Recon is an MC and producer from the Sunshine Coast, Australia. His music is a melting pot of styles, and demonstrates a unique approach to production. The sun and warm climate of the coast have found their way into his studio and add an island vibe to his creations. Recon is an established artist and has supported a range of Australian hip-hop acts including Urthboy, Koolism, Hermitude and Muph + Plutonic.
His debut solo release The Beatnik EP sees a noticeable increase in substance and quality from earlier outings. Determined to circulate his art as efficiently as possible, Recon has made the release available for free on his Studio blog @ www.parkstudiosmusic.blogspot.com
Beatnik EP Interview (Questions by Dylan Toune)
Dylan Toune: Hey Recon, how are things? Cheers for doing this.
Recon: No worries, could say the same to you
DT: First off, Beatnik is very impressive and feels like an amalgam of all your work up until this point. Are you happy with how it ended up turning out?
R: It’s the happiest I’ve been with a project mainly because I had total control and was in a good head space.
DT: How long did you work on the project in total?
R: Recording and mixing took about 3 months, however the beats on the EP have existed for years.
DT: I noticed on this release you decided to go the free route. What inspired you to take that direction with putting the EP out?
R: Mainly the clearance issues surrounding the tracks that I sampled. I couldn’t ask for money unless I had organised arrangements with the artists so I released it for free.
DT: To me, in the past, your beats have always been a combination of played instruments, a bit of sampling and dope basslines. It sounds like you've gone in a more heavily sampled direction with your music on the EP, what brought this about? Was it just the logical way to go? Do you still play quite a bit on the tracks?
R: I still play a lot of the layers that are on the EP, the sample is the backbone and I add my pieces. Live instruments just make the tracks stand up and you can feel proud of your contribution. The beats that made it to the EP were also made when I was heavily into sampling. They really capture a point in time when I was learning how to flip things.
DT: You bust a few singing notes on the EP, any big influences on your melodies non hip-hop wise?
R: Jimi Hendrix, Kasabian, The Black Keys, Gnarls Barkley I pretty much want to be Cee-lo haha.
DT: Speaking of influences, do you take much inspiration in terms of your production or do you just tend to have a bit of a jam and see how it turns out? What instruments do you play?
R: I play guitars and jamming is key. A riff comes out of nowhere and takes you on a voyage. When you’re lucky you get to capture it and things develop from there. Each song is made differently as I tend to approach things from a different way depending on what’s in my head.
DT: To me, the Sunshine Coast hip-hop scene is possibly the most underrated region of the country. You've got Trill making one of the beats on the EP (Next In Line) and Old Mate, a fellow Sunny Coast emcee, on a feature verse (Float On). Do you have any personal ideas to move the scene more into a national light or are you guys happy doing your own thing?
R: I think the Sunny Coaster’s will do well once things get moving on the road. There is a lot of talent up here and the coast is growing so quickly, with the right people involved great things will happen.
DT: One thing I'm always interested in knowing about EPs is how you approached the making of it. Did you have five clear ideas for the tracks or did you record a bunch and scrap a few?
R: Time was of the essence with this release so not a huge amount of tracks were made. 3 or 4 ended up on the cutting room floor and a few beats didn’t make it out of the demo stage. I don’t see the point in making a whole bunch of filler and picking the best from that.
DT: The lyrics and content is unlike most stuff being released from the Australian scene at the moment. To me, most of it can either be shoehorned into either the 'raw', 'thoughtful' or 'upbeat/party/mainstream' styles. What sort of things inspire the way you write?
R: I just try and link my memories to my topics, if I’m writing an upbeat/party/mainstream track I’ll throw in subtle references to my past. They are Easter eggs for the people that know me, that’s if they pay attention to my lyrics.
DT: What's next for Recon?
R: I am currently producing Azov’s next album ‘Dropsaw Symphony’ and piecing together my next release with a whole bunch of session muso’s.
DT: Thanks for the interview and great work on the release. Any final thoughts and want to tell people where they can get their hands on the Beatnik EP? Any plans for a physical release?
R: I have started a blog covering all the people that pass through my Studio out in Belli Park. The address is www.parkstudios.blogspot.com . The Beatnik Ep is available for download there and will host videos and future recordings. The EP will remain online only, however merchandise is in the works.
DT: Cheers.
