206collab

On and off the stage, 206collab always brings the unexpected. Having rocked shows around Australia for over six years and released its debut album in late 2006, the group is ready to shift into a new level of game with the release of its next project, Watch Kulagina.

The original members of 206collab - MCs Flip+Skip, Eno, Shamrock and DJ/Producer JPlatnum - played their first shows together in 2002 at venues around Sydney, including the Nufunc open mic and battle night at Greenwood Hotel. The next few years saw the group push their live performance to new heights at Battleacts, Nufunc and other shows around Sydney, both headlining bills and sharing stages with groups the likes of 2Up, The Herd and The Brethren.

There was always a shared ideal amongst the 206collab that hip hop is rooted firmly in the ability to own a stage and rock mics and turntables, and to that end they devoted themselves, gaining fans from every new crowd they played to.

By late 2005 however, more than three years after first stepping to the stage, all members of the crew felt that it was time to share their music with broader audiences. They chose a number of tracks from the arsenal to polish up, and decided to put together a few more pieces to show where they'd developed their music to at time of release.

206collab's resulting debut LP - released in October 2006, almost over four years after the crew first stepped on stage - was aptly named What You Waited Years For, and received wide coverage and acclaim in Australian street press, radio and television.

Listen to and read more about What You Waited Years For, and see press coverage and media features of the album.

It was in writing their debut release's closing track - Below the Surface – that the 206collab first featured the soulful melodies of female vocalist, Tiffany Hairman. Recognising the depth and musicality Tiff's enchanting voice brought to the group and forseeing the way she could enrich their live performance, the 206collab invited her to perform with them on their east coast What You Waited Years For launch tour.

Tiff's live presence and consistently powerful vocal performance inevitably earned her an invitation to join the group proper in early 2007. This helped to fill the void created by the departure of the beloved Shamrock from 206collab in mid-2007 to pursue his faith.

206collab continued to rock shows in NSW and interstate through 2007, '08 and '09. Tiffany's presence has complemented the energetic and twisted humour of the original crew with a soulful, melodic dimension to produce a deeper, more varied and mature style of hip hop.

Having waited years to unveil their second release as well, 206collab eagerly anticipates unleashing this next level of music on the world with Watch Kulagina in early 2009.

Having continually pushed their live performance and music to new heights for over six years, the only thing 206collab fails to do for their audience is disappoint - don't miss their next show. Ears to the ground for Watch Kulagina, and eyes out for strings attached...