At the forefront of Canberra’s hiphop scene is Koolism, the duo of MC Hau and DJ Danielsan. Koolism are a many headed beast; DJing, MCing, live and in the studio, but also with a social conscience and intelligent beats and rhymes that encapsulate a wide range of musical influences, cultural heritage, poignant messages and light hearted humour.

Koolism have put in some serious studio time of late and their second album Part One makes it obvious why they’re one of Australia’s most respected groups.

“I’m quite flattered [with the response to the album],” says Hau. “I mean, if anyone does anything they love doing and it is appreciated by so many people, its just so rewarding. You put all this hard work, plus a lot of your heart and soul, into it and you think: 'as long as we and our friends and family like it, that’s cool'.”

“But when people start buying it, playing it on radio, write good reviews for it, or just come up to you and tell you how much they're feeling it, its overwhelming.”

Hau’s tight rhymes, which deal with everything from the less serious details of taking your girlie to KFC through to the more profound story of his Tongan heritage, purvey both the mellow and the tough. His raps are about everyday happenings, rather than the comic gangster tripe pushed by most of the global scene, but still retain more attitude than a Mike Tyson press conference.

“I like the braggadocio element in rhyming - the battle shit. But you can’t battle all the time. There are so many things to talk about. I’m Tongan. I’ll rhyme about being that and show a few things about my culture to people who don’t even know where Tonga is.”

“I’m also not one to be scared to show emotions. I’ll rhyme about love, friends and family both here and who have passed away, girls, partying...all of what life has to offer. If I got something on my mind or feeling in a particular way, I’ll express it.”

What really tops Hau’s lyrical prowess off is the firm musical underpinnings - no doubt heavily influenced by the encyclopaedia of beats that is Danielsan - which define Koolism’s impeccable style. The production is clean and organic, resulting a sound which is as pleasing on the couch as it is on the dancefloor. Elements of Reggae, Soul, Funk, Jungle and even traditional Polynesian rhythms seem to knit seamlessly into one.

“It all goes into the Koolism melting pot to create our own sound of hiphop. No one sounds like us in Australia. Maybe no one sounds like us overseas too. Our new CD is so diverse, you couldn’t say 'oh, they’re hardcore' or 'oh, they’re dance'. But maybe you could say, we're all of the above.”

“We just wanted to make, not only good Australian hiphop and hiphop in general, but just good music. We never follow trends or the latest sounds in this and that. We just do what we feel is good music for us and hopefully people will appreciate it.”

Another aspect of Koolism’s manifesto which sets them aside from the typical hiphop outfit is their social responsibility and positive vibes. However it extends far further than just their rhymes and attitude, with Hau making visits to local Tongan youth in the Cobram Remand Centre. Rejecting the old cliché, Hau’s actions speak just as loud as his words.

“Hiphop has a big [social and cultural] responsibility. It has so much power over the youth. It’s a very influencial musical genre. I don’t think the hiphop artists in America know how influencial they are on their listeners. A lot of them talk shit, and a lot of these kids listening to it take it to heart and think that’s the way to be. They gotta realise the power they have does mould a lot of the kids' minds. They gotta use that power for good, sometimes.”

“But in saying that, it would be very boring music if everyone said the same thing. So you gotta take the good with that bad - Yin and Yang. I just think hiphop needs a good balance...but more tilted towards the positivity side of things. Hiphop needs groups like Black Eyed Peas, De La Soul, MosDef & Common expressing positivty. We need these crews uplifting the people and challenging them to use their minds instead of their wallets or social status.”

Koolism’s work has put Canberra on the global hiphop map, as well as putting the lads themselves on the global hiphop stage. Unlike many hiphop artists Hau and Danielsan can reproduce the same quality and diversity on stage, seeing them nominated for Best Live Hiphop act at the Australian Dance Music Awards. A blistering live experience is the Koolism way of things – as the promo blurb says they’re ‘putting male and female body movement back as the number one priority at live hiphop shows.’

“My role in the live Koolism show is the same as that of any DJ. To fire back ten times the energy that the party people have come for and make sure everyone has to skip work the next day,” says Danielsan.

“This isn't pop music with a backing tape and some lip sync either, this is Koolism happening live on stage pushing the volume way past ten. This band will be playing congas, timbales, turntables, an MPC sampler, a microphone, more speakers than an old drive in and enough amps to cause a blackout. Punters can expect a killer show.”

Koolism's Part One is out now and are dropping science at a venue near you soon. More info @ www.koolism.com.