Adelaide based band Hilltop Hoods are relatively unique in the Australian music scene, being one of the few good hip hop bands around. The band recently forwarded their latest album Matter Of Time for review & I took the opportunity to email the band some questions. Here's the results

Q: Where did the name Hilltop Hoods come from?

Q1.Well we're from a part of Adelaide that all the B-Boys know as the Hilltop, so that had something to do with it. But I guess the name came from a local rapper Flak (from Cross Bred Mongrels). We were sitting around having a few brews in a park one day, and he said that's what you should call yourselves, It's stuck ever since.

Q: There are relatively few hip hop bands in Australia, how did the band get into hip hop in the first place?

Q2. Everyone from our area was really hip hop orientated in our youth. The skaters listened to hip hop, the bike riders, the writers, everyone. So it was a natural progression in our neighbourhood, you went to high school, you listened to hip hop. At the time we got into the scene Graf was large, and everyone that was into graf listened to hip hop, so Graf made hip hop music large in our area.

Q: Why does the band think hip hop has taken so long to become established in Australia?

Q3. Apart from the fact that hip hop is an American culture, and as far as music trends go Australia is two years behind the U.S., I guess everyone used to see the hip hop as a strictly Afro-American culture, and now they're realising that it's a global culture regardless of race, colour or creed. It's gaining acceptance gradually.

Q: What is the local music scene like in the band's local area?

Q4. I guess the scenes good for an Australian hip hop scene. Something really positive for local music is that we're having a lot of international acts blessing our shores, which can only heighten interest in music in general.

Q: Are there any unknown bands we should know about in the band's local area?

Q5. I don't know about unknown but Cross Bred Mongrels should have some fat product out soon. Other local hip hop acts include Social Change, Future Rulers and Qwidjibo!.

Q: How do the gig goers enjoy the band's live sets?

Q6. People enjoy our sets as far as I'm aware, we use a live DJ, which not many people do, so people really feel that.

Q: Is it difficult to translate a hip hop sound from studio to the stage?

Q7. Definitley, to recreate everything that you hear in the tracks on the album is next to impossible, so we try to work our shows so they're entertaining, not so much focused on sounding like the original material.

Q: Why do you think most radio has a problem with hip hop?

Q8. Apart from obvious reasons such as course language, radio doesn't support hip hop because they don't see it as commercialy viable.

Q: What other bands influence the Hilltop Hood sound?

Q9. I wouldn't say we're influenced by them but some groups/soloists we're feeling at the moment include Black Starr, King Sun, Defari, Dilated Peoples, Smut Peddlers, The Roots, Pumpkinhead. Just to name a few.

Q: Do you prefer new or old school hip hop?

Q10. I like hip hop from the late eighties / early nineties. I love all the BDP, Master Ace, Kool G Rap, Brand Nubians, Biz Markie, EPMD, Jungle Brothers.. From that era.

Q: Are you disappointed by the state of the music industry?

Q11. Yes

Q: What would you do to change the way the industry works with new bands?

Q12. I didn't realise that the industry worked with new bands.

Q: Has the internet helped the band increase it's profile?

Q13. The response from the internet has been incredible we've had responses from throughout America and around the world. We've been able to promote our product in a worldwide forum, I would recommend it for any group trying to raise their profile.

Q: What has been the best thing that's happened to the band so far?

Q14. Digital recording, without a doubt.

Q: The band's album Matter Of Time is certainly a pioneering step for hip hop in Australia, how long did it take to get it together?

Q15. I guess that from the production / lyric writing stage to the manufacturing stage it was about two years. In that time Debris purchased his own studio (Cross Bred Production Studios), which synchronised with the progression of the album.

Q: Were there more songs to choose from than made it onto the album?

Q16. There weren't any songs left off the album. Any song we don't like, we can tell from early on and it gets scrapped right away.

Q: A lot of bands are looking at the MP3 format & saying it may change the face of the way music is delivered. How will Hilltop Hoods approach the format?

Q17. MP3 can be bootlegged to easily. We use Real Audio (which is cassette quality) for promoting our songs on the internet. This allows people to get an idea of whether they like the tracks or not, without handing out your hard work for free.

Q: Lastly, what are the band's plans for the future?

Q18. Vinyl, tour and another album. In that order.

Check out the band's album Matter Of Time which is out now & for further information on the band themselves, take a look at their website.