Subsketch

Local MC/ producer Subsketch (Drew Norley) is a bit different from most of the hip-hop artists making music in Australia at the moment. Introverted, dark and poetically abstract, Subsketch's sound is closer to that of Sage Francis, Buck 65 or the Anticon label than the funAk-sampling, straight-up hip-hop sound of almost everybody else in Australia.

Having been involved at the fringes of Adelaide's hip-hop scene for several years now, Subsketch has just released his debut LP 'Cheaper Than Therapy', with assistance from the Hilltop Hoods' grant for upcoming hip-hop artists. It'd be tough to think of two more different styled artists in the scene at the moment, but that just shows that (hopefully) it's becoming less insular, and more accepting.

'Cheaper Than Therapy' is immediately notable for its emotive backdrops and deeply personal lyrics. Norley doesn't touch on traditional hip-hop lyrical topics at all on the album, which makes it feel fresh and genuinely different amongst other Australian releases this year. It's good to see that some Australian hip-hop artists are looking beyond typical subject matter and approaches, but Norley says that he's encountered his fair share of criticism as well.

"There's been a mixture of people that really love it, and others that really don't love it. More of the straight-up hip-hop people haven't received it as well, but I kind of saw that coming. I don't make it just for people to like it, I made it to make it. If there wasn't that mix of opinions, I'd probably feel like I was doing something wrong," Norley laughs. "The hip-hop scene is pretty insular in Adelaide, so I'm not surprised that a lot of my fans are more people who like more varied genres. I really like musicians who are willing to be themselves, regardless of whether there's a scene that caters for that, just do what they're into and not really worry what people are going to think."

The LP was launched in March, alongside an extremely diverse lineup of musicians, covering electronica to jazz to more conventional hip-hop. Norley says that his goal with live shows is to get as diverse a crowd as possible to his performances, knowing that those with more eclectic tastes are probably going to be the ones most open to his kind of music.

"Most of the shows I've been doing lately, I've tried to have each band be a different genre. At my launch I played with Lonely Shinobi, who's a hip-hop guy, and Zeal played, which is kind of electronica-pop, and Moose & Squirrel who are an improvised jazz trio. I just try to draw as diverse a crowd as possible, to see who would be interested. I think people are fairly open minded if you put the thing in front of them, people are willing to appreciate it for what it is."

Subsketch has also been known to perform acoustic, with Zeal on acoustic guitar and Norley on vocals and harmonica. This approach to live shows hints at his influences, which include folk singers such as Bob Dylan and Leonard Cohen. Surprising at first, maybe, it starts to make sense when you listen to the album. There is a definite focus on lyrics, and this crosses over into his live performances.

"Performance wise, I'm really influenced by Andy Kaufman. More recently it's been more folky stuff; Bob Dylan, Leonard Cohen. I like people that have something to say, lyrics that you can listen to - that's always what I've listened to the most. For me, the words couldn't exist without the music, but I probably focus more on the lyrics at the moment."

Subsketch has spent most of the year promoting the album, and plans to tour interstate with Zeal during July. After that, it's back to the bedroom to get to work on a new LP.

"I'm pretty keen to knuckle down and start working on the next album. I've got a whole bunch of writing I've already done, and music, and I'm itching to get that stuff happening. It's a bit more stripped-back, the new stuff is a lot more focused on the words, the music is more minimalistic. I've been making music since early high school, so doing that is more what I'm comfortable with. For most of this year I've been promoting the album, and I'm keen to get away from that for a bit. Especially since my mind doesn't really do that stuff, it's been a bit of a learning curve."

Ben Ford-Smith

Subsketch will perform at The Jade Monkey on Thurs 19 June with support from DJ Tr!p.

'Cheaper Than Therapy' is out now through MGM.