It’s said that good things will come to those who wait.
That couldn’t be truer for fans of the Frankston-born hitmaker Illy, thanks to the recent release of his fifth album, Two Degrees. Three years on from his ARIA-certified gold record, Cinematic, this time around the rapper left everyone on edge waiting for a follow-up – including his record company.
“I think I’ve given the people at Warner heart attacks actually on a few occasions!” he jokes. “I only got the masters a few weeks ago, and it was cutting it close to the release date, but it’s all good.”
With Two Degrees finally out there for the world to enjoy, the charismatic yet down-to-earth Al Murray sounds relaxed and excited about hitting the road for a handful of festivals over the summer. However, he’s not always so cool, calm and collected.
“There is always that anxiety I feel right up until the album comes out, and I felt it especially leading up to this release, because it was such a long process,” he says. “I’ve been working on demos since the start of last year and it’s been really full-on. I’ve taken my time because I wanted to raise the bar higher and exceed my own personal expectations after the success of Cinematic. I really wanted to improve on that experience and now I feel pretty happy having taken that time.”
The importance of time and knowing how to use it are recurring themes on Two Degrees, which Murray made clear in the press notes ahead of the release. “President Obama was asked whether he viewed his presidency as a success, having faced such fierce opposition throughout his two terms,” said Murray then. “His answer likened society to a ship, where you can’t steer 50 degrees at once, but if you move two degrees then another two degrees, and continue like this, years later you end up in a very different place from where you began. And as long as you’re steering in the right direction and progressing, your impact is made over time. This album is a celebration of moving forward, two degrees at a time.”
Now, Murray laughs. “I know that I’m a musician and I’m quoting something by the leader of the free world. I know there is a difference, and I’m not that arrogant. But I did see a parallel in that I’m in a very different spot now than when I started my career. I believe that lasting change is something that happens over time, rather than something that can happen in a flashpoint moment.”
Encouraged by the success of his single ‘Papercuts’, featuring Sydney-based singer-songwriter Vera Blue, Murray showcases his talent for writing pop lyrics and exploring electronic music throughout Two Degrees,while still maintaining his signature hip hop style.
“Everyone thinks in hindsight that it’s easy to see that ‘Papercuts’ was a no-brainer [as the single], but at the time, going out with a track that was completely different-sounding to anything I’d done before was a really big risk,” says Murray. “But even when I was coming out of the underground scene in an unknown crew, I was always more involved with melody and different styles than strictly hip hop.”
Ultimately arriving at a total of six unique artist collaborations across Two Degrees (including the new single ‘Catch 22’ featuring British vocalist Anne-Marie), Illy hand-picked a plethora of talent to work with, including Chicago’s Sir The Baptist, Marko Penn, Tonight Alive’s Jenna McDougall and up-and-coming singer-songwriter Mike Waters.
“Mike’s a Melbourne kid and we share the same management company,” Murray explains. “While I was writing ‘Extra Extra’ I realised it really needed that indie-sounding male voice that has a little bit of a quirk to it. Mike was a perfect fit for that, and I think I got him at the right time because although he’s only just starting his career, having heard some of his songs I think he’s headed for big things. He’s awesome.”
Murray is no stranger to recognising and supporting fresh talent. He played a significant role in the early success of fellow rapper Allday’s career, and co-founded his own label Onetwo Records with Melbourne-based music company UNFD.
“Obviously, finishing the album over the last few months, I haven’t had a whole lot of time to focus on the label, but we’re in the process of actually signing a new act and things are going to start moving forward again very soon,” he says. “I would really like to spend more time building Onetwo up, because there are a lot of talented artists around, and I think we could definitely help a lot of the young performers out here – that’s definitely the aim for next year.”
Indeed, Murray humbly believes he can offer fledgling artists some sound advice, having been through the ups and downs of an emerging music career and come out on top. “Having the guts to back myself and finding that confidence is a process that’s taken quite a long time,” he says. “But I’ve moved slowly and incrementally made changes to my sound to get to a point where I’m making the best stuff of my career.”
Still, Murray says a lot of the credit for the genre-bending tracks on Two Degrees should go to his buddy, the Grammy Award-winning Australian producer M-Phazes. “Phazes is a world-class producer in my opinion – he is comfortably the best producer in Australia,” Murray says. “That’s not me throwing shade on anyone else, but he’s my homie – we have each other’s back and I feel fortunate.
“We’re both pretty hard taskmasters. We call each other out when we don’t think we’ve done the best we can do, and we don’t pull punches – I think that’s one of the secrets to our long-standing working relationship. I value his opinion more than anybody else’s because I think he’s deserving of that.”
Murray will be joining more of his musical allies on the road as they make their way around the country as part of Falls Festival this summer, while he’ll also headline the NYE Street Party at Newcastle’s Cambridge Hotel.
“I can’t wait to play these songs live – I’ve put more of myself in this album than any of the others. I’ve killed myself for this album and been forced to put myself out of my comfort zone in terms of pushing new sounds, but I think the title of the album really sums it all up – making those changes and being able to look back at the end of it and know that you’ve trusted your gut and that it paid off is a really cool feeling. I’m proud of it and I hope that people like it.”
Two Degrees is out now through Onetwo/Warner. Illy appears at Falls Festival 2016/17, Lorne, Marion Bay and Byron Bay, Wednesday December 28 – Monday January 2; and headlines NYE Street Party at the Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle on Saturday December 31.
