Elefant Traks 25th Anniversary - The Finale

To celebrate 25 years of great Australian independent music, influential label Elefant Traks goes out on a high with a celebration bringing together some some of their finest talent including Hermitude, The Herd, OKENYO, Horrorshow, ANESU, The Last Kinection, Urthboy, B Wise, Jimblah, Nardean and many more. 

Elefant Traks artists will be performing some of their biggest songs with a big backing band. Songs like The Buzz by Hermitude will appear alongside The King is Dead by The Herd, while Horrorshow will serenade the Joan Sutherland Theatre with their much loved song Cherry Blossom and OKENYO will captivate with her anthem Woman's World. Imagine the biggest songs from Elefant Traks history all on one special night at the Opera House.

Elefant Traks was inspired by a mixtape – and ended up changing the landscape of Australian music. In 1998, Kenny Sabir and a group of multicultural friends came together to launch an independent music label that would reflect their activism and desire to champion the next generation of young Australian artists. With a roster of bold, change-making acts that grew to include the likes of The Herd and Hermitude, Elefant Traks surged to the vanguard of local hip-hop and electronic music, nurturing some of the culture’s most important artists in the process under the helm of Tim ‘Urthboy’ Levinson. After 25 years, the label is going out on a high, celebrating their legacy with a huge, unmissable night featuring a line-up of their greatest artists, a big backing band and a visual show. Expect all the classics – Hermitude’s “The Buzz”, The Herd’s “The King is Dead”, OKENYO’s “Woman’s World” – and much, much more.

Hermitude
For more than two decades, chart-topping production duo Hermitude – comprising multi-instrumentalists Luke Dubs and El Gusto – have crafted hip-hop and electronic music into an electrifying mic that created international waves in clubs and festivals from Sydney to SXSW and Lollapalooza. Their 2015 album Dark Night Sweet Light , led by the irresistible “The Buzz”, debuted at number one, while 2022’s Mirror Mountain saw a return to their electronic roots.

The Herd
One of the defining Australian hip-hop groups of the 21st century, and a band instrumental to the success of Elefant Traks. Sydney’s The Herd broke out with their 2001 single “Scallops”, before dropping a succession of raucous, politically charged tracks – including “77%”, “I Was Only Nineteen” and “The King is Dead” – that rocked the nation. This a rare chance to experience their legendary live performance.

OKENYO
Actor, director and musician Zindzi Okenyo moves effortlessly between worlds, from national theatre and television roles to making R&B music with Zindzi and the Zillionaires and as neo-soul siren OKENYO. She has performed with Billie Eilish and Santigold, at Splendour in the Grass and at Vivid.

Horrorshow
ARIA-nominated duo Horroshow are Australian hip hop royalty, with a run of top-10 albums, including 2013’s King Amongst Many, a modern classic that tangled with themes of race and identity. Their gold single “Cherry Blossoms” remains an Elefant Traks favourite.

ANESU
Born in Zimbabwe, ANESU weaves cultural and queer themes into their music, with elements of hip-hop, electronic, and soul. They've graced stages at events like SXSW, Groovin the Moo, Sydney World Pride. ANESU has also joined forces with Elefant Traks, and with new releases like 'Mrs Jackson,' they are quickly becoming one of the industry’s most unique and promising artists.

The Last Kinection
Formed in 2006 by Shakaya’s Naomi Wenitong and Local Knowledge’s Joel Wenitong and DJ Jaytee, The Last Kinection are an Indigenous hip hop trio, Joel and Nay descendents of the Gubi Gubi Nation.

Urthboy
A founding member of The Herd and the man at the helm of Elefant Traks for 22 years, Tim Levinson – aka Urthboy – is a multi-ARIA- and Australian Music Prize-nominated rapper, producer and activist with seven solo albums including award winning The Signal and The Past Beats Inside Me Like a Second Heartbeat.

Ozi Batla
One of Australia’s best-known MCs, Ozi Batla has been involved with Elefant Traks from the beginning, leading the critically acclaimed, ARIA-nominated mainstays The Herd, and releasing a trio of records with hip-hop crew Astronomy Class.

B Wise
James Iheakanwa, aka B Wise, is an ARIA-nominated Nigerian-Australian rapper who rose from Sydney’s Western suburbs with hit tracks like “Throw It Out” and “Won’t Stop”. His 2019 record Area Famous won the AIR Award for Best Independent Hip-Hop/Urban album. 

Jane Tyrrell
Melbourne-based singer, songwriter and artist Jane Tyrell has been a vocalist for The Herd since joining the band in the mid-aughts. She released her acclaimed solo debut, Echoes in the Aviary, in 2014.

Jimblah
Hailing from the Larrakia Nation in Top End Northern Territory, Jimblah is an Adelaide-based producer, MC and vocalist who has been called one of the freshest and most powerful voices in Australian hip-hop. He is a fearless advocate for indigenous music and rights.

Joelistics
Producer, rapper, songwriter, composer and multi-instrumentalist Joel Ma is renowned for his innovation and sonic experimentation. His alt-rap group TZU were at the vanguard of a new sound in local hip-hop and electronica, and he has since written and produced for a range of artists including Birdz, Hermitude and Emma Donovan.

Nardean
Fast-rising Egyptian-Australian singer, songwriter and producer Nardean has captured attention with her silky vocals, poetic lyricism and unique combination of lo-fi hip-hop, alternative R&B and Arabic music.

Sachém
With his indigenous Australian and African American background, emerging spoken-word poet, rapper and singer Sachem brings a unique cultural perspective to his hip-hop sound, which has become a powerful vehicle for social awareness and political transformation.

Presented by Sydney Opera House