{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox musical artist <!-- See Wikipedia:WikiProject_Musicians --> | name = Joelistics | image = | caption = | image_size = | birth_name = Joel Ma | birth_place = Sydney, New South Wales, Australia | occupation = Rapper, record producer, multi-instrumentalist | genre = Hip-hop | years_active = 1999–present | label = Liberation, Elefant Traks | associated_acts = TZU | website = {{URL|www.joelistics.com}} | background = solo_singer }} '''Joel Ma''', better known by his stage name '''Joelistics''', is an Australian rapper, producer and multi-instrumentalist, who was a member of the Melbourne-based Australian hip hop group TZU and a solo artist on the Elefant Traks music label.
==Early life== Ma was born and raised in Sydney, to a Chinese father and an Anglo-Celtic Australian mother.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/music/hiphop-without-the-bling/2006/03/26/1143330915828.html|title=Hip-hop without the usual bling bling|publisher=Fairfax Media|date=27 March 2006|accessdate=3 August 2014}}</ref> Ma attended Fort Street High School in the inner western Sydney suburb of Petersham, which was also attended by other Australian hip hop musicians, such as Adit Gauchan, producer for Horrorshow, and Kaho Cheung (aka Unkle Ho), producer for The Herd.<ref name="Rage">{{cite web|title=GUESTS & SPECIALS HORRORSHOW|url=http://www.abc.net.au/rage/archive/s3359436.htm|website=rage|publisher=ABC|accessdate=3 August 2014|date=12 November 2011}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/music/hiphop-without-the-bling/2006/03/26/1143330915828.html|title=Hip-hop without the usual bling bling|publisher=Fairfax Media|date=27 March 2006|author=Louise Hall|accessdate=3 August 2014}}</ref>
Ma said in October 2014 that he played in punk and hardcore bands during his adolescent years, and drums was his first instrument. His high school band "The Mechanical Bumcheeks" won the "Battle of the Bands" competition at Balmain Town Hall in Sydney.<ref name="Like" />
==Career== ===TZU=== After travelling to Melbourne, Ma formed TZU with Paso Bionic of Curse Ov Dialect and members of Pan in 2002.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jplay.com.au/JSite/ViewArtist.aspx?ArtistID=318&ShowFullBio=true |title=TZU @ J Play |publisher=Jplay.com.au |date= |accessdate=1 October 2013}}</ref> During their years of activity, they released four studio albums under Liberation Music before disbanding in 2013.
===Joelistics=== === 2011–2014: ''Voyager'' === Under his MC name "Joelistics", Ma signed with Sydney-based Australian hip hop label Elefant Traks for the release of his first solo album ''Voyager''. Released in 2011, Ma collaborated with Ella Thompson (Oz Soul Collective, Axolotl), Dustin Mclean (Moon Zero studios) and Natalie Pa'apa'a (Blue King Brown) for the recording of the album.<ref name="Marc">{{cite web|author1=Marcus|title=Joelistics 'Voyager' – Track by Track|url=http://www.thevine.com.au/music/album-reviews/joelistics-voyager-track-by-track-20110617-244534/?page=1|website=The Vine|publisher=Digital Media|accessdate=3 August 2014|date=17 June 2011}}</ref> Ma explained following the release of ''Voyager'' that the album is influenced by his travels to locations such as Berlin, France and Bangkok; where he wrote sections of two songs—"All the Rebels" and "Sooner or Later":
<blockquote> There is a hotel near Sukhumvit Rd called The Atlanta and it's my favourite hotel in all the world ... and in the marbled foyer they provide letter writing rooms for guests. I set up my laptop in one of these rooms and cooked up "All the Rebels" ... I stumbled across the beat [for "Sooner or Later"] in my last few days before I returned to Australia, and the verses about travelling tumbled out while I was in transit from Thailand back to Oz. They were mostly written at Suvarnabhumi Airport in a sleep-deprived, half-excited, half-delirious state.<ref name="Marc" /></blockquote>
===2014–2015: ''Blue Volume''=== Ma's second solo album ''Blue Volume'' was released in mid-2014, again on the Elefant Traks label, and the musician explained in a June 2014 interview that while ''Voyager'' was "a largely positive record", the follow-up is "about breaking up and being quite caught up in the frustrations of certain things, certain emotions and the loss of identity." Ma further explains that the Australian social climate had changed after he returned from travelling in Germany and Spain, and he proceeded to channel feelings of frustration and anger into the creation of ''Blue Volume'', an album that he describes as "uncomfortable".<ref name="Matt">{{cite web|author1=Matt Shea|title=Joelistics: "There's a format for Aussie hip-hop these days"|url=http://www.thevine.com.au/music/news/joelistics-theres-a-format-for-aussie-hip-hop-these-days-20140630-282988/|website=The Vine|publisher=Digital Media|accessdate=3 August 2014|date=30 June 2014}}</ref> Between the two albums, Ma also experienced the end of a long-term relationship with his former partner and the death of a close friend:
<blockquote> ... I experienced some loss that I hadn't really touched before. And people who were close to me are no longer there or no longer close to me ... the things that I think are worth fighting for and believe in, I think, are still the same ... Maybe, if anything, I've got more doubts.<ref name="Matt" /></blockquote>
The launch shows for ''Blue Volume'' took place in September, October and November 2014, including shows in Hong Kong and Singapore.<ref>{{cite web|author1=Sosefina Fuamoli|title=Joelistics announces 'Blue Volume' tour dates for October and November!|url=http://www.theaureview.com/news/joelistics-announces-blue-volume-tour-dates-for-october-and-november|website=The AU Review|publisher=Heath Media & the AU review|accessdate=21 October 2014|date=21 August 2014}}</ref> Ma also performed with fellow Elefant Traks artist Sietta for the 2014 Darwin Festival, in Darwin, a special collaboration that was scheduled to feature "stories about growing up in Australia in the 80s and 90s, and particularly growing up mixed race."<ref name="Matt" />
Ma completed a video interview with the ''Music Feeds'' website prior to the start of the "Blue Volume Tour" in Sydney, and revealed that during the songwriting process for ''Blue Volume'' his laptop was stolen while he was overseas. The laptop contained all of the material he had written for the second album, but he explained that the theft might have been fortuitous, as the tone of the material was darker than the songs he wrote following the theft. Ma was also questioned about the musical diversity of ''Blue Volume'' and Ma replied with an example of his eclectic taste: "When I listen to music, I make mixtapes, and it will go from a Fugazi track, to a Public Enemy track, to an Al Green track, and I like that movement through the different styles ... you know, the themes on ''Blue Volume'', I think, carry through from song to song."<ref name="Like">{{cite web|title=Interview: Joelistics – "I Like An Element Of Chaos"|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rWgy4LamxBQ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211219/rWgy4LamxBQ |archive-date=2021-12-19 |url-status=live|website=Music Feeds on YouTube|publisher=Google Inc|accessdate=21 October 2014|format=Video upload|date=17 October 2014}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
Ma performed at the "New Years Beats" event on New Year's Eve 2014, alongside fellow Australian hip hop artists, such as Briggs and The Funkoars.<ref>{{cite web|title=October 16|url=https://www.facebook.com/CassetteEntertainment/photos/a.172007106319515.1073741828.168208480032711/310746432445581/?type=1|website=Cassettte Entertainment on Facebook|publisher=Facebook|accessdate=21 October 2014|date=16 October 2014}}</ref> He performed his song, "Say I'm Good" alongside You Am I for the triple j radio station's 40th anniversary event, ''Beat The Drum'', on 16 January 2015.<ref>{{cite web|title=You Am I with Joelistics and Adalita at triple j's Beat The Drum|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6Nq6S1oPWA |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211219/Y6Nq6S1oPWA |archive-date=2021-12-19 |url-status=live|website=triple j on YouTube|publisher=Google Inc|accessdate=20 January 2015|format=Video upload|date=16 January 2015}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
=== 2018-2023: Ghost Town, Film School, Analog Gunk. === Joelistics produced the title track for Mo'Ju's 2018 album, ''Native Tongue''.<ref name=abcnative>{{cite news|publisher=Australian Broadcasting Corporation|website=ABC News|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-08-18/mojo-juju-dissects-race-identity-representation-native-tongue/10114956|first=Beverly|last=Wang|series=Radio National: Stop Everything!|date=18 August 2018|title=Mojo Juju talks race, family and representation in her third album, Native Tongue|access-date=7 November 2019}}</ref> The following year, Mo'Ju and Joel released an EP together, titled ''Ghost Town''.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mo'Ju x Joelistics - Ghost Town |url=https://joelistics.bandcamp.com/album/ghost-town |website=Bandcamp}}</ref>
In 2021, he released his third studio album, ''Ghost Town''. In 2023, he released his fourth studio album, ''Analog Gunk''.
==Touring== Ma's Australian "Blue Volume Tour" occurs during October and November 2014, starting in Sydney and finishing in Brisbane.<ref name="Deaf">{{cite web|author1=Staff, Joel Ma|title=The 5 Asian Pop Songs That Are Weirder Than Acid, According To Joelistics|url=http://www.tonedeaf.com.au/420916/5-asian-pop-songs-weirder-acid-according-joelistics.htm|website=Tone Deaf|publisher=Tone Deaf|accessdate=9 October 2014|date=9 October 2014}}</ref> DJ Soup will perform with Ma, while the support acts are Mathas and label-mates Sietta.<ref name="Like" />
Ma's Sydney performance at the Newtown Social Club on 17 October 2014 received a 3.5-star rating (out of 5) from ''Sydney Morning Herald'' reviewer George Palathingal who described Ma as "some kind of hip-hop samurai", whose "rhyming is razor-sharp and his storytelling compelling". According to Palathingal, Ma's mother and friends attended the Sydney leg of the "Blue Volume Tour" and Ma explained to the audience that his music has always been motivated by passion, rather than money.<ref>{{cite news|author1=George Palathingal|title=Joelistics review: The power and passion of a hip-hop samurai|url=http://www.smh.com.au/entertainment/music/joelistics-review-the-power-and-passion-of-a-hiphop-samurai-20141018-1182vy.html|accessdate=21 October 2014|work=The Sydney Morning Herald|date=18 October 2014}}</ref>
==Media appearances== Prior to the commencement of the October–November 2014 ''Blue Volume'' Australian tour, an article from Ma was published on the ''Tone Deaf'' website on 9 October 2014. Titled "The 5 Asian Pop Songs That Are Weirder Than Acid, According To Joelistics", the article lists Ma's five favorite Asian pop songs from a genre that Ma described as a "visual beast." Ma lists includes artists such as Baby Metal, G Dragon and Queen Sea Big Shark.<ref name="Deaf" />
==Discography== ===Albums=== {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" border="1" |+ List of albums, with selected details ! Title ! Details |- ! scope="row" | ''Voyager'' | * Released: 20 May 2011 * Format: CD * Label: Elefant Traks (ACE059) |- ! scope="row" | ''Blue Volume'' | * Released: 20 June 2014 * Format: CD * Label: Elefant Traks (ACE101) |- ! scope="row" | ''Film School'' | * Released: 12 March 2021 * Format: Digital * Label: Self-released |- !''Analog Gunk'' | * Released: 7 July 2023 * Format: Digital * Label: Self-released |}
=== Extended Plays === {| class="wikitable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;" |+ List of EPs ! Title ! Details |- !''The Shining'' | * Released: February 28 2012<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Shining, by Joelistics |url=https://joelistics.bandcamp.com/album/the-shining |access-date=2025-08-13 |website=Joelistics |language=en}}</ref> * Fornat: CD * Label: Elefant Traks |- ! scope="row" | ''Ghost Town'' <br /> (with Mojo Juju) | *Released: 29 November 2019<ref>{{cite web|url=https://music.apple.com/au/album/ghost-town/1487397643|title=Ghost Town DD|publisher=Apple Music Australia|access-date=17 September 2021}}</ref> *Format: Digital *Label: Self-released |}
==Awards and nominations== ===AIR Awards=== The Australian Independent Record Awards (commonly known informally as AIR Awards) is an annual awards night to recognise, promote and celebrate the success of Australia's Independent Music sector. {{awards table}} |- | 2011<ref name="11nom">{{cite web|url=https://tonedeaf.thebrag.com/independent-music-awards-nominees-announced/|title=Independent Music Awards Nominees Announced|website=tonedeaf|date=13 September 2011|accessdate=19 August 2020}}</ref><ref name="AIRwins">{{cite web|url=https://www.air.org.au/awards/history|title=History Wins|website=Australian Independent Record Labels Association|accessdate=18 August 2020|archive-date=10 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160310102536/https://www.air.org.au/awards/history|url-status=dead}}</ref> |''Voyager'' | Best Independent Hip Hop/Urban Album | {{nom}} |- {{end}}
===Music Victoria Awards=== The Music Victoria Awards are an annual awards night celebrating Victorian music. They commenced in 2006. {{awards table}} ! {{Abbr|Ref.|Reference}} |- | 2020 | Joelistics for Mo'Ju & Joelistics ''Ghost Town'' (EP) | Best Producer | {{won}} |<ref>{{Cite web|url= https://musicvictoria.com.au/musicvictoriaawards/previous-nominees|title= Previous Nominess|website= Music Victoria|accessdate= 13 August 2020|archive-date= 19 September 2020|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200919214225/https://www.musicvictoria.com.au/musicvictoriaawards/previous-nominees|url-status= dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://musicvictoria.com.au/musicvictoriaawards/previous-winners|title=Previous Winners|website=Music Victoria|accessdate=13 August 2020|archive-date=31 July 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190731040330/https://musicvictoria.com.au/musicvictoriaawards/previous-winners|url-status=dead}}</ref> |- {{end}}
==Filmography== * Nowhere Boys (as Zeb; recurring)
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{Official website|www.joelistics.com}} * [http://www.elefanttraks.com/joelistics/ Official page] at Elefant Traks
{{Authority control}}
Category:Australian male rappers Category:Australian hip-hop musicians Category:Australian record producers Category:Australian multi-instrumentalists Category:Australian people of Chinese descent Category:Living people Category:Year of birth missing (living people)