project featuring vocalists and one project being all instrumental, do you approach a track differently if it's going to have a vocalist vs. being a purely instrumental affair?

The process is much the same, there may be a bit more space on the tracks with vocalists but overall it's the vibe of the track.

Soundtrack to 2020?

Asa Tone Temporary Music

Prod Laver Unlimited Appeals

Kara Colors

Yin Yin The Rabbit That Hunts Tigers

Salah Ragab and the Cairo Jazz Band Egyptian Jazz

Surprise Chef All News Is Good News

Do you have other creative endeavors?

Currently studying interior architecture which is another creative passion of mine.

Favorite book you've read this year?

Unfortunately haven't read too much this year but recently got a book on Korean video artist Nam June Paik which was dope.