Ready to Raw at Leigh Sawmill

Raw Collective

Hip-hop band Raw Collective, from Wellington, will play at Leigh Sawmill on January 22, as part of a nationwide summer tour.

Emcee/producer Raw Deezy says the band wants to break away from the soulful, laid-back vibe that Wellington is known for.

“Our songs are up-tempo with hard-hitting grooves,” he says.

The band combines elements of funk, jazz and old-school hip-hop, and lists J Dilla, Dr Dre and Wu-Tang Clan among its influences.

“Each instrument player is from a different genre so what started off as a straight-up hip-hop sound became more eclectic,” Raw says.

“We added a female vocalist (Moira Jones), our bassist (Blain Fitzpatrick) is a rock man and the drummer (Jack Cromie) was in a jazz band previously.

“The groove is always quite dark and evil, but with the keys, guitar and singing we try and pull it back into the light, so we hope the song ends up somewhere between cheerful and dark.”

Raw Collective released their first single, Coins (Memories) late last year, and released a second single in October. Their full album is due for release at the end of summer.