Astronomy Class
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Astronomy Class | |
|---|---|
| Origin | Sydney, New South Wales, Australia |
| Genre(s) | Hip hop / Reggae |
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Label(s) | Elefant Traks |
| Associated acts | The Herd Tooth Frigid |
| Website | Official webpage |
| Members | |
| Shannon Kennedy (aka Ozi Batla) Shane Roberts (aka Sir Robo) Chris Hamer-Smith (aka Chasm) |
|
Astronomy Class are an Australian hip-hop / reggae group from Sydney.[1] The group comprises Ozi Batla (Shannon Kennedy), Sir Robo (Shane Roberts) and Chasm (Chris Hamer-Smith).
Kennedy is a member of The Herd, whilst Roberts is a member of Frigid and prog, downtempo and Krautrock band Tooth.[2]
Contents |
[edit] Biography
The group formed when Kennedy decided to collaborate with producers Roberts and Hamer-Smith in 2006.
"The original concept for Chasm and I was to do a production album, with various MCs and singers," Roberts says. "We'd both worked separately with Batla in the past, he was our main MC, so we gave him the beats [first]. He was really taken with them and expressed a desire to have them all for himself. That was how it started."[3]
The resulting album, Exit Strategy was released in September, 2006 and was selected by Triple J as it's first feature album for 2007.[4][5] The album features guests such as Lotek, Hau from Koolism, Urthboy, Ben Ezra (ESL), Gina Mitchell (Fbi’s Basslines), DJ Skoob (NSW DMC Champ), 2Buck, Murda1, Lotek and BVA (Mnemonic Ascent), as well as Jane Tyrell (The Herd). Tracks from the album such as "A Bright Tomorrow", "Done The Sums" and "Rewind The Tape" all receiving airplay on Triple J [6] and community radio stations across Australia.[7][8] On the back of the album release Astronomy Class undertook a national tour covering five states and seveteen destinations over three months.[9]
When asked how the name of the band came about, Kennedy advised (in an interview with Scene Magazine):
"A theme started to emerge that kind of had an astral flavour. There’s a bit of a history in hip hop and also reggae of doing astral/space themes. As I kept writing, there was sort of a narrative coming out about that same theme going on – it just started to stick after a while."[10]
Astronomy Class were the sole support artists for Lily Allen's Brisbane and Sydney tour dates in 2007.[11]
[edit] Discography
- Exit Strategy - Elefant Traks (September 9, 2006)
[edit] Solo albums
[edit] Chasm
- Chasm (2004)
- Beyond The Beat Tape (2007)
[edit] References
- ^ Astronomy Class - “This is Hip Hop, Baby”. The Dwarf (April 11 2007). Retrieved on 2008-03-10.
- ^ Astronomy Class. Cyclic Defrost (November, 2006). Retrieved on 2008-03-10.
- ^ Astronomy Class. The Age Newspaper (2006-11-10). Retrieved on 2008-03-10.
- ^ Triple J Album review - Exit Strategy. Triple J (December 27, 2006). Retrieved on 2008-03-10.
- ^ Debut Album From Chasm. Groove On (February 5, 2008). Retrieved on 2008-03-10.
- ^ J Play track listing
- ^ PBS 106.7FM Album review
- ^ FBi Program Guide
- ^ Astronomy Class. Beat Magazine (April 25, 2007). Retrieved on 2008-03-10.
- ^ Astonomy Class - Space Madness. Scene Magazine (2007-06-06). Retrieved on 2008-03-13.
- ^ Astronomy Class support Lily Allen!. Access All Areas (January 16, 2007). Retrieved on 2008-03-10.
