Kaya, and welcome to Songlines, an RTRFM podcast which shines a light on First Nations artists across WA. Integral to Indigenous spirituality, Songlines outline the paths of ancestral spirits as they created the land, animals, and law to guide their descendants. Over six episodes spanning the Noongar seasons, we will hear from artists across music, theatre, dance, and television, paving the way for the next generation of storytellers and walking the emotional, historical, and spiritual paths which shaped them into the creatives they are today.

My name is Cezera Critti-Schnaars, and in episode one we find ourselves in Birak, or First Summer, catching up with Noongar Wongai rapper Josh Eggington, AKA Fluent. Josh burst onto the scene with Kaya Kayana, a song drawing on the legacy of Kayana music festivals established in the late 90s to champion First Nations communities. His music aims to empower and educate the next generation and guide them into the spotlight to share their own experiences of culture. When Josh is not making music, he is mentoring some of the state's most vulnerable youth and using music to guide them towards a better future. Josh takes to the stage for season one, episode one of Songlines

Josh: My name's Josh Eggington. I'm Noongar Wongai Pindara. I'm a hip-hop artist. I perform under the name of Fluent. I'm here from Perth, Borloo. I grew up in many different suburbs from around here. Yeah, I guess, yeah, an artist, a mentor, facilitator, youth worker. Just sort of advocate for mob. That's kind of what I am.

Cezera: Incredible. So this podcast as a whole spans across all the Noongar seasons and in today's episode we find ourselves in Birak which for those who don't know goes over the period of December and January. It tends to be the hottest season of the year, which makes sense for anyone who's experienced the Perth summer. I was wondering do you have any kind of fond memories from these months over the years? I mean these months do tend to go over the school holidays.
Josh: Yeah, yeah, no, of course. Great time of the year, you know, it's lovely and hot.
Cezera: Sometimes a bit too hot.

Josh: Sometimes a bit too hot when it hits like 42. Well, these days it's getting hotter. It's crazy. I feel like you're melting.

 

Cezera: Oh, yeah. Climate change is real, people.

Josh: Yeah, so, oh, man, incredible, incredible memories. A big thing in my family is we usually head down towards Mandurah and go crabbing.

Cezera: Oh, that's incredible.

Josh: Yeah, that has kind of been happening ever since I was young. And what I understand, even when my father was young, and my whole family have always done it, and it's just, It's just such a great experience. It's really good. I take my kids now. So that's a generational thing and that's really special. Also, my second daughter is born on the 1st of the 1st.

Cezera: Oh, that's cute. I love that. What a good start to the year.

Josh: That's it, right? So, yeah, that's beautiful and that's obviously a massive memory for us. Yeah, I think just those sorts of times, being out and with the mob, you know, I feel like in the summer, in Birak, that time of year is just a beautiful time for our mob because everyone gets together. You think about around that Christmas time and all that, you get to see your family, you get to be with everybody, you get to see mob you don't see all the time. We do the rounds around the house, go to one house, next house, next house, and go and eat everybody's food. So just those sorts of times. And that smell, I think that smell that comes out during summer is beautiful.

To listen to the full podcast episode - Songlines on RTRFM: Joshua "Flewnt" Eggington (Birak) - in full visit RTRFM.com.au or stream wherever you get your podcasts.