Massive Magazine Issue 09 2021 by Massive Magazine

MASSIVE

ISSUE 09

the musicjoe issue from molly paton band by cam hay

MAY 03/2021

Aw B & K2K at Splore 2021 by Cam Hay

Table of Contents 06

News

Souldrop

Busking

Iconic Music of 2016

Cam Hay

Muroki

Aotearoa’s Best Podcasts

2 Poor 4 Premium

The Assessment

Arylith & Baldie

Culinarylingus

Adulting/Sexcapades

36/37

Snaps/Exec’s

Puzzles

Horoscopes

14 10

EDITOR Caroline Moratti

PHOTOGRAPHERS Callum Parsons, Liam McGuire

SUB EDITOR Jamie Mactaggart

ILLUSTRATOR Tallulah Farrar @tallulahfarrar

CULTURE EDITOR Liv Redman

CONTRIBUTERS Lauren Pattemore

NEWS EDITOR James Pocock

COVER/CENTREFOLD Cam Hay

STAFF WRITERS Cameron Taylor, Elena McIntyre-Reet, Rimu Bhooi, Liam McGuire, Ari Prakash

editor@massivemagazine.org.nz Facebook/massive.magazine Instagram/massivemagazine www.massivemagazine.org.nz

DESIGNER Micah Davis-Rae

READ ONLINE issu.com/massivemagazine

CONTACT

Got a letter to the Editor? Email e d i t o r @ m a s s i v e m a g a z i n e. org.nz to rant, flirt, complain, whatever x Massive is registered under the New Zealand Press Council which allows our reader to reach out to an independent forum for resolving complaints you may have. Massive is also a member of the Aotearoa Student Press Association. The views, beliefs and opinions reflected in the pages of Massive do not necessarily

represent those of Massey University, its staff, ASA, MUSA, MAWSA, M@D or the Massive Editor. MAWSA is an independent organisation that publishes Massive. Send any queries or complaints directly to Massive at editor@ m a s s i v e m a g a z i n e. o r g. n z. Massive is subject to the New Zealand Press Council. If a complainant is not satisfied with the response from W, the complaint may be referred to the Press Council: info@ presscouncil.org.nz or online via presscouncil.org.nz.

Guest Editorial

SPOTIFY IS NOT THE TYRANT THAT YOU THINK IT IS EMAIL EDITOR@MAGAZINE.ORG.NZ TO HAVE YOUR SAY

I am sick of people telling me that Spotify exploits artists. While it’s true that streaming platforms and artists have a complicated relationship, to make such a generalised statement lowkey reminds me of the bullshit argument that ‘music isn’t as good as it used to be’. Fuck off, Steve. You’re completely oversimplifying a complex issue, and actually preventing productive conversations from taking place. The majority of criticism that Spotify receives comes from three camps: 1. Old people who miss the ‘good old days’ of physical music sales; 2. Younger artists who don’t realise that it’s actually their record label that’s screwed them; or 3. Artists who are deluded in the belief that they can make a living from recorded music alone. I understand the frustration. Music is a fucking hard thing to make a career out of, and I really wish that it wasn’t so. Sadly however, it is so, and has been so since long before Spotify came along. Even during the CD boom, very few artists were able to sustain a living from record sales, with most relying on supplementary revenue from touring and merchandise to make ends meet. Here’s the thing: In the age when record companies reigned supreme (also known as the ‘good old days’), for young musicians, recording equipment was inaccessible, and distribution was downright impossible. The only chance new artists had for financial success was to catch the eye of a wealthy record executive. But we are no longer living in that world. Nowadays anyone with a computer and an internet connection can record music and upload it to Spotify. And if the music is good, there’s a good chance it’ll get picked up. Spotify is enabling the careers of artists who would have otherwise faded into obscurity, or never realised their own potential. On top of that, Spotify gives artists access to a rich variety of data that is not available through physical music sales. This information allows artists to gauge their popularity in different parts of the world in real time, thus making informed decisions about where to tour and what venues to book. Look, there is definitely a debate to be had around how Spotify could more fairly distribute the money it dishes out. Unfortunately, I haven’t been allocated enough words to get into that here today. But for any artists starting out, wondering how to make music financially viable: for God’s sake use Spotify. That’s where your customers are, after all. You may not get rich from streams, but you will have the attention of your audience. It’s up to you to figure out how best to use it. Micah Davis-Rae

RADIO CONTROL’S NZ TOP 10

never forget a threat ABG

dræyyke fruit juice parade

PUSH VIP Clare la Mer X Liam K. Swiggs

WARPING IN THE SUN Kane Strang

JAGRAFESS (IMPRESS REMIX) Synthetic Children

SOFT ENERGY Mermaidens

SPIDER Dallas Tamaira

WAVE RUNNER VIP Paploco

BREE & CLINT WEEKDAYS 3PM–7PM

HOUSE FULL OF SHIT Night Lunch

POGBA BLKCITY

90.9FM

MASSIVE NEWS

Otago Students use shitposting democracy to fuck with student exec Massey students, get inspired CAROLINE MORATTI

NATIONAL NEWS

Facebook group “Sign-Up Club” have forced the Otago University Student Association (OUSA) to hold a second Student General Meeting (SGM) with motions to be voted on including an annual couch burning day and that the liquor ban over the University be removed. Sign-Up Club has over 6,000 members after starting this year, the majority Otago students. The concept of the group is to “sign up three friends” for general meme-ness, with the club occasionally hosting wild BYOs. Other motions that the group has submitted to be voted on include: hosting

another Hyde party, that the Sign-Up Club receive $1,000 a month to spend as they please, and that every official OUSA email must include, in the signature, “Sign Up and Tag 3 Friends!” Quite frankly, it’s fucking hilarious. The chain of events all started with an editorial by Erin Gourley, sexy editor of rival student magazine, Critic Te Arohi, who wrote, “Sign Up Club Should Absolutely Not Take Over OUSA’s Meeting...It would be VERY BAD if Sign Up Club sent say a hundred members of their pyramid scheme, and their members voted as a bloc making up over 50% of the students at the meeting and gained the ability to pass whatever motions they wanted. The Sign Up Club should most certainly NOT become aware of their constitutional rights as students at an SGM.” Shockingly, students DID become aware of their constitutional rights, and called for an SGM. Erin says, “Sign-Up Club might be a shit post but it’s actually made something real happen.” As to the outcome of the second SGM, only time will tell, but Erin remains optimistic. NEWS

“It just goes to show that if you have a group of students and they act collectively, that means everything in student politics. Even if the only result is that some entertaining resolutions get passed, it will be more fun than student politics has been for ages.” The thing is, Massey students, you can do this too. And you don’t even need that many people. An SGM can be called at any time by the student body, as long as you have enough people. As reported, five students have already called an SGM for Massey’s Distance Exec, calling for a presidential code of conduct to be implemented. For MUSA, you need 30 students to call an SGM. For MAWSA and ASA, it’s 20. Distance, only five! Five fucking people! You just need your names, student IDs and your proposed motions. So, if you’re part of a club, or just have a big group of friends, it is shockingly easy to hold an SGM and pass motions as a majority bloc. Years ago, the Rowing Club at Otago brought all their members along to an SGM and made OUSA fund a $1.39 million Aquatic Centre. That’s the power of student engagement, baby! The Sign-Up Club motions will be voted on at the SGM on Friday 30 April, so check back on our website for updates to this unfolding story.

Distance students call for SGM to enforce code of conduct against co-presidents I know student politics is boring but this is fucking spicy JAMES POCOCK

DISTANCE NEWS

An emergency special general meeting (SGM) of Massey@ Distance (M@D) has been called by distance students to discuss the conduct and performance of the current copresidents. A conditional code of conduct will be presented at the meeting for co-presidents to sign. Alongside this will be an open letter of resignation of the presidents, and the meeting will immediately go to a vote of dismissal for the copresidents if they refuse to sign the code of conduct. In the case of dismissal, the next highest-ranking board member would be appointed as acting president. Since there’s currently only one other board member left following the resignation of the rest of their board members, it’s likely that spot would go to Upper North Island Representative Sean Cardiff, who wasn’t formally elected by students but rather won the seat after David McNab declined the spot after winning the election. The open letter was put forward by five students, three

who work within the association or volunteer for M@D and two otherwise engaged students. According to the M@D constitution, an emergency SGM can be called by a notice in writing copied in an email to all members of the Board of Directors and supported by at least five financial members, either Student or Associate. Essentially, any five distance students can call for an SGM at any given time. Distance Co-Presidents’ Jacalyn Clare and Jax Watt say they have not been given a copy of the conditional code of conduct, but M@D recently voted in a new code of conduct only a few weeks ago. Previously there had been no board-approved policies when they took the position of co-presidents. “This is part of the large complex issues related to three board members resigning after they received a disciplinary email about their practices within the association not reflecting the constitution, laws of the land, or standard practice. It is an ongoing serious matter within the association,” they say. The co-presidents say that despite the ongoing issues, they have the full support of the other three Massey student associations, as well as the New Zealand University Students’ Association and Massey University. “This support from five separate external parties, telling us that not only are we correct in the approaches we are taking but, as they have all stated to us, that they feel the actions being taken against us are unfair and unfounded.” They say that since becoming co-presidents, they have made many changes to bring the association back into compliance and standard practice. “We have introduced a new board of directors onboarding process and introduced an association code of conduct. We are now working on a financial policy for the association and a sexual harm policy.” The meeting is scheduled for 7:30pm on 19 May and has forced the postponement of another SGM which was originally scheduled in May by the M@D board.

Thursdays in Black host Sexual Assault Awareness Month JAMES POCOCK

NATIONAL NEWS

Across the county, Thursdays in Black (TiB) will be hosting events for Sexual Assault Awareness Month. A full week’s worth of events are planned for the Wellington Massey campus from 3-7 of May, including a sex quiz and an allblack bake sale. TiB Manawatū will be hosting placard painting in the MUSA lounge on campus Wednesday 5 May between 11:30am and 1:30pm for a Take Back the Night march the following evening. Albany Students’ Association (ASA) Vice-President Michaela Futter says that Thursday 6 May will be a national NEWS

them all the best in continuing those projects and groups.” A by-election will be hosted soon by ASA to fill the role as stated by their constitution. “There is a lot of back-end work for us to do to set this byelection up but we are working as quickly as we can to get the role filled,” Ben said. This resignation comes after the resignations of three Distance Exec members and one Welly Exec member this year already. Exec members are dropping like flies! Never thought I’d be this sad to see so many baby politicians go. Massive reached out to Mhairi but received no reply by time of print.

day of action hosted by ASA in collaboration with TiB, which has a range of activities on offer for students. “We’ll be hosting SAFE self-defence classes from 9AM1PM in the Rec Centre. You can learn the importance of keeping your hands up and how to block strikes, defence against clothing grabs, and defence against choke holds. At the same time, you can find us outside Student Plaza with our interactive drawing boards. Come raise awareness of the prevalence of sexually harmful behaviours within the tertiary community and  encourage sexual harm prevention.” Michaela says everyone can show their support for the movement by wearing black clothing on Thursdays.

ASA Education Officer resigns

Unimart space new home for Pacific Student Success team ARI PRAKASH

ALBANY NEWS

The Albany Unimart is set to be repurposed to the Pacific Student Success team (PSS), following the closure of the space. The Unimart has been closed since the first lockdown that started in March last year. For a while, it remained empty until the old shelves of Unimart were emptied, and remodelling began this year. Campus Operation Manager, John Shimwell, said, “The exUnimart space has been repurposed and refurbished to provide a new home for our Pacific Student Success team, including a distinct Pacific student area within the space.” The team consists of Massey staff, such as lecturers, course coordinators and tutors. The Massey website says that the purpose of the team is to help “Pacific students to succeed in their academic aspirations at Massey”. There is no set date yet for the opening of the new area for PSS, but the former Unimart space will be “back in use soon”. From a student perspective, Nicca has given her thoughts on the closure of Unimart. “In my opinion, I love it, although I will miss seeing Youseff [the Unimart store manager] around and having the little Unimart.” Nicca also gave her thoughts on the new PSS centre and how it’ll benefit Pasifika students. “I think the mart being replaced with the study space will help a lot of other Pasifika students.” She said it’ll provide a lot of help and support “to relax in a more approachable part of campus” and that the location has “easy access and [is] easy to find”.

JAMES POCOCK

ALBANY NEWS

The resignation of Albany Student Association’s Education Officer Mhairi Acheson from the Executive was publicly announced at last Wednesday’s ASA executive meeting. ASA president Ben Austin said, “It’s a real shame that Mhairi has had to leave the Exec. They were doing amazing work in so many different aspects around campus and I wish

While the PSS team are a very welcome addition to Student Central, the much-needed pharmacy services Unimart formerly provided have still not been replaced, and it is unknown at this stage if there are any plans to do so in the future.

NEWS

The Wellington Bus strike and what it meant for students Massive spoke to drivers and union members striking outside Kilbirnie’s bus depot

and ruled the lockout as unlawful. Drivers returned to work the following day. Massive spoke to Wellington students about how they felt about the situation. Communications student, Nicola Seto, had a positive outlook, “I feel like the strike affected everything, so it’s a good way to do it. It makes people realise busses are a vital part of Wellington.” Third-year student Ainsley, who lives in Karori, was “incredibly disrupted” by the lack of transport. But still 100% supports the strike. “Bus drivers are the best,” she added. Student Phoebe Stockett echoed this sentiment. “If they’re the reason students can get to university, then they should be paid accordingly.” Although busses are running again, drivers continue to work under poor conditions, some paid as little as $19.40 an hour. Negotiations between drivers, Council of Trade

Welfare Officer has their pay temporarily reduced after poor report Alexa, play Savage Love Unions and Next Capital will continue, with the possibility of another strike to come. CAROLINE MORATTI LAUREN PATTERMORE

WELLINGTON NEWS

Students in the outer suburbs might’ve noticed that 26 bus services weren’t running Friday 23 and Saturday 24 April. The reason for this was an organised strike by drivers and union members, asking for living wage and better conditions. During the strike, Massive spoke to Anne Reedy, Wellington Tramways Union President. She described Next Capital, the Australian Company that owns these services, as “very difficult to deal with”. In response to the strike, Next Capital locked out drivers until they agreed to sign a new employment agreement. One that involved decreasing holidays by one week, cancelling weekend penalty rates and 10-12 hour shifts on the weekends. “There is no family time in that,” Reedy stated. Sunny, driver for the number 3 – one of the cancelled services – believed providing transport to Wellington and secure employment to drivers wasn’t a priority to Next Capital. “They’re not really providing a service, they’re just trying to get the profit,” Sunny stated. Next Capital’s lockout was described as “bullying tactics” by Melissa Ansell-Bridges, Secretary for the Council of Trade Unions. On 24 April, the Employment Court agreed

WELLINGTON NEWS

MAWSA has voted to not accept the quarterly report of their Welfare and Equity Officer, Jordy Katene, after her work was considered “not up to scratch”, according to MAWSA President Tessa Guest. Ouch. Tessa says the report “didn’t provide adequate detail to imply that they had fulfilled their duties”. As a result, the Exec have voted on “period of reduced pay” of 50% “to reflect the lower amount of hours worked in the first quarter”. In the meeting, when the time came to discuss Welfare’s quarterly report, Tessa asked Jordy, “Do you have anything you want to say on this?” Silence followed. Elizabeth, the Vice President, exclaimed: “She’s not there! Where is she?” For unknown reasons, Jordy was disconnected from the Zoom, and never re-emerged. Was it on purpose? No one knows. This 50% pay reduction will last until 7 June, when the second quarterly reports will be due in and Jordy’s reports will be resubmitted. Tessa says, “We will re-assess in six weeks, and push back to their regular payment if the Executive feels as though their duties have been fulfilled.” She will continue working at a usual 10 hours a week. Tessa says she has had “chats” with Jordy about the situation and will have regular check-ins for the weeks to come.

NEWS

Words: Liv Redman

In conversation with

Souldrop If you’re looking for some tunes with “a twist of psychedelic lemon,” Souldrop is the band to check out this music month. Massive sat down to chat with Souldrop’s lead vocalist, and former Massey student, Anna Bennetto to talk about the quartet in light of their latest hit chuuune, ‘Jive’.

The band formed throughout high school and has continued to produce their dreamy tunes to date, even with members being dispersed amongst Wellington and Christchurch.

FEATURES

Hey Anna! Who the hell are you guys? Kia ora, we are Souldrop! Made up of Anna Bennetto [me] on vocals, Fin Gilzean on guitar, Finn Perring on bass, and Elliot Millar on drums. We play and release music… sometimes… How did you awesome individuals get together to form Souldrop? Well, we formed in 2016 for Rockquest in Christchurch. From then we’ve been developing our sound and just enjoyed playing together, quite sporadically might I add. How do you define your sound, and what inspires it? We take a lot of inspiration from a range of styles to make a smoothie of sound. We experiment with soul, surf rock, reggae, Latin & funk with just a twist of psychedelic lemon included. Hopefully, we’ve got a song out there for anyone and everyone, especially the stuff we’ve got on the way… Oh yeah, we’re pretty excited. What have been some memorable moments for Souldrop? Hazy Days tour in 2017 was definitely a highlight, driving around the country in a van and sneaking me (Anna), into a bunch of venues due to being a couple of months off of 18. The one venue we actually didn’t end up playing was in Wellington, shout out to the Rogue and Vagabond, with the same bouncer who still freaks me out to this day. We pushed through though with a spontaneous flat gig at the mighty Marion Street apartments, what a night. Other than that we’ve had the privileges of playing alongside a wide range of talented musicians from New Zealand and Australia, highlights including Great Gable, There’s A Tuesday, Mitch James, Corduroy, Dolphin Friendly, The Raddlers, Ha the Unclear, Nic and Reuben, Half Moon Baby, The Butlers, Mamazita, the list goes on and on. Since not all being in Christchurch together now, what challenges do you guys face as a band? Flights are pretty expensive when we leave it to the last minute… but it’s

been super interesting and made us really adaptable to situations. We’ve also had the chance to play with a range of talented musicians when we’ve needed to fill in some sound with an extra guitar, a saxophone, trumpet, or even a whole drummer. Why is music so important to you all? And does being in a band keep you musically motivated? Music brings a range of people together to vibe, dance, and connect with each other and the music scene in New Zealand is insane. It’s pretty awesome to be a part of. Being in a band is pretty awesome, it’s hard work, and when you’ve been together a while that definitely shows... but we inspire each other and when we finally get our shit together and release something, it just makes us want to keep going.

“We drove around the country in a van, sneaking Anna into a bunch of venues due to being a couple of months off of 18.” Do you guys have a specific musical process as to how you come up with your tunes? Honestly, we bang out songs pretty fast when we’re together and our writing process is always different. With being scattered around Wellington and Christchurch it’s hard to just jam and come up with new tunes. It’s taken us about three years to get 10 songs produced and ready for listening, but with bias, I can say they’re pretty mean and we’ve heard them enough to be sick of them. Have you ever experimented with psychedelics and making your music? If so, how does that music differ from the tunes you make sober.

music on psychedelics, especially when your hands and mind seem like completely separate beings. But, psychedelic experiences may have influenced some of the stories we tell and our lyrics, as well as the overall sound of some tracks. Expanding your consciousness is beneficial in a lot of ways - I recommend Michael Pollen’s book ‘How to Change Your Mind’ - but using substances to reach ‘enlightenment’ or whatever is like a bodybuilder using steroids, it’s cheating really. Also, tracks might sound amazing when under the influence, but when listening back sober… what the fuck. What is your latest musical creation? We just released a track called ‘Jive’ out into the world! Along with a funky and colourful music video, and earlier this year we released the song ‘Trip’. We have a bunch more songs on the way, in this next month we have the song ‘Cadet’ coming out, alongside a sick lo-fi music video following us running around as space people in a wacky range of places, so keep an eye out for that one. Fuck, marry, kill: Michael Jackson, Ariana Grande, Dave Dobbyn. Fuck Ariana, marry Dave, kill Michael.. twice, for obvious reasons. It’s music month! what are you doing to celebrate? Super excited! Will definitely be going to as many gigs as possible. Might be going on a cheeky tour, announcement coming soon x Where can we go to hear more of your tunes? Our songs are available on all streaming platforms, Spotify, Apple Music, etc. (Even our foetus punk rock tunes lol please ignore them.) We also have a bunch of music videos up on our YouTube channel, Facebook, and Instagram. Just look up Souldrop and you’ll find us, not to be confused with Souldrop, the Norwegian electronic music group.

(Disclaimer: we don’t use drugs.) It’s definitely a challenge to make FEATURES

BUSK

QUIT YOUR JOB, LEARN TO

words by

We all know StudyLink is a sorry excuse for an income. Once you’ve paid your extortionate rent and bills, you’d be very lucky to have even $5 to go towards food, cones, shit wine and other student essentials. Most of us will spend our weekends running around a busy restaurant or cafe. Or maybe you’re in the retail game and spend your days off from uni explaining to middle aged women that no, you can’t return an item you didn’t even buy from this store. If you’re part of the small demographic of people whose parents pay their rent, we hate you so much, but only because we’re jealous. But what if there was an alternative to working for The Man? Could busking and street performing be the student way of the future? Massive investigates. Getting a busking license is relatively easy, as long as you’re not performing any dangerous stunts. In Auckland and Wellington it’s free, unfortunately for Palmy students though, there’s a $15 application fee if you want to sing your heart out on the streets of Manawatū. Keep this on the low, but you don’t really need a busking license, you’re very unlikely to get caught and you can always just play dumb. You’ll probably need an instrument and at least a little bit of talent before you take the streets. If you’ve got a nice family member or manage to score an old guitar at the Sallies then your set-up costs are still pretty low. You’ll need something to collect your cash in too, could be anything really. A hat? A shoe? Maybe a menstrual cup? Then you’re all set.

ELENA MCINTYREREET So far busking seems pretty idyllic, you go out on the street sing a few bangers and make a few bucks. To get a more realistic look at busking as a career prospect, Massive tracked down some real life performers to discuss their biggest cash money contributions as well as their strangest non-monetary donations, plus the do’s and don’ts of performing on the street. Liam, a Creative Media Productions graduate and all round badass, was a busker for around five years. During that time he received some pretty unique donations, as well as some pretty decent cash. For around two hours of busking, Liam would receive anywhere between $60 and $240. That’s fucking decent cash right? Even on the low end that’s significantly higher than minimum wage, which would see you earn $40 (before tax) for burning yourself on a coffee machine or pouring overpriced drinks. When asked what his motivation for busking was Liam was pretty straight up. “I was just super poor mostly, and I needed money for darts and cones.” This seems to be the motivation for most students I spoke to, they realised they were broke and then realised they could be less broke because of a skill they learnt when they were a kid. Like hey, thanks for forcing those guitar lessons on me, Mum. Time to cash in. FEATURES

Jesse is a first year student and has been playing the bagpipes since he was a kid. He jammed his pipes on the Wellington waterfront for years and spent some time playing in Brisbane when he lived there too. Bagpipes are a pretty unique instrument to see played on the streets, and Jesse explains that they aren’t the most busking-friendly. “It’s pretty physically demanding playing the bagpipes for hours, so I’d tend to play between 45 minutes and an hour. This would usually get me anywhere between $80 and $250.” Can you imagine getting $250 cash for an hour’s work? Holy shit, where do I sign up for bagpiping lessons? Jesse says he’s not motivated by the money though (whatever you say, Jesse). “My motivation for busking is the enjoyment I get out of it watching everyone’s reactions when I play the pipes. From eyes filled with widowed tears to smiles from ear to ear.” I’m sure the $250 an hour probably helps too. Jesse reckons busking is an excellent way for a student to make a bit of extra cash. “Busking is definitely an excellent idea if you’re actually good at an instrument. It’s an awesome tool to use for public confidence. It’s handy that you get cash in the process too, you know, to fuel your addiction to lifted serotonin levels.”

“The worst thing is when there’s someone else performing a little too close to you and you just keep having to try and drown each other out.” The council has rules about how loud (and I guess annoying) you’re allowed to be, so you’d have to be careful not to be too competitive or they might get you to move along. When people can’t provide cash to street performers they offer up some pretty interesting alternatives. Liam once got given a gnome while busking, as well as darts and even a tinny one time. He also received a lot of foreign coins, completely unusable to him. It’s the thought that counts though, I guess? Although busking can provide a lot of joy, it’s also a lot of admin according to Jesse. Setting up the pipes and the effort of playing them for hours just doesn’t seem worth it anymore. Penny has two kids now but said she would absolutely be up for a bit of busking if the opportunity arose. “When I was younger and the clubs would close, I would sit down with homeless people at 4am and have a random jam with them for a while, my husband is super horrified by that now.” Liam got put off the idea of busking when Covid-19 reared its ugly head. “The idea of touching coins from random strangers just seemed a lot less ideal then.”

Can you imagine getting $250 cash for an hour’s work? Holy shit, where do I sign up for bagpiping lessons?

Even though it sounds fun (and very profitable), busking isn’t all sunshine and daisies. “I used to get people nabbing my money from me. I also had my phone stolen while busking once, that wasn’t fun,” Liam notes. Jesse had to deal with similar shitheads, he’d get drunk dudes approaching him on the street just begging him to let them play his bagpipes. I don’t know about you, but I can’t imagine anything worse than some drunk breather putting his mouth where I will also have to put mine directly after. There’s also street performer politics to deal with. Penny is 38 now and has a proper adult job working for the government. When she was a student she busked on the streets of Wellington and Brisbane.

All in all though, busking does seem like a pretty viable option for students looking to make some extra cash. It seems fairly important that you actually have talent (which rules me out), and you definitely need the confidence to perform for a couple of hours at a time to random strangers. You’ll know you’ve made it in the busking world when someone hands you a garden gnome, a tinnie or a handful of foreign coins. So maybe put down the coffee cup and pick up your guitar, you’ve got nothing to lose right?

FEATURES

PAYING TRIBUTE TO THE ICONIC MUSIC OF 2016

BY CAMERON TAYLOR

2016 was one of the most INCREDIBLE years in the music industry. It brought us the ‘ANTI’ album by Rihanna, without us knowing that she wouldn’t release music for another five years afterwards. We were graced with Frank Ocean’s ‘Blonde’ after a grueling four years of waiting. The wait was worth it though, because that album is just absolute *chef’s kiss*. Beyonce and Jay-Z’s cheating scandal was the hottest gossip, with Beyonce’s ‘Lemonade’ making us all want to smash in our ex’s car windows in a luxurious yellow gown. I am 21 now, and I would give my literal clit to be 16 again and hear all of these phenomenal tracks for the first time. But, for now, let’s just revisit some of the most iconic tunes that defined 2016.

Addicted To My Ex - M City JR n I spent countless HOURS trying to learI the Musical.ly dance to this, and tbhdid absolutely fucking smashed it. Little ld I know, a few years later, the title wou bite me in the ass as I couldn’t stop fucking my ex.

Uber Everywhere - by MadeinTYO When I think back to 2016, high pitched voices saying ‘skrt skrt’ play on repeat in my head. I blame this song, but I forgive it cos it reminds me of simpler times.

HEATHENS - TW ENTY ONE PILO TS Just popping in to Twenty One Pilo remind you of your may continue w ts phase in 2016. You ith yo with that memor ur day plagued y. Love you x

Lush Life - Zara Larsson My girl Z said ‘I live my day as if it was the last’. This line really struck a chord in my heart, helping me to skull cruisers at woolshed parties like the skuxx I was. FEATURES

SEXUAL NEIKED FT I played th . DAYO is song wa aaaaay to for a 16-ye kissed som ar-old virgin who’d o much it did its p eone. But, you gott never art in d a adm teens craz riving hormone -ridd it, y. I admire en that.

i hate u, i love u - gnash ft. Olivia O’Brien I’m thinking of starting a support group for the huge population of us who were severely impacted by this song. Don’t lie, you bawled your eyes out to it in the shower too.

Panda - Desiigner Desiigner chanting ‘Panda’ in an ominous tone over and over is so sexy, I wish I played it when I lost my v-card.

Roses - the Chainsmok ers How we all longed to be pu lle d closer in the backseat of a Ro ver wh en this song released. Is anyon e fulfill this fantasy? Cos I still waiting to definitely am.

Too Good - Drake ft Rihanna BYEEEEE, this tune was my breakup cure when I was dumped by my first boyfriend in Year 11. We only went out for four months, but the pain was real. Big love to Drizzy and RiRi for helping me forget his puny ass. Broccoli - S

helley FKA DRAM ft Lil Yatchy Ugh, this serotonin, I song produces so muc sertraline. I almost don’t need my dh can ju aily morning ala st use Broccoli as my rm #anxietycu red FEATURES

WORDS BY MICAH DAVIS-RAE PHOTOGRAPHY BY CAM HAY

One of Aotearoa’s most prolific music photographers talks taking risks, touring Europe and putting relationships at the centre.

Cam Hay FEATURES

hink of any up-and-coming musician in Aotearoa, and there’s a good chance that Cam Hay has taken their photo. Named by ‘Happy Mag’ as one of New Zealand’s best contemporary photographers, Cam has gone from milking cows in Ashburton to touring the world with some of the brightest talent our country has on offer. Like most photographers at the beginning of their careers, taking photos started as a hobby for Cam. Shortly after moving to Dunedin to study, he picked up a camera as something to do while exploring his new surroundings. “A lot of my mates were into surfing,” he tells me, over Zoom. “I wasn’t as talented as they were, so I took a camera along.” A few years later, some of those same mates started a promotions company that became known for organising popular gigs around the city. These gigs would become Cam’s first foray into music photography. “I took some blurry, shitty photos but I was determined, as a perfectionist, to do it better. So, I did my second [gig], then my third, and now I’ve done 120 of them and still trying to perfect it.” Cam is naturally drawn to musicians. As he puts it, musicians have “very similar personalities to me in terms of doing MILD ORANGE something different and taking risks”. For Cam, forming a connection with his subjects is at the core of everything he does. “It’s all about relationships, that’s the goal. That’s why I like doing this, I guess.” A desire to make meaningful connections helps to ensure that his photos represent the artists as they are. “I only really want to work with people who I have a previous relationship with,” he says. “When I meet new [musicians], I want to build up a relationship first before I bring them in to take photos. I don’t want it to be just a photo, I want to be able to represent their personality.” With this approach to photography, Cam is able to enter the world of his subjects, becoming a part of their story. Take his journey with dream pop band, Mild Orange, for example. Cam has been with them since the beginning, providing the visual story of their meteoric rise to success.

Mild Orange formed in Dunedin in 2017, around the time that Cam was getting started as a music photographer. He shot their first gig, their first headline show, their first tour, and then went across to Europe with them. “It’s quite a special relationship I have with them,” he says. “They’re a really good group of boys doing good things.”

about it. You look how busy your phone is with all the photos, and imagine how gnarly all that stuff is going to be in twenty years.” For Cam, it’s about giving the photos the space they deserve, creating “something you can put on your table that your grandma, your little sister or anyone can flick through”.

Cam describes that tour as “month long dream”. He reflects on a moment where the surreal nature of what they were doing sunk in. “We were Liming around Paris underneath the Eiffel Tower. Mild Orange had just sold out their Paris show. There was just a funny vibe in the air like everything was going too well.” During that tour, they played 21 shows over 30 days across 12 countries. An outrageous feat of endurance. “It’s hard to piece it together,” he says, admitting that their determination to try all of the local beers meant that they were “slightly hungover every morning”.

Fast forward to 2020, and Cam was taking his biggest risk yet by moving to Auckland without a job. “I didn’t know how it was going to work,” he said. “I grew up on a farm in Ashburton. I never thought Auckland was the place to be.” But so far it seems, Cam had little reason to worry. The sheer size of Auckland means that there’s always something happening, and Cam’s portfolio does most of the talking for him. “The work has been flowing,” he says. One of the first things he did upon moving to Auckland, was set up a studio in his bedroom. Between the hours of 12pm and 4pm, when the natural light is at its best, Cam flips his bed up on its side, rolls out the white paper roll, and starts taking photos. “You know what it’s like when you’re in your bedroom; you can just do what you want. You’re not freaking out about other people.” Going from the volatile environment of a dimly lit venue packed with rowdy music fans, to a bright bedroom studio where you have full control of the frame has been quite a transition. For Cam, it’s all about making the artist feel comfortable. “They trust me, and I trust them. This whole scene is effortless and fun. It should never be scary for them to come in.”

Go for a scroll down his Instagram page, and you can almost feel the chemistry Cam has with his subjects. Despite the success he has had with the platform, the fleeting nature of an Instagram post is something that has never quite felt right for Cam. Of the hundred million photos that get uploaded to the app every day, almost all of them are forgotten instantly. “You put in all this effort, but once you upload the photo to Instagram, it’s gone,” he says. “You just don’t feel like you’re completing the process.” A discomfort with this reality, and a strong desire to have his art last years into the future is what drew Cam to print as a medium for his work. ‘Hello Zukeen’, the irreverent, indie arts and culture magazine of which Cam was a founding member was born out of this very feeling. “It’s addicting,” he says, about the print format. “There’s just something

If you were looking for proof that kindness attracts success, then you need look no further than Cam Hay. For a man who has photographed more gigs than you’ve had hot dinners, Cam has retained a remarkable amount of enthusiasm for what he does. “You gotta do it for the right reasons,” he says. “For anyone who wants to try this photography thing, it is hard. But if you’re a nice person and manifest it, then the good things will come. Try hard, work smart, and don’t be a dick.”

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THERE’S A TUESDAY

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Mild Orange at Electric Avenue by Cam Hay 2021

MASSIVE

Interview: Micah Davis-Rae Photography: Rawhai Wetere & Reagen Butler

Muroki

On how an Instagram DM changed his life My first encounter with Muroki Mbote Wa Githinji was outside a beachside brewery in early April. I was anticipating a quietish night with some mates, a few beers and some vibey tunes. What I got instead was an insight into the exponential trajectory of what could well be New Zealand’s next big thing. We didn’t even make it into the venue. The line was a pulsating mob of kids, each trying desperately to squeeze closer to the door. As we watched on, one fearless breather broke free from the carnage, stumbled towards the fence, and jumped over. Security must’ve been preoccupied, as there was nobody there to stop him. Soon there were dozens attempting the same feat. A few more beers and we might’ve joined them, but, feeling markedly sober, we turned and headed home. Listen to his debut EP ‘Dawn’ that dropped last month, and you’ll understand why people are leaping over fences to see Muroki live in the flesh. The funky guitars, punchy bass-lines and mellow drums are masterfully stitched together to provide a backdrop to the highlight of this project: the vocals. Smooth, soulful and undeniably sexy - Muroki’s voice is a complete heart-melter. Speaking over Zoom from a small studio in Raglan, Muroki talks about signing to BENEE’s label, playing to a sold-out Spark Arena, and what comes next for this exciting young musician.

How are ya? Good, fuck you just came in hot on the monitors there. Haha classic. Where are you? It’s a new little room that some friends of mine have put together in the middle of town. It used to be filled with t-shirts and things from Raglan Roast. Then they soundproofed and it’s now a little studio. Today’s the first day I’ve used it. How good is it to have a spot away from home where you can come to jam? Yeah, it’s good to get out of the bedroom. When this interview goes to print, it will have been two weeks since the ‘Dawn’ EP dropped. Congratulations man it’s dope as fuck. How does it feel to have it out in the world? It feels really good. I’ve been working on it for nearly a year. I’ve been waiting to release it for a long time, and now that’ it’s out I’m like yus - finally I can share it. The EP feels really compact. There’s no fluff or filler, just six tight tunes one after another. We wrote a lot of songs, ya know. There

were a bunch of songs to choose from. We wrote the load, and then I picked out my favourites. Sound like you could’ve done a full album if you’d wanted. How many songs did you write all up? I don’t even know ae. It was a lot. I could’ve done an album, but I wanted to make it perfect. An album would’ve been a lot more work and time. But who knows, maybe I’ll do that next. You worked with Josh Fountain and Djeisan Suskov on the project, two of New Zealand’s premiere producers. What was it like working with them? Those guys are wizards, man. I learnt so much throughout the whole process about writing and producing. I was super stoked to be doing it with them. I was producing on Garageband for quite a while, and then about a year ago when I started working with them, I finally got Logic. Josh is running Logic, so it was pretty amazing to see the standard you could get to. What was the song-writing process like? For the first few tunes, we were still just getting each other’s vibe, especially with ‘Wavy’ and ‘Light Me Up’. We would talk a lot and then from there,

create a song. But later on in the process, I started writing down these stories in a book. Then we’d write tunes based off of those stories. Songs like ‘The Red in You’, ‘Open Up’ and ‘Everything Else’ we wrote like that. ‘Open Up’ is a super personal song. Yeah man, it’s kinda deep (laughs). How does it feel to have something like that out there for people to pick apart? You do feel quite vulnerable, but I feel like it’s those kind of stories that make the best songs. People resonate more with real emotion. You said ‘Wavy’ was written about an acid trip you shared with a woman at a music festival. Yeeaaah I said that and then I was like ahhh fuck should have I said that? But yeah that is what it’s about haha. Has she heard the song? Yeah, she would’ve heard it but I don’t know if she would’ve picked up on it, I haven’t told her yet haha. It’s just one of those ‘pretty fuckin cooked at a festival having a good time’ songs. Coming from the relaxed beach FEATURES

town of Raglan, the laid-back summery vibe of ‘Dawn’ definitely sounds like it was influenced by your environment. Yeah, it definitely was. Obviously playing music here, with people from here is going to influence what I do, but it’s a hard question. It’s not the only influence. What’s the music scene like in Raglan? There’s a lot of music. You’ll hear a lot of roots and reggae, bands like Cornertsone Roots, Messiah and Lost Tribe. That’s where that Raglan vibe pushes through in my music. You recorded the EP in Auckland though, right? Yeah, most of it was done up there, but it’s nice to come back. Raglan is a great place to get inspired. You went on a sold-out tour with BENEE, featured on one of her songs, and then became the first artist signed to her label, Olive records. How did all that come about? She DMd me on Instagram, and she really digged one of my tunes - ‘For Better or Worse’. I only had one song out back then. Then she did this thing

with Elton John, where she played my song on his podcast. From there, I sent her an EP that I made and she was like, “wait don’t release it - my people want to talk to you.” After that everything sort of flowed. She took me on the tour, we’ve got the same manager, and now I’m on her label.

“I SENT HER AN EP THAT I MADE AND SHE WAS LIKE, “WAIT DON’T RELEASE IT - MY PEOPLE WANT TO TALK TO YOU.” BENEE is one of the biggest artists in the world right now. How does it feel to have the support of someone like that? Yeah, it’s pretty insane eye. It was a big eye-opener just seeing that amount of people going to her shows. Pretty crazy man. Two nights at Spark Arena, both sold out was just like “whaaat?!’ So nice, a wicked experience though I really want to do it again.

Next up you’re co-headlining a tour with Christchurch band, The Butlers. Who’s idea was that? I’ve met the Butlers a couple of times, chilled with the singer, Walt, quite a lot just at festivals you know when ya bump into each-other. They’re a bunch of legends, so it just seemed right. I’m really excited. We’ve got five dates so we’re going to be hitting Tauranga, Wellington, Dunedin, Christchurch and Rags. Tell me about your ambitions for the next project. Will it be an album, or another EP? Are you going to nail down this summery surfer buzz, or take things in a new direction? I’m not sure ae. Right now, I’m just track stacking again. I’m literally writing a song right now actually. I’m just jumping straight back into it. As soon as I get enough songs together, I’ll probably decide whether to do another EP or an album. It’ll probably be an EP, but with a lot more of my own production. I did quite a bit on the one we did with Josh and Djeisan, but for this one I might do a lot more. I’ve been really digging samples at the moment. Kind of on that hip hop buzz. I also want to capture that live sound a bit better.

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“WHEN WE’RE PLAYING AND PEOPLE SING BACK THE LYRICS... I’VE NEVER REALLY EXPERIENCED THAT. IT’S STILL SOMETHING I CAN’T QUITE GET USED TO”

Rhys Rich features on the new EP, tell me a bit about that, and whether you want to do more features in the future. I just think he’s got a really dope sound pretty much. I’ve been following him for a while and he’s done a couple of shows with me now. He’s a legend. He’s got a really universal voice. He doesn’t sound super kiwi or American. He’s really original. I was looking for rappers, and he just seemed to fit well. Dream collab? I’d love to do a song with Frank Ocean. Or Damien Marley. Frank Ocean’s producer actually mixed Light me Up, and did a little bit of production on it so I’m almost there (laughs). That’s epic man. Frank Ocean could’ve heard your song. That would be fucking sick. What’s your favourite part about touring? At the moment, definitely when we’re playing and people sing back the lyrics. I’ve never really experienced that, and it’s still something I can’t quite get used to. I also like it when my keyboard player Joe starts yelping. When Joe’s yelping, you know things are sounding tight. He’s a fucking

genius, man, so listening to him get into it pumps me up.

Surfing or skating? Can’t answer (laughs).

What about when people bring out the flashlights on their phone? Have you had that yet?

Surfing or music? Oh fuck, those are the three things I cannot pick from. No comment.

Bro. I have. Fuck man, at Spark Arena. It was the most insane shit I have ever seen or experienced in my life. That was the pinnacle of that tour for me. I didn’t even tell them to. I played ‘Open Up’ and then literally the whole arena, the lights came up.

Studio or stage? Stage.

Favourite NZ music venue? I love playing the Yot Club at home. That’s a great venue. All my mates are there. It’s my hometown. The vibes are there. It’s just like a big party. Also, the Dunedin Town Hall. It was just stunning. I felt like I was in an old castle or something with the massive organ at the back. Are you ready for some quick fire? I’m ready. Dogs or cats? Cats Tea or coffee? Coffee

Scribe or Savage? Savage. What’s the most ferocious animal you could beat in a fight? Probably a leopard. Wait do you mean a real fight? Oh, shit nah I would get fucked up. Nah fuck it I could take down a leopard. Current phone wallpaper? The standard apple one. What you get when you buy it. Favourite smell Vanilla Candles. Country you’d most like to tour: The US. What are you going to do after this interview? I’m going to carry on making this tune. Can’t wait to hear it. Thanks so much bro. Chur, all good!

Pepsi or coke? Coke Beach or city? Beach Night or day? Day FEATURES

AOTEAROA’S t s e b PODCASTS Words by

Rimu Bhooi

Covering homegrown talented creatives who are music to your ears, their voices are filled with hilarity. Massive asked the hosts what inspired them to make their podcast. So, in no particular order, here are our choice of Aotearoa’s best poddies. Have a geez and catch these legends on Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts. FEATURES

Unpack with Thabi and Kii Kii says: Unpack Podcast dissects New Zealand historical events through the Facebook comments section on news articles. Looking at comments and discourse and feeling sorry for those who truly believe ignorance or misinformation. Wanting to educate them instead of making fun of them was the inspiration for this podcast. What we say: Unpack cracks me up on the daily. SO well researched, and every comment investigated in depth. I’ve learnt so much from Unpack, not only about Aotearoa and our culture, but also about issues that could slip under the radar for me. I really appreciate just how joyous and kind the hosts are. Their Instagram is next level - illustrations about the news events they dissect, and even survival guides where they break down the terms they regularly use. I love love Unpack. They have a Patreon, and merch so go support ‘em rn.

Conversations with my Immigrant Parents Julie says: Immigrant stories are so often told from the perspective of the kids of immigrants who have assimilated enough to have their voices listened to. One reason we made this was to hear parents and older immigrants articulate their own stories for themselves. Saraid says: We made Conversations because of our own discussions with whānau. We wanted to understand them better and we thought other people might feel the same way about their own families. We also wanted to bring some of these stories back, in a way. So many migrant POC narratives in Aotearoa are curated by white migrants, and we could tell. What we say: This poddy will change the way you view the people around you. As a young Indian living in Aotearoa, a lot of the grief and joy covered hit home. This was the first time I actually heard these communities, which have been through and go through so much, so clearly and free from the white colonial lens. There’s short lil videos on YouTube to go with the episodes and they’re so well made. It’s heartbreaking in all the right ways, and I’m listening to Season 2 as I write this and it’s just as brilliant as the first. Instagram is next level - illustrations about the news events they dissect, and even survival guides where they break down the terms they regularly use. I love love Unpack. They have a Patreon, and merch so go support ‘em rn. FEATURES

Photo by Nicole Hunt

He Kakano Ahau: Urban & Maori Kahu says: He Kākano Ahau was born of my own experiences of urban Māoritanga after moving to the city after high school. It really was about binding together all of these different stories, of colonisation, urban drift and loss of identity, acknowledging all of that history. But also, of uplifting and celebrating the strength, power, and strands of connection that I saw in all Māori who I’ve met in city spaces. What we say: Banging poddy, I’ve followed this one since its inception. I’ve learnt so much about the lives of young, urban Māori, what they get up to, and the intergenerational flow of experiences. Second season is landing this July, and Kahu teased that it explores future dreaming for te ao Māori. The insta account has gorgeous imagery of people and places that go so well with the story that plays through your headphones.

Just the Tips Danny says: It’s those drunken 2am deep and meaningfuls you have with your mates, in podcast form. Hennessy says: Like every great podcast known to humanity, we came from humble beginnings of being stupidly drunk and thinking “we should totally make a podcast, bro”. From there, Just the Tips was born in all its sexy glory. What we say: You might know Danny from Insta, and Hennessy for her writing for Critic Mag. 10/10 intro song. Anything sexy you’ve ever thought of, worried about, or even googled, this duo will talk about. Questions that have been rattling around in your head, like sock etiquette, the best way to chuck someone out in the morning, and what to do when ur meds make ya sexc times a lil different. Combined with awesome illustrations by @yeehawtheboys, I thoroughly enjoy how refreshing this poddy is. One to watch for sure, there’s five episodes at the time of publishing so go binge them with your flatties now. colonial lens. There’s short lil videos on YouTube to go with the episodes and they’re so well made. It’s heartbreaking in all the right ways, and I’m listening to Season 2 as I write this and it’s just as brilliant as the first. Instagram is next level - illustrations about the news events they dissect, and even survival guides where they break down the terms they regularly use. I love love Unpack. They have a Patreon, and merch so go support ‘em rn. FEATURES

2 POOR 4

PREMIUM WORDS BY LIAM MCGUIRE

Yeah, yeah, we know. Spotify is good when you can afford to pay for it. For the poor fuckers just trying to scrape by, however, food is usually a priority in terms of spending. No matter your wealth, one thing unites the entire population of the planet: our incessant hate for fucking ads. So, how can you get your filthy gremlin mitts on some music for free? Well, Massive is here to find out.Of all the free legal music streaming services, ads are usually a given, but not always.

jango.com Jango has a free and quite comprehensive collection of music that collects and collates playlists and “radio stations” for your listening pleasure. It helps to give emerging artists a platform and, if you connect your Facebook account, you only get 1 ad per day. That’s a pretty good ratio for a free service. Jango encourages its users to reach out and suggest songs to add to its database and seems like an all-round pretty good service. The only thing is, you can’t download songs, so you better have a pretty comprehensive data plan to listen to it all day. 8/10 - Yeah nah, not bad all round

iHeartRadio Yes it’s radio, yes there are ads on radio, we get it. But still, don’t you kinda miss just finding a station that fits your vibe and letting them pick the music? If video killed the radio star, then music streaming services fucking brutalised him. Bring back the classics and let radio survive just a little longer, if you can be bothered finding a station you like. 7/10 - If you enjoy radio

Spotify

YouTube Yeah, nah. Double, unskippable ads, no downloads, can’t play music with your phone screen off. YouTube has gone down the drain lately and we all know it. Avoid unless you’re desperate. 2/10 - Fuck off YouTube

So, what about the not-so-legal options? Well...

Ymusic It’s only android-friendly and you have to download it on the website but that’s about the only downside. With a well-designed storing and listening interface, Ymusic lets you download video or audio files straight from YouTube to collate into playlists, saved to your phone. Pretty solid, unless you have an iPhone… 8/10 - A couple of drawbacks but a damn good option

Browser and Documents Manager

Admittedly with a massive selection of songs to choose from Spotify free is still useable. But between constant ads, no downloads, and a limited number of skips, it takes a big knock from the worthy platform that is Spotify premium. Plus, the “Your next 30 minutes will be ad free” ads are always goddamn liars.

Subtle, we know… This not-so-legal YouTube downloader lets you save music videos to your phone. You can play them back either just audio if the app or your phone screen is closed, or the music video itself if you fancy a show. There are, however, ads. They’re six seconds long then skippable, but… still ads.

5/10 - When you’re desperate it does work

6/10 - Comprehensive and has music vids, but we went illegal to avoid ads thank you very much.

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THE ASSESSMENT:

PUTTING ON A GIG WORDS BY CAROLINE MORATTI

Planning a casual get-together with your mates is hard enough, imagine trying to throw together a whole-ass concert. Yet, that’s exactly what Drew Van Arts and Devon Alexander are in the process of doing. The Massey second-years have spent the last two months planning the ultimate hip hop show, titled “The Assessment”, going down on 14 May. Massive sat down with them to figure out what the fuck goes into a gig, and what punters can expect.

Devon and Drew are in a secon-year Music Entrepreneurship class, and part of their assignment is that they either have to release music or put on a show. Drew admits that he didn’t have any music lined up that could have been mixed and mastered on such short notice, so he got together with Devon and started talking about the possibilities of a hip hop line-up. “It just kinda all came together in a week or two, and we were like, fuck, we should do a gig, man, it’ll be cool.” See, I wish my friends had this much enthusiasm when I talk about butt-chugging. The name of the show, The Assessment, is a direct nod to their class assignment. “It’s very creative, I know,” Devon deadpans. Headlining the act is hip hop artist Guans with BushJungle, and Will Pegg supporting. Both Guans and Pegg are Massey students, who Devon and Drew describe as “amazingly passionate” and “can put on one hell of a good show”. The Assessment is being held on the Wellington campus of Massey in Block 1, R1. Devon’s held a previous gig here, Microfest, so he’s pretty chuffed about the space, but admits it wasn’t his first choice. “Massey, as great as it is, was definitely our plan Z with everything, so it wasn’t always the plan to do it here.” The boys say they emailed “just under 50 venues” collectively, with no luck. Devon says, “out of 50 of them, I got four responses, two of them were like no sorry, we’re full, and the other two said sure, we can meet up, and then one never got back to me. The one I did meet up with, off the bat were asking for two grand cover charges which, as a student with no budget, is not feasible whatsoever.” Devon says they even left out the fact that they were students in their emails, but that still didn’t help the search. “No one was interested. It was quite heart-breaking to be honest, but it is what it is,” Drew admits. Drew and Devon believe part of the disinterest was because of the genre they were championing, hip hop. “Chatting to

our lecturers and our other artists, hip hop doesn’t really have a massive scene down here.” They believe there’s certain “stigmas” around the genre, which lead to venues having a “skewed view” and thus being hesitant to give artists and management a shot. In the lead-up to the gig, Drew and Devon are focused on getting the word out, both with posters and social media. Aside from that, the pair are “doing a lot of forms at the moment - hazard forms - which is awesome,” Drew says sarcastically. Tussock has the elusive liquor licensing rights over the campus (bastards), so the guys are currently trying to sort out hiring them. Massey gigs have some perks though, like the proximity and the on-campus security. Bonus points if you do pres during lectures. Take a shot every time your lecturer doesn’t give off good vibes. So why should students attend The Assessment? Well for starters, it’s in that sweet spot, just before the last crunch of assignments, so “you might as well have some fun beforehand”. Ah yes, before everything goes to hell. According to Drew, it’s “gonna be a pretty wicked gig, because this isn’t the most common type of music you hear in venues in Wellington. It’s a time where you can come and hear all that stuff and it’ll be a bit different.” Devon agrees and says, “We’re combining pop and hip hop, there’s a little something for everyone! We’ve got a whole array of lights and sound equipment and everything, we can put on an industry standard show for $6, for $10. That’s like going to see Post Malone and paying $200 but we’re doing it back here, by your backdoor, at Massey.” Pre-sale tickets for The Assessment are available on Under the Radar for $6, while door sales of $10 will also be available. As Devon says, “It’s gonna be a hell of a good time.” Who can argue with that? Now all students have to do is show up. FEATURES

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Arylith & Baldie words by james pocock

Massive sat down with Cameron Fox aka “Arylith” and Ethan Baldy aka “Baldie”, two electronic musicians from Massey, to learn how they came to make their music and the process behind their latest collaboration effort, Collision.

of similar to something I had been working on as well, because I’d been working on some drumstep, high tempo 170+ bpm halftime vibes. He asked if I wanted to jump on and I was like ‘yes, yes of COURSE I wanted to jump on’.

Lets start from the beginning. How did you start making and playing music?

Arylith: Ethan added some stuff in the build-up, then he added some stuff in the post-drop breakdown that was pretty cool and sent it back over. I fixed it up a bit, cherry picked some sounds. Made the second drop after that, then just kept sending it back and forth to check and see if it sounded cool.

Arylith: I started playing guitar from primary school and I learnt keyboard in intermediate for a few years. Baldie: We had a school band I was in for a few years playing different things. I started off with the flute, because when I started, I had baby teeth so, apparently, I wasn’t allowed to play the trumpet. I decided that wasn’t manly enough for me, so I moved to the bass guitar, which was a poor move considering I didn’t already play guitar. I then moved on to saxophone, drums and a few other things. When and how did you guys meet? Arylith: We both study music, I’m doing the practice major under the Bachelor of Commercial Music, while Ethan is doing the tech major. Baldie: I remember just chatting to you going ‘What do you study? Oh music! Oh shit, you produce music?’ And then you talked about how you have a lot of dubstep stuff and I was like that’s so sick because I listen to a lot of dubstep. It was the first time I had met anyone who produces, let alone produces on the same DAW I do, so it was a big moment for me meeting Cam, and super sick just talking about music stuff together. Arylith: Ethan always gives me great feedback. He’s always pretty critical as well as very supportive, so it’s a good mix. Not just supportive in the music, very supportive in the personal life as well, so I’m very thankful for that.” So how did you guys come up with Collision together? Arylith: I think I started working on it around... January? I just made a drop or something and thought ‘yeah this is pretty sick’. I then made a bit of an intro and a build-up and sent it back to Ethan, because I was stuck on one part. Baldie: I thought ‘yo this is fucking sick!’. It sounded kind

Baldie: Pitching up, it felt like a drop, but it was also a buildup, like the energy just kept building during the drop, cause usually there is a build-up and then the drop comes and the energy is all downwards, but this one keeps going up, which I love the whole concept of. Then I made the bit after where it goes down in energy a lot (laughs). Arylith: “Nah, but it’s vibey though, it’s so sick because the contrast is really cool, it gives it a really dramatic feeling.” Baldie: Yeah contrast is super important. I do a bit of DJing as well, and I think that having sets that have different energy points is essential. It’s like song dynamics, if everything is loud, nothing is. You want peaks and dips and troughs and crests and all the other pointy words. So what now? Any plans for the future? Arylith: “The plan is this year to make a full album. A similar style, really bass heavy. I also want to mix in some influences from metal and metalcore as well as trap and stuff. Really just make it big, heavy, dramatic. Crunchy.” Baldie: “I’m working on an album which is towards my major project as well, pretty handy. I’m also collaborating on a major project with someone in Creative Media Production, a friend of mine called Thomas. Super, super awesome, super fucking smart as well, he knows exactly what he’s doing. I’ve been wanting to set visuals to music for a long time now, because as you listen to music you can see visual syncs to it. Collision is available for free on all platforms, “even Tidal”, according to the artists. Elevate your next flat party and chuck these boys a listen. FEATURES

CULINARYLINGUS

EGGS BENEDICT STOP PAYING $20 FOR SOMETHING SO CHEAP AND EASY, I BEG YOU.

BY CAROLINE MORATTI

Eggs Benedict is my go-to hungover food. For years, I wasted away money at cafes, which half the time would just pour some sauce straight out of a fucking packet. Not to @ any prominent uni cafes or anything. But then, a beautiful friend taught me the trick of this rich, golden sauce and I’ve never looked back. It’s delightful, fancy but unexpectedly simple.

INGREDIENTS 1. Ingredients (optional but a nice touch) 2. One egg yolk + however 4. 50g butter, melted many eggs you wanna eat 5. Lemon juice 3. Teaspoon of mustard

6. Ice cube (for emergencies) 7. Toasted ciabatta bread 8. Salt and pepper

METHOD 1. Get a pot on the stove going 3. In a few minutes, the sauce to is ciabatta but any will with some water in it. Place should be a silky, buttery do. I trust you. a bowl over top and add yellow. Squeeze some 6. After 3 minutes poaching, your egg yolk and mustard. lemon juice and salt to taste quickly get the eggs out and put aside. 2. Whisk together with a and onto the toast. There’s fork over the simmering 4. Now the eggs! Plop them nothing worse in this life water, gradually pouring in in the simmering pot water than overcooked eggs. your melted butter. Keep after creating a gentle 7. Drench in the dreamy stirring, and be mindful not vertex with a spoon. Some hollandaise sauce and to overheat the sauce. (Hot people use vinegar for enjoy! But for the love tip: If the sauce does overthis step but idk, it’s kinda of god, please put some thicken and clump, you can unnecessary. cracked black pepper on save it by adding in an ice- 5. Pop some toast on! My gotop. cube). COLUMNS

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I have a good sex story for you. I want everybody to listen up. This will teach you not to get fucked and have sex with a random. I was at a concert when I was first year. This chick walked up to me and asked me to come with her to her friends flat where there was another party. I agreed. We got to her friends flat where we got absolutely horsed. I dead set finished 2 chasseur goons of wine. Almost immediately upon arrival she pulled up my shirt and sucked my nipple in front of everyone. I was low key into it, lol. She led me into a bedroom, closed the door and then asked if I wanted to choke her. I said no cause like not really into that, and then she started crying so hard saying how I don’t find her pretty and how ugly she must be.

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I got so fucking hard and actually started having a mean time. Just as I was finishing, she asked me if I had ever had sex with a pussy. I was really confused like.. obviously? What are we doing now???? Then she got up, walked to the closet, and there was a fucking cat in there. She put the cat on the bed and then asked me to go down on her while the cat was just staring at me eye-level. That’s where I drew the line. Please stop messaging me. Got a confession, a naughty tale, a sexy story? Email sexcapades@massivemagazine.org.nz to submit yours xoxox

So naturally, I did it. She then like, idk how to describe this, nibbled off my clothes?? Like gently with her teeth took of all my clothes and then all hers. Seriously - picture a chick biting her clothes off her own body. Kind of hot.

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Massive spoke to Brad, a self-proclaimed white boy with a guitar about his well-practiced talent: Pissing people off at parties. So straight dudes, whip out the old strummer, tune your ears and get ready to really know how to rile up strangers you’re trying to impress. Firstly, the classic sing-along. You know the drill, Wonderwall, Boulevard of Broken Dreams, Mad World, you get the drill… Basically any song that people have heard so many times that they might just snap if they hear it again. It’s your job to learn them all. According to Brad they “really make a killing out there”. Next, the four-chord wonders. Em, G, D, and A. Look I know the pre-chorus to Wonderwall has an extra chord, but let’s face it you’re not gonna make it that far. Pretty much all of the songs above have the same chords in the most basic sense, and pretty much every pop song has them in a different order or key. You know those four chords? You’re sussed to be your most annoying self to everyone around you. Then, getting invited to parties.

A D U L T your reputation as a guitar-guy precedes you, getting an invite can be difficult, but you have to get creative. Find another straight man and get him to plus-one you, or you can roam the streets at night looking for an unsuspecting house party, because let’s be honest, it’s safe for you out there. Finally, bring your own guitar and don’t shut up about knowing how to play. With a wide variety of the same fucking song in your arsenal, a guitar in your hand, and far too much product in your hair, you’re ready. Find somewhere quiet at the party, a place people go for a break from the music like the smoko spot, park up, and surprise those poor fuckers just wanting some peace. I’m sure there’ll be at least one other overenthusiastic man who took guitar lessons for two years singing along and hyping you up. And don’t worry, between the two of you you’ll be loud enough to drown out the groans of everyone else sick of your shit… So, rejoice! Take that mediocrity and flex it for all that it’s worth. It’s not about being creative or trying to learn, it’s about claiming you’re an expert and getting by on sheer overconfidence alone. Like an adult, you know?

This is where things get difficult, according to Brad. If COLUMNS

SNIP, SNOP, SNAP SEND US YOUR SNAPS TO GET FEATURED IN NEXT WEEK’S EDITION @MASSIVE_MAG

Exec’s Columns

MAWSA: KHUSHBOO SINGH Bula everyone! I’m Khushboo, your club’s and community officer at MAWSA! We’re ¾ of the way through Semester 1 whoop whoop! Clubs are back up and running with heaps of events popping off! Last week, Banter and Brews had their grad panel, Something Something ran a groovy Karaoke night and Climbing Club’s weekly sessions at Ferg’s Kayaks are back up and running! It is also Sexual Assault Awareness week and Thursdays in Black are hosting events all week, so its extra important to wear your black this Thursday! Check out our website or the poster by the library entrance to check out what clubs are running on campus. OR if you want to start something up, hit me up at clubsandcommunity@mawsa.org.nz.

ASA: BEN AUSTIN I can’t believe how fast this semester is going. It seems like only a week ago we were all sitting in our first lecture of 2021 wondering how long a one hour lecture can truly feel. With exams coming up in a few weeks’ time, it’s important to start thinking about your study plan. Make sure this plan involves plenty of rest as well as the most important part, STUDY. As usual, the ASA is here for every one of you so please feel free to come by the office if you need any help or support.

MUSA: FATIMA IMRAN Buenos dias everyone! I hope everyone enjoyed the shortened week after the Anzac weekend. I know I did. Four more weeks until lectures are over make the most of this time to catch up as study week flies by in the blink of an eye. You must be all now in a routine so instead of giving advice on that, just make sure to take time to relax and explore what Palmy has to offer. I highly recommend the walks in Pohinga Valley along with a coffee at Barista beforehand or the social badminton tournament coming up soon.

M@D: JACALYN CLARE AND JAX WATT You may have read last week in Massive that a space on Stream is being developed for distance students. We are so excited about this and cannot wait for you all to be added. Each semester, if you are enrolled in a distance paper, you will be added to the distance community stream site as well. You’ll be able to opt-out through the Stream email preference options if you decide the space isnt for you as well. We know the Launch was supposed to be soon, but our launch day for this Stream site has been pushed to the start of S2. Massey has so many of you all to add, they need a bit more time! So, keep an eye out on Stream next semester and we’ll see you there! COLUMNS

puzzles

13/04/21, 4:14 PM

oku - Easy

MUSIC QUIZ 1. 2. 3 3. 4. 5.

4 3

10. Breathe in (6) 11. Cs get ___ (7) 13. Ideal place (6) 14. Restore (9) 19. Evil takes a human form in ____George (6) 20. Fasten (6) 22. Insects that form colonies (4) 24. Australia lost a war against this flightless bird (3)

7 9

Easy

13/04/21, 4:14 PM

Sudoku - Hard

04/13/2021

SUDOKU 9

DOWN 1. Powerhouse of the cell (12) 2. Noise that cows make (3) 3. Summit (4) 4. Kiwi ice cream brand (6) 5. Overused phrase (6) 6. Hidden reference in a game or movie 8. Type of long-necked dinosaur whose name means ‘thunder lizard’ (12)

2 Perry’s 4 1 came out in what year? Katy big hit “I Kissed a Girl” Scribe, Ladi6 to which performing arts collective? 9 and Dallas 1 Tamaira have 8 all belonged Printable Sudoku - Hard - 04/13/2021 Does ‘Happy ’ by Pharrell Williams feature in Despicable Me or Despicable Me 2? 7 Where did Stormzy work before becoming a famous musician? Who played in Th’ Dudes, then DD Smash and then as a solo artist? 3 7

Sudoku.cool

18. Remorse (6) 21. ‘Mountain’ in te reo Māori (6) 23. This team recently beat the Crusaders in Christchurch (11) 25. Toroa is the Māori name for this bird

QUIZ ANSWERS:

04/13/2021

ACROSS 3. Underskirt (9) 7. Catastrophic (11) 9. Basically weed for cats (6) 12. Caribbean Island:_____ Rico (6) 15. _____ Winfrey (5) 16. Pasta sauce that includes parmesan and butter (7) 17. Diet that excludes dairy and grains (7)

1. 2008 2. Pacific Underground 3. Despicable Me 2 Edward 4. A Spa 5. Dave Dobbyn

Credit: Critic and Ciara White

CROSSWORD

6 3

9 1 7

7 6

9 8

Page 1 of 4

7 8

7 5

2 8

4 8

WORD WHEEL

The 2 target6is to create as many words 9 of 4 letters or more, using the letters once only and always including the letter in the middle of the wheel.

4 5

7 R

N 9

P 6

Hard 3

2 7

4-letter words: 18 5-letter words: 9

L 8 7

O 1

7-letter words: 1 9-letter words: 1

1 COLUMNS

horoscopes Aquarius:

Aries:

Things won’t go so well this week, I’m not gonna lie. Sorry to be the bringer of bad news. Lay low, don’t check your grades. Ignorance is bliss.

Look out for some flatmate drama this week. Resist the urge for passive-aggressive sticky notes, and for fucks sake, please stay out of the group chat when drunk. .

Cancer:

Capricorn:

You need to start working on your chugging abilities. There will come a time this week when you will be shot-gunning nitro in front of a hottie, and wish you weren’t so pathetic. No one likes a slow drinker.

Consider toe-sucking. Sex has been a bit bland recently and it’s time to spice it up. Cut your toenails first, no one likes a spikey toe.

Gemini:

Leo:

Money is coming your way. Start online shopping now, buy that cute hoodie. Don’t trust the banks, remember the 2008 financial crisis.

Buy some more milk for the flat. The milk you have is expired, even if it passes the sniff test. Let it go, my friend. Let it go.

Libra:

Pisces:

Smoke weed before the family call this week. Release some of that built-up trauma, tell your parents that you love them. Then eat a foot-long subway.

PLEASE stop investing in stocks. Or at least stop talking about it so much. Bitcoin isn’t gonna help you pull in town.

Sagittarius:

Scorpio:

You’re right not to trust that bitch. I don’t trust them either. Cut them out of your life, they’re not on your level.

Make a grocery list, it’ll change your life. Good energy is coming for you, you just need to buy some cereal and wait for it to embrace you.

Taurus:

Virgo:

Treat yourself to a long shower this week. We all know it’s been a while. In the meantime, invest in dry shampoo and baby wipes.

Send nudes this week. Consensually, of course. I know you’ve been thinking about it, and trust me, you’ve got the goods.

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