We would like to thank everyone that attended the Friday, December 19th, 2008 show at The Dark Room @ Club Six.
To show our appreciation
we recorded everyones set and you can click on the links below to listen or
download the live sets.
There are a few clicks in the recording due to computer malfunction but it's
hardly noticeable. Enjoy the music!
SWEATSHOP
UNION audio
BASH BROS. audio
BOAC with DNAE BEATS and PSALM ONE audio
Sweatshop
Union
Bash
Bros
Boac
With the release of their highly acclaimed fourth album Water Street,
Sweatshop Union are building serious momentum. With tens of thousands of albums
sold and hundreds of shows rocked, the word of mouth is spreading about Sweatshop
Unions style of conscious lyrics, highly musical beats, and high energy
live shows that far surpass the average hip hop concert. Campaigning to create
awareness for Water Street, Sweatshop have embarked on their most extensive
phase of touring ever.
Sweatshop Union began as a collective of Vancouver-based artists pooling resources
to release an album, transforming into a group in the process. The crew, made
up of Kyprios, Dirty Circus, Pigeon Hole, and Innocent Bystanders, released
their debut album Local 604 in late 2002 via indie label Battle Axe Records.
In support of the album, they created three music videos and toured Canada with
Jurassic 5 and Blackalicious, as well as then-labelmates Swollen Members and
Abstract Rude. This was the beginning of a relentless touring schedule that
has proven to be a key catalyst to solidifying their growing fan base and maintaining
momentum.
Natural Progression, Sweatshops sophomore album, hit streets in
2004 and cemented their position as a group to be reckoned with. More videos
and touring followed; Sweatshop crisscrossed Canada, headlining several tours
and also touring as the opening act for the Black Eyed Peas. Critical acclaim
grew, and both college and commercial radio gave Sweatshop tracks substantial
airtime. Nominations for a Juno Award (the Canadian Grammy), a MuchMusic Video
Award, Canadian Radio Music Awards, and more piled up. Recognizing the appeal
of Sweatshop Unions music, music supervisors used their music in dozens
of films, television shows, and video games, creating even more international
awareness.
2005 brought the release of the third Sweatshop Union album, United We Fall,
featuring collaborations with Rob The Viking, Mad Child (Swollen Members) and
DJ Revolution (The World Famous Wake Up Show). Canada was blanketed, more albums
were sold, more audiences were rocked, and more accolades (including nominations
for another Juno Award and MuchMusic Video Award) were received. In 2006 Sweatshop
Union hit the road in the United States for the first time, giving their American
fans a taste of what is to come. Since then, Sweatshop has rocked over 100 shows
a year, a pace that that they have no intention of letting up.
Despite their heavy touring schedule Sweatshop Union still found time to record
the 23 tracks that make up their latest album, which is almost entirely produced
by members of the group. Water Street (Look Records) is now available
in stores everywhere, and further solidifies Sweatshops position as one
of Canadas most successful independent hip hop acts. In a time when hip
hop music remains soulless and simplistic in the eyes of the mainstream, Sweatshop
Union remain driven to deliver a deeper, more meaningful sound into the conscience
of the masses.