There probably isn’t one major Wellington band from the last two decades that doesn’t owe Radio Active a big thank you. Shihad, HLAH, Weta, Fur Patrol, TrinityRoots, Upper Hutt Posse, and Breathe all introduced themselves to radio listeners courtesy of Wellington’s 89FM. ...more

A few days out from the third annual Aotearoa Hip Hop Summit, co-organiser Phil Bell was looking a lot less concerned than he had been a month earlier. ...more

" I think the next six months is going to be really, really busy" says Damian Alexander, lead vocalist for the already very busy West Auckland five-piece Blindspott, and not generally given to such understatement. Barely out of the studio from an intense eight weeks recording their self-titled debut album, Blindspott are anticipating a huge summer of touring to satisfy a demanding fan base which, beyond Auckland, have mostly never seen them perform live. ...more

In that not-too-long-distant time when 'dinosaur' bands like Yes, Genesis, Led Zeppelin and Emerson Lake & Palmer bestrode the earth, cleverness, technical ability and complexity of arrangement were highly desirable traits. ...more

Dawn Raid Entertainment ushered in 2002 with their first full length artist album, Deceptikonz’ ‘Elimination’ and now the South Auckland-based hip-hop label are bringing the year to a close by releasing their sophomore long player with Ill Semantics’ ‘Theory of Meaning.’ ...more

Just as The D4 and The Datsuns have been rocking British stages this year, New Zealand electronica has also enjoyed its time in the sun this past northern hemisphere summer. ...more

"It's about the fact that this is our time... also you know, what should we do with it? Let's make sure that we do good with what we have - it's a positive thing" enthuses Jared Brown, singer for Hamilton's Mama Said, when asked for any meaning behind the title of their debut album 'Humanera'. Twelve months in the making, the album is the result of hard work, hard touring, perseverance and self belief. ...more

"We're pretty creative really, we can do just about anything with some band-aids and some bubblegum," reckons producer/MC Imon Starr, one part of the multi-faceted musical smorgasbord known as Rhombus who have just released their debut album 'Bass Player'. ...more

According to my dictionary, a fable is a short, morality tale involving either supernatural elements or anthropomorphised creatures. But James 'Pylonz' Meharry, who heads the distinctively-spelt fABEL Music, is currently reluctant to be drawn on why the Christchurch-based drum'n'bass collective have adopted the name, "I like the mini-myth," he says. ...more

A nation can be rich in every material sense, but, if it fails to provide for and nurture creative expression, it is impoverished in immeasurable ways." - Helen Clark, Prime Minister. ...more

For the average rock or pop band, this opening paragraph is going to be hard to swallow. You see Twinset are full time musicians. They don't have day jobs to pay the bills. They are about to release their third album, play on average four nights a week, and appeal to the cool crowd and mums 'n dads alike. ...more