URTHBOY INTERVIEW

Tim Levinson AKA Urthboy is an award winning Hip Hop artist from the Blue Mountains and three time nominee of the prestigious Australian Music Prize (AMP). He manages the Elefant Traks label, fronts The Herd and manages artists such as Hermitude, Horrorshow and Jimblah.

Beginning his career in the late ‘90s, Urthboy has released 4 solo albums and toured across Australia for his own headline shows as well as perform at every major festival in this country. In addition to his solo material, Urthboy is one of the main songwriters in The Herd, whose five albums have seen them build a huge fanbase.

After receiving numerous AIR Award wins and ARIA nominations Urthboy signed a global publishing deal with the legendary Alberts Music, the first Hip Hop artist to join their ranks. With Elefant Traks now in their 15th year as a label and their artists Hermitude & Horrorshow riding high on success Grindin’ caught up with one of the busiest people in the Australian music industry.

What are your earliest memories of music?
My Dad’s Jazz record collection. I’m not sure when the turntable was discarded cos it wasn’t around when I was 9 or 10 but he’d always sing the melodies or do his version of scatting, which was mad embarrassing for me as a kid.

What first got you into Hip Hop?
I can’t answer that question because I was writing these nursery rhymes as a kid that was basically me rewriting classic kids tales in Rap form – I was 10 years old at the time. I can’t remember being into Hip Hop then but I must’ve been exposed to it despite not owning any Hip Hop. The first album I thrashed was Run DMC “Tougher Than Leather”.

There seems to be wealth of Hip Hop talent like yourself, Hermitude, Thundamentals, Dialectrix and more coming from the Blue Mountains what is it about that place that makes so many artists?
There were no artists coming to prominence when I was growing up in the Mountains but after 2000 that slowly changed. I think it comes down to predisposed creative minds receiving positive signals to pursue music. We had a mad vibe up there in the early 2000s and every show would be busy – D-trix and Thundas were really young at the time and the positivity and excitement must’ve reinforced to them that this was something worth throwing the whole kitchen sink at. I felt that same rush a year or two earlier through my involvement with Elefant Traks. Hermitude were and always will be musicians first and foremost.

What was your first big break as a MC?
I’ve never had a big break in that kind of way – more a steady stream of good experiences that made me more curious to dig deeper. Going right back to the start, I was never on the song “Scallops” by The Herd but I benefited from the tiny, but significant spotlight it put on us.

How and when did Elefant Traks first start and what was the initial aim for the label to begin with?
It started with Kenny Sabir bringing a bunch of people together to make a mixtape for a friend who was heading overseas. Funnily enough the process illuminated the feeling that there were no other labels catering to this DIY style of releasing electronic music. There was a huge underground buzz in Sydney around what we were doing and it was hard to put the brakes on that.

What do you look for in an artist to sign them to Elefant Traks?
Talent, originality, fearlessness in what they have to say. The greatest threat to Hip Hop in Australia is its inclination to becoming generic; there’s no shortage of decent rappers with a basic grasp of rhythm but that alone is very unremarkable. The strength and growth will come from its diversification to allow for different voices to come through – I’m talking about unconventional cadence, colourful tones, big personalities. Artists that make the world take notice.

15 years is an amazing achievement for any record label to be up and running regardless of gender in this day and age. How does Elefant Traks keep on top of this ever changing industry?
By not ever trying to be on top. The best thing that happened to us was something we had no choice in, and that was a slow build. The industry leans towards any method that will fast track their artists – concepts like ‘buzz’ and ‘hype’ are the rabbit that the greyhounds chase. It’s brilliant in that a lot of money is made fairly quickly but after it dies down there’s an artist with a lot of pressure on. Only a tiny few build on a great start – most go backwards and it doesn’t matter what the scale, going backwards is a morale killer. Flying under the radar for a while is a great way to begin a long career.

What have been some of the most memorable moments during that time both good and bad?
The greatest pleasure is after seeing an artist struggle with their own viability, watch them blow up and do the job full time. Every artist has their triumphs and failures but it’s been thrilling watching Hermitude chart a respectable course for 10 years before exploding in 2012/13. Sometimes the best thing is just watching our artists play live and have a moment of intense pride that they’re part of ET. I’ve experienced a huge amount of growth through some of the most trying times in the last five years. I’ve learned that to be an artist, an artist manager and label manager means compartmentalising each role and treating them separately so that the nags and ego of the others don’t interfere. I could go deep into how fucking hard this was to properly resolve but that’s for another time.

With all the success your label and some of the artists on the roster have achieved has there ever been the temptation to work with a major label?
Never enough to reach out to anyone. The only thing a major could do better than us is their international connections, and even that guarantees nothing. It’s easy to overlook the value of limitations.

Along with being an artist in your own right you also manage other artists, have a big say in the running of Elefant Traks and are now recently a Dad how do you juggle everything?
With a great bunch of equals in the elefant traks office who do all the hard work. And a great wife who is the boss. I’m pretty much just chillin’.

What inspires you to write?
I mean, I can be pretty awkward at times but I also have an inbuilt instinct to communicate. The older I get the more stories I see.

How would you describe the Urthboy sound?
The last thing I ever want to do is describe my sound. I don’t think I’ve ever nailed it so tightly that I feel entitled to own it.

Who are your musical influences?
The greatest musical influences in my life have been Hip Hop, Punk, Britpop and Reggae.

For those unfamiliar what 5 tracks/albums do you feel best represent Australian Hop Hop?
Delta – For the Kings
The Last Kinection – Balooraman
Resin Dogs feat. Lazy Grey – Freak the Funk
Muph & Plutonic – Don’t Worry Bout Nothing
Horrorshow feat. Jimblah – Own Backyard

What one thing does Australian Hip Hop need right now?
5 strong full length albums from a variety of women.

Which new artists do you see having the potential to be established artists in the local scene?
Jackie Onassis, Remi, Jimblah, Allday & Dr Flea

What’s the best piece of advice ever given to you?
Be curious.

What has been your greatest achievement in music so far?
Hanging around.

What does the future hold for Urthboy and Elefant Traks?
New challenges and new ideas. Either that or I’ll change careers.

What’s your definition of Grindin’?
Getting up at 3am to walk a baby for an hour in order to settle her.

Interview by Duggs.