Howdy.. I’m N’fa Jones an Australian MC. I’ve been abroad for a number years now, but so glad to be home on Australian shores. People probably know me best from 1200 Techniques, but at this point in my life I’m busy working on my own music as well as various collective projects. I’ve been fortunate to have worked with names like Roots Manuva, DBridge, M-Phazes, Ta-Ku, Drapht, Son Of Kick, Nick Thayer, Bass Kleph, Daedelus. Right now I’m finishing recording my new album, to be released later this year. This album has been written almost completely in Oz with producers Sensible J Smith & Dutch, and Ta-Ku. The sound feels new, and developed, and so I’m very excited about this record indeed.
What’s your earliest memory of performing and who inspired you to start?
I was 9 or 10 years old.. My brother and some of our crew caught the bus and two trains from the foothills of Perth to Fremantle. We went to a spot called The Edge. It was a hang out for skaters, graff writers, DJ’s MC’s BBoys. My brother inspired me, so I got up and rapped my first live show there. It was just a couple songs, but i got hooked there and then, and stated writing and recording from then. In fact, i still have my first recording from when I was the same age. Still gets me grinnin!
You’ve travelled and worked a lot internationally as musician, what has been your most memorable moment of all your travels on a musical level?
I have som many good memories from performing in Seoul, Copenhagen, London, LA, NY, Mumbai, France, Germany, Singapore, KL, it goes on.. I love music cos it’s the one way you can really meet people and get inside a foreign city, and end up in peoples houses meeting their families while recording or hanging out after a show. Performing to crowds who barely speak English, but feel the vibe and the music, is a wonderful thing too.. Yo get to cross the bridge with no language barriers, just creativity.
‘Fess up. What records have you stolen from your parent’s record collection and why?
Haha.. Just the Quincy Jones “The Dude” album.. It was the album he did around the time of “Off The Wall” with Michael Jackson. My mother only had a few records, but that one got played and played til it didn’t play no more.
What’s on heavy rotation on your iPod right now?
Right now…? Hiatus Kayiote (Tawk -Tomahawk). Melbourne based, future beats soul band. Amazing music! They get almost no major radio play in Oz, but they won the best new group at the World Wide Music awards, and people like Quest Love and Erica Badu tweet about them daily.
Favourite musical instrument and why?
I used to play the Tenor and Barritone sax though Highschool.. Loved the tone and the sound they could produce.. You can make them scream, cry, or laugh. I guess they are an extension of the voice but its about feeling over words.
You’ve done a lot of touring and recording with various acts, which do you prefer the studio or the road and why?
Thats hard.. The studio is amazing because you get to birth the idea and bring it to life.. On the road its great playing new songs and sharing your soul with the listeners.. But when an audience starts to know your songs and sing them back to you, it let’s the artist know that they have connected with the audience and that you share this moment, this idea, this common belief with them, and thats a beautiful thing.
If you could curate your own festival, where would it be, who would be on the bill, how many people would you let in and what features would it have?
Well it would be a summer festival on a beach or by a big lake preferably, cos that always puts people in a good mood. It would be based around, blues/roots, hip hop, future soul, electronica, and all that connects that together. The vibe would be more for music lovers rather than peeps just wanting to get trashed, and this way keep it cooler and better for everyone.. It would be a smaller festival.. maybe 5000 people max. Food.. I’d make world food stalls rather than fried fast foods. The acts wouldn’t be music you hear on major radio, but more the acts you hear on the bigger community radio stations, and artists with a good online fan base.. I would defo be on the bill somewhere haha!!!
As we already know, you love to work with other artists, if you would work with any living artist, who would you most like to collaborate with?
I’m fortunate to say that I’ve worked with a lot of the people i have wanted to locally and abroad.. The team I work with in Oz are actually my favourite producers for what I like to write. Thing is, there is always new international artists popping up that i’m like “wow, amazing, i’d love to meet this person and colab” but I’m more in the mind set of working with my peeps here, and creating music to make people abroad look to Oz and think “wow, i’d love to meet these people and colab”.
You recently collaborated with Drapht on 1990s, how did this come about, did you just tweet him?
Drapht and I first colabed when we wrote Bali Party. 1990’s was an idea of Drapht’s, that he felt I could bring something positive to. Ta-Ku’s production is incredible, and i felt honoured to be a part of this song.. Its one of my favourite songs of which i’ve ever been a co-creator.
You’re currently touring with Drapht too on his The Uni-Verse tour, got any dirt to dish on him?
I have no dirt to dish on the brother whatsoever! He’s a good kid! Only “dirt” is that he doesn’t get as wild as he used to.. The brother’s become a man.. The rest of his crew tho, they are nutters of the best sort! Its been an amazing tour, and the crowds have been great.
Where we can see you play next, what releases do you have available and where can we get them?
Well, this looking forward to the next few show on this tour which wraps up in Perth over Easter. After that i play a few shows across Adelaide, Perth, Sydney, Brisbane, Melbourne in the first two weeks of May. I have a new single coming out in the next few weeks, and a yet untitled album later in the year. I’ll have all details on my website www.nfajones.com so check there for updates, music history and some free downloads. Bless!
