20 year old rapper Lochie Emes goes by many names, although throughout South Australia he is notoriously known by most as Elapsed Time. After recently releasing his first mixtape entitled “Somethin’ iLLegal”, he has quickly gained popularity amongst the Adelaide music community while also receiving significant radio play on collective stations such as Fresh and Triple J Unearthed. During a recent short trip back to Adelaide I was fortunate enough to receive a copy of this 10-track compilation from a friend of mine. Upon listening to the mixtape we at Sleepshed managed to track down this guy to discover exactly who Elapsed Time really is...
So how long have you been rapping for?
The earliest memory I have is when I stood up in front of my Grade 5 music class and did a cover of "Let's All Get Drunk Tonight" by Afroman (laughing), it was about as inappropriate as you could get at that age. It wasn't until I was about 15 that I began producing and recording some basic tracks on Sony Acid & Garageband. Around that same time I was lucky enough to sit in on the local Hip Hop Show on occasions at Radio Adelaide, and that's how the ball got rolling. The Hoods (Hilltop Hoods) had just dropped The Calling and were getting a huge reception, I think at this point every man and his dog had jumped on the bandwagon, including me.
Those headphones of yours been playing anyone in particular lately?
Nowadays there is so much fresh music getting pumped out by Aussie artists its insane, I love it! I struggle to keep up. Lately I've been cranking some Mase 'N' Mattic, Koolta, Full Tote Odds, Horrorshow, Thundamentals, Spit Syndacite, The Herd, Illy, Mantra, M-Phazes & Joelistics just to name a few. I sometimes really wish I had more ears and more hours in the day!
Everyone's been talking about the mixtape, is this your first official release?
Yep, first one off the rank. It wasn't really ever planned though. I had just used alot of other people's beats and songs to help me write my own music. It got to the point where I only really had to make a few more tracks and I could make a compilation of it all. I then did a run of 100 mixtapes and within two days I only had a handful left. I spent those two days driving around town personally delivering them to my mates and fans. If they lived too far away or interstate then I just posted it out to them. It's a funny feeling paying people to listen to your music, something tells me it's suppose to be the other way around (laughs). In the end though I was quite pleased because mixtapes in Australia don't really have alot of value in comparison to places like the States and Canada.
So I take it from your lyrics you grew up in Adelaide? How do you feel growing up in such a tight-knit community has affected you and your music?
Adelaide has had such a huge affect on my music. Without this city, it's people and many of the beautiful spots around us like the Yorke Peninsula and the West Coast, my music would be completely different. There's definitely something about this place. I'm obviously biased because I was raised here, but I have been to just about every coastal town in Australia and not one of them holds the same vibe as this place. We truly are Australia's "biggest country town", you don't realise it until you've lived amongst the larger cities. I've drawn alot of inspiration from my hometown of Adelaide while also from traveling and camping heaps. I write most of my tunes while on the road with my mates, there the ones who give me the drive to do what I do. I think music would be really hard to pursue without a tight group of mates who enjoy listening to you and support you all the way. I'm truly lucky in that sense. That's how my music really started, talking shit around campfires while strumming a few chords and I have no doubt in my mind that's where it will end.
The video for "Dirty Harry" looks like it was alot of fun to make. How did you find the music video making process for this track and others?
The filming process was heaps of fun and alot of hard work but the timing for it couldn't have been worse. My mates and I had just come back from a disastrous West Coast/New Years road trip and we started filming the day after we got back. We were exhausted to say the least and not to mention it was a 40+ degree day, but we managed to get through it.
Matthew Thorne did a great job with the filming, directing and editing. We were also helped massively from the boys down at Chalkers Pool Hall. In particular Shane who helped look after the alcohol for the cast and crew. I also owe a huge thanks and apology to Dave, Jack and Leroy at Souvlaki Brothers. Dave, for having his shop front glass window smashed in the filming process. Jack, for being hospitalised for testing the strength of the glass (laughs) and Leroy for having to chase me in the extreme heat. Don't be put off by the fact I threw the yiros in the bin though, its actually fantastic food so you should get down there!
Since the clip, "Dirty Harry" has kind of turned into this urban legend, a mythical kind of character around the Glenelg area. The fact is however, he has been around for quite some time now and is still considered a local down there. It isn't unusual to see him evading down Jetty Road's alleyways on a frequent basis. I think he has a fear of "red" and "blue" lights...
My new clip for "Gather Round" is out now too! It was a collaboration I did with local Surfing Videographer Andy Manners, who also runs SA's best surfing website at www.stateofsurf.com (check it out!)
Any other projects on the brain?
I am now back to working on my debut record which will be entitled "Australia's Underground", hopefully it'll be ready to drop in time for next summer. The record will include tracks such as "Dirty Harry", "Gather Round" and "Life Out On The Road". I'm also planning a large production for my song "Adelaide On Top" which has already received quite alot of publicity within the community. Seeing as the people of Adelaide really dug the locality of "Dirty Harry" I'm thinking of shooting a video along similar lines but on a much larger scale. We'll see...
To download "Somethin' Illegal" for free...
...visit www.elapsedtime.bandcamp.com
To download "Somethin' Illegal" for free...
...visit www.elapsedtime.bandcamp.com