TITLE- [ RASAMATIC SOMA RASA TAKE IT TO THE STREETS ] JUICE MAGAZINE PUBLISHED:APRIL 2001 ISSUE 100  WRITER: LAWRENCE ENGLISH

If there is to be confirmation about the diverse electronic music scene springing up in Brisbane, then Soma Rasa's debut, I Mix Therefore I Am , is the proof needed. A trio made up of brothers Bill and Dan Hazard, and QLD DMC turntable champion DJ Kristian, Soma Rasa output chemical-inspired sounds that point to the likes of Meat Beat Manifesto, with production techniques as diverse as dub.

On I Mix Therefore I Am, the group's multi-layered sonic melting pot finally takes on a solid form. Scripting and recording the album over a year and a half at their Woolloongabba studio, the trio were surprised with the end results.

"When we were about to master the album," Dan Hazard begins, "we still weren't sure of what we had. It was a real blur towards the end of the recording process. We had a vague idea of what the album might sound like and what the track order might've been. It was only when we heard "Crime By Computer" and we thought it'd make a great opening track - from there we could work everything else out."

"The last two months and the final week before we went to mastering was just so full-on," Bill adds, "We really wanted to get as much done as we could. We'd be constantly going back over tracks - just tweaking them, making sure they were as good as they could be. When it came time to master, it felt strange because once it was mastered, that was it. There was nothing more we could change." Having welcomed DJ Kristian into the fold just a few weeks before the end of recording, his position in the band has only been tested recently with the group's tours with Not From There and EYE (Boredoms), and with the Big Day Out. Apart from his skills on the decks, the DJ has brought a new level of crowd participation to live performances.

"Kristian's an amazing guy to play with," Dan says. "He's so enthusiastic and appreciates playing: he gets right into it and I think he brings something else to the shows. He's so positive towards the music. He's got a different musical background to us, which is kind of interesting: he's from that hip-hop, R&B and 2 - step background. So having him come work with us is great. The fact that we all have such different musical interests is what makes Soma Rasa what it is; it's the combination."

"It's a shame that we didn't get to do more with him on the album," Bill continues. "We probably did about six sessions with him while we were recording and he was always really focused on the themes of the songs. Like we had the track 'Crime By Computer', and Kristian found the "I am a computer' sample for it. He's really good like that; and then he'd go and find stuff that would work with it. He's really brought something new to our sound".

LAWRENCE ENGLISH