Max “Eso” MacKinnon is an enthusiastic guy. As one third of Aussie hip hop dominators Bliss N Eso, he has witnessed the scene grow from virtually non-existent to thriving over the course of his career.
The year 2014 marks a decade since the release of their debut album, Flowers In The Pavement, and the trio have experienced remarkable success since then. With a slew of festival appearances and MusicOz and ARIA award nominations and wins under their hoods, their fifth album, Circus In The Sky, sees the trio embark on their biggest national tour to date.
Joined by fellow Sydneysiders Horrorshow and Melbourne’s hip hop man of the moment, Seth Sentry, Bliss N Eso are set to give fans even more than they bargained for.
MacKinnon is quick to dispel any notions of separatism, emphasising, “We’re all buddies – [this tour] was just a phone call away. We definitely wanted to get some groups with some pull, but we don’t just go with anyone. We wanted to go with people we’re friends with, and we’ve worked with both of them before and it’s always been a lovely time. I can expect there to be lots of laughs and shenanigans backstage.”
Staying true to the album’s title, the Circus Under The Stars tour will see the group ditch traditional arenas and play every show literally “under the stars” at 15 outdoor venues across the country.
There is also a significant nod to regional, oft-forgotten parts of Australia – from Bathurst to Busselton – that don’t usually have the good fortune of headline shows in their towns. “There wasn’t any rapping on [Porishead] one but mate, we would just let those beats play and we would freestyle all over them.”
“That’s where we started,” MacKinnon says of the humbler postcodes. “It’s only right that we go back out there for them as they’re the places that are hungry for it. Instead of driving 300km or getting on a plane or spending money to get there, mate, we’ll come to your town.”
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Reflecting on where they started is a topic that comes easily to the artist, who is nothing if not grateful for the position he’s now in. A conversation with the MC, who was once named “Esoterikism” – before they realised “it was too hard for people to say” – is peppered with jokes and frequent outbursts of excitement.
It is no surprise, then, that when asked to talk about the five albums that changed his life, MacKinnon is emphatic in his responses. To limit it to such a number is a struggle. Some artists that didn’t make the final cut include Rage Against The Machine, and a little more surprisingly, Smokey Robinson, Al Green, and James Brown.
“My mother was born in South Africa so she had a bit of soul in her,” he explains. “She just used to pump that music. My dad would take me to Motown shows…there’s something about that era that’s just beautiful.”
The lucky five are as follows.
N.W.A. – Straight Outta Compton
1988, Ruthless Records
“That changed my life. I thought, ‘What is this music? What is this heavy aggression and expression of saying what you want to say?’ And it was naughty, you know what I mean? There were swear words, and there was me sitting in my bedroom, shocked, going, ‘Oh my God’. There was a bit of ‘don’t listen to that, that’s bad’, but I thought, how could this be bad stuff? It’s just music. I was immediately attracted to this culture of free speech and energy and I was hooked from day one. It wasn’t exactly the most positive message in the world, but I kind of got deeper into hip hop – not the mainstream hip hop, as it was so saturated with the “bling bling” and that macho, ‘I’m-better-than-you-vibe” – because of it.”
Wu-Tang Clan – Enter The Wu-Tang (36 Chambers)
1993, Loud Records
“That was just like, wow! I mean, these guys are just like superheroes! I wanted to know them: Raekwon, Method Man, Inspectah Deck; I wanted to know their names. It was just a thing of raw beats, distorted drums, and a kind of dark feeling. I totally got overwhelmed by the mysterious Wu-Tang – they were half-ninja, they were swordsmen. I totally fell in love with that album. I still think to this day it’s one of those safe albums that, if you’re in a Tarago touring around the country or with a gangload of MCs and you’re up near the stereo, you’ve got to make sure you’re putting on something good. Enter The 36 Chambers is the safest album to put on because you just know everyone is in love with it.”
Outkast – Southernplayalistacadillakmuzik
1994, LaFace Records
“The first album from Outkast resonated with me and Bliss because we felt like, ‘look, there are two guys that are doing it [and they’re] kind of like us’. They’re positive; it’s not exactly all about this gangster stuff. They were so prolific and just different, you know? We thought the same thing about ourselves – that we weren’t exactly fitting the norm. Those guys have been a huge influence – all of their albums – but that first one was the one that tipped us over and put us on Outkast’s side.”
Rodriguez – Cold Fact
1970, Sussex Records
“I was influenced by all kinds of albums. I would put Cold Fact up there for sure, and I had that record way before the documentary [Searching for Sugar Man] came out. I did not know where the Sugar Man went, so I am glad that there is a search for him – I’ve got the DVD so I’ll find out what happened to him. I just loved his music. I thought it was free and beautiful and I was interested in the stuff he was talking about – racism and the political ways of the time. It was just amazing.”
Portishead – Portishead
1997, Go! Records
“There wasn’t any rapping on this one but mate, we would just let those beats play and we would freestyle all over them. You know, some of those beats were meant for rhyming to get on top of. We’re very diverse in what shapes us as musicians; it’s not just hip hop. It’s all kinds of music, and that’s why Bliss N Eso are so flexible with the next style that we’re gonna do. We love to jump into anything. Good music is good music.”
Bliss N Eso Australian Tour 2014
CIRCUS UNDER THE STARS TOUR
w/ special guests Horrorshow & Seth Sentry
Sat 5 Apr – Bathurst | Showground, NSW (All Ages)
www.moshtix.com.au | Ph: 1800 GET TIX
Sat 12 Apr – Newcastle | Nobbys Beach Reserve, NSW (All Ages)
www.moshtix.com.au | Ph: 1800 GET TIX
Thu 17 Apr – Sydney | The Domain, NSW (All Ages)
www.moshtix.com.au | Ph: 1800 GET TIX
Sat 19 Apr – Coffs Harbour | Showground, NSW (All Ages)
www.moshtix.com.au | Ph: 1800 GET TIX
Thu 24 Apr – Brisbane | Riverstage, QLD (All Ages)
www.ticketmaster.com.au | Ph: 136 100 or www.moshtix.com.au | Ph: 1800 GET TIX
Fri 25 Apr – Mackay | The Stadium, QLD (All Ages)
www.moshtix.com.au | Ph: 1800 GET TIX
Sat 26 Apr – Cairns | Fogarty Park, QLD (All Ages)
www.moshtix.com.au | Ph: 1800 GET TIX
Fri 2 May – Busselton | Signal Park, WA (All Ages)
www.moshtix.com.au | Ph: 1800 GET TIX
Sat 3 May – Perth | Wellington Square, WA (All Ages)
www.moshtix.com.au | Ph: 1800 GET TIX
Fri 9 May – Wagga Wagga | Showgrounds, NSW (All Ages)
www.moshtix.com.au | Ph: 1800 GET TIX
Sat 10 May – Ballarat | Showgrounds, VIC (All Ages)
www.moshtix.com.au | Ph: 1800 GET TIX
Thu 15 May – Bendigo | Showgrounds, VIC (All Ages)
www.moshtix.com.au | Ph: 1800 GET TIX
Fri 16 May – Melbourne | Flemington Racecourse, VIC (All Ages)
www.moshtix.com.au | Ph: 1800 GET TIX
Fri 23 May – Mount Gambier | Showgrounds, SA (All Ages)
www.moshtix.com.au | Ph: 1800 GET TIX
Sat 31 May – Hobart | Macquarie Wharf 2, TAS (All Ages)
www.moshtix.com.au | Ph: 1800 GET TIX
