- Upshot are a 7-piece Sydney-based live Hip hop band consisting of the
original four members - Martin Johannessen on saxophone, his brother Pauly J on keyboards, Michael Iveson on drums and Leeroy Brown on turntables (who also cuts and scratches for Katalyst). Completing the rhythm section of the band is recent addition Jeremy Glover on bass. MCs Quro (from Reference Point) and Brass (from Celcius) take control of MC vocals and front the band during the live performance. The group have just unleashed their full length album, Make It Happen 2 years after the release of their self titled debut EP and is a culmination of the work they've been showcasing at their live gigs around town.
Leviathan shows off the band's rock persona with distorted guitar riffs and scratched up vocal samples lifted from news reports while the two MCs discuss social issues and political commentary. About To Break demonstrates more of Upshot's hardcore persona as they switch back and forth between smooth jazz beats and hard crashing rhythms. For this they've invited The Herd's Urthboy to get loose on the mic, and he does so screaming and wailing.
MC Brass goes into Celcius MC mode, firing off abstract lyrics and rapid rates on Breathe while the band go off on an uptempo abstract jazz tangent. Upshot's original MC, Sleeping Monk takes over on MC duties on a funky remix of Money which had originally appeared on the Airheads compilation in 2001.
There's also a strong turntablist presence with Leeroy Brown flexing his
scratching muscle on Fire which sees the two MCs dropping a couple of verses while during the breakdown Leeroy Brown cuts and scratches for a turntablist solo. LB Moves On sees Leeroy Brown going for broke as he solos his way on the decks.
MC Brass teams up with Celcius cohort Sereck for Tango with both MC's
displaying a flair for speed raps on top of jazz rhythms leaving the intergalactic b-boy beats on the bench.
Upshot demonstrate a very musical side to hip hop on Make It Happen, combining jazz compositions, horn arrangements with hip hop elements of hip hop MCing and DJing and sampling. Make It Happen is a solid and well rounded album destroying the misconceptions that hip hop is a "press-a-button-and-make-music" style of music.