NZ Music Month Update
OK, so we’re used to being busy, but is it my imagination or has this NZ
Music Month sent everything truly out of control? In a good way, of
course...
Congratulations to members of the IMNZ family who were winners at the 2006
Pacific Music Awards. Mt. Vaea Band (King Music) received two awards for
their album ‘Mama’: Best Pacific Music Group and Best Pacific Music Album;
this is on top of winning Best Polynesian Album at the Hawaiian Music Awards
earlier this year. Annie Puletiuatoa (King Music) won Best Pacific Female
Artist for her debut album ‘Childhood’, and Savage (DawnRaid) won Best
Pacific Song for Swing.
LOOP Recordings Aot(ear)oa is a finalist in the Generating Gold category of
the Wellington Region Gold Awards; these recognise business enterprise and
excellence.
There are seven IMNZ albums in the national Top 40 this week and four
singles. The albums are Fat Freddy’s Drop, Don McGlashan, Nesian Mystik,
Aaradhna, the Sione’s Wedding soundtrack, Katchafire, and Concord Dawn and
the singles are from Nesian Mystik, Spacifix, Hollie Smith and Aaradhna.
The inaugural Australasian Urban Music Awards are to be held in Sydney on
Friday July 21. The Kiwi contingent in the voting stakes includes Savage,
Frontline, Alphrisk, Aaradhna, Deceptikonz, Ill Semantics and Adeaze, and
performers at the awards include Mareko and Savage. Winners are decided by
public vote.
Starting with Tidy Digital, TMet Recordings has started signing with some
big international online music stores to distribute new Kiwi music globally.
TMet's debut international release is from 17-year-old Christchurch producer
Focus (aka Shea Dawson), which has shot to number 2 in the Tidy Digital
download chart and has international support from the likes of Olly Perris,
Riggsy, Rockin’ Russ and Tom Berry. http://www.tidydigital.com/. TMet are
also releasing the ‘Escape from Chaos’ chill compilation, put together by
Damiano Verna (Tempest Recordings) and Michael Westcot (Assemblage Records)
and featuring established, new and upcoming outfits from all over the globe
including the UK, France, Israel, Greece, Denmark, New Zealand and
Australia.
Antix have embarked on another offshore tour taking in festivals in Brazil,
Denmark, Portugal, Germany, Greece, Israel, UK and Switzerland. The brothers
also have a new album in the pipeline, due by the end of the year. The Timmy
Schumacher remix of Agent Alvin ft Spikey T’s On The Rise is getting great
international reviews.
USA saxophonist Joshua Redman, who has worked with the likes of Pat Metheny,
Dave Brubeck, Chick Corea, Quincy Jones and Elvin Jones, flew into NZ to
record on a John Psathas concerto for an album to be released by Rattle
Records. The saxophone concerto was premiered by 11-time Grammy Award winner
Michael Brecker to a live audience of 8000 and broadcast live throughout
Europe. John Psathas is best known as the composer of the key ceremonial
music for the 2004 Athens Olympic.
Die! Die! Die! are in the middle of a tour of the UK, Germany, The
Netherlands and Finland, including a spot at the Dot to Dot Festival in
Nottingham. Next month they’ll return to NYC to finish writing songs for the
next album, to be recorded in August.
Fat Freddy’s Drop embark on their annual UK summer tour following two
farewell gigs in Wellington on May 19 and 20. The 18-date tour starts in
Edinburgh and finishes on July 1 at the Eurockeenes Festival in France.
Katchafire’s debut album ‘Revival’ (Mai Music) remains in the top 20 of the
Billboard World Music charts, and the band play Brisbane, Sydney and
Melbourne this month. Whirimako Black goes on the road around the North
Island in July, with Nigel Gavin. Her new album is due late June; called
‘Whirimako’, it’s a collection of classic songs performed in te reo.
Shapeshifter are finishing their third album in Kaikoura; the intended
release date is August 28 and they’ll tour the album around New Zealand in
September. Confirmed dates so far are Saturday the 16th with the Auckland
Philharmonia, Friday the 22nd with the Wellington Sinfonia, and Friday the
29th with the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra.
Cobra Khan are in studio 203 with engineer/producer Andrew Buckton finishing
their debut E.P, to be released in July. The as yet untitled E.P will be
released simultaneously in New Zealand (1157) and Australia (Casadeldisco).
In June, look out for the video Black Box, which was shot in NYC. Cobra Khan
also supported USA white trash rock gods Nashville Pussy in Auckland and
they have licensed their track Wrapped In Plastic to the ‘Short Fast & Loud’
Triple J compilation which will be released via Universal Music Australia in
July.
Joy Bong Isaan Thai restaurant on Auckland's K’ Rd has a new programme of
events in the bar thanks to Sugarlicks’ Gareth Farry.
Here at IMNZ HQ we’re completely overwhelmed by the amount of great albums
being released this month. There are some impressive debuts: Chong-Nee’s
‘Just Getting By On Love’, Aradhna’s ‘I Love You’, Don McGlashan ‘Warm Hand’
(yes it’s his debut solo album), Ishta’s self-titled album, the WBC
‘Hi-Fidelity Offbeat’, and Samuel Flynn-Scott ‘The Hunt Brings Us Life’. Not
to be outdone are those who are building on their work to date, with a
strong lineup of second albums: Nesian Mystik ‘Freshmen’, Onelung ‘Binary
Pop Songs’ and Stylus ‘Gain Control’. The new Ill Semantics mixtape is out
now too, as is the Deceptikonz’ new mixtape; these are the first recordings
from both crews in quite some time.
New albums also means launch shows aplenty to look forward to. Onelung has
their Wellington release party on May 27, Stylus launch their album on June
10 in Auckland.
Nesian Mystik will be touring in June and July with special guests Adeaze
and Tyna. Their new album ‘Freshmen’ has already gone Gold and single If
It's Cool hit # 5 in the N.Z singles chart. dDub are heading away for their
annual winter tour in June, including a stop at the Queenstown Winter
Festival.
The Global Casino/Wasted Youth tour, featuring a fierce line-up of known and
up-and-coming and DJs & MCs, including Juse, Louie Knuxx, Smashproof,
Feelstyle, Tyree, Cyphanetik, Ethical and DJ D-Form, is travelling the
length and breadth of Aotearoa spreading the hip-hop gospel. The tour is
presented by Breaking Wreckwordz and Move The Crowd Records, in association
with Woodcut Productions.
New and Forthcoming Releases
8 Foot Sativa ‘Poison of Ages’, 4 Corners album, Aaradhna ‘I Love You’, Bill
Direen & Friends ‘New York Sack’, Budspells ‘Ina Senses’, The Cakekitchen
‘Put Your Foot Inside The Door’, Chong Nee ‘Just Getting By On Love’, The
Dark Beaks ‘Spill Your Heart’, The Departure Lounge Live, Fats White ‘Live
at the Krypto Amnesia Club’, Fideleo ‘Silver Service’ EP, Daniel Gannaway
‘Op-Ed’, Lily Green album, Hirini Melbourne and Richard Nunns ‘Te Awhaiao -
Te Ku Te Whe Remixed’, Ishta ‘Ishta’, Louie Knuxx ‘Wasted Youth’, The
Lovehaters (ep), MC Mas Musicman single, Don McGlashan ‘Warm Hand’, Midwest
Motorparts Corral ‘Plateau Honey’ EP, Mo’Reece Jim Jam EP, Nesian Mystik
‘Freshmen’, Onelung ‘Binary Pop Songs’, Opensouls ‘Kaleidoscope’, The
Reduction Agents album, Shaft album, The Shrugs ‘An Awkward Silence’, Stylus
‘Gain Control’, Tainted ‘The Awakening’, Various ‘Sione’s Wedding Soundtrack
’, Various ‘Homegrown Dub’, Voom album, The WBC ‘Hi-Fidelity Offbeat’,
Whirimako Black ‘Whirimako’.
Tours
Onelung: May 27: album release gig, Wellington, with Emu and DJ Monkey
1157: May: 27th 1157 Records Showcase W/ Cold By Winter, Kitsch, Cobra Khan,
Auckland
Lil’ Chief: Reduction Agents/Lawrence Arabia release gig - 27th May,
Auckland;
Voom - 9th and 10th June, Auckland
The WBC album launch: May 31, Auckland
Tim Guy 'Blazey' tour, May: 26 Palmerston North; June: 1 Belmont, 2
Blenheim, 3 Motueka, 4 Nelson, 7 Karamea, 8 Granity, 10 Hokitika, 11 Franz
Josef, 13 Wanaka, 14 Queenstown, 15 Cromwell, 16 Te Anau, 17 Invercargill,
19 Dunedin with Anji Sami, 20 Moeraki, 21 Christchurch with Flip Grater, 25
Picton, 29 Taupo
Global Casino/Wasted Youth Tour Dates featuring Juse, Louie Knuxx,
Smashproof, Feelstyle, Tyree, Cyphanetik, Ethical and DJ D-Form: June: 1st
Palmerston North (all ages), 2nd Wellington, (7.30 all ages and R18 11pm),
3rd New Plymouth, 4th Hastings, (7pm all ages), 9th Christchurch, 10th
Dunedin, June 11th Queenstown, 15th Hamilton (7.30pm all ages), 16th
Tauranga, 17th Auckland
Gahu at the London Bar, Auckland: June 9 and June 30
Twinset: Cabaret Wellington every Tuesday night
dDub Winter Tour 2006 dates: June: 16 Coromandel, 17 Auckland, 23 Napier, 24
June Wellington, July: 1 Queenstown, 5 Invercargill, 6 Dunedin, 7
Christchurch, 8 Queenstown
Ends