Put simply, Soma Rasa is Australian ‘Electro Phonography’ at its finest. Their deeply refined production aesthetic and constantly evolving stylistic approaches have placed them at the forefront of the Australian electro/breaks scene and landed them in front of crowds of thousands at festivals and clubs across thecountry. 

Formed in 1997 by brothers Bill and Dan Hazard, the duo work at the nexus of breakbeat and electro. Not interested in rehashing and regurgitating the sonic murmurings of their contemporaries here and abroad, Soma Rasa have etched out a unique niche – they inhabit a sonic realm that’s decisively centred on the dance floor, but free from the cliché that devalues so much contemporary electronica. 

Catapulted into the spotlight shortly after forming thanks to a support slot alongside Fatboy Slim, Soma Rasa’s live reputation quickly put them on the national radar. Word travelled rapidly of the group who could perform alongside adiverse range of artists – from iconic DIY punks Fugazi and shimmering dark popsters The Creatures to Japanese dub rockers Audio Active and drum’n’bass mastermind Roni Size – and still manage to not only connect with the naturally divergent audiences, but also send them into a frenzy of spontaneous movement. 

Picked up by Moby nationally in support of his Australian tour in 1999, it was during this highly successful tour that Soma Rasa truly came into their own as a national electro-breaks outfit. ‘Future Of Der Funk’, a limited edition single released alongside the Moby Shows, sold out in a matter of weeks following the performances and the single attracted wide airplay and actedas a catalyst for Soma Rasa to undertake the recording of their debut album. 

As 2000 began the group commenced work on what would become ‘I MixTherefore I am’ – the debut would take several months of intense studio time to complete. Joined by turntablist Kristian Hernandez, two times DMC champion,the recordings bore the marks of Hernandez’s skillful turntable agility – his work splicing at the heart of Soma Rasa’s sonics. During the sessions, it appeared word was traveling overseas about the group’s abilities both on stage and in the studio. Thanks to copious amounts of praise following their numerous support slots, the band was beginning to become a talking point amongst international DJs and beat-producers. Anticipation for the LP was mounting.

Upon release in November 2000, ‘I Mix Therefore I Am’ drew instant critical acclaim from across Australia and landed the band a number of high profile support slots (Chemical Brothers, Carl Cox etc) as well as a series of headliner club dates. It didn’t take long before the album was also picked upfor a vinyl release via Valve/Warner and caught the attention of Massive in Japan who issued it in 2001.

Having completed many months of touring in support of their LP and in the process successfully refining their live persona, 2003 saw Soma Rasa’s attention begin to refocus solely on the cultivating a new studio sound and honing the craft they’d developed through five solid years of touring and DJing. It wasn’t long before their time in the studio started to pay off and the formulation of a fresh and progressive sound became clear – a sound that sought to unite their dance floor methodology with a greater sense of musicality, song writing and sonic maturity. 

This integrated approach came to a head in 2004 with Soma Rasa calling upon arange of Australian vocalists including Miss Brown, Kina and emcee DNO to contribute to a new EP. Collecting together these explorations into the potentials of their inspired audio palette, Soma Rasa produced ‘On The Run’. The time locked in their studio compound had proved to be highly successful and not only had Soma Rasa produced a number of sterling dancefloor tracks including their lead single ‘Something Wicked’, but they had created a primed and evocative electro/breaks song writing approach that landed them heavy rotation on radio across Australia.

Taking this new vocal approach a step further in 2005, Soma Rasa’s latest undertaking sees them team up with the legendary US hip-hoppers Digital Underground, who were only too willing to work alongside the duo after hearing the results from the ‘On The Run’ sessions. The upshot of their recent collaboration ‘Say What You Say’, is a humming electro masterpiece that pays homage to the gritty mood of The Clash’s ‘Rock The Casbah’ and features the vocal talents of Digital Underground members Shock G, Money B, Metaphysical, Humpty Hump and scratches from DJ NuStylez. It’s a true meeting of the minds– DU and Soma Rasa collaborating to devise a pulsing dancefloor anthem that displays the full potential of Soma Rasa’s now fully realised production approach. 

Currently recording their second full length, Soma Rasa not only continue to set alofty benchmark in Australia, but increasingly find their output attracting and inspiring ears abroad.

SELECTED DISCOGRAPHY
Say What You Say 2005 (Freefall)
On The Run 2004 (Freefall/Shock)
I Mix:I AM Outakes:Remixes 2001 (Valve/Warner)
I Mix Therefore I Am 2000 (Valve/Warner)
Future Of Der Funk 1999 (Valve)
Soma Rasa 1998 (Valve)

SELECTED INTERNATIONAL ARTIST SUPPORTS
Freestylers 2004
Freq Nasty 2004
Plump DJs/Fingerlickin 2001
Carl Cox 2001
Trans Global Underground 2000/2001
The Creatures 2000
Chemical Brothers 2000
Audio Active 1999/2000
Moby 1999
Roni Size 1999
DJ Spooky 1999
Mad Professor 1999
Fat Boy Slim 1997
Fugazi 1997

SELECTED NATIONAL FESTIVAL APPEARANCES
Big Day Out/Boiler Room 1999-2005
Valley Fiesta 1999-2003
Homebake 1999-2000
Livid (Annex) 1998-2002
Hemispheres 2000
Glenworth Valley 1999
Satellite Festival 1999
St Kilda Festival 1999
4zzz Market Day 1998-1999
Push Over 1998

SELECTED AUSTRALIAN ARTIST SUPPORTS
1200 Techniques 2003
Sonic Animation 2002/2003
Pnau 2001
Gerling 2001
Friendly 2001
Resin Dogs 1998/2001
Dexter (The Avalanches) 2000
Not From there 2000
Endorphin 1999
Regurgitator 1998/1999