Bliss N Eso Interview

On the surface, Jonathan Notley, Max MacKinnon and Tarik Ejjamai are just three regular dudes, but put them together and something magical happens. As Bliss N Eso, their fifth album Circus In The Sky is the prime example of this phenomenon, something that McKinnon (MC Eso) describes as “frighteningly close to spiritual, a very religious experience”.

But most of all, it’s like being back at kindy, he notes.

“It’s so hard to explain, there is no end to the creativity. It’s like going back to kindergarten and you’re a kid again. You put on this big apron and you’re really excited and you’ve got this huge bit of paper in front of you with incredible paints – and you just go for it! No limits, nothing! You can just draw whatever the fuck you want! If we wanted to get any message across through that process, it’s the power of the mind and positive thinking – you can be and do anything you want, despite what anybody says.”

It’s a mantra that dates back to Bliss N Eso’s early days as a hip hop crew, a belief that was responsible for some of the most amazing things the trio had ever come to experience, according to McKinnon. It started with a simple mission statement, and within what seemed like the blink of an eye, became more than the three could’ve ever imagined. McKinnon would like to take a moment to thank his late mother…

“Back in the day, my mum – rest in peace – would tell me that if you write down what you want on a piece of paper and fold it up and put it in the freezer, it would keep your thoughts and dreams fresh and alive. All you had to do was just think about it positively and it would happen. I swear to you – the first bit of paper I ever tried this on, I wrote that we would make a song and have a show where people actually come to see us. It was the simplest dream ever, we just stuck to the craft and made sure we had fun while writing albums – that bit was up to us. We had a blast writing Flying Colours [2008] and Running On Air [2010], and the music was a mirror of that.”

Circus In The Sky is no exception in that regard, but it is a whole new level musically for Bliss N Eso, McKinnon claims. For one, the trio got the chance to collaborate with their idol and hip hop titan Nas on I Am Somebody, and secondly – and perhaps more importantly – the album in general has provided a chance to connect with fellow “kindred spirits”.

“Then it got even better when we managed to get YelaWolf to join us on the tour – Alabama represent motherfuckers!” McKinnon laughs. “I can’t say enough about him, he’s another example of someone who made something out of nothing and managed to hook up with some of the greatest MCs, like Eminem. He’s coming to our country just to support us on our tour, it’s humbling as balls, I’m speechless. Working with Nas was the same feeling, even though there was that distance between us, which made it a bit hard. I remember listening to the hip hop show on Triple J and Nas was talking from his studio, going, “Bliss N Eso, I wanna do something with them”, and it’s like, holy shit he actually stuck to his words on that. It was organic – Bliss N Eso don’t plant anything, it comes down to pure magic.”

As for the rest of the collaborators who jumped on board the Circus In The Sky – including Daniel Merriweather, 360, Pez, Seth Sentry, Drapht, Ceekay Jones and Alex Williamson – McKinnon paints a very visual description.

“In my mind I see a railway that starts along the ground then bends up and straight up into the fucking stars. You know how they had those circus back in the day – like in the movie Water For Elephants during the Depression – where they carried the circus on the train, with each carriage carrying the lions, the ponies, and all the different characters? Well that’s what this is like. This train has 360 and Pez and Seth Sentry and Drapht and all our mates carriage by carriage. It’s what Circus In The Sky is – it’s a ride.”

WHO: Bliss N Eso
WHAT: Circus In The Sky (Illusive)
WHERE: Entertainment Centre Theatre
WHEN: Sat Jul 13
TICKETS: Ticketmaster