Bliss n Eso

Bliss N Eso's tale goes to show that creating your own path can lead to a destination never reachable by following directions. And what an incredible journey it has been.

In the early '90s Jonathan Notley moved from the US to Sydney, Australia and met Max Mackinnon at High School. The Two became friends through their mutual passion for hip-hop music and together over the next few years began to cultivate the craft of rhyming. Later, after a few early recordings on old boom boxes, Mackinnon moved schools and met Tarik Ejjamai who at the time was an aspiring hip-hop DJ.

The three teamed up in a climate when Australian music was dominated by rock and pop, and local hip-hop was virtually non existent; it was here that Bliss n Eso were born.

Identifying over their passion for self expression through beats and rhymes, Bliss n Eso burst onto the Australian music scene in 2000, releasing their debut 5 track EP, aptly titled The Arrival.

From an early stage in their career, Bliss n Eso primarily built their fan base from their compelling and energetic live performances. An exhilarating blend of fluid rhymes and banging beats teamed with beat boxing, impromptu freestyling and seamless turntablism make their live shows a brand in their own right, and has seen the group hailed as one of the best live acts in the country.

Word of the three man crew’s tight shows spread quickly and before long they had gained top supporting slots alongside artists including Cypress Hill, Xzibit, Naughty by Nature, Jurassic 5, The Roots, Black Eyed Peas and DJ Shadow to name but a few.

After four years of touring with consistently powerful performances, Bliss n Eso settled down in 2004 to record their first full length album Flowers In The Pavement, released through Obese Records.

The hit track off the album, This is For You, received airplay on Triple J and became the second track in Australian hip-hop history to be added to commercial radio network Nova FM. The stand out songs Pigs In The Porn Trough and This is For You also brought Bliss n Eso an award for “Hip-Hop Artist of the Year” at the National Music Oz Awards in both 2003 and 2004 respectively. They also received a nomination in 2004 for the major award of “Artists of the Year”.

After months of intensive touring to support the album, Bliss n Eso returned to the studio in 2005 to record their follow up album Day of the Dog.

The album demonstrated the broad capabilities of the trio through fourteen tight tracks of creative sampling, innovative production and catchy choruses, all of which sewn together with Bliss n Eso's fresh flow and clever lyricism. The album featured an array of local and international hip-hop producers including works from Suffa (Hilltop Hoods), Motley (UK) and veteran beat maker Weapon X.

In late 2006, BNE released Day of the Dog: Phazed Out, which was a special edition version of the album, containing 3 extra songs and a bonus disc of the entire album remixed by M-Phazes. This release saw the group receive another ARIA nomination for Best Urban Release in 2007. The limited edition version was sold out in under 6 weeks.

In 2008 Bliss n Eso delivered Flying Colours, featuring the stand out singles Bullet and a Target, Woodstock 2008, The Sea Is Rising and Eye of the Storm. Recorded at Sing Sing studios in Melbourne, the new album demonstrates Bliss n Eso’s artistic growth and evolving maturity both through lyrics and production in what is ultimately their best and most dynamic work to date.

With the album debuting in the top 10 of the Australian charts (another milestone for Australian hip-hop), Bliss n Eso solidified their position as one of the country's most popular acts from any genre. The album became the highest selling local hip-hop album of the year and with their third nomination in as many years, Bliss N Eso took out the ARIA Award for 2008's Best Urban Release. After ten phenomenal years, these three troublemakers from Sydney's suburbs are officially in uncharted territory - which is exactly where they like to be.