Hip-Hop and horns don't often make great bedfellows, so Wollongong band Dlinkwnt must be doing something right.
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The seven-piece rap-jazz crossover act will fly the flag for both Wollongong and the Sydney area in a fortnight, after winning through to the state final of the National Campus Band Competition.
After winning the University of Wollongong final in August, the band wowed judges at the University of NSW on Wednesday night to earn a spot in the NSW final.
"We went in with positive thoughts, but we're really stoked to be through to the final," said frontman Nicholas Johnson.
"We played last which is both good and bad sometimes. You know what's come before and who has set the bar so far, but at the same time you don't want to go in too gung-ho and mess up."
After Dlnkwnt set themselves apart from bands from the University of Sydney, UNSW and University of Technology Sydney, their unique sound launched them into the state final at Sydney's Hard Rock Cafe on September 26.
"Whenever we play, our game plan is just to pick songs that showcase our abilities best, and just rock the house," Johnson said.
It will be a big week for the band, coming after they launch their debut EP Make It So at City Diggers on September 21.
Dlinkwnt is now a seven-piece, with trumpets, trombones, saxes and two vocalists: MC Nicholas and lead singer Aimee.
The band began two years ago as a solo project for Nicholas.
"I didn't feel like the music I was producing was the calibre I wanted, so I put an ad up on Gumtree and got a drummer from that," he said.
"The drummer's brother became our bassist, and he brought in the keys player, who knew the horns guys. It's just one of those things - I feel like it was meant to happen."
