THE HERD - The Herd
Elefant Traks members gather round the ashes of the dead zombies in the Central Coast to work on a huge collaborative album. 18 tracks of witty hip hop, cinematic beats and drumnbass resulted - with a concept that captured imaginations. The artists involved all took on symbols, to reject the
egotistical emphasis on individual artists.

Conceived at a 5 week group getaway on the NSW north coast, This album captures the essence of the Aussie summer, while also reflecting the deeper thoughts and concerns of Herd members at the time.

One particular single taken from the album was the Traksewt, Ozi Batla and Toe-fu collab 'Scallops' which unexpectedly received massive Triple J coverage, despite being over 5 minutes long. The success of this single spurred the first of many tours, playing to healthy numbers in Sydney, and a dogfight everywhere else. The hardyards spent touring initially would come to serve The Herd well, as later albums would see tremendous gigs around Australia with ever-larger followings - even in Melbourne.


 
1 Scallops! MP3 
2 Lurque MP3 
3 Symbiosis MP3 
4 Royal Jelly MP3 
5 Dasen (confused mix) MP3 
6 hello boys MP3 
7 Hill Cats MP3 
8 Manufactured MP3 
9 Awaken  
10 Toronto MP3 
11 X-continetal MP3 
12 Ones n Zeroes MP3 
13 Too late MP3 
14 Takin Space MP3 
15 Gutterats MP3 
16 20 leopards MP3 
17 Sutherland pickup MP3 
18 tricky Sleeves MP3 
 
 
Catalogue No.: ACE007
Release Date: 06.09.2001
Format: CD
Cover Art: Dale Harrison
 

 
"…Mixed and mastered it's beautiful packaging to boot. Quality folks, quality…. It is music about life. It is music to be enjoyed. …" Large Confessions - Revolver Magazine 12/11/01

"Respect has to be given to such integrity and collective unity that is solely concerned as progressing artistically as one… From beginning to end, the intricate production is tight, diverse and extremely accessible. Ultimately, The Herd, through their music, transmit a sense of progression - it is not just a hip hop album, it is indeed more than that, a music journey that captures the essence of the Australian summer." Karate Tomato - Revolver Magazine - 15 Oct 2001

"The laconic rhymes rub up against playful instrumental tracks, resulting in quite a unified mixed bag." Who Weekly - 26 Nov 2001

"…the amount of effort that has been put into the production of this album and the amalgamation of sounds contained within all lead to one extraordinarily unique album." Scene Magazine - 24 Oct 2001

"…the kudos here is due to the fact that there are just so many great tracks amongst the 18 included & the whole thing flows steadily…. There's a lot more warmth in the music & samples.. while the rhythms are less crunchy, still maintaining their punch & hip hop roots." Paris Pomper - Drum Media - 23 Oct 2001

"'Scallops' opens the album and is beautifully Australian. Tracks like 'Symbiosis' and 'Manufactured' lurk poignantly between more electronica focussed tracks and a pearler called 'Too Late', a really strong track featuring Urthboy..." Mark Pollard (Stealth mag) - 3D World Magazine - 1st Oct 2001

"Unlike some collaborative albums that get lost in the disparity of input, for The Herd, diversity is their strength… Ultimately, this album represents eighteen tracks of witty hip hop, cinematic beats and tight drum 'n' bass. Make way for a stampede." Passing Show Magazine - October 2001

"Scallops, has been receiving support from JJJ, and with good cause - it's a dead funny, dead smart piece of very Australian hip hop… Nice Work." Stu Magazine - Nov 2001

"The album as The Herd represents a lot of what is good about what has been happening in Aussie hip hop of late. Ozi Batla's rhymes have gotten more complex and his flow more natural and the production work by all involved is excellent. The Herd is deservedly doing well on radio." Yellow Peril - 3D World Magazine - 3 Dec 2001
 

 
Inertia
 

 
 The Herd: Scallops clip
 

Elefant Traks © 2006