Auckland keyboard maestro Alan Brown will likely be a familiar name to any involved in the New Zealand jazz and funk scenes over the last 15 or so years. His work with the now defunct Blue Train jazz group saw him performing at numerous festivals around the country, the band top earning various honours including 1996 NZ Jazz Album of The Year ...more

It was October 2000 when NZM last talked with Arch Hill's Ben Howe about the business of making a business out of NZ music. Almost eight years later Ben himself seems little changed, as relaxed and phlegmatic as ever, though the business, the 'Hills'' included, has certainly moved on. ...more

Since the 2006 release of their debut album ‘Awake At Dawn’ dDub have toured New Zealand six times and visited Australia thrice, with a bundle of festivals and events thrown into the mix. ...more

There is something different about the tone, delivery and content of Flowz' vocal performance as a hip hop artist, and a similar irregularity lies within the 'east-coast boombap' meets 'southern crunk' driven backing tracks he rhymes over. Similarly in the selection of artists featuring on his recently released debut solo album 'In The Heart Of The City'. ...more

Enthusiasm is infectious, and also one of those things that's extremely difficult to sustain for any length of time unless it's sincere. It's pouring out of Goodnight Nurse's Joel Little and Jaden Parkes as they talk, frequently all over the top of each other, about their brand new album 'Keep Me On Your Side'. ...more

Luke Thompson has been tackling that less than perfect drive between Auckland and his Tauranga home quite a lot in the last year, heading towards the release of his debut album 'Here On The Ground'. Recorded at Roundhead Studios, where it was engineered, produced and generally enhanced by Nic Manders (producer for Brooke Fraser among others), the album is a composed and engaging mix of gentle pop-rock with strong folk influence. I sat down with him in at NZM Towers to discuss his start in the music industry, his musical influences, the creative songwriting process, and the release of his album. ...more

A Kiwi icon, a lawyer, advocate, documentary maker and musician, Moana Maniapoto has accomplished so much that it makes you wonder what you've been doing with your time. Yet when we meet to talk about her upcoming album, rather than being daunting, it quickly becomes clear that her passion for work is balanced with a great sense of humour and the same warmth that reaches out to her audiences. 'Wha' is the (appropriately named) fourth album from Moana & The Tribe, now remarkably 15 years into their career. ...more

The Recloose live band is an eight-headed octopus cooking up a gumbo of tech-funk, Pacific-flavoured soul and jazz improvisation in a fetid and sweaty Auckland nightspot. Unassuming bandleader Matt Chicoine is camped behind his Roland Juno and MPC at stage left. Up front are Lisa Tomlins (vocals), Tyna Keelan (vocals and guitar) and Isaac Aesili (trumpet, percussion), while the backline comprises James Illingworth (Keys), Myele Manzanza (drums), Lotu Latu (bass), and Adan Tejerina (percussion). That's some line up. ...more

Outer Control, Atlas Wood, Aunty Beatrice, Son of Spank and Incursa - recognise them? Not really? Okay then, how about Opshop, The Black Seeds, Kora, The Accelerants and Goodnight Nurse? The first lot are all past winners of the national high school Rockquest competition - and give or take a line up change or six - the second list is of those very same bands, just a few years on. ...more

It has been three years since 'Love Is The New Hate' was the new Shihad album. Now 2008 sees 'Beautiful Machine', the band's seventh studio set, due in stores just days ahead of another NZ Music Month. ...more

The South By Southwest Music Convention and Festival is one of the big music industry meets of the year, held each March in the state capital and university city of Austin, Texas. ...more