After winning second place in the International Songwriting Awards, playing every festival and worthwhile club in Australia and charting in the top 5 for every single released so far MC Double D of Sneaky Sound System admits he is “pretty chuffed” with the whole experience.
The trio formed back in 2002 after two friends, Black Angus and MC Double D, decided to turn their love for DJing into a musical act that would become the focus of their careers. And they their extra ingredient for success in Hyde Park. The songbird who has since become Miss Connie was busking in the stroll-through part of Sydney when the pair laid ears on her unique but invigorating voice. With this combo, they took their homemade demos into a few major labels; but after a few rejections decided to produce their music with a full emphasis on a DIY approach in making a chart topping self-titled debut.
“This album was kind of like going to record making school,” says Double D. Although when you hear the the album doing its thing in your stereo it’s hard to believe that it’s groovy sounds were produced at the groups own humble Whack Studios in Bondi.
“Angus often walks down the street with a song in his head” explains MCDD. “And then he hands it over to me to do the mixing. Like all song writers, his lyrics come from what he sees going on. That’s combined with me taking mixes from all over the place to sort of try to carry that uplifting vibe started by Angus into a melodic tune that people can dance to and love.”
It sounds like a pretty generic song writing process. So what sets them apart from the rest of the crap on the pop charts? Perhaps it’s the fact that this all-aussie pop group keeps their pop free of the predicatable urban shenanigans dominating the charts at the moment, and pimp the party in their own relatable way. Their album is fluffy, light-hearted and everything you’d want to have playing as background music at a pool party. But in saying this, songs like the catchy UFO and Pictures (which came second in the international song writing contest) have lyrics that can be pondered on and left open to individual interpretation.
Perhaps it’s their catchiness combined with a unique level of pop sensibility that have lead to Sneaky Sound System being recognised by world-famous pop acts like The Scissor Sisters and Robbie Williams. Or maybe some of it comes down to showmanship: “When we’ve been on stage with such massive names it’s all been very exiting, but we’ve been very comfortable the whole time,” Double D assures us.
Nonetheless, over the past year Sneaky Sound System have spread their sound waves throughout the US, Hong Kong, UK and other parts of Europe, but as you hear Miss Connie’s voice leaking smoothly through the speakers and contrasting perfectly in time to the deep undulating bass, anyone would wonder whether this is a live act and not a lip synced vaudeville. Double D seemed no less than shocked that the question was even being asked: “It’s all live.” He says simply.
By making an impression like this, and winning best up and coming dance artist at the 2006 Aria Awards, Sneaky Sound System are looking to score an MTV Video Music Award for their song Pictures. “If everyone gets on the MTV website and votes for us, then we’ll hopefully win,” Double D tells me in a “no-shit” kind of tone.
New single UFO is due in the stores on April 28th, so when you hear it bouncing from the walls of the walls of a club or terrorising the traffic as it blares from a p-platers frangipani clad car, you can appreciate the hard work that went into bringing Sneaky Sound System out of a small back-yard production setup and into the mainstream spotlight.
In addition to their appearance at this weekend’s Smirnoff Experience, Sneaky Sound System will be playing the following dates across May.
Thursday 3rd – Melbourne, The Forum
Saturday 5th – Caloundra, Malibu Sunset Sessions
Sunday 6th – Gold Coast, Platinum
Friday 11th – Sydney, The Forum
Saturday 12th – Maitland, Groovin In The Moo
Thursday 17th – Rouse Hill, The Mean Fiddler
Friday 18th – Canberra, Friction
Saturday 19th – Adelaide, The Dom Polski Centre
Friday 25th – Brisbane, The Met
Saturday 26th – Traralgon, Inferno
