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Born and raised in inner west Sydney till the age of 13 before re-locating south to the boon-docks of G-Town, an hour south west of Melbourne, Trem, like most in his age bracket and on this part of the planet, gained his first look at hip hop through movies such as Beat Street and books like Subway Art in the early eighties. Instantly falling in love with the phenomenon he dabbled in floor moves before turning his hand to graff. As a member of the Australian leg of a worldwide graffiti crew ‘Run For Kover’(originating in the U.K), Trem managed to cause his fair share of damage before making the slow transition from paint to microphones. Rhyming over ‘pause tapes’ in and around 1989, inspired by not only his favorite U.S artists, but also local talent such as the A.K.A Brothers, Trem had built a repertoire of battle raps and was showcasing them live and on recordings by 1990. After hooking up with DJ Frenzie, he and Raise (R.F.K co-founder and his rhyming partner at the time) went from strength to strength, showcasing their skills across Melbourne, at shows and on live-to-air radio. With Raise leaving the country, Trem emerged as a solo M.C, and after hooking up with Dj Idem, initial plans were put in place for the recording and release of his first official-a six track tape in 1992. Unfortunately the tape was never completed and the one finished track ‘Arrest My Brain’ never saw the light of day. Although continuing to build ‘n’ develop skills and still regularly appearing live at shows and on radio throughout the mid nineties, it wasn’t until Trem formed an alliance with Prowla and Jase of the Nuff Said Crew, that recording would eventually begin on his first actual solo release. Sheer Talent, released on Unkut Recordings, an independent label formed by Trem and Rob Ettelson (Unkut.com fame), was a limited edition, four tracks, plus instrumentals 12” that certainly showcased Trem’s lyrical ability, atop slow, bass-line heavy bangers. Closely followed by his highly sort after second 12” Amateurs, that delivered more of the same. It was during this time that Trem and his team devised the ‘super-group’ Lyrical Commission, equipped with an arsenal of raps, they tore apart mic’s and stages across Australia, and have since gone on to become one of the most reputable underground Hip Hop acts to emerge from the continent. With two incredible landmark releases under their belt and some awe inspiring collaborations with the likes of Ex Arsonist front-man and Uncle Howie recording artist Q-Unique as well as The Grand Daddy Grenade himself- Celph Titled (Demigodz/AOTP fam) the crew solidified its rep not only on these shores but also garnering acclaim in certain pockets across the globe. Not content with making his mark as top M.C, since 2001 Trem also extended himself to the beat making game in a major way. After cutting his teeth as a co-producer/engineer on all of his earlier solo work, and being entirely responsible for the beats behind both L.C classics “The Stage Is Set” and “Murderous Metaphors” as well as 4/5 of Brad Struts “Legend:Official”, It aint hard to tell he’s gone on to become as equally prevalent behind the boards as he is in the booth. His production has also begun to emerge on artists projects not tied to his label, giving that raw boom bap L.C flavor to varying emcees and their projects. His eagerly anticipated full length L.P is on its way, with a release date due in the not too distant future. As CEO of Unkut Recordings, Trem can be found most often then not bunkered down in the Trematorium or Mahogany Room slaving away at one of the labels pending releases, whether tweaking a beat, recording and mixing, or writing and lacing some shit in the booth…| |
