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For the ancient chinese military strategist and author, see Sun Tzu.

TZU
TZU (Joelistics, left, and Seed MC, right) performing at Big Day Out, Melbourne, 2006
TZU (Joelistics, left, and Seed MC, right) performing at Big Day Out, Melbourne, 2006
Background information
OriginMelbourne, Victoria, Australia
GenresAustralian hip hop
Years active1999 (1999)–2013 (2013)
LabelsLiberation
Past members
  • Joel Ma p.k.a. Joelistics
  • Corey McGregor p.k.a. Yeroc
  • Phillip Norman p.k.a. Seed MC, Count Bounce
  • Shehab Tariq p.k.a. Pasobionic
  • Dustin McLean p.k.a. Duzy What
Websitewww.tzu.com.au

TZU (pronounced "Tee Zed Yoo") were an Australian hip hop group, formed in 1999 by Joelistics, Yeroc, Seed MC and Paso Bionic. They used instruments in live performances, giving their shows a rock-infused feeling.[1] Duzy What joined in 2005. TZU released four studio albums, Position Correction (2004), Smiling at Strangers (2005), Computer Love (2008, which peaked in the ARIA Charts top 30) and Millions of Moments (2012), before disbanding in 2013.

History

[edit]

1999-2004: Formation, Um... Just A Liddlbidova Mic Check, Position Correction

[edit]

TZU formed in 1999 in Melbourne, initially as a side project. The group's lineup stayed the same until their disbandment; MCs Joel Ma (p.k.a. Joelistics) and Phillip "Pip" Norman (p.k.a. Seed MC and later known as Count Bounce) [ex-Pan], who also played guitar and bass; Corey McGregor (p.k.a. Yeroc) on drums and samplers, and Shehab Tariq (p.k.a. Pasobionic) on turntables.[2] According to Seed MC, the group started out as an almagation of two groups; Pan and Curse ov Dialect. Pan, the group he was a part of, were a "drum-and-bass/funk/reggae mash-up" band, while Curse ov Dialect (who Pasobionic was a part of) were an "oddball experimental hip hop group with a penchant for throwing meat at the audience."[2]

According to Joelistics, the group's name is taken from the Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu,[3] which was suggested by Lee Hartney of the Smith Street Band. Styled as TZU and originally pronounced "Tzu", the pronunciation of the band's name was changed to "Tee Zed You" early on in their career to add an "element of mystery."[3] Their debut six-track extended play (EP), Um... Just A Liddlbidova Mic Check (2001), was recorded in a portable studio in the back of a truck parked near Hobart.[2][4][5] Local Noise's Tony Mitchell described it as "tentative."[5] After the EP's release, they were signed to Liberation Music,[2] who they would release all their future material under.

TZU released their debut album, Position Correction, on 19 February 2004. The album was co-produced by Seed and Yeroc[5] and peaked just outside the ARIA Charts Top 100 in March.[6] Greg Lawrence of WHAMMO described how the quartet, "[are] a bunch of true technicians who successfully transmit their love for beats and lyrics. The double-pronged vocal attack is more exact than the scalpel of a master surgeon, the subterranean bass growls and snappy beats are premium."[7] Tony Mitchell felt "[it] covers a wide range of moods, styles and tempos, and represents another new direction in Australian hip-hop coming from an idiosyncratic Melbourne push which is making an important impact on local indigenisations of the genre."[5]

2005 - 2009: Smiling / Snarling At Strangers, Computer Love

[edit]

In 2005 keyboard player, Dustin McLean (p.k.a. Duzy What)[8] was added to the group's line-up. TZU issued their second studio album, Smiling at Strangers, which was produced by Magoo (Regurgitator, Butterfingers).[9] It reached the ARIA Albums Chart top 100 in late September.[6] Mitchell noticed, "[they] can successfully combine rock and hip hop... through a desire to experiment with and stretch the often restrictive parameters of MCing and Djing."[9] Simon Jones of Soulshine compared it to their debut album, "[they] have taken a more instrument-based approach in the studio, leaving behind the beats and samples of their debut Position Correction and replacing them with guitars, piano, drums and the occasional horn line."[10] In February 2006 the album was short-listed for the inaugural Australian Music Prize for releases in 2005.[11][12]

In February-March 2006, they won Yahoo! Music's "Who's Next" monthly music public-voted poll.[13][14] In November of that year they re-released Smiling at Strangers as a limited edition 2×CD, Snarling at Strangers, which, along with the original album's fourteen tracks, included a second five-track disc, Snarl, and three music videos.[15][16] The additional, previously unreleased tracks were described by Tristan of There Is no Roseability as, "a harsh critique of current politics/society. It's not as militaristic or angry as The Herd's material, but it's harsh nonetheless. It still has the genius wit and timelessness of Australian hip-hop."[17]

In 2008, the band released their third studio album, Computer Love. Rolling Stone Australia said "Melbourne group TZU just can't stop upping the ante ... They meld classic eighties electro with the more traditional funk keeping the emphasis on authenticity and class throughout."[citation needed] Inpress said "Computer Love is full of old school synth's, masterful sampling and live instrumentation - a maverick in its field and release that will set a new standard for the Australian music landscape."[citation needed]

Richard Kingsmill, Musical Director of Australian radio station Triple J, stated in regard to the band's 2008 J Award nomination for Computer Love, "They open their album saying "TZU still feelin' awesome". I couldn't agree more. They keep growing as an act and expanding on their influences. This album has so much life and they're doing all this themselves. No mentors, producers or anyone getting in the way. Pure talent."[18]

A remix album, titled Cover Up Motel, was released the following year in 2009, which featured remixes of songs from Computer Love. The title of the album is an anagram of Computer Love.

2010–2013: Millions of Moments, disbandment

[edit]

In 2012, after a period of inactivity, TZU released their fourth and final album Millions of Moments.[19] The album is a concept album about a woman named Persephone who test-trials a mind-altering drug called Chronos which takes her through the minds of various people in different points in time.[20] The concept stemmed from Joelistics' travels in Asia, as he explains in an interview with Beat Magazine:

“I was constantly in front of screens [...] laptops and phones and being outside the environment I was in. Like being in Mongolia on a train and still being in front of my laptop! Chronos became this idea of being addicted to experiences that aren’t yours – the idea of Chronos is that you’re inside the consciousness of someone else in a different time period, so you’re not actually an active participant of that person’s experience … you’re just a passenger to what’s happening to them.”

Sonically, the album takes a detour from hip-hop to opt for a darker, more experimential electronic pop sound. In the same interview with Beat Magazine, Joelistics also delves into the reasoning behind this:

“It wasn’t that we didn’t want to make a hip hop record, as much as it was that we just followed our noses into the sound of the record. It wasn’t like trying to alienate ourselves from our past or anything like that – it was simply… I reckon the reason this album particularly is very un-hip hop, at the heart of it, is that there’s always been this side of the band where we get together and do all the out-takes from our old albums in these slow, sort of instrumental jams. And in every album, there’s probably three or four slow, psychedelic songs that never got released; unfinished, quite electronic and a bit nerdy! When we came together for those first few weeks [of recording], that was the side that – you know, if there wasn’t going to be any outcome from this, let’s do what we’ve always wanted to do. ‘Set up at your station with your synths and your samplers and let’s jam!’ That was the spirit of it, and that’s what led us to not do a hip hop record; we’ve really got to indulge that side of us.”

To promote the album, they went on tour. [21] The following year, the band had quietly called it quits on making music together. Joelistics and Count Bounce went on to pursue solo careers, while Paso Bionic pursued a career in design.

Members

[edit]

Credits:[8]

  • Joel Ma p.k.a. Joelistics – vocals, guitar, bass guitar
  • Corey McGregor p.k.a. Yeroc – drums, samplers
  • Phillip Norman p.k.a. Seed MC or Countbounce – vocals, guitar, bass guitar
  • Shehab Tariq p.k.a. Paso Bionic – turntables
  • Dustin p.k.a. Duzy What – keyboards

Discography

[edit]

Studio albums

[edit]
List of studio albums with selected details and chart positions
Title Details Peak chart positions
AUS
[22]
Position Correction —
Smiling at Strangers
  • Released: September 2005
  • Label: Liberation Music (LIBCD7176.2)
  • Format: CD, CD+CD-ROM
 71
Computer Love
  • Released: June 2008
  • Label: Liberation Music (LMCD0012)
  • Format: CD, CD+CD-ROM
 23
Millions of Moments 57

Remix albums

[edit]
List of remix albums, with selected details
Title Details
Cover Up Motel

Extended plays

[edit]
List of extended plays
Title Details
Um... Just A Liddlbidova Mic Check
  • Released: 2001
  • Label: Tzu
  • Format: CD
The Position Selection
  • Released: 2004
  • Label: Liberation Music
  • Format: LP

Singles

[edit]
List of singles, with selected chart positions
Title Year Peak chart positions Album
AUS
[22]
"The Horse You Rode in On" 2003 — Position Correction
"Dam Busters" —
"Wildstylee" 2004 —
"She Gets Up" 2005 — Smiling at Strangers
"In Front of Me"[25] 2006 51 Smiling at Strangers
"Computer Love" 2008 — Computer Love
"Beginning of the End"[26] 2012 — Millions of Moments
"Beautiful"[27] —

Awards and nominations

[edit]

APRA Awards

[edit]

The APRA Awards are held in Australia and New Zealand by the Australasian Performing Right Association to recognise songwriting skills, sales and airplay performance by its members annually.

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2007[28] "In Front of Me" Most Performed Urban Work Nominated

Australian Music Prize

[edit]

The Australian Music Prize (the AMP) is an annual award of $30,000 given to an Australian band or solo artist in recognition of the merit of an album released during the year of award. They commenced in 2005.

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2005[29] Smiling at Strangers Australian Music Prize Nominated

J Awards

[edit]

The J Awards are an annual series of Australian music awards that were established by the Australian Broadcasting Corporation's youth-focused radio station Triple J. They commenced in 2005.

Year Nominee / work Award Result
2008[18] Computer Love Australian Album of the Year Nominated

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Hall, Louise (27 March 2006). "Hip-hop without the usual bling bling". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  2. ^ a b c d MacGregor, Jody (June 2008). "TZU". Rave Magazine. Archived from the original on 27 July 2008. Retrieved 21 November 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  3. ^ a b Birchgrove Boy (24 August 2004). "Interview with MC Joelistics from TZU". Digitalthugz. Archived from the original on 14 October 2004. Retrieved 20 November 2021.
  4. ^ "Product Details: TZU > CDS > TZU Um... Just a Liddlbidova Mic Check CD". Out with the New. Archived from the original on 25 September 2009. Retrieved 21 November 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  5. ^ a b c d Mitchell, Tony. "Position Correction (Review)". Local Noise. Archived from the original on 13 October 2009. Retrieved 21 November 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  6. ^ a b Thomas, Tara (26 September 2005). "Week Commencing ~ 26th September 2005 ~ Issue #813" (PDF). The ARIA Report (813). Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA): 2, 5, 10, 12, 18. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 October 2005. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  7. ^ Lawrence, Greg. "Position Correction". Worldwide Home of Australasian Music and More Online (WHAMMO). Archived from the original on 13 August 2004. Retrieved 13 December 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  8. ^ a b "About". TZU on Facebook. Facebook. 1 July 2008. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  9. ^ a b Mitchell, Tony (2007). "Smiling at Strangers (Review)". Local Noise. Archived from the original on 27 February 2014. Retrieved 14 December 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  10. ^ Jones, Simon (14 January 2006). "TZU – Smiling at Strangers". Soulshine: Australian Independent Music. Archived from the original on 18 November 2010. Retrieved 14 December 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  11. ^ "The Shortlist for the 2005 Australian Music Prize Has Been Announced". FasterLouder.com.au. 6 February 2006. Archived from the original on 7 June 2010. Retrieved 14 December 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  12. ^ "The Drones Take Out the Inaugural AMP (Australian Music Prize)". FasterLouder.com.au. 9 March 2006. Archived from the original on 8 September 2007. Retrieved 14 December 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  13. ^ "TZU - Who's Next Winners Feature: Yahoo!7 Music". Yahoo!7 Music. 2006. Archived from the original on 26 May 2006.
  14. ^ "'In Front of Me' – TZU". Liberation Music. 2009. Archived from the original on 21 September 2009. Retrieved 14 December 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  15. ^ Jean (17 January 2007). "Snarling at Strangers – tzu". thedwarf.com.au. Archived from the original on 20 July 2008. Retrieved 14 December 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  16. ^ "New Australasian Releases". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). November 2006. Archived from the original on 10 November 2010. Retrieved 14 December 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  17. ^ Tristan (22 December 2006). "Come on Australia, Shake Your". there is no roseability. Archived from the original on 15 September 2009. Retrieved 14 December 2021 – via National Library of Australia.
  18. ^ a b "Computer Love TZU". triple j. ABC. 2008. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  19. ^ "Interview with Joelistics".
  20. ^ "TZU - Beat Magazine".
  21. ^ "Interview with TZU, October 2012". 2012.
  22. ^ a b Peaks in Australia:
    • All except noted: Ryan, Gavin (2011). Australia's Music Charts 1988–2010 (PDF ed.). Mt Martha, Victoria, Australia: Moonlight Publishing. p. 288.
    • Computer Love: "Discography TZU". australian-charts.com. Retrieved 23 October 2022.
  23. ^ TZU (Musical group) (2012), Millions of Moments, Liberation Music, retrieved 21 November 2021, Performer: TZU: Joelistics (Joel Ma); Countbounce (Phillip Norman); Paso Bionic (Shehad Tariq); Yerock (Corey McGregor).
  24. ^ "TZU release remix album". triple j. ABC. 30 January 2009. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  25. ^ "In Front of Me - single". Apple Music. July 2006. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  26. ^ "Beginning of the End - single". Apple Music. 2 April 2012. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  27. ^ "Beautiful - single". Apple Music. August 2012. Retrieved 28 July 2020.
  28. ^ "Most Performed Urban Work Nominations - 2007". APRA|AMCOS. 2013. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
  29. ^ Brian Wise (6 February 2006). "Australian Music Prize; Shortlist Announced". ABC DIG Internet Radio. ABC. Retrieved 23 January 2013.
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