By Andrew Drever
It's rare for an Australian hip-hop producer to make an album with a long list of overseas talent, but Sydney-born, Melbourne-based hip-hop producer Dizz1 (Dave Norris) has assembled a jaw-dropping cast of international rappers and producers on his debut album, In Sickness and In Health.
It features US rappers like Frank Nitt (Frank N Dank), rapper-turned-soul man Aloe Blacc, New Jersey's Tame One (the Artifacts), Sadat X (Brand Nubian) and Frank Ocean producer Om'Mas Keith. Britain is ably represented by dub/reggae MC Warrior Queen and Hospital Records producer Royalston, alongside appearances from expat internationals living in Australia such as Brits Spikey Tee and Motley.
Although the only local rapper featured is Melbourne MC, RuCL, Norris is quick to list the locals he's worked with over the years (Tom Thumb, Nubreed, Diafrix). He admits, though, that he wanted an international flavour for his debut album.
Dizz1 is releasing his debut album. Credit: Manda Ford
"To be honest, I just hadn't really found that many [local] crew I thought were fitting," he says almost-apologetically. "I just hadn't met that many crew [local hip-hop talent] and I tend to roll in a small circle, so the voices that I wanted to have on there were already in my head and it was just one of those visions I couldn't turn down. I just had to keep on following who I had in mind and hope for the best."
Further proof that Norris is flying the flag internationally is that this exceptional album was issued by respected British soul/funk/beats label Tru Thoughts (Bonobo, Alice Russell), and lead single Get 'Em Up was championed by hugely-influential US artist Flying Lotus.
Originally a session drummer, Dizz1 released his debut EP, Third Time Lucky, in 2009. At one time, he was the second half of Curse the Machines, a bass music duo with local hero, DJ Dexter, and he has produced for DJ Vadim, Steve Spacek and Roots Manuva.
Nearly all of the hook-ups on In Sickness & In Health took place over the internet. Working tirelessly on the album for about seven or eight years, Norris' instrumentals were sent to collaborators with a title and an explanation of what was behind the writing of the music.
Sadat X, who nails the lyric on the intense Reach Out or Not, adapted a story Norris told him about a friend who was struggling with drug addiction, turning it into his own mind-boggling, true-life story of Hollywood hedonism and family disintegration.
"What he came back with was magnificent," says Norris, shaking his head in disbelief. "I couldn't have hoped for anything more amazing. I gave the reins to a lot of vocalists to lay down their take on what it was that I was feeling. In most cases, I gave them an idea of what the tracks meant to me. Sometimes it was almost like they were channelling what I was explaining."
Dizz1 launches In Sickness & In Health at Boney on Friday, August 21.