| Wicked Beat Sound System | |
|---|---|
Damian Robinson and Linda Janssen |
|
| Background information | |
| Origin | Sydney, Australia |
| Genres | Electronica Dub Soul |
| Years active | 1992 – present |
| Labels | Mushroom Records Wicked Beat Records |
| Website | Official website |
| Members | |
| Linda Janssen Damian Robinson |
|
| Past members | |
| MC KYE Dave Carnovale |
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Wicked Beat Sound System is a Sydney based group whose sound is best described as a mixture of electronica, dub and soul. The group formed in 1992, following a series of live "jams" instigated by DJ Dave Carnovale (Crucial D) in collaboration with Damian Robinson and other DJ's Scott Pullen and Mark Walton which took place at the Bentley Bar circa 1991 in Sydney's Darlinghurst area. They have released five albums to date. Originally featuring reggae and hip hop, the group expanded their sound to incorporate elements of soul, jazz, latin, funk and breaks. They have been nominated for three ARIA Music Awards and an Australian Dance Music Award as well as creating dozens of remixes for others.
The lineup of the group was originally Linda Janssen and MC KYE on vocals, alongside producers Damian Robinson and DJ Dave Carnovale. Over the years many other artists have been included in the lineup of the 'Live' band including Marko Simec (Waiting For Guinness), the late Bruce (Babs) Clarke, well known breaks producer Andy Page, Dave Norris (Nubreed) as well as current performers Gerard Masters, Ian Mussington and Cameron Undy. Dave Carnovale departed the band in 2003 to concentrate on his 'Dubnosis' project and MC Kye departed the band shortly after the release of their fourth album 4ormation in 2005 to work on his Budspells Album. They have headlined their own tours and have supported Ben Harper and The Fugees
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The first album release, Music From The Core was originally released on Matt Hayward's independent label One Movement in 1996 and the first single release, "Summer Sun" produced by John Prior, was frequently played by the DJ by Andy Glitre on Triple J and was followed up by single "Local MP" also achieved high rotation . These tracks were featured on the soundtrack to the French film Clubbed to Death (Lola). They collaborated with other local artists such as Yothu Yindi, Directions in Groove, Deborah Conway, Iva Davies, Christine Anu and Renee Geyer.
The second album, Inna Styles was released through Mushroom in 2000, followed by an extensive touring schedule. Three singles from the album "I Don’t Wanna know", "Church of Al Green", and "Stay With Me Til Dawn" were again featured on Triple J. The album also featured dancefloor tracks "Cookin’ with Kazz" and "Genie of the Lab". In 2000 Wicked Beat Sound System received an ARIA nomination for Inna Styles and a Dance Music Award nomination (DMA) for Best Band. They also played festivals across Australia including the Perth International Arts Festival, Vibes On A Summer's Day and the closing of Sydneys Paralympics.
In 2002 the third album, New Soul Breaks was released and featured vocal tracks by Janssen including "I Want To" and "Brand New Day", as well as instrumental tracks "Do The Tings" and "Ounce Of Swing". In the same year they received another ARIA nomination for "Best Dance Release". In 2005 Wicked Beat Sound System released 4ormation featuring the track "Nightmare". Shortly after the release of 4ormation MC Kye departed the group to concentrate on his solo project and the group ceased touring for a period of time. In 2006, Wicked Beat Sound System, now largely Robinson and Janssen, recorded Hydromajestik which was released on 24 March 2007. More in the vein of their previous Inna Styles album this album featured vocal tracks in addition to dub-influenced instrumentals, the first single was "Won’t Let Go".