Known for his skills as a vocalist and guitarist in Batucada Sound Machine and One Million Dollars, Richie Setford has been working on his solo material for some time, releasing the first self-titled ‘Bannerman’ EP back in 2008. He now arrives with the sweepingly comprehensive debut album ‘The Dusty Dream Hole’, a highly accomplished labour of love. He talked to Lydia Jenkin about changing genres and the lengthy process of producing an album without a budget. ...more

Disasteradio is the pseudonym of Luke Rowell, underground electronic musician from Wellington. He began writing a mixture of Chiptune and synth-pop in 1999 and has released seven albums since, toured New Zealand repeatedly, done several tours of Europe and one in the US. Perhaps his most high profile local performances was at this year’s APRA Silver Scroll Awards where, alongside Jim Langabeer, he breathtakingly interpreted Chris Cree-Brown’s SOUNZ award-winning piece Inner Bellow. His last official album ‘Visions’ earned critical acclaim in 2007, and in 2010 he is releasing his eighth album ‘Charisma’, through long time label/collaboration A Low Hum, as a free download. NZM asked fellow solo electronic musician (and member of So So Modern), Grayson Gilmour, to sit down for a chat with Rowell. The resulting conversation, necessarily edited below, covered many philosophical and technical (read geek-out) aspects of making electronic music, including detailed discussions about what Rowell has been using to create ‘Charisma’, including dog sampling, er... ...more

Gareth Thomas is well known from his time in early noughties hit-making act Goodshirt. The band’s 2004 hiatus freed Rodney Fisher to seek his musical fortune in the UK, brother Murray to delve deeper into production and join Voom along with drummer Mike Beehre. Thomas has since featured in other bands and on other’s albums, and has himself been crafting a just-released solo album called ‘Lady Alien’, full of Goodshirt-quality catchy hooks and melodies. He spoke to Mark Bell about working with his weaknesses, maintaining space and writing songs in his sleep. ...more

With the bit-of-a-mouthful title it’s no surprise to read that author Ian Chapman (Dunedin academic and entertainer, aka Dr Glam), didn’t start on this book with quite such a wide brief in mind. The original plan to include 15 artists’ stories and his own learned commentary was swamped by the enthusiasm of the first Kiwi female artists he approached, who all suggested others to include. ...more

Gaining attention with their support slots for Vampire Weekend earlier this year, Dunedin-based indie electro rockers Knives At Noon have just released their debut EP ‘Glitter Guts’, pricking ears with their effortlessly energetic and melodic sound, and strong musicianship. Oli Wilson and Paul Gauvin spoke to Lydia Jenkin about recording themselves, the ‘Dunedin sound’, and their Radiohead influences. ...more

Among the more surprising northern hemisphere coups of 2010, was news that soul songstress Ladi6 had picked up half a dozen gigs supporting legendary American spoken word performer Gil Scott-Heron on his European tour. That experience has already allowed Karoline Tamati to rethink her own long term career options, while the six months she and partner Parks spent in Europe resulted in them establishing a ‘home away from home’ base in Berlin, playing more than 50 international shows across Europe, Japan and Australia, securing a European release for her two-year old debut album and recording a sophomore album entitled ‘Ladi6: The Liberation Of…’. She spoke to Lydia Jenkin about finding liberation in Berlin. ...more

The financial need to have several ‘strings to the bow’ is a given for the bulk of Aotearoa’s creative musicians, indeed for most earning their living within our general music sector. As musician, composer, educator and festival director, Liam Ryan is a perfect example of the kind of multiple skill sets required. Best known as a versatile keyboardist, the Christchurch-born Ryan seems to be slowly wending his way back homeward as he delivers the second of a trilogy of albums under the ‘Mississippi 2 Mauao’ (M2M) banner. He talked with Richard Thorne. ...more

Last year belonged Ladyhawke, and while the sweep wasn’t quite so clean this time round, you’d have to say that this year, and the 2010 NZ Music Awards, belonged very much to another Kiwi chick who is thoroughly at home on the international stage, Virginia Wigmore – aka Gin to her many fans. ...more

NZM laments the recent sad loss of gifted Kiwi musician and producer Ian Morris who passed away October 7, aged 53. Chris Bourke provided the obituary below and Alec Withers, who Ian recently helped with an album by Devils Elbow, kindly provided the one following. ...more

Having taken their foot off the floor after two decades as the nation’s favourite hard rock act, Shihad are back at full throttle in 2010 with the release of their eighth album closely following a hugely ambitious twin, full album history-repeats tour. By happy coincidence they are almost simultaneously to be inducted into the NZ Music Hall of Fame, and a film documentary project has just been announced. It’s been a big year, one for which the band owe a debt to the letters AC and D, FNM and POG, as Richard Thorne discovered. ...more

It’s been four years since local drum’n’bass legends Concord Dawn released an album. Since then a lot has gone down, but now the Dawn returns armed with a thrilling new album, ‘The Enemy Within’, but missing a founding member. Surviving producer Matt Harvey spills the details on the duo’s split, the pressures of the legacy and what the future holds to Karl Puschmann. ...more

For Christchurch’s leading dubstep proponents Truth, making their debut album has been quite a journey – changes in name, genre, market – and lately topping that all off with a nation-jarring earthquake. Producer Andre Fernandez spoke to Martyn Pepperell about how 10 years of DJing and beatmaking has suddenly led to the international release of ‘Puppets’. ...more