Premiere: Racka Chachi Say Farewell With Funky Final Single, 'Reset'

For the last six years Racka Chachi have been holding it down on the Boorloo/Perth scene with their fun and addictive combination of hip-hop, r&b, soul and funk, releasing a string of well received singles over the years while also getting a reputation for their high energy live shows, amplified by cramming two basketball teams on to a stage.

Having played the likes of Nannup Music Festival, Wave Rock Weekender, Telethon and even 2023’s FIFA Women’s World Cup Fan Festival, sadly the time has come for Racka Chachi to call it a day. Amidst the sad news comes some solace - they’ve left us with one final single, Reset (premiering on Pilerats today ahead of its February 28 release), and have lined up one hell of a farewell party to celebrate.

An absolute strut-walk inducing jam, Reset opens with an attention grabbing bass synth offset by some tasty bass guitar work and four-to-the-floor drums driving the beat. Sweeping synths fill out the mix while gorgeous, soulful vocals cut through with some gorgeous harmonies. Rounding things out in the breakdowns are some rapidfire raps, with the quick witted wordplay the perfect complement to the big hooks in the chorus.

To launch Reset and celebrate over half a decade of making music, Racka Chachi will be throwing a party at Lynott’s Lounge on Friday, March 8 and bringing a pretty sweet lineup of a whole heap of Pile faves along to celebrate. Scratching, Cruz Patterson and Namesake will all be laying down sets before Racka promises to blow the roof off the place.

To find out all about it, we caught up with Racka Chachi frontman Levi James - listen to Reset ahead of release and get to know!

What a bittersweet time - congrats on the new single, but we’re sad to hear it will be the last from Racka Chachi, what led to the decision to call it a day?

Man, being a band this big; I am surprised we lasted this long! It's been a great 6 years but ultimately getting a band of 10+ people to one place at the same time, again and again can take it's toll. We feel like we had a really good lifespan but all good things come to an end when you recognise you're no longer growing. It's like high school, you can't be there forever. RC was all about us pushing ourselves to put ourselves out there and try new things, which we did! So it feels like a really natural time to call it.

What are some of your favourite memories from the last six years of being a band?

We're lucky and fortunate to have played a lot of amazing gigs throughout our time as a band. Wave Rock Weekender 2021 stands out as one of our best memories. We played all 3 days of the festival and performed in front of a lot of new people. It was great to have a party of about 20 of us all camping, seeing great bands and performing day after day! Besides that, we look fondly on when we used to do weekly home studio sessions on Waverley Street in Dianella. When we first started as a band we used to pile into a spare room in my parent's house every week and just make music, shoot videos and hang out. It was inspiring to be so in the moment and to create without expectations or boundaries.

What are some of the biggest lessons learned/experiences gained?

I think the biggest learning from Racka Chachi is that it's okay to suck at something. A lot of us were trained musicians but used Racka Chachi to try new things eg. singing, rapping, producing, designing etc. We made an effort to suck and to still put our creations out in the world in order to motivate us to improve. I learnt that I am never the finished product and on the other side of sucking is a lot of lifetime friends, memories and learnings. Suck and do it anyway!

The title of your swansong single, ‘Reset’, feels all too appropriate right now - is there any connection to the band wrapping things up?

Actually not really haha! This song has been written for about 3 years and just never saw the light of day. We had just wrapped in the studio with Cameron Murphy (Opaque Audio) when we started to feel the end was coming. We held onto this track to have a little parting gift to our friends and fans. I guess in retrospect, lyrically, some of the track seems to align with endings and the emotions attached to those processes.

How did the new single come together? What’s it all about?

This track is the lovechild of our amazingly talented drummer, Jamie Laval, and our keys/singer/rapper/everything extraordinaire, Dan D'Rozario. Jamie is a big fan of all things disco and funk and made this beat while being heavily inspired by 80's era funk. He actually has a playlist on spotify which is called 'three on E' where the riff or bassline of a song starts with three stabs on the open E string. He jokes that he wanted one of his own songs on the playlist so wrote a beat that has that signature 'three on E'. Dan wrote the majority of the melodies and lyrics and took the song in a really smooth and soulful direction. I am stoked that he got a chance to really take centre stage on this track because he is an immensely talent and often understated member of RC. We worked with Cameron Murphy and James Newhouse again to get a level of gloss and shine that few others can achieve. We're stoked with how full, classy and sleeeek the track sounds.

You’ve got a stacked lineup for the farewell show - who’s supporting on the night?

We are so stoked to have shared the stage with so many amazingly talented people throughout our career. For our final show we wanted to perform with some friends who we really appreciate. We have Scratching on for main support. We have been a huge fan of Grace Sanders for years and we have been lucky to perform together before. Zeke actually played bass for RC in the early days and has collaborated with a few of our members on some solo joints. Grace and Zeke are two of the most humble people I've met and they made 'Calling My Mother' which in my books is a top 20 song of the last 5 years. They gotta be there! We also have the legend Cruz Patterson performing! We have looked up to Cruz since we were kids. Koi Child were the best band in the world and Cruz is STILL the best MC in the state. He supported us for a show very early on and since then we have always been grateful for his presence in our career and in the scene in general! Lastly, we have a newer friend, Namesake, DJing the night. Nat is crazy talented, making some of the most unique mixes and edits I've heard. She's going to be massive. She's also super cool and filled in for us on drums one time. If she can deal with the ten of us and our chaos then she must have the patience of a saint.

What can people expect from the final Racka Chachi gig?

Your money's worth! No one asked for this but we will putting on the biggest, grandest, most over the top set we have ever performed. I guess it's like our eras tour, without the 30 minute private jet flights. But to be serious, we will be dusting off a few retired classic tracks (yes we are playing our most streamed song) and we also have our founding member Andre back from London for the occasion! Expect some special guests, a couple cool covers, some exclusive farewell merch and a lot of tears and hugs!

What’s next - can we hear any of the Racka Chachi alumni in any other projects moving forward?

This is the fun part! There will be a lot coming out from Racka Chachi members in the near future. Tesoro has some new singles dropping soon, Diyla has been performing his beats at local beatmaker showcases and Dennis will still have a lot happening with his band The Witchy Djypses too! Our Guitarist Nic has been performing with Mal De Mer (legends!) and I am sure has some sneaky solo goodness he has been working on. Andre and a few of us will performing as part of his solo project Good Deeds which will have some new music out very soon too. I will be launching a new music project too sometime soon. Hopefully this time with less people, but if not, I am sure it will be fun! Thanks to Pilerats and to all our friends, fans and fam for all your support. We love you. RC FOREVER xx

          - Levi James (Racka Chachi), February 2024

Racka Chachi's new single Reset is out February 28

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