Def Wish Cast (DWC) are one of the earlier Hip Hop groups to emerge from Australia, performing live since 1990. Consisting of emcees Def Wish, Die C, Sereck and DJ Murda One (previously DJ A.S.K. and then former DJ + Producer DJ Vame) and now affiliate Tommy Rock, DWC were born out of Hip Hop culture in Western Sydney through their heavy involvement in the b-boy and graffiti circles.
Def Wish Cast released their debut EP Mad As A Hatter in 1992 and their song “Proppa Ragga” was the first Hip Hop song from Australia to receive international attention. The year after saw the release of Def Wish Cast’s ground breaking and instant classic debut album, Knights of the Underground Table, and also saw them become the first Hip Hop act from Australia to independently tour the country. This release earned media coverage for the group throughout Europe and America and cemented DWC’s position as one of the most influential Hip Hop groups in the formative years in Australia.
Recording the first Australian underground Hip Hop film clip for “A.U.S.T” with the help of some local film students, Def Wish Cast were introducing Hip Hop to a broader audience in Australia throughout the early 90s. Sereck of DWC co-created the first documentary on Hip Hop in Australia, 1997’s Basic Equipment, and its examination of Hip Hop culture in Sydney.
Def Wish Cast as a group took a hiatus from the mid-90s and in the interim, Sereck of DWC teamed up with Brass Knuckles and released two albums as Celsius, while Def Wish and Die C formed Kilawattz and released an EP and a handful of features. Reforming as Def Wish Cast in the early 2000s, they have subsequently released the excellent The Legacy Continues and their latest release, Evolution Machine (featuring production from M-Phazes, Plutonic Lab, DJ JS1, Katalyst + Resin Dogs). DWC have supported Beastie Boys, EPMD, Arabian Prince, Q-Bert, AG of D.I.T.C., Rahzel, KRS ONE and a who’s who of Hip Hop artists from Australia.
