DIAFRIX – CONCRETE JUNGLE

MC Momo and Azmarino are a multicultural mixed bag, and they’ve translated that into a debut mix-tape of hip hop sounds from the dusty heart of Africa and the sketchy streets of Footscray. Time Will Tell and the title track open with a loungy, sauntering pace that can be labelled: “Easy Listening with a conscience”. That’s the first thing you notice about Diafrix – their lyrics are some of the most poignant I’ve heard in Oz hip hop possibly because they’re bringing their own refugee status and displacement issues to the table. Despite this, it’s never too angry or preachy and balances the heaviness with entertainment and bloody good production.

Towards the middle they tinker with the genre, bringing a Roots Manuva/feel to ESL. Then, with an injection of reggae, afro beat, old-school rap and (oddly) 40s jump blues, it’s like they’re slowly unravelling influences song by song. The album’s centerpiece is dedicated to the birthplace of hip hop championed by the refrains of Mama Africa (Djarabinge), which is almost a saddening in its beauty. Fittingly, it ends with the lazy ode to Marley, Redemption. But this is far from a world album. Diafrix have managed to squeeze in numerous facets of their roots without straying far from modern hip hop producing one of the most well-rounded, well-played Aussie albums I’ve heard in ages.

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