Since forming in 2001, Sydney-based Hip Hop trio Chaos Maths (collectively DJ Jodes on decks, Bang and Dave on mics) have emerged as an established and respected name on the scene notable for their energetic live shows and creative lyricism — but also for their disregard toward folks taking themselves far too seriously. To point, their biography notes that they are "… uncomfortable with the hyperbole that seems to comprise most press releases. In describing their music Chaos Maths strongly suggest using the words 'Fresh', 'Fly', 'Wild' and 'Bold' but not in an ironic way. You should mean it."

A 10-track demo in 2004 paved the way for the release of their first album, 'Dope Meaning Good' in 2005, and 2007 saw the release of their second album, the acclaimed 'Down Like That'.

Recently The Cud's Evan Kanarakis sat down with Bang (aka Danny Chifley) to chat about the music of Chaos Maths, hip-hop in Australia today and of the relative joys and miseries of life on the road … 

THE CUD: Tell me about the origins of Chaos Maths. This is very much a family, small-town friends affair, right?

BANG: It sure is. Dave (Dave Cole) and I were friends long before the band started and cause Jodes (Jodie Chifley) and I are brothers, we had a hard time avoiding each other. I can take credit for introducing both of them to Hip Hop music. Those bastards owe me. Heaven help them when I collect.

THE CUD: What were your musical influences growing up? And what role did growing up in Bathurst, New South Wales play in any of this, if at all?

BANG: We were lucky in that we had this crazy neighbour Faps, who was a few years older than us, and he was always more than happy to play us Jazz and Funk and other styles that had a heavy influence on Hip Hop. There were only a handful of guys in town who were interested in it, and still are. Another buddy of ours for example — our boy Rex — now runs a record store in Melbourne and has done a lot of graphic design for Aussie Hip Hop luminaries.

THE CUD: Without asking you to lean on any of those hated press release hyperbole you so hate, how would you describe Chaos Maths' music? Did it take you long as a band to find the particular groove and style which best suited you all? It certainly seems unlikely that we'll be seeing you singing about 'bitches and gats' anytime soon, but is there any interest — or even pressure — to engage in political discourse as a hip-hop act? … 

BANG: Never rule out the bitches and gats thing. That could happen at any moment. We've been making funk influenced Hip Hop since we first started. Hopefully we've become more refined as time has passed, but there's every chance we've regressed. Have you heard 'Paul's Boutique' by the Beastie Boys?

THE CUD: ‘Me in the corner with a good looking daughter, I dropped my drawers and it was Welcome Back Kotter.’

BANG: Musically I think that's a pretty good indicator of what we're attempting to do. That and stuff like The Meters and weather Report and any Jazz you'll find on CTI. The musical influence question is a hard one cause we can never compare ourselves to our idols, but of course you want to be like them. Can we say we're trying to be the complete opposite to Limp Bizkit?

THE CUD: Go for it.

BANG: We're the antithesis of the Bizkit, baby!

THE CUD: The long road to Aussie hip-hop garnering more mainstream credibility has been well documented. Why do you think it took so long for local audiences to be more accepting? Was it a case of the quality of the music finally improving or did musical tastes change and broaden?

BANG: Depends who you ask. It's one of those internet arguments that will never be solved, like Donnie Darko vs Requiem For A Dream.

THE CUD: I’m leaning heavily toward Darko.

BANG: I’d say it probably had a lot to do with the equipment needed to make music suddenly became so inexpensive and easily available. That meant that people could make what they wanted without having to conform to a studio system. It wouldn't cost them their life savings to make an album. Hip Hop has also come of age since 2000, so that was a factor.

THE CUD: And so with interest for Aussie hip-hop perhaps as high as it has ever been, is it still the same tough road for an emerging band to get a gig in Sydney, Melbourne or elsewhere as it has ever been for your average rock band, or have things improved?

BANG: It's still hard. At the majority of underground Hip Hop gigs, most of the crowd are artists in that scene. I don't think outside of the scene many people are interested in it, unless the act in question is considered 'hip' or whatever. I can say that comfortable in the knowledge that my band will never be hip. You can't take the country out of the boy, even if that's what the boy wants … 

THE CUD: There certainly seem to be more live music venues to have emerged in Sydney over the last five years, but I can imagine there has also been a significant upswing in the acts eager to play those same venues … ?

BANG: You talk to veteran artists in the scene and regardless of genre, they say that there have never been so many active bands around, which is good. I'd rather see my children in a band than in a religious institution, for what it's worth.

THE CUD: What's your favourite venue to play in Sydney?

BANG: The Annandale! The sound is always good, which is obviously important. Plus, they have photos up from all the great bands that have played at the 'Dale and it's quite humbling to know you'll be sharing the same stage as them.

THE CUD: Tell us about 'Down Like That'. How was the recording process different to your past outings? Has the core way in which the band composes and record music in the studio changed much since your earliest days?

BANG: We've never had a set procedure for how we make a song. During recent years we've been able to acquire everything we need to make songs so we can pretty much hit the studio whenever we want.

THE CUD: Any mishaps or misadventures on the road you'd like to share with us?

BANG: I was pretty drunk at the time. Did you know that they have sniffer dogs at the airport? It's an important thing to note when traveling … 

THE CUD: What, to date, would you say is one of the most gratifying, memorable gigs Chaos Maths have ever taken to stage?

BANG: We were playing at an annual festival at our hometown and we really wanted to put on a good set because the previous year we had played and everything went horribly wrong. This huge wind kicked up and was knocking over equipment and blowing records off the turntables. It got so bad they had to shut down the festival and we only got a chance to play for like 10 minutes. That horrible memory stayed with us for the next year and we were nervous as hell about making up for it, which we were lucky enough to do. Everything went well, the crowd liked it, the sun was shining …  Of course, I was so pleased that I grabbed a couple of beers from our rider at the conclusion of our set and ran into the crowd and then got kicked out by security. I didn't care, though. We'd done what we came to do.

THE CUD: So what's next for Chaos Maths?

BANG: Keep making songs. We seem to be pretty addicted to it. The respective girlfriends of band members aren't too happy about it but I think they realise it's more preferable for us to be in the studio rather than annoying them. All of us are in a new group called Dirtbox Kings and that crew will have an album ready to go in a month or so. Dirtbox Kings is like an 8 man crew that is a great deal of fun to get involved in. You want a copy? I'm gonna' send you a copy … 

Chaos Maths plays the Beach Road Hotel in Bondi, Sydney on August 22nd. Visit the group online at http://www.myspace.com/chaosmaths