DIRECT INFLUENCE

WITH TWO COUNTRIES SO CLOSE IT WAS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE NZ AND OZ DEVELOPED A CROSS-TASMAN SOUND
Direct Influence have a had a hell of a year through 2010 travelling far and wide with their debut album 'War In My Kitchen' criss crossing Australia and NZ, heading to Japan for showcase show and a stop in Vietnam to perform to their biggest radio station's 10.4 million listener audience - and capping it all off with a performance opening for N.E.R.D. at Rhythm and Vines festival to a crowd of 20,000 people.
War In My Kitchen! received significant national radio play around the release of War In My Kitchen’s lead single Final Word, with their new offerings welcomed with rave reviews such as “Direct Influence have nothing but talent” Beat Magazine. 'Final Word feat. EQ' also made it to the Triple J Hottest 100 voting list and it's not out of reach to make the final cut.
War In My Kitchen spawns a new era for the reggae/hip-hop founded duo who have managed to unleash their many other musical urges onto this disc to produce a truly ground breaking debut. Marcus explains the development of the record: “We love electro, we love rock and of course we love our soul heavy reggae and hip hop. On this album we wrote songs regardless of genre the DI connection between the flow of all our tunes is what makes our sound.”
Direct Influence have been bringing their unique sound to audiences across Australia for the last 4 years, breaking through with their first official EP, Herbal Ninja in 2006, followed by the Better Day EP in 2008. Front-men Dylan Smith and Marcus Ross have been writing and performing together since their high school days in Bunyip in regional Victoria almost a decade ago. Since then, the pair has grown into one of Melbourne’s fore-front acts.
With a backlog of ground-breaking tunes to record, Direct Influence embarked on their debut album, drawing from a network of talented producers, collaborative artists and brilliant guests. Featuring collaborations with UK emcee EQ on first single ‘Final Word’, and the potent vocals of ARIA's 2010 Best Male Artist, Dan Sultan on their powerful new single ‘For My People’, the album’s mix of love, fun and empowerment is sure to strike a chord with chart-gazers to reggae rude boys to club stompers and indi kids alike.
‘For My People’ came about in a matter of minutes as Dylan jotted down some lines in the studio, originally working on a different tune. When dylan wrote the song he immediately thought of Dan. Two black men empowering their respective races to feel proud of their heritage and an artist who would bring a raw vocal balance needed to kick this powerful song into gear would be the foundation of the next single. A few months later and a total of around 20 awe-inspiring minutes in the studio Dylan, Marcus and Dan wrapped up a beautiful tune just in time for print.
Sending a message of hope, over heavy beats and powerful guitar riffs, to anyone who has ever been oppressed, ‘For My People’ sings out - “How can we live in a world that’s so cold? Rise up against the people coz I’m telling you, rise up against the people, they be selling you. This is for my people. This is for a brighter day.”
Relentless touring through 2010 saw D.I. go from strength to strength. Following on from some huge shows in late 2009, The ‘War In My Kitchen’ Australia/NZ Album Tour took Direct Influence and their craft to the next level. “Playing live is the ultimate test and when we pull it off it comes with the greatest reward. It's the live show that links the D.I. to our audiences. The CD is a mere souvenir of that experience”
Early 2011 will see the team back in the studio to write a new record so stay tuned to hear the development 12 months has made!