'I Mix Therefore I Am' gave the CD-buying public a tip-top Brisbeat album from the Hazard brothers, aka Soma Rasa. But what about vinyl vandals? Soma Rasa have delivered an excellent 'I Mix Therefore I Am' EP on vinyl for the jocks out there, complete with bonus beats and samples. Now that's supporting your local scene! Bill and Dan shared their thoughts.

It's kind of hard to get any major label to find it viable to print vinyl for a dance act," explains Dan. "Aussie vinyl's a good thing. It's been pressed at Corduroy and we're really happy with it." The EP has been a long time in the works and something the brothers have fought hard for. They strongly believe that getting vinyl out there is a cornerstone for any dance act. "I think that's always the best stuff for any dance act," mentions Dan. "The only thing stopping that is not being able to afford to get vinyl pressed. I know you got to do CDs because it's cheaper format to distribute and blah blah , but…. It should be the other way around - dance acts should be getting their vinyl first getting it to the clubs. Just from the track we've gone down, if we'd had vinyl out two years ago, I don't know, things could be more active in different areas, rather than just the live background or radio play." Bill is quick to add: "that's one of the reasons why we've been focussing on trying to get out vinyl. We got this vinyl out as a reaction to not enough airplay." It seems that all-important Triple J stamp of approval which gains a band entry to the Oz music cartel and subsequent gravy train has not been bestowed upon Soma Rasa. Support has been furtive and intermittent. "We hear from other people that we get played," says Bill. However important radio play on national broadcaster can be, it really shouldn't be all conquering door and chequebook opener that it appears to have become. "But that's that way it's set up is this country," counter Dan.

The boys 'music for dancefloors' recipe is succeeding regardless of broadcast issues, with an excellent gig in Byron adding to the impressive CV of Big Day Out and other festival performances. Their live team consists of the brothers and DMC Champ Kristian, who added the turntablist cuts to the album four weeks before it was finished. Since then, he has accompanied the group to all of their live gigs. "I don't thing we'd do a gig without him," Bill mentions firmly.

The brother's are stoked with the release of their tracks on vinyl, and enjoy the fact that Kristian can use it live, dropping in and cutting up samples as the group performs. "Sometimes I'll go to trigger a sample and Kristian will drop it in on vinyl before me and because we've only had the vinyl for a month or so now, I'm tripping out because I can hear the sample I usually play coming before I actually do anything!" exclaims Bill. "Kristian's pretty cheeky with it as well. He'll try and drop a sample in before I drop it in just to confuse me, but I'm starting to work it out now".

The vinyl is to be released in Japan in September, with an album release in October. Brisbane DJs such as Kristian, Shredlock and Katch have already been playing it, with hopefully more to follow. The follow-up Soma Rasa album is now the subject of much planning. "We're pretty much rearranging our studio to get into the pattern of what we want to have at the end so we know the format we should be heading towards... We're trying to get two steps ahead,"

COSMO CATER