Wicked Beat Sound System is a

Sydney Sydney is the capital city of the States and territories of Australia, state of New South Wales and the List of cities in Australia by population, most populous city in Australia. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Syd ...

based group whose sound is best described as a mixture of

electronica Electronica is both a broad group of electronic-based music styles intended for listening rather than strictly for dancing and a music scene that came to prominence in the early 1990s in the United Kingdom. In the United States, the term is mos ...

, dub and

soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

. The group formed in 1992, following a series of live "jams" instigated by DJ Dave Carnovale (Crucial D) in collaboration with Damian Robinson and other DJs Scott Pullen and Mark Walton which took place at the Bentley Bar c. 1991 in Sydney's Darlinghurst area. They have released five albums to date. Originally featuring

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

and

hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...

, the group expanded their sound to incorporate elements of

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...

and

breaks Break or Breaks or The Break may refer to: Time off from duties * Recess (break), time in which a group of people is temporarily dismissed from its duties * Break (work), time off during a shift/recess ** Coffee break, a short mid-morning rest ...

. They have been nominated for three

ARIA Music Awards The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austr ...

and an Australian Dance Music Award as well as creating dozens of remixes for others. The lineup of the group was originally Linda Janssen and MC KYE on vocals, alongside producers Damian Robinson and DJ Dave Carnovale. Over the years many other artists have been included in the lineup of the 'Live' band including Marko Simec (Waiting For Guinness), the late Bruce (Babs) Clarke, well known breaks producer Andy Page, Dave Norris (Nubreed) as well as current performers Gerard Masters, Ian Mussington and Cameron Undy. Dave Carnovale departed the band in 2003 to concentrate on his 'Dubnosis' project and MC Kye departed the band shortly after the release of their fourth album ''4ormation'' in 2005 to work on his Budspells Album. They have headlined their own tours and have supported

Ben Harper Benjamin Charles Harper (born October 28, 1969) is an American singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist. Harper plays an eclectic mix of blues, folk, soul, reggae, and rock music, and he is known for his guitar-playing skills, vocals, liv ...

and The Fugees

History

Wicked Beat Sound System's first single releases, "Stand Up", "Inside" and "Summer Sun", were produced by John Prior at Unity Gain Studios. "Stand Up" was the group's first video, "Inside" and "Summer Sun" were originally released on Matt Hayward's independent label One Movement, while "Summer Sun" was picked up by DJ Andy Glitre and continued to receive high rotation on national radio network

Triple J Triple J is an Australian government-funded national radio station founded in 1975 as a division of the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). It aims to appeal to young listeners of alternative music, and plays far more Australian conten ...

for several years. The first album release, ''Music From The Core'' was also originally released on One Movement in 1996 and the single "Local MP" also achieved high radio rotation. These tracks were featured on the soundtrack to the French film '' Clubbed to Death (Lola)''. They collaborated with other local artists such as

Yothu Yindi Yothu Yindi (Yolŋu Matha, Yolngu for "child and mother", pronounced , natively ) are an Australian musical group with Australian Aboriginal, Aboriginal and non-Aboriginal members, formed in 1986 as a merger of two bands formed in 1985 – a wh ...

, Directions in Groove,

Deborah Conway Deborah Ann Conway (born 8 August 1959) is an Australian rock singer-songwriter and guitarist, and had a career as a model and actress. She was a founding member of the 1980s rock band Do-Ré-Mi with their top-5 hit "Man Overboard". Conway pe ...

, Iva Davies,

Christine Anu Maia Christine Anu (born on 15 March 1970) is an Australian singer-songwriter and actress of Torres Strait Islander origin. She gained popularity with the cover song release of the Warumpi Band's song " My Island Home" in 1995. Anu has been no ...

and Renee Geyer. The second album, ''Inna Styles'' was released through Mushroom Records in 1999, followed by an extensive touring schedule. Three singles from the album "I Don't Wanna know", "Church of Al Green", and "Stay With Me Til Dawn" were again featured on Triple J. The album also featured dancefloor tracks "Cookin' with Kazz" and "Genie of the Lab". In 2000 Wicked Beat Sound System received an

ARIA In music, an aria (, ; : , ; ''arias'' in common usage; diminutive form: arietta, ; : ariette; in English simply air (music), air) is a self-contained piece for one voice, with or without instrument (music), instrumental or orchestral accompan ...

nomination for ''Inna Styles'' and a Dance Music Award nomination (DMA) for Best Band. They also played festivals across Australia including the Perth International Arts Festival, Vibes On a Summer's Day and the closing of the Sydney Paralympics. In September 2002, the third album, ''New Soul Breaks'', was released and featured vocal tracks by Janssen including "I Want To" and "Brand New Day", as well as instrumental tracks "Do The Tings" and "Ounce Of Swing". In the same year they received another ARIA nomination for "Best Dance Release". In 2005 Wicked Beat Sound System released ''4ormation'' featuring the track "Nightmare". Shortly after the release of ''4ormation'' MC Kye departed the group to concentrate on his solo project and the group ceased touring for a period of time. In 2006, Wicked Beat Sound System, now largely Robinson and Janssen, recorded ''Hydromajestik'' which was released on 24 March 2007. More in the vein of their previous ''Inna Styles'' album, this album featured vocal tracks in addition to dub-influenced instrumentals. The first single was "Won't Let Go". In 2008 WBSS released the album ''Dreaming'', originally a commissioned piece of work written by Damian Robinson. He was approached by Indigenous Artistic director Rhoda Roberts to compose the music for a Cleansing Ceremony she was directing called Sydney Dreaming which was to be a theatrical adaptation of the rainmaker creation story. Since that performance, variations of this music have been performed at several festivals and ceremonies including Woodford Festival and

Perth Festival Perth Festival, named Perth International Arts Festival (PIAF) between 2000 and 2017, and sometimes referred to as the Festival of Perth, is Australia's longest-running cultural festival, held annually in Western Australia. The program features ...

. ''Dreaming'' was the culmination of several years' work. The original concept was penned in the heat of a

Byron Bay Byron Bay ( Minjungbal: ''Cavvanbah'') is a beachside town located in the far-northeastern corner of New South Wales, Australia (in Bundjalung Country). It is located north of Sydney and south of Brisbane. Cape Byron, a headland adjac ...

summer and completed in WB's studio in Sydney and then Bungendore. The themes revolve around Salt Water, Fresh Water and Desert, three dividing realities for Aboriginal people's

connection to country The Indigenous peoples of Australia, that is Aboriginal Australians and Torres Strait Islander people, have strong and complex relationships with the concept of "Country" (often capitalised). In this sense it does not refer to the nation of A ...

. The ''Dreaming'' album was nominated for an

ARIA Award The Australian Recording Industry Association Music Awards (commonly known informally as ARIA Music Awards, ARIA Awards, or simply the ARIAs) is an annual series of awards nights celebrating the Australian music industry, put on by the Austra ...

in 2009 in the category of Best World Music Album. Reworked variations from this album were used to make the soundtrack for the Lighting of the Sydney Opera House Sails for Vivid Festival 2016 along with Badu Gili (meaning 'water light' in the language of the

traditional owners Native title is the set of rights, recognised by Australian law, held by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander groups or individuals to land that derive from their maintenance of their traditional laws and customs. These Aboriginal title rig ...

Bennelong Point Bennelong Point, a former island in Sydney Harbour, is a headland that, since the 1970s, is the location of the Sydney Opera House in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. History Bennelong Point is known to the local Gadigal people of the Eora ...

), which accompanies a contemporary Aboriginal art projection performed each evening year-round on the western sails of the

Sydney Opera House The Sydney Opera House is a multi-venue Performing arts center, performing arts centre in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Located on the foreshore of Sydney Harbour, it is widely regarded as one of the world's most famous and distinctive b ...

. In 2017 Robinson was also commissioned to compose the soundtrack for the Parrtjima Festival at

Alice Springs Alice Springs () is a town in the Northern Territory, Australia; it is the third-largest settlement after Darwin, Northern Territory, Darwin and Palmerston, Northern Territory, Palmerston. The name Alice Springs was given by surveyor William ...

. The festival involved five Aboriginal art centres and showcased the work of 20 Aboriginal artists. ''Parrtjima'' (pronounced Par-CHee-ma) means 'lighting up' and conveys two meanings: physically illuminating an object with light and 'lighting up' as in to shed light and understanding on a subject. This public event transformed Alice Springs Desert Park into a mesmerising outdoor gallery of light and sound including a breathtaking illumination of a 300-million-year-old natural canvas, 2 km of the majestic

MacDonnell Ranges The MacDonnell Ranges, or Tjoritja in Arrernte language, Arrernte, is a mountain range located in southern Northern Territory. MacDonnell Ranges is also the name given to an Interim Biogeographic Regionalisation for Australia, interim Australia ...

, a series of new installations involving Aboriginal artists from the

Central Desert Region The Central Desert Region is a local government area of the Northern Territory, Australia, administered by the Central Desert Regional Council (formerly Central Desert Shire). The council's main towns are Ti-Tree, Yuendumu, and Lajamanu. ...

Discography

Studio albums

Charting singles

Awards

ARIA Music Awards

The

is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of

Australian music The music of Australia has an extensive history made of music societies. Indigenous Australian music forms a significant part of the unique heritage of a 40,000- to 60,000-year history which produced the iconic didgeridoo. Contemporary fusions o ...

. They commenced in 1987. Wicked Beat Sound System were nominated for four awards.ARIA Award previous winners. , - ,

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

, ''Music from the Core'' , Best Dance Release , , - ,

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

, ''Inna Styles'' , Best Dance Release , , - ,

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

, ''New Soul Breaks'' , Best Dance Release , , - ,

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

, ''Dreaming'' , Best World Music Album , , -

References

{{Authority control Australian electronic musicians