RADICAL SON
Until You Call My Name, a striking ode to gratitude and the power of love is the second taste of Radical Son’s highly anticipated sophomore album Bilambiyal (The Learning) which is set for release in early 2024. Until You Call My Name is a poignant yet powerful song about finding happiness in moments of chaos, with Radical Son’s commanding vocals soaring above an ambient glow, declaring “I hear you call my name / Wanting to engage / We’re all finding our way / We’re coping with the struggle”.
And in a world consistently divided and full of unrest, Until You Call My Name offers a calming balm as well as a timely reminder to look for what matters most in the darkness, as Radical Son shares, “For those divided and lost, pulled or drawn in many directions both externally and internally. I'm mindful that we are all finding our way and that as hard as it may sometimes be just getting by in life, it is my hope that we find a way to live life, to love.”
Elder offers a deeply powerful statement of devotion to country, emphasising Radical Son's Kamilaroi and Tongan cultures and his iron-willed intention to endure that sets neck hairs on end.
Elder is the keynote to the album’s themes of hard-won survival, belonging and acquiring wisdom from life experience. It’s a song sung from mountaintops, loaded with a storied past and fully facing the future. “I wish to be an elder, an old man on this land,” he sings in a voice so immense it seems to emanate from the rock beneath his feet.
“Elder is a song I began three or four years ago when I was working on country in Moree and Armadale, New South Wales,” David says. “I was working on a program with emerging artists called Yanayai, which means ‘returning’. I was helping these artists to create a piece in a genre of their choice and the conditions were that they had to have three generations of their family help them, and they also needed to incorporate some language into that as well.
“The bones of the song were there then. The language section from Jida Gulpilil (son of David), that came later. It's quite simple. It's just saying, ‘Let's move, let’s dance and celebrate’.”
Thematically, the song rings in harmony with For Our Elders: the theme of this year’s NAIDOC Week (2-9 July). “The struggles of our Elders help to move us forward today,” the NAIDOC statement declares. “The equality we continue to fight for is found in their fight. Their tenacity and strength has carried the survival of our people.”
Elder comes paired with an equally commanding music video made in the Blue Mountains by Djugun/ Yawuru/ Gooniyandi director Cornel Ozies, and featuring rocker Vic Simms, Australian of the Year Shane Phillips, Forgiveness Project advocate Ray Minniecon, Kamilaroi elder Paul Spearim and more.
Radical Son has teamed up with Australian leading electro-pop wizard Stereogamous, aka Paul Mac, to conjure an unforgettable remix of
Radical Son’s single Elder. Coated in a contemporary sheen, Elder (Stereogamous Remix) effortlessly heightens the commanding messaging of the original track.
Expanding the potent narrative of its original, Elder (Stereogamous Remix) finds Radical Son mightily connecting with his cultural roots, while also calling on others to do the same. With unwaveringly sharp intensity and authenticity, Radical Son soars singing, “I wish to be an elder, an old man on this land”, surrounded in its new remixed form by trance-like beats, swirling electronic elements and fluctuating textures that take you from breathless to catharsis and back again.
“I think remixes are a great way to get your music out,” Radical Son shares of the new remix. “I have a great deal of gratitude to my team and all those that are getting behind us and supporting what we do. I'm really looking forward to hearing the feedback from others. It’s such an honour knowing that remix may take it to new audiences. A great message to pass on.”
Stereogamous, aka the multi–ARIA Award-winning composer, songwriter, musician and producer Paul Mac,has created a remix that bridges Elder’s powerful narrative and core with modern hues that respectfully and positively translate into a contemporary setting. And, as Mac explains, the Stereogamous remix of Elder has already proved to be a resounding success in a live setting, shared and heightened by the power of dance.
“Elder is a vital song that speak to honouring those who have gone before us and a positive call for our place in emerging futures,” shares Mac. “As veterans of the LGBTIQA dance scene, we are grateful to see our dancefloor as a safe space for intergenerational community. We are thankful to have been given the opportunity to remix this powerful track with uplifting chords and earthy beats and to share it via dancing. You never too mature to belong on a dancefloor. We have road tested the Stereogamous remix throughout Mardi Gras season from Bondi views to sweaty basements and outdoor raves - and the response is always joyful."
CAUSE 'N AFFECT (2014 ALBUM)
From hip-hop roots to soulful social statement, Radical Son’s debut album Cause & Affect is both potent and sublime. It conjures uncompromising visions and merciless lyrics of where we’ve come from and what could be. After an incredible transformational life journey; one that every man can relate to, yet would never chose to go through, Radical Son re-emerges as Australia’s own big black soul man with a capital M.
Cause & Affect will take the listener on a sonic journey of contemplation providing thought provoking content and insightful message. It’s reggae-esque, dub, soul and classic R’n’B influences and all round great grooves will appeal to those with a penchant for the likes of Fat Freddy's Drop, Amy Winehouse and dare we say it, Messrs Gaye and White. Since the album’s release, the band have enjoyed high rotation on Australian national broadcast radio ABC Triple J and Double J; have featured regularly on National Indigenous TV (NITV); headlined a sold out show in Melbourne as part of the Australasian Worldwide Music Festival (AWME); performed at festivals such as the Brunswick Music Festival, Moomba, Contemporary Pacific Arts Festival, Sydney Festival, NAIDOC Week, Spirit Festival, Rivers to Recognition festival, as well as tours with the legendary Archie Roach. In 2015, the band were nominated for both Best Music Video (Human Behaviour) and Best Cover Art (Cause ‘N Affect) at the National Indigenous Music Awards, for which they won the award for best cover art.
