Hyjak N Torcha : Interview

Last Updated on Thursday, 20 August 2009 18:07 Written by Tim McNamara Wednesday, 01 July 2009 15:28

No regrets

Five years is a long time to be out of the Oz hip hop scene. In the case of Sydney's Hyjak N Torcha, it wasn't exactly planned, but with a brilliant new album out, shows booked around the country and hunger in the belly, the boys are back.

Bursting forth from Sydney's western suburbs in the late 1990s, Torcha was an original member of Sydney's 'Eth-nik Tribe' while partner Hyjak was himself anointed as a young MC to watch.

The duo released their acclaimed debut album, 'Drastic Measures', in 2004 on Obese records. It cemented Hyjak N Torcha's reputation as one of Australia's freshest hip hop acts, whose intelligent, witty vocal delivery, honest lyrics and storytelling ability are renowned.

Personal challenges saw the duo step out of the limelight for the best part of half a decade, but now they're back with their second album, 'Unregrettable', again released on Obese. It’s an upfront LP that benefits from the production talents of Gold Coast-based producer Mules and guest producers Jase and Jetlag.

“It's been too long, you know what I mean,” Torcha explains of the duo's return. “We had a lot of dramas in between so it's good that it's finally out; it was only last year when we got together with Mules.”

While the duo may have been out of the spotlight for a few years, they haven't taken their fingers off the pulse of what is now a respected national scene and, as Torcha explains, a lot has changed since the release of 'Drastic Measures'.

“There's probably 1,000 people out there doing stuff [now],” he says. “But then you've got the Hilltop Hoods [who] are number one at the moment, you've got Bliss n Eso selling out big arenas. It's definitely been a dramatic change since that album came out.

“Back then it was just starting to pick up; it was just starting to break some barriers and now it's taken off.”

Looking to reconnect with their fanbase around the country, Torcha reveals future plans to take the Hyjak N Torcha show worldwide, but not before local fans get their fix.

“There are places that we'd think of going, like New Zealand, Germany and England, those sort of places where Aussie hip hop can do well but for now we just want to focus on Australia,” he says.

'Unregrettable' is out now through Obese Records.