Fluent Form Interview

Melbourne MC Fluent Form (AKA Ryan Stewart) has aptly-titled his winter comeback Flu Season. “It’s been a running pun lately,” he laughs. Not that the hip hopper has tips for anyone afflicted by influenza, being “one of those real sooky males” when suffering ailments.

Perhaps Stewart’s best recommendation is that victims snuggle down in bed and listen to Flu Season, which he’s touting as “headphone hip hop”. Stewart drops intricate lyrics over atmospheric ’90s boom bap beats (courtesy of Must Volkoff and others). Highlights include Synthetic Love, which deals with addiction, and Fan Mail.

Stewart has developed in “leaps and bounds” on his third album (and first since 2011’s Word Merchant).

“I’ve grown heaps even just as a person, so I think that reflects in my growth as an MC, too. I’m a lot more chill, a lot more mature, hopefully a bit smarter – so I think that just comes out in my new record.”

<a data-cke-saved-href=”http://fluentform.bandcamp.com/album/fluseason” href=”http://fluentform.bandcamp.com/album/fluseason”>FLUSEASON by FLUENT FORM</a>

Indeed, prior to Flu Season, he prepared fans for “a bit of a style overhaul.” If in the past Stewart has come across as a strident battle MC, with a “gritty approach” and “bleak outlook”, then that is partly because he hails from the rough and tumble outer Melbourne suburb of Frankston.

“But it’s more so just back then I was a little less known. You’re trying to get noticed, so you sort of pack in your bars full of as many words as possible – you’re going all aggressive. It’s more like, Look at me!, look at me!, all loud and abrasive.” But Stewart has moved beyond that phase with Flu Season. “I was like, I just don’t wanna write music like that anymore. I just want something that reflects my personality a lot more now, which is just a lot more chill.”

Stewart also has greater insight into his craft.

“I’ve always written stuff very dense, very cryptic, very cerebral, which is my personality too, but I think a lot of it was going over people’s heads – ’cause it was almost ‘overdose of information’, when you had the relentless flow mixed with the real dense, cryptic lyrics. I’ll never change how I write, but if I can kinda switch up the delivery, make it a lot more chill, then hopefully people can digest it a little bit more.”

Stewart is aligned with the “tight” Crate Cartel fold, but still perceives himself as an outsider.

“I don’t consider myself an Aussie hip hop artist or anything. I just happen to be a hip hop artist that lives in Australia. I don’t really focus on what other people are doing. I just focus on me.” He freely acknowledges that his music is less “accessible” than other Australian hip hop.

“I’m not gonna sell as much as the more viable Bliss N Eso and Hilltop Hoods,” Stewart says. He has more in common with an MC like the Wu-Tang Clan affiliate Killah Priest. Stewart regards his work as poetry, something to be deciphered. And he’s content to be underground.

“I’ve got my cult following and I’m blessed to even have that. So I don’t really worry too much about it. I’ve got my day job and I’ve got my music…”

In downtime, Stewart listens to ’70s jazz, funk and soul, taking time out from rap. But he does admire New York MC/producer Ka. In fact, one of his US heroes, Detroit MC One Be Lo, a practising Muslim now living in Egypt with his family, cameos on Flu Season’s Dose Of Slang.

“He came up with the Royce Da 5’9″s, the Eminems – they’re all from the same era. But he was always very underrated – slept-on, I guess you would call it.”

Stewart brought One Be Lo out for a show that attracted a tiny crowd – the MC rues that it was “terrible” – but they bonded.

“If nothing else, he was just stoked that some local MC from Australia paid for him to come on a flight, come down here, rock a show.”

WHO: Fluent Form
WHAT: Flu Season (Crate Cartel/Obese)