There’s something so exciting about wandering around the city during your regular day, and suddenly stumbling upon an art installation in a public place. There’s that “Oh!” moment (not that other O-moment, ya sicko!) that sort of sticks with you and maybe makes the day a bit brighter, a little more fun.

And that’s exactly what Laneways: By George! aims to do.  From October 2009 to January 2010, eight of Sydney’s disused laneways will be reclaimed and turned into mini-wonderlands with installations created by interdisciplinary teams including architects, artists, musicians, poets and even lawyers.

For Sydneysiders — perpetually hearing from Melburnites that our laneways are too easily overlooked — it’s a nice change.  And hey, it makes commuters’ shortcuts a fair bit prettier.

Find out more and download a walking tour map at the website, and get amongst it.

Our countries most favoured MC, the handsome drake known by his adoring public as the Purple Duck, has decided to bless the east coast with a celebratory tour for his long awaited debut album ‘Duckside of the Moon’ recently released by dualpLOVER recordings. The Maroon Loon will be dispensing some of his ‘implausible vocal dexterity’ on the road this june / july flocking together the most motley mob of hip hop artists ever assembled in this country, for simply the best packaged deal you will ever be likely to hear.

Joining duckmania are a crew of wogs known as Curse Ov Dialect, who are nothing if not an anomaly on the Australian hip hop scene, their non-homogenized tapestry of world music and hip hop sensibilities fused with a costumed show of unrelenting energy makes for a very interesting time indeed.

And then we have the professional savage who taps the jugular of hip hop bleeding from it everything you once held dear. This Mexican with a distinct distaste for white Australia will make the Caucasians in the house say ‘SQUIRM’ while raising the roof on our countries genocidal history and present.

Together these three acts are the vanguard of experimental hip hop in this country their humour, joy and dread offer varying perspectives on life, its hip hop son, but not how you want it.

Kicking off in Sydney on the 30th of June, the tour moves through Newcastle, Lismore, Brisbane and finally Melbourne. See the facebook event page for dates and times.

purple duck www.myspace.com/mcpurpleduck
curse ov dialect www.myspace.com/thecurseovdialect
the professional savage www.myspace.com/whosaysrecords