Koolism’s Part 3 - Random Thoughts (Review)

Part 3 -Random Thoughts is a strategy to circumvent the ‘difficult second album’ syndrome by Canberra’s finest hip-hop crew, Tongan-Australian MC Hau - who along with Fijian MC Trey and NZ-based Samoan King Kapisi represents the ‘Polynesian tip’ of Australasian hip-hop - and scratch DJ wizard DanielSan, who have notched up twelve years since they began performing, and recently got an appreciative write-up in the New York Times. They released their first cassette tape, Bedroom Shit,  in 1996, at a time when Hau called himself Fatty Boomstix, and many local hip-hop artists were relying on limited releases  of this decidedly lo-tech format, which are now collector’s items,  to disseminate their work. 1997’s eponymous cassette featured Juss a Brown Fellow, a celebration of the Pacific Island diaspora in Australasian hip-hop, as well as Hau’s troubles with police harassment.  Koolism’s two 12 inch vinyl EPs, Blue Notes and The Season, which were both included on their debut album Koolism Part 1 (Parallax View 2002), have achieved legendary status on the Australian hip-hop scene, and a further two are promised in the near future. The remixed version of Blue Notes is a particular landmark, with a cover featuring a photomontage of Hau’s Tongan close-knit extended family, who also appear in the video to The Season, and a ‘Pacific strum’ guitar riff over an autobiographical account of Hau’s childhood and Tongan family and trips back to the homeland for funerals of family members, sampled Tongan language from Grandpa Ma’ ilei, and some mellow jazz electric guitar by Sione Latukafu. Part 1 is also notable for managing to rhyme ‘Qantas’ with ‘Pocahontas’.

Hau (aka Langomi-ehau Latukefu) has commented that being Tongan makes him unafraid to express emotion, but this aspect is played down here, and there is nothing quite as distinctive as Blue Notes or ‘Oiaue on Random Thoughts, although the title track comes close in its stream-of-consciousness reflection from a train about terrorism, priests and sexual abuse, and the ‘wacker’ and more violent outpourings of chart-topping US MCs. Self Portrait is in similar story-telling fashion, with a languid jazz piano and bass backing, delving into Hau’s childhood and schooldays, revealing him as a rugby union prodigy like his Countryman Jonah Lomu, but eventually relinquishing the sport for the flow. Switching labels from Parallal View to Invada Records, run by Sydney producer Katalyst (Ashley Anderson), whose award-winning album Agent Manipulated was the best local instrumental hip-hop release of 2002, and musically Random Thoughts has a more UK-influenced drum ‘n’bass, breakbeat, garage, funk and electro orientation than Part 1, and Danielsen’s beats have a harsher, sparser, more metallic tone which is influenced by groups like the Chemical Brothers and not always very mellifluous to the ear.  It is an album aimed at the clubs, which mean it is danceable but often sacrifices density and subtlety of lyrical content and musical flavour for more hedonistic party tracks.  Snippets of live performance are also featured, along with some gimmicky samples, and there are a number of guests, with former London Posse MC Rodney P representing a low point with his boastings of sexual conquest over ‘bitches’. Melbourne guests Mnemonic Ascent and Nfamas from 1200 Techniques fare better, but there is sometimes a litttle too much self-reflexive boasting about verbal skills and sexual prowess for my liking, and not a single female voice within earshot. Nonetheless, an important release which establishes another milestone in Australian hip-hop.