CREDITS Creators Murray Cammick Alistair Dougal Publisher Grant Hislop Editorial Manager Tyler Hislop - tyler@harkentertainment.com Designer Greta Gotlieb - greta@harkentertainment.com Sales Director Pauline Townsend - pauline@harkentertainment.com Distribution Jamie Hislop - jamie@harkentertainment.com Accounts Gail Hislop - accounts@harkentertainment.com Interns Pauline Reinhardt, Lea Probst, Olivia Gibbard Contributors Jamie Wynn, Marty Duda, Laura Weaser, Tim Gruar, Sarah Thomson, Gary Steel, Nick Collings, Alan Bell, Hadyn Green, Bob Lefsetz.
Rip It Up Magazine is published by Hark Entertainment Ltd Office 2a Waverly Street, Auckland CBD, New Zealand Postal PO Box 6032 Wellesley Street, Auckland 1141, New Zealand Phone (09) 366 4616 Website ripitup.co.nz
OU T N OW FACEBOOK.COM/IKTPQ EPITAH.COM
Printers Webstar | Blue Star Group Limited | Shit Hot Printers Rip It Up is subject to copyright in its entirety. The contents may not be reproduced in any form, either in whole or in part, without written permission of the publisher. All rights reserved in material accepted for publication, unless initially specified otherwise. All letters and other material forwarded to the magazine will be assumed intended for publication unless clearly labeled “NOT FOR PUBLICATION”. Opinions express in the magazine are not necessarily those of Hark Entertainment Limited. No responsibility is accepted for unsolicited material. ISSN 0114-0876
CONTENTS
22.
26.
12.
10.
44.
40. 8. What Goes On, 10. Pharrell Williams, 12. Billy Bragg, 14. So What…, On The Rip It Up Stereo, 16. The Oscars 2014 Wrap Up, 18. Making Tracks, 20. Who’s Next?, 22. Beck, 24, This Month In Clubland, 26. Style Like Mø, 28. Style Like Macklemore, 30. Gadgets, 32. Geeks, 34. Film Reviews, 36. Album Reviews, 38. Album Reviews, 40. Yumi Zouma, 42. Need For Speed, 44. WOMAD/Liam Gerrard, 46. Lefsetz Letter, 48. #Winning 49. Tweet Talk
RIPITUP.CO.NZ
|
5
CONVERSE.CO.NZ
WHAT GOES ON Basement Jaxx and Kayne West. Numan’s May tour will feature highlights from Splinter as well as a selection of material from his back catalogue. SEE HIM LIVE: GARY NUMAN FRI 23 MAY STUDIO, AUCKLAND
HOT ‘N’ COLD Katy Perry took to her 50.8 million followers on twitter in late February to announce she is heading to Australia in November. With no confirmation of New Zealand dates at the time, Dainty Group have said that New Zealand date(s) will be included and an Auckland show will be announced soon. The 11 time Grammy nominated artist was last here in 2011, playing sold out Auckland and Wellington arena shows on her California Dreams Tour.
LET’S DANCE Gary Numan is a truly unique artist and everybody knows it. And he is back in black and ready to darken New Zealand once again. Never one to let the past remain his legacy, Gary released his 20th album at the end of 2013. He has influenced everyone from Trent Reznor to Prince and The Prodigy to Afrika Bambaataa,
WITHOUT HIM Lana Del Rey’s new album Ultraviolence is being produced by The Black Keys’ Dan Auerbach. The singer took to Twitter to post a picture of her sitting on the lap of the rock frontman and Grammy Award winning producer. She teased fans by writing alongside the snap: “Me and Dan Auerbach are excited to present you Ultraviolence.” Dan has produced records for a number of artists including The Growlers, Hanni El Khatib and Dr John, and the picture hints that he has been working with Lana on the follow-up to ‘Born to Die’ in 2012, her second studio album. ‘Ultraviolence’ is rumoured to be released on 01 May, after the singer accidentally told a fan the release date, whilst signing an autograph.
GIRLS ON FILM Adam Driver has reportedly been cast as the villain in Star Wars: Episode VII. The Girls actor is close to signing on the dotted line to star as a Darth Vaderinspired character in J.J. Abrams’ upcoming intergalactic adventure, according to Variety. While Disney and Lucasfilm declined to comment, Driver’s Girls costar and director Lena Dunham appeared to support the rumour by posting on Twitter: “We’re VERY proud of Adam Driver re: Star Wars. He’s about to rip a hole in da force. Is that a thing? I guess I should see those movies? (sic) However, she quickly backtracked her comment about the top secret casting, writing: “I confirm nothing bc I know nothing bc I’m on a plane with my dad! I just like Adam more than almost anyone, and JJ Abrams a whole lot too. (sic)”
BURGUNDY OUT Co-writer and director of Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy and Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues, Adam McKay has confirmed they will not a third instalment in their highly successful film franchise. When asked if there was to be a third part Adam’s response was an unmistakable no: “It’s done. I think that’s it. That’s the last sequel we’re gonna do. I loved doing it, it’s fun, but there’s
nothing more fun to me than new characters and a new world. It was great to do it and to work with those guys again, and it was great to do Ron Burgundy again and take him into cable news and the modern news era, but I think that’s it for him. I feel satisfied. Now they’re releasing this alt version, we’re totally satisfied. No Anchorman 3.”
FREE THE MUSIC Telecom is joining forces with music service Spotify to offer Spotify Premium free and exclusively on selected mobile plans. All Telecom customers who use the $29 Ultra Mobile prepaid value pack, or who are signed up to the $59 monthly Ultra Mobile plan or higher, will receive a Spotify Premium subscription at no additional cost. Existing customers on these plans qualify automatically for the subscription. Spotify’s Managing Director for Australia and New Zealand, Kate Vale, said she was “excited to help deliver the world’s music to New Zealanders in a partnership that makes music discovery a whole lot easier and more accessible.” She said Telecom’s technology and reach provides music lovers with an unbeatable deal that’s sure to impress. TELECOM.CO.NZ/GETSPOTIFY
gEt FREE spotiFy pREmium WhEn you hook up to tElEcom ultRa mobilE sElEctED packs & plans FRom $29
only on tElEcom ultRa mobilE
#FREEthEmusic
20 million FREE tRacks at youR FingERtips. WhEnEvER. WhEREvER.
Data charges may apply. Telecom terms and conditions apply.
PHARRELL WILLIAMS
10
|
RIPITUP.CO.NZ
JACQUI SWIFT WITHOUT ANY DOUBT, the last year has belonged to Pharrell Williams. Responsible for three of the year’s international hits – ‘Get Lucky’ with Daft Punk; ‘Blurred Lines’ with Robin Thicke and ‘Happy’ - the worldwide chart topper Pharrell wrote for the film Despicable Me 2. Now he’s set to make 2014 his own with the release of his second solo album G I R L. And he’s clearly excited about it. Rip It Up are at his Sony Record label offices in London where the former N.E.R.D man is hosting his own playback of the album. His first public airing of “the most important record of my career”, he introduces each album track, dances and sings along to them - still wearing his grey famous oversized Vivienne Westwood Ranger hat. “It’s such an honour for me to be here to play this to year” he announces as the 60 strong room of record label execs and international journalists flown in just for this event, clap and cheer. G I R L is already being called this generation’s answer to Michael Jackson’s Thriller. It’s arrival announced just a week ago, Pharrell says: “We just decided to come in and bring it on. I know these opportunities aren’t afforded to many people so I know it’s a privilege what the people are giving me right now.” Pharrell’s renaissance began last year with his collaboration with French duo Daft Punk, who he’d met at a party thrown by Madonna. Turning down the opportunity to work on her 2012 MDNA album (Pharrell had written and produced a number of tracks on her 2008 album Hard Candy) but instead, jumped at the chance to work with Guy-Manuel de Homem-Christo and Thomas
Bangalter aka “The Robots” as he refers to them today. “Working with Daft Punk is a huge part of the journey to where I am today,” he says enthusiastically. “We got talking and I’m just curious about music full-stop and curious about Daft Punk. I said to them, ‘If you just want me to play a tambourine, I’ll do it,’ and that was it. Then I was in Paris and we got together and it just all seemed to work —with Nile too. “I was appreciative when I did it and I’m still appreciative of the chance I was given by The Robots. I just want to continue to scratch those itches as that’s how I work the best.” When ‘Blurred Lines’, the controversial track he guested on and co-wrote with Robin Thicke was released in March 2013, Pharrell was caught up in accusations of sexism and misogyny. He says: “I respected the controversy and I respected their views, though there are two lines in that song that should have set everything clear, ‘Man is not your maker’ and ‘You don’t need no papers.’ “That is to say that no man owns a woman. And we as individuals own ourselves. Every living, breathing man and woman on this planet, regardless of their sexual orientation came through those golden doors. We don’t have that power as a man.” G I R L is the antithesis of ‘Blurred Lines’, a ten-track album to celebrate all the women in his life who have helped get him to where he is today. “I think it’s important to highlight I want to make music which gives back to people who have done so much for me,” he says. “And that’s women.
“It’s a simple song about what makes us happy. It’s not preaching to anyone...” “I decided to rise to the occasion to make some music that felt good but there were still some medicinal qualities to it. Some holistic properties.” Opening track ‘Marilyn Monroe’ name checks the Hollywood icon as well as Joan of Arc and Cleopatra as girls he admires. It’s no surprise that G I R L features an all-star cast. Justin Timberlake duets with Pharrell on ‘Brand New’ while Alicia Keys joins him for the reggae-style track ‘I Know Who You Are’. “I wanted to make music with people who feel. It’s funny because the two duets were both Aquarius,” he laughs. “ They really feel things. All signs feel things but there is a certain thing in an Aquarian which is crazy, it’s interesting.” Then Miley Cyrus provides back-up on ‘Come Get It Bae’ and The Robots on Pharrell’s own favourite track, the love ballad ‘Gust Of Wind’, written for his wife model and designer Helen Lasichanh, mother of his five-year-old son Rocket Man Williams, named after Elton John’s famous song.
“That song nearly never happened,” he confesses. “I needed to write something that would work for Gru (the character voiced by Steve Carell) but I wasn’t getting anywhere. Call it writer’s block if you like, but nothing was happening. I just kept trying to figure out how to crack that case. Then finally afterwards, I realised the answer had been sleeping in the question all time. “It’s a simple song about what makes us happy. It’s not preaching to anyone it’s just offering should you be interested it’s right there in the song. I hope it lifts you.” And with the release of G I R L, Pharrell mania is set to continue with the singer planning a world tour to follow - if his “luck” continues. He says: “All this craziness now I’m just riding with it. When you see a number one, that’s not me. The perception is but is it really me. Who’s calling into those radio stations? Who’s purchasing those songs? Downloading those songs? Who’s uploading videos of covers? That ain’t me, but I’m enjoying it. I’m riding it for as long as it lasts. It’s a happy time.” PHARRELL WILLIAMS
“‘Gust Of Wind’ came to me in a dream,” he explains. “It’s the only time it has ever happened to me in my life. I woke up and sang them to my girl and said, ‘Babe this is about you. It’s about the divine force you have which could be compared to a gust of wind.’ I told her ‘Like a gust of wind you remind me there’s someone up there who ushers in the air I need to power myself.’”
NEW ALBUM: G I R L OUT NOW
WIN
Pharrell missed out on the Oscar to ‘Let It Go’ from Frozen (NB to subs Oscars happening after my deadline) for Best Song for ‘Happy’, the clappy anthem from Despicable Me 2.
RIPITUP.CO.NZ
|
11
MARTY DUDA
BILLY BR AGG AT AGE 56, Billy Bragg shows no signs of slowing down; although Britain’s recent storms certainly are trying. “Last week was a doozy. It really was. We live on a cliff overlooking the coast. There is a small, double fronted shed which serves as a coast watch lookout for our beach and the roof got blown off. It ended up in our front garden.” Despite the weather, Bragg has kept busy. Just recently he spoke at London’s South Bank Centre during the Being A Man Festival, taking part in a discussion on what it means to be a man today. “What people were talking about was the pressure on men always to appear to be in control of their emotions, of their environment,
of their body, of their relationships. And that pressure to be in charge was having a very negative affect on their relationships and also on themselves psychologically.” Bragg shared the stage with cross-dressing artist Grayson Perry. “He’s an amazing guy,” exclaims Bragg, “he’s also a transvestite…but he’s this alpha male transvestite. He gave a fabulous keynote speech at the beginning in which he ended by asking that men should grant themselves a bill of rights, the right to vulnerable, the right not always to be right, the right to be intuitive and the right not to be ashamed of any of this shit. They were all things that you think would help people to unburden themselves… not to keep it in, not to feel themselves to be a failure if they’re not seen to be. In some ways we’re sort of cornered by other men’s conceptions of what masculinity should be.” During the festival Bragg discovered that he had been dealing with these topics in his songs for some time. “I have a song called ‘Tank Park Salute’ which is about the death of my father; I’ve a song called ‘Handyman Blues’ about what a useless handyman I am… but I can build a roof over our heads with my poetry. I have a song called ‘Tender Comrade’ about soldiers bonding in battle. I have a song called ‘Valentine’s Day is Over’ which is a song about domestic abuse from a female perspective. So over the years, although I’ve never set out to write songs about masculinity of the politics of that, I have just by writing about songs in my own situation. I’ve actually put together a body of work that does fit and touch on a lot of these subjects.” ‘Handyman Blues’ is from Tooth & Nail, an album Billy recorded with producer Joe Henry and released last year. It’s an experience he’s still buzzing about. “He just stood in the middle of the room and encouraged me to sing and play. He didn’t put any pressure on me. And told me not to bring anything; no preconceptions, just bring songs. And it was just brilliant. It was the most relaxed I’ve ever been in studio. I didn’t feel like I had to be in charge of everybody. I just did what Joe said and it worked. And that to me is just brilliant. We did it in five days. It was a very creative environment. I
12
|
RIPITUP.CO.NZ
“I’ve a song called ‘Handyman Blues’ about what a useless handyman I am… but I can build a roof over our heads with my poetry.” think Tooth & Nail hangs together more than any of my other solo albums.” Bragg will be showcasing those songs when he performs in New Zealand in March. And this time around, he’s bringing his band. “It’s a completely different set and show from what I was doing before; which is why I wanted to bring it back to New Zealand. I got such a great reception in 2012. I’m not going to be able to keep the band going forever. The realities of cost, I’m going to have to cut ‘em loose at the end of the campaign. But I really wanted to come to New Zealand with the band and play the new record.” Of course the old Lefty is still keeping up with current events. “I’m trying to keep my eye on what’s happening in your neck of the woods. Obviously the situation in Australia with the Abbott government, they’re not hugely popular. People are starting to organise against them. And hopefully by the time I get to New Zealand I’ll get more up to speed on the political situation there as well.” When told about the recent banning of Odd Future from New Zealand, Bragg was both amused and concerned. “I’m glad to hear music can still be so mischievous. I just saw some horrific footage on the BBC website of members of Pussy Riot being whipped by Cossacks in Sochi. Unbelievable footage... literally being hit with riding crops. People say to me, ‘Why isn’t music political anymore?’ I say, ‘Duh, these people are going to prison for singing punk songs’.” SEE HIM LIVE: BILLY BRAGG SUN 23 MAR OPERA HOUSE, WELLINGTON TUE 25 MAR THE POWERSTATION, AUCKLAND
SO WHAT... YES, NO, MAYBE SO Marcus Mumford loves telling people his band have split up. The Mumford And Sons frontman is enjoying a well-earned break from music and claims people keep asking him if the band have broken up, which he doesn’t deny. He told radio station XFM: “It’s been quite nice just to have a few months to chill out. “Everyone keeps asking if we’ve broken up as a band, which I love… So I keep saying ‘yes’, and then we can have a big come back tour next year.” While Marcus and band mates Winston Marshall, Ben Lovett and Ted Dwane are only on a break, he admits there is one member of the group who has been involved in a band split in the past.
SHORT AND BLUNT James Blunt loves performing in China - because he feels “tall”. Blunt who is just 1.7m tall - claimed he “feels better” about himself when surrounded by his fans in the far East because they are usually smaller than him, which is very unusual. He said: “I’ve just finished playing China, great fun, for me I like playing there because in Europe I’m a very small person, but over there I’m tall and it makes me feel better about myself.”
LET THE BEST MAN WIN John Newman wants to take on Jake Bugg in a game of table tennis. The singer claims he only wants to compete with him when it comes to Ping-Pong. He told the Metro newspaper: “I’ve heard Jake’s really good at table tennis and I want to play him. I don’t want to smack him or fight him. I’d just quite like to play against him. I can hold my own. I could smash his a**e around the table!”
ATHEISTS Charlotte Church was left red-faced when only one fan turned up to star in her new music video. The 28-year-old put out an open call to her thousands of fans on Facebook and Twitter to join her in Cardiff, Wales, on the set of her ‘Little Movements’ video recently, however, she had to resort to asking nearby shoppers to assist her after only one person - a professional TV extra - showed up. The singer had to rope in reluctant shoppers and stallholders to join her in the video in Cardiff’s city centre, telling them to “dance like no one’s watching”. Charlotte had previously put a call out to her 70,000 Twitter followers to star in her music video. She wrote: “Yo! People of Caaaaaaardiff! I’m filming a music video this Saturday for my new single ‘Little Movements’. I want as many of you beauts in it as possible! (sic)”
ON THE RIP IT UP STEREO
DUM DUM GIRLS TOO TRUE (2014) BROKEN BELLS AFTER THE DISCO (2014) FLEET FOXES - HELPLESSNESS BLUES (2011) A$AP FERG - ‘SHABBA’ (2013) ST. VINCENT - ST. VINCENT (2014)
14
|
RIPITUP.CO.NZ
EDWARD SHARPE & THE MAGNETIC ZEROS - HOME (2009) EMINEM - THE MARSHALL MATHERS LP (2000) BUDDY HOLLY - BEST OF BUDDY HOLLY YUKSEK FT. OH LAND - ‘LAST OF OUR KINDS’ (2013) SILVERSIX - ‘LOVE WHAT YOU FEEL’ (2014)
SOLID ENTERTAINMENT PRESENTS
THURSDAY 10TH APRIL
AUCKLAND
TOWN HALL TICKETMASTER.CO.NZ 0800 111 999
JAKEBUGG.COM
WINNER - BEST NEW ACT Q AWARDS NOMINATED BEST ALBUM MERCURY PRIZE, BEST SOLO ARTIST NME & BRIT AWARDS SHANGRI LA OUT NOW
THE OSCARS 2014 WR AP UP BEST ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY American Hustle - Eric Warren Singer and David O. Russell Blue Jasmine - Woody Allen Dallas Buyers Club - Craig Borten & Melisa Wallack WINNER: Her - Spike Jonze Nebraska - Bob Nelson
BEST ANIMATED FEATURE FILM LUPITA NYONG’O, CATE Blanchett, Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto were among the winners at the Oscars 2014. Gravity cleaned the board with seven awards, while 12 Years a Slave won Best Picture at the ceremony at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, California. HERE is a list of some of the 86th Annual Academy Award winners.
BEST PICTURE American Hustle Captain Phillips Dallas Buyers Club Gravity Her Nebraska Philomena WINNER: 12 Years a Slave The Wolf of Wall Street
BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR Barkhad Abdi – Captain Phillips Bradley Cooper – American Hustle Michael Fassbender – 12 Years a Slave Jonah Hill – The Wolf of Wall Street WINNER: Jared Leto – Dallas Buyers Club
BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS Sally Hawkins – Blue Jasmine Jennifer Lawrence – American Hustle WINNER: Lupita Nyong’o – 12 Years a Slave Julia Roberts – August: Osage County June Squibb – Nebraska
BEST DIRECTOR BEST ACTOR Christian Bale – American Hustle Bruce Dern – Nebraska Leonardo DiCaprio – The Wolf of Wall Street Chiwetel Ejiofor – 12 Years a Slave WINNER: Matthew McConaughey – Dallas Buyers Club
BEST ACTRESS Amy Adams – American Hustle WINNER: Cate Blanchett – Blue Jasmine Sandra Bullock – Gravity Judi Dench – Philomena Meryl Streep – August: Osage County
16
|
RIPITUP.CO.NZ
David O. Russell – American Hustle WINNER: Alfonso Cuaron – Gravity Alexander Payne – Nebraska Steve McQueen – 12 Years a Slave Martin Scorsese – The Wolf of Wall Street
BEST ADAPTED SCREENPLAY Before Midnight - Richard Linklater, Julie Delpy, Ethan Hawke Captain Phillips - Billy Ray Philomena - Steve Coogan and Jeff Pope WINNER: 12 Years a Slave John Ridley The Wolf of Wall Street - Terence Winter
The Croods Despicable Me 2 Ernest & Celestine WINNER: Frozen The Wind Rises
BEST PRODUCTION DESIGN
WINNER: ‘Let It Go’ from Frozen - Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez ‘The Moon Song’ from Her Karen O and Spike Jonze ‘Ordinary Love’ from Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom - Paul Hewson, Dave Evans, Adam Clayton and Larry Mullen
BEST COSTUME American Hustle The Grandmaster WINNER: The Great Gatsby The Invisible Woman 12 Years a Slave
BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE
American Hustle Gravity WINNER: The Great Gatsby Her 12 Years a Slave
The Act of Killing Cutie and the Boxer Dirty Wars The Square WINNER: 20 Feet from Stardom
BEST SOUND MIXING
BEST FILM EDITING
Captain Phillips WINNER: Gravity The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Inside Llewyn Davis Lone Survivor
American Hustle Captain Phillips Dallas Buyers Club WINNER: Gravity 12 Years a Slave
BEST SOUND EDITING All Is Lost Captain Phillips WINNER: Gravity The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Lone Survivor
BEST ORIGINAL SCORE The Book Thief – John Williams WINNER: Gravity – Steven Price Her – William Butler and Owen Pallett Philomena – Alexandre Desplat Saving Mr. Banks – Thomas Newman
BEST ORIGINAL SONG ‘Alone Yet Not Alone’ from Alone Yet Not Alone - Bruce Broughton and Dennis Spiegel ‘Happy’ from Despicable Me 2 Pharrell Williams
BEST MAKEUP AND HAIRSTYLING WINNER: Dallas Buyers Club Jackass Presents: Bad Grandpa The Lone Ranger
BEST LIVE ACTION SHORT FILM Aquel No Era Yo (That Wasn’t Me) Avant Que De Tout Perdre (Just Before Losing Everything) WINNER: Helium Pitaako Mun Kaikki Hoitaa? (Do I Have to Take Care of Everything?) The Voorman Problem
BEST VISUAL EFFECTS WINNER: Gravity The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug Iron Man 3 The Lone Ranger Star Trek Into Darkness
M/M (PARIS) NIKI CARO AUGUSTIN TEBOUL DAITO MANABE ASHLEY GILBERTSON KAYT JONES GOLAN LEVIN TIFFANY BOZIC MATT WILLEY MIKE MIZRAHI PENTAGRAM NAT CHESHIRE IAN WHARTON FRAME STORE
Semi-Permanent provides a refreshing look at the current state of the art & design world both educational and inspiring, it’s not to be missed. Whether your interested in fashion, design, digital or photography, SP has it all. Tickets on sale now www.semipermanent.com
MAKING TRACKS FR I 21 MARCH
FR I 28 MARCH
WELLINGTON
AUCKLAND
SFBH
SAT 22 M ARCH
SAT 29 MARCH
NEW PLYMOUTH
MT MAUNGANUI
SUN 23 M ARCH
THURS 3 APRIL
LEIGH
MASTERTON
WED 26 MARCH
FRI 4 APRIL
KERIKERI
PAEKAKARIKI
4TH WALL THEATRE
SAWMILL
AKE AKE VINEYARD
MAKINGTRACKS FUNDING DECISIONS FOR FEBRUARY 2014 NZ On Air have announced the successful recipients for the February 2014 round. There were 158 eligible applications. Each of the 158 songs were listened to by the seven panelists. The process involves the panelists each picking their priority songs to recommend for funding. The panel then meets together to discuss the songs as a group before choosing the final list of projects to be given funding support. Decisions are based on the broadcast, music and audience merits of the songs that have been submitted. Congratulations to all those who have been picked for funding this round.
RECORDING & VIDEO Avalanche City – ‘I Need You’ Bunnies On Ponies – ‘Baked’ Devilskin – ‘Revolution’ Die! Die! Die! – ‘Out Of Mind’ French For Rabbits – ‘The Other Side’ Ginny Blackmore & Stan Walker – ‘Holding You’ Jeremy Redmore – ‘Bad Philosophy’ Lydia Cole – ‘One Day Soon’ Ria – ‘Knocking’ Sola Rosa – ‘Can We Get It Together’ ft. Noah Slee The Phoenix Foundation – ‘Bob Lennon’
18
|
RIPITUP.CO.NZ
VIDEO ONLY Ashei – ‘Bright Eyes’ Barker – ‘Haunted House’ Black River Drive – ‘Quicksand’ Grayson Gilmour – ‘Silence & Youth’ Ill Semantics – ‘You Got It’ Jayson Norris – ‘Save My Soul’ ft Tiki Taane & Cocoa Jackson Lane Lord Echo – ‘Molten Lava’ ft. Leila Adu Mulholland – ‘Cry If You Want To’ Smashproof – ‘Survivors’ ft. Pieter T Streets Of Laredo – ‘Hey Rose’ The Feelers – ‘One Man Army (Never Give Up)’ The Shifting Sands – ‘All The Stars’ Yumi Zouma – ‘A Long Walk Home For Parted Lovers’
THE FEBRUARY 2014 PANEL Brad King – The Rock FM Sean Norling – Radio One Phoebe Spiers – C4 Music Television Victoria Blood – NZ Music Commission Nick Vassar – CHART Rhian Sheehan – Composer & Producer Jeff Newton – NZ On Air
MARCH FUNDING ROUND The next Making Tracks funding round is the March round, which closes at 5pm on Sat 01 Mar. Applications can be made at nzonair.govt.nz.
TUNING FORK*
CONNECT ONLINE AT louisbaker.co.nz facebook.com/louisjbaker
MAJOR TOMS
KING ST
ST PETERS HALL
TICKETS AVAILABLE FROM dashtickets.co.nz * Tuning Fork Auckland ticketmaster.co.nz
PRIMEINK TATTOO * Free Consultations * Experienced and Professional * Completely Sterile and Safe * Very Competitive Prices
Primeink - Illicit & Custom Clothing * Custom Design Work Available In Stock
* We Work With You To Make Your Tattoo Personal
Open 10am to 9pm Tuesday till Sunday
www.primeink.co.nz
Ph: (09) 412 7576 Ph: 021 236 9684 3/330 Main Rd, Huapai, Auckland
REN KIRK
WHO’S NEXT?
ILLS WINTER How did you first get in to music? I used to make up tunes and sing along to the car engine whenever we went anywhere. I moved on to instruments, song-writing and singing. I was also lucky enough to marry a man who helped me realise the artistic freedom of electronic music. Was there anything that made you decide to start doing music seriously, or did it just sort of occur naturally? Music has always been a part of the way I think and a place of comfort for me, but I really started focusing on it when I was a teenager. It’s still weird having to think of it as a business, but it’s never been just a hobby. Where does your inspiration for this sexy folktronica come from? From some old memories and quite a feminine longing to say, “Fuck it, here I am: soft, strong and flawed.” What about on an emotional level? My music is edgy, dreamy and a little sad sometimes. I sing from this yearning place in my soul... I often sing about other people and I love connecting with people; it’s fascinating and inspiring. Tell me about the writing/ recording process for your recently released EP Icings Lust? The piano track ‘There Are No
20
|
RIPITUP.CO.NZ
Words’ was recorded when I’d just got home from the hospital. I was all drugged up and couldn’t sing or talk because I’d had surgery on my neck and was told I might never sing again (thyroid cancer). I shut my eyes and forgot about my worries for a while. The other songs I sat down with a pen and paper before recording them properly. How has being sick affected your music? I haven’t been able to perform for a year and I couldn’t talk or sing for a few months - that was pretty frustrating. But I just feel more determined than ever now. How did you get involved with Wellington’s The Performance Arcade? I was invited to play at The Performance Arcade last year with Porcelaintoy and this year as Ills Winter. I’ll be playing this weekend and they’ll be up online soon. It’s obviously been a real journey for you over the last year. What’s the biggest thing you’ve learnt musically? To let go of worrying what people might think of my lyrics. For a while I had started censoring myself because I was worried people might think that each song defined me. But each song is its own individual moment and it nothing can ever define you forever. ILLSWINTER.BANDCAMP.COM
ROSADUB How did you get started on the journey to becoming a full time musician? It was always a dream of mine but I never really knew how to go about doing it. Then a couple of years ago I heard about Tali and her Sheppard Artist Development idea and I just wanted to be part of it and get the show on the road! So now the show is on the road, how do you describe the music you’re making as RosaDub? I wanted RosaDub and the songs we wrote to convey something of substance, whether that message be big or small. The music I make is a mixture of dub, reggae, roots, hip hop and a whole lot of soul. Is the inspiration for this personal? Yes. It comes from my experiences, what life has taught me and what I’ve learnt on my journey so far. I also have pretty inspiring friends and family so I’m lucky. What’s your tech setup like? I’m very lucky because I have been recording out at Tali’s studio using protools on a PG42 Shure mic, which I love! I also have a rode mic at home for when
inspiration strikes me. Tell me about the writing process for your just-released Afternoon Shadows EP? Usually we will start with the beat and then try different melodies and lyrics. It’s probably one of my favourite parts of being a singer because you get to choose where the song is heading and what story it will tell. And now that the EP is out there, what’s next? I hope to start perfomring live to help promote my EP and I also have collabs in the works with up-and-coming NZ MC FreeMase, and NZ based Dubstep group TRUTH. And of course more writing and recording... I definitely feel it’s just the beginning for me and I’m excited for what’s to come! Any advice for others out there not sure how to go about things? Start doing what you love now, don’t wait, just go for it. Music is what I love and I’m so grateful to be making it. I’ve learnt so much technically and performance wise over the past 12 months and I can’t wait to see what’s around the next corner. ROSADUB.BANDCAMP.COM
SUREN UNKA What’s your earliest music memory? My parents would take me to church and I’d sit there fascinated by the drummers. This interest escalated until my parents were forced to let me take lessons. Drumming led to playing for my brother’s metal core band, No Greater Power, at age 14, and the bizarre experience of playing gigs at run-down punk flats. At 16 synthesisers were brought to my attention and a few months later I got a Korg Radias and started a synth-pop duo. That’s also when I started writing. Was there a natural progression for you in deciding to be a solo artist? Yeah, it meant I started taking music more seriously and using my name meant I had to stay true to my own taste in music. I’m doing that with tracks that are deep, yet melodic and danceable, making a sweet emotional dance party for my live sets. So you probably draw inspiration from your favourite artists, but are there any throwbacks to the kid playing punk gigs? My favourite artists in the world are Four Tet, Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs, Gold Panda and Simian Mobile Disco. They influence my music a lot, but most of the melodic elements are inspired by the hardcore bands I listened to when I was younger. What’s your tech set-up like? For my live set up I run Ableton in loop mode. I have 8 tracks sectioned up to kit, snare, bass,
midi out (arpeggios), lead synth, pad, sample and vocals. Each song is converted into audio files and then sectioned up into parts. I use APC20 (midi controller) to trigger all the loops and samples and for my effects I use an Evolution uc-33 (midi controller) midi mapped to some of the Ableton effects, e.g. filters/delays on each track, beat repeat on drums, bit crush and distortion on the bass. On top of that I have a Roland SPD-S drum pad sending midi info to a drum rack in Ableton, which is loaded with samples I can hit. Sounds complex, but also like you have plenty of options when it comes to writing and recording? I start with the drums, finding all the right samples, then get the groove and beat right. I then go on to chords or pads, which I jam in with the drumbeat. I also start making sounds on my Korg Radias, then start tracking pads; lead synth, bass and arpeggios. I’m always mixing as I go and once I feel I’ve got the structure I start replacing or layering some of the synths with vst synths, like mini moog, juno-60, Massive or Roland Sh-101. Once the song is finished I leave it for a couple of weeks and then start mixing again until I’m 100% happy. So it must be a real high five moment when you get a track finished, let alone a whole album? If I listen to the loops I’ve made and don’t stop smiling, it’s been a magical day. My aim with the album was to love every single track on it, which is why the
album’s took me two years to make!
infamous mythical creature.
What about the album artwork and name, what does El Chupacabra mean? I’m getting my brother Ahnand Unka to design the cover, he’s done most of my other artwork and I love it. El Chupacabra is an
And what’s next for you over the next 12 months? Release my album worldwide, tour Australia, play NZ summer festivals, collaborate with loads of artists and have fun.
TRICK MAMMOTH – ADRIAN NG
You released Floristry at the end of January, what was the creative process like for producing this record? Half of the album were songs I’d written gradually over time and the other half were songs I wrote a week before recording. The recording process was a great experience; we got to record with Tex Houston (thanks to Ian from Fishrider) and we learned so much. The fidelity of the recordings was also something we weren’t quite expecting, but have grown to enjoy and appreciate a lot.
How did you get in to music making? I was always attracted to music. When I was about 15 I started learning guitar. I was terrible at other people’s songs so I tried writing my own. I think I used to do it just for myself, now I’m not quite sure. Making a career out of music can’t be just about doing it for yourself though, so was this a conscious decision? It’s been a natural progression. Music as a career option doesn’t seem like a bad life, although I’m not sure if I could dedicate my entire life to just music... but to creating, perhaps. How did the members of Trick Mammoth come together? I’ve known Sal Valentine since primary school and Millie Lovelock (Astro Children), comes up to The Attic to do recording. We’ve sort of been taking it from there. Where does your unique blend of indie-pop come from? I’m not sure where the sound comes from. We’re inspired by everything around us - books, movies, life experiences.
How did you guys get chosen for Wiaiwya’s 7″ vinyl singles club, which is pretty damn awesome? Ian sorted it out for us and we’re extremely grateful.... I think Wiaiwya contacted him. ‘Doll’ and ‘Candy Darling’ were songs from a collection of recordings I did last year under Mavis Gary, and were sort of just picked from there as I didn’t quite time to write something else I was happy with. We had a limited time to record the songs before Millie left on exchange, but somehow we managed to get it all done. TRICKMAMMOTH.BANDCAMP.COM
RIPITUP.CO.NZ
|
21
BECK
22
|
RIPITUP.CO.NZ
JACQUI SWIFT THERE WAS A TIME when Beck thought he’d never make another record.
that he had a collected a number of songs for Morning Phase over the last few years.
It’s been six long years since Beck put out a full studio album, the Danger Mouse produced Modern Guilt back in 2008. There’d been 2012’s Song Reader, an album of 20 new songs as sheet music but a serious spinal injury had left his back in constant pain and needing surgery.
“Once I started, I had songs that were much more up-tempo, brighter and happier just like I did when I wrote Sea Change -but they had to fit in with the other songs as a whole. I guess in a way Morning Phase is a concept album in a loose sense.”
Even recording Modern Guilt was a battle. “It was really tough making that record,” he admits. “I made it on a toy guitar as I couldn’t sing properly, only from the neck so it wasn’t the greatest time for me. It was difficult and has been a massive physical journey getting to here.” But after major surgery, he’s returned with Morning Phase, the album of his career. A natural successor to Sea Change, his 2002 album that was inspired by the break-up of his nine-year relationship with stylist Leigh Limon, Morning Phase is another gorgeous collection of stripped down songs. We meet at LA’s world famous Capitol Records offices. Beck’s hippyish long hair, adorned on his album’s artwork, is cropped short making him look even more boyish and he’s looking sharp, wearing a black and white spotted shirt with a black suit jacket. “Hearing that Morning Phase is the sequel to Sea Change excites me,” he says. “I’ve got most of the same band on this record too. It shows that you can still listen to Sea Change. That it’s not aged and I’m at a point where I can hear things I have done and what stands the test of time and what can be improved. Having that perspective now means from here, I want to build something real.” Beck, 43, says making the album was a long drawn out process and
Inspired by the very early stage of the morning, Beck explains: “Everyone’s had those long nights you know, when you’re just waiting for the morning. “Whether you are going through an emotional thing or something physical or you are just trying to get through that night. And sometimes it’s a rough one and that’s what I felt the record represented. “The emotion and influence of the morning just kept coming out in the songs,” says Beck. “It always feels like you’re trying to find your way in the dark when you start a record. “I’ve always made records with emotion and feelings but they can be funny, aggressive, dark or ridiculous. This one just started to show itself through songs like ‘Country Down’ and ‘Wave’ and I just didn’t want to break that spell or momentum.” The stunning, hypnotic song ‘Wave’ is the central piece of Morning Phase and a song Beck made with his father, composer and strings arranger David Campbell. Not an easy album to make, re-recording again and again then finally letting go was what he really struggled with. “The songs with harmonies I had to keep re-writing and re-singing,” Beck says. “I was thinking about Simon and Garfunkel, Crosby, Stills and Nash and The Everly Brothers those harmonies that you don’t hear that often these days.
“It was difficult and has been a massive physical journey getting to here.” “I would spend all day just getting the vocals right as I didn’t want them to sound mediocre. That was a lesson in patience and diligence as it was a different way of singing for me. You can’t bluster your way through that kind of singing. It’s very pure and precise kind of singing which I find very difficult, as it’s so delicate. I needed time and patience to reach my potential.” In his time away from music, Beck kept himself busy by producing albums by Charlotte Gainsbourg, Sonic Youth’s Thurston Moore and Stephen Malkmus and The Jicks. But it wasn’t easy. “It was hard,” he confesses. “There was a period when I thought I wasn’t going to be able to perform or at least do music at the level I wanted to so I was thinking of ways that I could channel all my ideas into other things. “I wrote for a couple of films (including four songs for the 2010 film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World) and I was trying to find alternate things I could do. And I started collecting a lot of antique synthesisers because it was hard for me to pick up my guitars so I did a lot of music with keyboards.” But working as a producer was never a “second-best” thing for Beck. He says: “There are other people I wanted to work with too and I just had such a great time being a part of the albums I produced. It was very inspiring as when I was 21 I’d wished I was in Pavement or Sonic Youth so it came true in a sense. And it was a privilege to help them in a way and spend time with their music.
that is happening.” Even for his Record Club project that he founded in 2009, he and his friends would challenge themselves to reinterpret an entire album by another artist in one day with records covered including The Velvet Underground’s The Velvet Underground & Nico, Leonard Cohen’s Songs of Leonard Cohen and INXS’s Kick. It’s a project he’s hoping to continue with in the near future. “We haven’t done that in a while - it’s been about three years,” he says. “I intended to do it regularly but I couldn’t get any other bands to do it and it kept falling through. A lot of people turned me down because you are surrendering an amount of control. But it was fun and I’ve still got a list of records to try out.” Now with his finest album in years about to be released, Beck says he’s ready to make more music. “I’m already working on another record that’s hopefully going to come out next year,” he says. “I’ve started making it and I was going to work with some people but they were busy all year. It’s a different mood to Morning Phase. It’s more “up” and so I could only really finish it when this one was done. I needed to finish this mood before I could be ready for the next.” NEW ALBUM: MORNING PHASE OUT NOW
WIN
“It’s about having a confidence with the artist you are working with and appreciating everything
RIPITUP.CO.NZ
|
23
RIPITUP.CO.NZ/CLUBLAND
THIS MONTH IN CLUBL AND SEBASTIAN BRANDT BEATPORT.COM FEBRUARY 2014 CHART
7. Sonic Species – ‘Strictly Virtual’ (Symbolic Remix)
1. Sebastian Brandt – ‘Overture’
8. Greg Downey – ‘Vivid Intent’ (Will Atkinson Dreamy Mix)
2. Critical Choice – ‘Roulette’ 9. Jewel Kid – ‘Raging Bull’ 3. John Askew – ‘Shine’ 4. Indecent Noise & Lostly – ‘Lost In Noise’ (Sebastian Brandt Remix)
10. Major7, Vertical Mode, Capital Monkey – ‘Pure Progressive’ SEE HIM DJ: OXYGEN FT SEBASTIAN
5. Kopel & Ruback – ‘Bad Boyz’
BRANDT (SE) & ARCTIC MOON (PL) SAT 29 MAR STUDIO, AUCKLAND
6. Quivver – ‘All That Will Be’
SCRATCHING THE SURFACE: SWICK PRODUCER/DJ Not many can break through the blubber and get some shine in the world of club music. By the age of 17 Swick had done just that with an arsenal of releases on Mad Decent, Enchufada, Main Course, Top Billin and No Brainer including a collab with Diplo. Clubland scratches the surface of Swick. Who is your DJ / Producer hero? Hmm my favourite producer is probably Switch and my favourite DJ would be Brodinski. What projects are you currently working on? Douster and I are working on a crazy EP inspired by computer viruses, early internet and hackers. I also just finished a track with Bot which should be out soon. Some new stuff with my buddy Lewis Cancut and some production work for others that
24
|
RIPITUP.CO.NZ
I’m really excited about. 2013 was the year of “Deep House.” 2014 will be the year of… Haha, I don’t know if it was the year of Deep House and I don’t know what’s coming next. I don’t think anyone does… maybe someone is making the next big thing at home right now. What are your thoughts on the current commercialism of “EDM” in the world right now? I think its great because it gets people into dance music in general and people who are interested enough will search the Internet for all different types of dance music. What’s the musical equivalent of the GSpot? Sophie ‘Bipp’. SEE HIM DJ: SWICK AT THE BLOCK PARTY SAT 08 MAR SIX ZONES, HAMILTON
JUBEI Jubei has been unintentionally devouring his way to the top of the drum and bass food chain one breakbeat at a time. Growing up on a healthy dose of techno at high school, until a backroom DJ set from Roni Size in Bristol triggered a musical epiphany. His first big outlet was on MC GQ’s Emcee Recordings in 2006 with Breakage for the double A side ‘Harvester/Still There’. A change in scenery lead to his next few releases with producer Phobia, before his journey saw him being signed exclusively to Metalheadz, Goldie’s record label. Jubei has managed to transcend
the musical divide constructing traditional drum and bass and keeping his fan base with his 140 BPM offerings. His list of collaborations include dBridge, Alix Perez, SP MC, Fierce, S.P.Y., Ulterior Motive and NZ’s own Cern. ESSENTIAL LISTENING NOTHING VENTURED NOTHING GAINED EP (2010) ‘SAY NOTHIN’ FT. FLOWDAN (2012) TO HAVE & HAVE NOT (2013) SEE HIM DJ: JUBEI (UK) FRI 07 MAR CLUB PARADOX, NELSON SAT 08 MAR THE MECHANICS, AUCKLAND
NICK COLLINGS
TURNING THE TABLES WITH… COKI
production techniques from trial and error.
1. His real name is Dean Harris. 2. He grew up in Croydon, London. 3. He is one part of the bass music production duo Digital Mystikz (Alongside friend Mala). 4. The Digital Mystikz track ‘Anti War Dub’ appeared in the 2006 film Children of Men. 5. In 2004 BBC Radio Presenter John Peel listed Digital Mystikz at number 29 in his annual Festive 50. 6. He co runs the record label DMZ with Loefah and Mala. 7. Benga & Coki – ‘Night’ (2008) was the first Dubstep single to break into the UK Top 40 pop charts. 8. He has had no formal musical training. He learnt all his
9. His track ‘Spongebob’ appeared on the now legendary 2007 Fabriclive 37 CD mixed by Caspa and Rusko. 10. He only quit his day job in 2012 to pursue music and touring full time. SEE HIM DJ: COKI (UK) SAT 08 MAR STUDIO, AUCKLAND
WAVE RACER Tom Purcell, aka Wave Racer, is the latest in a string of Australian wonder kids taking the electronic world by storm. At 21 years old he is signed to the super trendy Future Classic label, also home to Flume, Chet Faker and Flight Facilities. Musically it began for Wave Racer listening to the likes of Muse, Rage Against The Machine, Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Mars Volta and playing guitar at high school before discovering dance
music at age 17. An avid lover of videogames (Wave Race was a popular 90’s Nintendo game) Tom sights Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time as his all time favourite. ESSENTIAL LISTENING PANAMA - ‘ALWAYS’ (WAVE RACER REMIX) (2013) ‘ROCK U TONITE’ (2013) ‘STREAMERS’ (2014) SEE HIM DJ: WAVE RACER (AU) SAT 08 MAR THE IMPERIAL COMPLEX, AUCKLAND
RIPITUP.CO.NZ
|
25
ST YLE LIKE MØ
Mohawk Shell Jacket Pineapple, $149.50, stolengirlfriendsclub.com . MØ – No Mythologies To Follow, Out Mon 10 Mar, RRP $20.00, roughtrade.com Hubba Bubba Bubble Gum Groovy Grape Tape, RRP $2.25, countdown.co.nz . Plait Ponytail Hairpiece, RRP $41.00, amazon.com Lips In Ohh La La – Colour: Coral Blush, RRP $16.00, topshop.com . Shiny Cross-Back Bra, RRP $29.00, store.americanapparel.net Rebel Beanie, RRP $26.00, obeyclothing.com . Dr Martens Bessie Ankle, RRP$309.00, 0800 80 1460 facebook.com/drmartensausnz
26
|
RIPITUP.CO.NZ
Fabulous vintage from deco to disco
Luvly Jubbly Aucklands best kept secret
INSIDE REAL GROOVY 438 Queen Street, Auckland peachykeenvintage.com
luvlyjubbly.co.nz
ST YLE LIKE MACKLEMORE
Big Flags Cream Short Sleeve Shirt, RRP $109.00, iloveugly.net . The Oyster Perpetual - GMT Master II Watch, rolex.com Macklemore - The Heist Deluxe Edition, RRP $19.00, macklemoremerch.myshopify.com . Jewellery, asos.com or at the next thrift shop Christopher - Cotton Plaid Men’s Pre-Tied Bow Tie, RRP $36.75, etsy.com . Cecil Pant Burgundy Corduroy, RRP $105.00, oato.co.nz Converse Privet, RRP $100.00, patmenzieshoes.co.nz . Prada Sunglasses PR54OS, RRP $195.00, getglasses.co.nz . Jewellery, asos.com/thrift shop
28
|
RIPITUP.CO.NZ
GADGETS
Wacom Inkling, RRP $169.00, mightyape.co.nz . Monopoly Electronic Banking, RRP $79.99, toyworld.co.nz Thrustmaster T80 Racing Wheel, RRP $199.00, ebgames.co.nz . Avengers Ultimate Electronic Hulk Figure, RRP $39.99, thewarehouse.co.nz Electronic Hand Held Yahtzee, RRP $23.99, thewarehouse.co.nz . Octomask - Go Pro Mount, RRP $139.95, thecollectorsco.com PS4 FIFA 14, RRP $118.00, harveynorman.co.nz . The Sims 4, Pre Order - Available 01/04/14 RRP $99.90, thewarehouse.co.nz
30
|
RIPITUP.CO.NZ
GEEKS
PREVIEW: WOLFENSTEIN: THE NEW ORDER COMING TO PC, PS4, XBOX ONE If you’ve never heard of the Wolfenstein franchise, there’s no shame in that; while Wolfenstein 3D is largely heralded as popularizing the first person shooter genre, and therefore a very important game, 1992 was a long time ago; some readers of Rip It Up weren’t even alive when it released. Fortunately, no prior knowledge of the series is necessary, and there’s no narrative crossover with earlier games, so if you’re interested in checking it out, don’t let the storied history hold you back. I recently got to play a large section (a good couple of hours or so) from the very beginning of the game, during which key elements of the plot were revealed. Given that it’s only playable in single player (there’s no form of multiplayer whatsoever), the narrative is a very important part of the experience, so I won’t spoil it too much here, outside of a very basic high-level outline what you’d see on the game’s box, perhaps, or on online store listings. Basically, World War II happens, except things didn’t play out exactly as they did in the real world. The Nazis have some
32
|
RIPITUP.CO.NZ
formidable new weaponry for some reason and - after a turning point battle, which the allies lose the war is also lost. While you do play a part in World War II, your character effectively wakes from a coma-like event in 1960, to find that the Nazis not only won the war, they also rule the world. Gameplay in Wolfenstein is a surprisingly complex and varied beast, combining the expected hardcore run-and-gun first-person shoot fest with elements of stealth and, while the game is linear in structure, plenty of within-level exploration. If it all sounds pretty serious, don’t worry - there’s plenty of the series-signature humor and over-the-top elements. Take for example the fact you seem to be able to dual-wield just about every gun in the game. While this has the expected effect on the assault rifle (double the firepower, no iron-sights aiming), it actually spices up other guns in pretty interesting ways. Take the pistols, for example; the right one is silenced, while the left one is not giving you some strategic options while charging into a horde of enemies. Look out for it on 360, PS3, PS4, Xbox One, and PC on May 22nd (pre-ordering nets you access to the Doom beta, too.) ALAN BELL
REVIEW: THIEF PS4, XBOX ONE, PC Thief’s world is claustrophobic. The buildings loom in on you. It’s not a free running open world, full of shadows to hide in. The walls of the ramshackle buildings lean in and offer very few walls to climb. The world of Thief is not a place where challenges happen, it’s a challenge itself. You will know guards can see you when they start yelling that they’ve seen you and the alarm is raised. Even when you’re completely hidden, guards will often pass by while looking right at you, as if to say “we know where you are, we’re just not allowed to let on yet.” Don’t bother fighting, run or restart this isn’t a game where combat is encouraged. The opening sequence is all sneaking through the shadows, stealing valuables, avoiding guards, and running across rooftops like a first person version of Assassin’s Creed. Then in the space of a cutscene, suddenly you are trapped in a world of dead ends and closed windows. The main game follows master thief Garrett, a year after he disappeared while on a job. He returns to his now diseaseravaged city in a corpse wagon
with no memory of what’s happened to him since that night. His protege Erin disappeared at the same time, and Garrett’s connection to her serves as the reason he keeps pushing forward in his quest, rather than leaving the city and its weird plague called “The Gloom”. Each mission or “job” can be attempted in a number of ways. You can choose to be stealthy and make no contact with guards, or you can knock out everyone you see. At the end of the level you’re graded on a scale from “Predator” to “Ghost”. You have to keep checking your environment, even what you’re walking on, to make sure you don’t alert enemies. Sound in the game is also important, rather than an atmospheric element - I realised that I’d need to keep an ear out for guard dogs after gliding into a shadow right next to one, for example. When Thief first came out it was a revelation. You could play a game and not kill people; in fact, you get points for not killing people. It’s no longer unique in that regard, but fans of the franchise will no doubt be interested to see what happened to it. HADYN GREEN
GEEKS
DEAN HALL PLANNING TO LEAVE DAYZ DEVELOPER, SET UP STUDIO IN NZ Dean Hall revealed that he plans to leave DayZ developer Bohemia Interactive and return to New Zealand, where he will start his own studio. “I have a specific use,” Hall explained. “I’m really good at risk-taking and making other people take risks, I’ve always been good at that in my life. That’s what I did with DayZ; I’ve done it twice now [DayZ mod and DayZ the game].” Hall had originally intended to stay in Europe for a period of just months, prior to DayZ taking off - he’s now been based in Prague for more than two years. Dean plans to return to New Zealand and start his own studio, where he will focus on creating the perfect multiplayer game. “I feel like DayZ is a fundamentally flawed concept,” he suggested, “and I’ve always recognised that. It’s not the perfect game; it’s not the multiplayer experience, and it never can be, [with] the absolute spark that I want in it.” According to Eurogamer, Hall plans to step down as the leader of DayZ by the end of the year. Setting up the studio in New Zealand, however, could take years - a process that is understood to be already underway.
XBOX ONE MEDIA REMOTE ANNOUNCED Microsoft have officially announced the pending release of the Xbox One Media Remote. The remote will allow Xbox One owners to “control their TV and entertainment at the touch of a button via a familiar remote” - something that’s likely to be of particular interest to Xbox One owners in New Zealand, where the console’s Kinect-driven ability to control televisionrelated functionality (or anything else) via voice commands is not available. “Releasing across Xbox One markets worldwide in early March,” Microsoft explained, “the Xbox One Media Remote lets you control video playback for Blu-ray movies and streaming video on Xbox One. Additionally, there are dedicated Back and OneGuide buttons. The OneGuide button provides one-touch, quick access to your favourite TV shows and movies through the Xbox programme guide. This simple, yet powerful remote is designed to help you listen, watch and switch among experiences instantly.” The Xbox One Media Remote will retail in New Zealand for $34.95.
LAURA WEASER LAURASSCREENING.COM
FILM REVIEWS DIRECTED BY MARK WATERS STARRING ZOEY DEUTCH, LUCY FRY, DANILA KOZLOVSKY
VAMPIRE ACADEMY Twihards get their fix once again with the return of young, attractive vampires in an adaptation of Richelle Mead’s six-part series. Starring a whole host of B-grade stars, including Zoey Deutch from another vapid, paranormal-themed flick Beautiful Creatures, it’ll appeal to the high school student in us all who just wanted to get
with the hot jock. Directed by Mean Girls’ director Mark Waters (one of the great, most quotable high school comedies of all time), who tries to replicate the winning formula with snappy one liners and your typical “Queen B” high school dynamic. Except with vampires. There’s your token underwear scene, lots of awkward flirting and
girl power friendship for all. Half-human/vampire Rose Hathaway (Deutch) and her BFF vampire Lissa escape from the “Vampire Academy” only to be dragged back into a world of blood and backstabbing. They soon realise there is something more than drama queens to be scared of, as the threat of undead vampires grows. Bond girl Olga Kurylenko supports as the seductive headmistress and accomplished actor Gabriel Byrne pops up as Victor Dashkov, but they’re mere shadows to the leading cast of youngsters who are fighting their way through high school - defending themselves from bullies and bad guys who want to bring down the academy. It’s not particularly gripping stuff, and unlike Twilight where you could laugh at the ridiculousness, this one tries too hard to be funny, ultimately failing to pull off a few laughs. It will no doubt appeal to the teen target market, although there’s no Robert Pattinson in the making here (they are all a bit unhot) and the leading ladies are a bit drab. On the plus side, at least there’s no K-Stew pout face.
DIRECTED BY JAUME COLLET-SERRA STARRING LIAM NEESON, JULIANNE MOORE, SCOOT MCNAIRY
DIRECTED BY SPIKE JONZE STARRING JOAQUIN PHOENIX, AMY ADAMS, SCARLETT JOHANSSON
34
|
NON-STOP
HER
Taken on a plane? You have to give Liam Neeson credit - as a man who built his career on dramatic roles, such as Schindler’s List, Rob Roy and Michael Collins during his youth, now he’s taking on the big action-packed roles in his sixties. But while the punches are non-stop and there’s dramatic music aplenty, Non-Stop is as silly as you would expect and fails where other “crisis in the air” films have succeeded. As a lead character embodying as many clichés as the screenwriters could fit in, Neeson’s US Air Marshall Marks is a man on the edge. He’s lost his daughter, his wife’s divorced him and he has since turned to the demon drink. Oh, and he has a fear of aeroplane take offs. On a long haul flight from New York to London, things go awry when he receives a text informing him that one passenger will be killed every 20 minutes unless the anonymous terrorist is given $150 million. Cue eye rolling as you read over the synopsis. It’s ridiculous, and like many other explosive actions films littered with inaccuracies and common sense errors. But isn’t that why we love them? The claustrophobic fear of being stuck on a plane with no escape and an unidentified individual trying to kill you plays on all our worst fears, only to be relieved when our hero steps in. Julianne Moore takes a career nose dive, swapping award-winning roles for Neeson’s female counterpart, but not even she could save this from an inevitable crash landing.
After Joaquin Phoenix’s mockumentary-performance art spectacle I’m Still Here, it’s been hard to watch his later acting jobs without a bitter taste in your mouth. But as the introverted, socially awkward Theodore in Her, Phoenix has redeemed himself with a bittersweet performance that appeals to the human in us all. Set in the future, the sci-fi drama centres on Theodore, a man going through a painful divorce who has cut himself off romantically and socially from friends and lovers. To help him get his life back on track, her purchases an operating system, named Samantha (voiced by Scarlett Johansson), and the two bond. As her understanding of the world grows, so does their relationship - and Theodore’s appreciation for reality. Master of quirky, Spike Jonze, takes a world based in sci-fi limits to explore a very human issue. Although Samantha is merely a voice in a computer, you eventually forget her lack of physical presence and she becomes as real as any one of Theordore’s dates. In a digital age, where communication via social media and text messaging have taken over from letters and telephone calls, the film throws into light issues that are very close to home about the importance of human interaction. Although just the voice, and a very sexy one at that, Johansson gives a stand-out performance, conveying every kind of thought and feeling a girlfriend would have, while Oscar nominee Amy Adams is a delightful support as Theodore’s artist friend. Poignant and touching.
RIPITUP.CO.NZ
NFS_RIU_HalfPage.indd 1
summer music festival THE EDGE presents
Aotea Square Fridays 21 Feb – 28 March FREE
21 February 12 – 2pm, 5 – 7pm Malcolm Lakatani 28 February 12 – 2pm, 5 – 7pm Anna Coddington 7 March 12 – 2pm, 5 – 7pm Latinaotearoa feat. Bobby Brazuka 14 March 12 – 2pm DJ Randomplay 5 – 7pm Sal Valentine & The Babyshakes
21 March 12 – 2pm, 5 – 7pm Lisa Crawley 28 March 12 – 2pm, 5 – 7pm Fou Nature For more info go to www.the-edge.co.nz
11/02/14 4:03 pm
ALBUM REVIEWS CLAP CLAP RIOT ***** NOBODY/EVERYBODY UNIVERSAL
As if their first one wasn’t good enough, they’re back to give us some more, braced into their sonic space by producer Kody Nielson. So, all the snotty abandon and couldn’t-give-a-shit chords and melodies that seem effortlessly in place are still there - improved, even - with bells on. And in a dirty, raw kind of fashion, it sounds good, because you can really hear the physicality of the bass. That might sound like a small thing, but it’s not: too often, the bass gets lost between
SNOWBIRD MOON
36
|
*** *
BREAKS CO-OP ** SOUNDS FAMILIAR
**
DUM DUM GIRLS *** TOO TRUE
*
the jangle on punky pop records. These songs are frequently smart and funny, and CCR (no, they sound nothing like Creedence Clearwater Revival!) have clearly studied their antecedents well. Even at 12 songs, Nobody/ Everybody is really short, because the songs don’t have an ounce of fat on them, and never outstay their welcome. While it’s almost extended EP length because of that, you still feel satiated and adrenalised and just done by the last clanging note. GARY STEEL
***** BECK MORNING PHASE
BELLA UNION
WARNER MUSIC
SUB POP
CAPITOL
Animals galore! Woodland ghosts! Wait, where are you going? The union of ethereal vocalist Stephanie Dosen and ex-Cocteau Twin (and Bella Union label-head) Simon Raymonde isn’t really as twee as it initially appears… Okay, it is. But it’s not unpleasant either. Moon is a graceful, atmospheric offering of misty vocals and lush instrumentation that also deftly (read: subtly), employs guest spots from the similarly genteel among Bella Union’s roster: members of Midlake; Lanterns on the Lake; Philip Selway and Radiohead colleague Ed O’Brien. There’s little to hold on to one track lithely chimes into the next, but one feels this may indeed be the point. Included is an eddying dub-laced remix of its entirety courtesy of Michigan producer RxGibbs. In Moon’s narrative world, if you go down to the woods today you’re not really sure of any big surprises. But you might just have a lovely time.
After a long silence, it sounds like Breaks Co-op are trying very hard to resurrect the comforting sound of their 2004 hit, ‘The Otherside’. If that song was a warm, loving embrace, Sounds Familiar is like a sweat-soaked man-hug. Trouble is, the group’s Kiwi connection, Zane Lowe, is just too busy to have anything to do with them anymore, leaving Andy Lovegrove and Hamish Clark to pick up the pieces. Lovegrove’s distinctive mentholated croon grows tiresome when there’s little else to distract the listener, and the backings - still reliant on that blue-eyed soul staple of acoustic guitars against synthetic keyboard washes - are formulaic, and one-dimensional. It’s like they’ve been home-recorded with no engineering expertise to turn the sound picture into something seething with texture and life. The only sign of hope is the last track, ‘The Riot Song’, which purposely (or otherwise) picks up on the jollysounding political consciousness of The Specials.
Around 2010, Dee Dee Penny made bedroom pop with a sensibility seemingly born from a ‘70s NYC Blank Generation primer. Her gravitation toward the producer responsible for Richard Hell’s 1977 album of the same name then seemed obvious. Too True is now Penny’s third LP with Richard Gottehrer, but the late ‘70s New York scene in her sound has given way to strains of decidedly British ‘80s goth-pop. Cleaner production on Too True does threaten the classic pop simplicity of some of Penny’s songwriting but is mostly diffused by the strutache timbre of her now unveiled vocals. Dubious literary allusions are present (‘Rimbaud Eyes’, anyone?), but then, they’ve always littered the realms of Penny’s idols and Gottehrer’s magic. Anyway, Arthur Rambo can take a hike when Penny’s voice instructs: “Why be good? / Be beautiful and sad / It’s all you’ve ever had.”
Cue a shrivel of music writers worldwide bending, breaking or just plain relenting in their attempts to describe Morning Phase as anything other than Beck’s rightly lauded 2002 album Sea Change, Part Deux. After all, the album possesses: the same musicians, including Beck’s father on affecting string arrangements; the same simple honesty from a usually winking, sardonic frontman; the same old Laurel Canyon sun striking vectors through each track. But there’s something missing in this Phase, something not as immediate. Whether it’s the absence of Nigel Godrich (who made even the simplest of Sea Change appear as if caught upon haunted tape) or the odd feeling of rehash from an artist so known for his innovation, Morning Phase is a confuser. A pleasant listen, sure, but also a slightly disappointing one for fans of an artist so wonderfully adept at reinvention.
SARAH THOMSON
GARY STEEL
SARAH THOMSON
SARAH THOMSON
RIPITUP.CO.NZ
SOUTHBOUND RECORDS VINYL MUSIC STORE
RECORDS
southbound.co.nz/shop
69 Mt Eden Rd . M t Eden . Auckl a nd southbound.co.nz /s hop - Open 7 Da ys Largest Selection Of New V i ny l I n NZ - P hone 0 9 3 0 2 0769 Lar g e S electio ns O f :
OPEN MIDDAY DAILY & 7PM SATURDAYS FOOD MENU AVAILABLE OPEN TO CLOSE WITH DAILY SPECIALS
Tuesday 4th
PUB QUIZ WITH MR MARK FROM 6PM FOLLOWED BY SHADOWS COMEDY WITH DAI HENWOOD & GUESTS FREE TO ALL, PRIZES TO BE WON, FOOD COMBOS TO BUY!
Thursday 6th
Wednesday
5th
KARAOKE AT 6PM WITH BIG B! SING, DANCE, WIN!!
WIN WITH A SONG! SMALL PRIZES, SPOT PRIZES, BIG PRIZES!
Friday7th
FROM 6PM CK1 AND LIVE ON STAGE TIKI & DICK JOHNSON
FROM 6PM RAMZ V LIVE ON STAGE DAVID DALLAS & THE DAYLIGHT ROBBERY
Saturday 8th
Monday 10th
FROM 7PM WITH CK1 BRINGING YOU THE MOTHER OF ALL PARTIES! FREE TO ALL, SPECIALS, PRIZES AND GIVEAWAYS
HALF PRICE POOL FROM 4PM – 6PM 2HRS OF $1 POOL GAMES!! SHADOWS SINGLES POOL COMP AT 6PM HOSPITALITY VOUCHERS TO BE WON!
R18 ID CRITERIA: NZ PHOTO DRIVERS LICENCE, PASSPORT OR HANZ 18+ CARD ONLY.
LEVEL 3, 34 PRINCES ST. AKLD CBD YOURSTUDENTBARIS@SHADOWS.CO.NZ, DDI +64 9 366 0544, BAR +64 9 366 1246
ALBUM REVIEWS LO-FANG BLUE FILM
WIN
****
4AD
Perhaps the one notable thing about Lo-Fang (aka Matthew Hemerlein), to Kiwis is that he was chosen to support Lorde on her current tour of America. That’s apt, because Blue Film, Lo-Fang’s debut, has a lot in common with our Queen of pop: he writes smart, literate lyrics and songs with naggingly singalong-able choruses and a very post-modern electronic sound. As with Ella Yelich-O’Connor, there’s a sense that Hemerlein has grown up well-educated and in a fairly well-off environment,
ST. VINCENT ST. VINCENT
38
|
*** *
*** TEMPLES SUN STRUCTURES
*
††† †††
*****
and it’s refreshing that he’s not claiming “street” authenticity, but instead delving within, exploring interiors. Like James Blake, Hemerlein uses a bedrock of electronics to add sonic depthcharges to his otherwise gorgeous and frequently pretty textures. He’s a multi-instrumentalist who trained as a violinist, so there are plenty of sighing strings to contrast with the programmed rhythms and those commercially minded choruses. But most of all, it’s that melancholic voice and the space he leaves in the sound that give it that extra dramatic kick. GARY STEEL
JAMES VINCENT*** MCMORROW POST TROPICAL
EMI
HEAVENLY
SUMERIAN/WARNER
Annie Clark/St. Vincent’s second album Actor (2009) is still her peak moment: a record that announced a talent that seemed determined to weave its own web, create its own universe. On that album, you could still hear the singer-songwriter at play, but subsequently, it’s as though her genius only comes freezedried. There’s plenty of creativity occurring on St. Vincent, and it’s worth struggling with, but every idea has had the juice so thoroughly squeezed out of it that there’s little left to grab hold of. She’s a skilled guitarist, but the sound is so mutant - as is that of her band - that there’s literally no shadows, no ambience, to these songs. It ends up like the audio equivalent of a film with too much CGI. Those that hoped 2012’s collaboration with David Byrne might have given her a shot of analogue will be disappointed, and it doesn’t help that she seems infatuated by an insinceresounding Broadway vocal cadence.
Another “greatest band in Britain” contender, courtesy of the enthusiastic recommendation of both Noel Gallagher and Johnny Marr, Temples’ debut shows that they’re nothing more than a cracking good bunch of psychedelic fan-boys. There’s really nothing new on Sun Structures, but James Bagshaw has clearly studied garage psychedelia with great determination, and his hired hands manage to conjure up the lysergically-influenced ghosts of groups like The Electric Prunes and The 13th Floor Elevators, while adding a thumping great bass and drum sound that recordings from that era couldn’t hope to faithfully reproduce. What’s great about this is that it’s pop music, bubblegum psychedelia that’s hook-laden and day-glow candy-coloured. Occasionally, the songs give way to droning moments and hypnotic grooves, but mostly, these are adept studies in style, and as such, they work wonderfully.
In 1997, for certain music fans, the disbanding or prolonged silence of reigning alt-metal gods Faith No More and Nine Inch Nails left a void that the encroaching brats of nu-metal and pop-punk seemed destined to fill. Until Deftones’ stellar ’97 release, Around The Fur, that is. Once the leader of arguably the heavier of those three acts, ex-Deftone Chino Moreno now helms †††, or Crosses, a softer project that grazes both Reznor’s electronic experimentation and Patton’s sinister lust. The album gathers three years and as many EPs worth of tracks from Moreno, fellow Sacramentan Shaun Lopez (Far’s guitarist), and producer Chuck Doom. It’s worth noting that this isn’t a ‘yay, nineties!’ release either, as Moreno’s professed love for Fever Ray and M83 peeks through †††’s morning-after fallout at intervals. It’s a little awkward in places. It’s also very worthy of your curiosity.
UNIVERSAL
GARY STEEL
GARY STEEL
SARAH THOMSON
SARAH THOMSON
RIPITUP.CO.NZ
*
McMorrow has a stunning falsetto it’s what he chooses to with it that matters. On his first album he chose simple guitar driven folk. That choice propelled him to top charts in his Irish homeland and encouraged critics to froth lyrical regarding a possible Euro-heir to Bon Iver. On his second record, McMorrow chooses to explore his own production talents. This curiosity pushes the content of Post Tropical in two directions. The first being goosepimpleinducing songs of minimal electronic experimentation that could share billing with that other angel-voiced Euro-James (Blake). The second? The bland theatricality, and faux-anthemic catharses employed by Euro-folk bulldozers, Mumford etal. Post Tropical feels trapped between the promise of either direction, so perhaps a correction begs to be made: McMorrow has a stunning falsetto - it’s what he chooses to do with it *next* that matters.
FREE THE MUSIC
REN KIRK
YUMI ZOUMA But the night we finished it we decided to send the song to the people that are now our beloved record label, so I suppose Yumi Zouma was created in that first ever email to Jeff at Cascine. Or maybe when we created the Gmail account to email him! Kim: Honestly, I sang on the track, fell asleep, and the next morning Charlie told me that Cascine wanted to work with us. I didn’t believe him for ages.
How did each of you get into making music? Kim: It’s just something I’ve always done without thinking about. For the most part I’ve written all the music for my old projects, but Yumi Zouma is the first time I’ve really collaborated - and it’s a really different vibe. I think critiquing your own work is the hardest so it’s nice to have others there to tell you where to draw the line. It’s like learning how to write all over again. Josh: I started making music around the age of 13/14, mainly guitary indie bands. I kept making music through university and really got into more electronic-orientated pop music. I joined Charlie in bands that toured a bit and released a few things. Charlie: I played classical piano from the age of seven through to when I was led astray in high school, and then started playing the guitar and electronic stuff in bands. Was there any sort of catalyst for you to take music/being in bands more seriously, or did it just occur naturally? Charlie: I guess I started doing music seriously when Bang Bang Eche was touring overseas. I dropped out of university for two and a half years to travel with them, but then went back to finish my degree once we stopped playing. Things have been so different with Yumi
40
|
RIPITUP.CO.NZ
Zouma because we were all busy doing other things when we started. We just wrote one song, sent it to a record label we liked and pretty much got signed straight after... like without ever playing live even, something we’re only just getting our heads round now. So in that sense it has occurred naturally, but completely in a backwards way to how we’d experienced being in bands before. Kim: I’d like to say I was always serious about writing and performing, but it’s getting through those hilarious formative years that hones your skills and makes you good enough to be taken seriously. So after the experience of previous bands, Bang Bang Eche and Sleepy Age, what inspired you to have another shot at making music together? Josh: Charlie has for a long time been very close to anything I do musically - I genuinely believe he makes everything I do better. So it just made sense to continue. Charlie: Yeah we have been in a few bands together, but we’ve always sent each other ideas regardless. So even with Josh moving to New York, me moving to Paris, and our old bands ceasing their activity, we still kept sending each other stuff. The first song the three of us did over email was ‘A Long Walk Home For Parted Lovers’ - before then there was no Yumi Zouma.
So how do you describe the Yumi Zouma sound? Kim: Pop. Charlie: It’s difficult for me to describe our sound. I think it’s really cold, but other people say otherwise. My favourite description is from my good friend Avner, who is from Israel. He told me, “Listening to your music is like going in a kangaroo’s pocket and then climbing a tree to watch the sunset.” I’m not sure whether he knows that there are no kangaroos in New Zealand but I didn’t want to ruin it anyway. So where does this sound come from; on a personal level, inspiration from others, previous experience...? Charlie: Sonically I think it’s just a combination of our individual writing styles: songs that Kim writes by herself all sound very Kim-like, songs that Josh writes by himself are very Josh-like and I presume it’s the same with me too. But when the three of us are put together you get a lot of the weird and significant attributes that make YZ. That’s why we do everything ourselves and don’t want to work with other people I suppose. How do things work being scattered across the globe, do you have similar tech set-ups? Kim: We all pretty much have the same gear, which makes for easy transitions between each of us.
Charlie: Yeah, we each have our own set ups in NZ, NY, and Paris that are nearly identical. The recording gear, instruments, everything. I guess we all have very homogenous tastes. I guess that’s what happens after you’ve spent so much time together doing music. Regarding a “live” tech setup - there isn’t one yet; it’s something we’ve just started contemplating. Having all the same gear is just the beginning though right, what does the music-making process look like from there? Josh: I think the distance gives us a lot of time to review and make songs sound how we really want them to. It’s also taught me to be less stupidly proud of what I’ve created (to the extent that I won’t change it). Charlie: Yeah, for the first record we did it while we were all in different countries. But even when we were in NZ we would always record songs in parts over email, so to be honest, being oceans apart doesn’t really make a difference. We like working together but being isolated from each other. It’s way more productive and conducive for our creativity. Kim: We’ve been working on parts of songs and then emailing them back and forward, but we’re actually all in New York this week to put the final touches on the next EP. Apart from an EP release to look forward to, what else in on the cards for Yumi Zouma in 2014? Josh: To do well and have meaningful relationships with the people that mean a lot to us. Charlie: Release the next record and enjoy the year together. Kim: To inspire Liverpool to Premier League glory. FREETHEMUSIC.CO.NZ
SELF-TITLED DEBUT EP OUT NOW
LAURA WEASER
NEED FOR SPEED NEED FOR SPEED DIRECTOR SCOTT WAUGH EXPLAINS WHY IT’S TIME FOR A NEW ERA OF CAR RACING FILMS IN A LIST of video games turned into Hollywood blockbusters, Need for Speed seems an unlikely choice. But with limited to no plot development and a checklist of every fantasy car you could dream of, it provided the perfect blank canvas for director Scott Waugh to work with. “Even though there’s no narrative story, there’s a particular style to each one [of the games], whether you chase cops or you race in certain areas or the types of cars you drive,” he explains. “What we wanted to do was combine all of the games so that in the film we get to drive a huge variety of cars. You get to race them in a huge variety of places. And what really freed us up as filmmakers is we were able to really bring a true heartfelt story to this crazy visceral world of Need for Speed.” The story centres on a broke yet passionate group of blue-collar friends, who are united by a love of cars. Led by Tobey Marshall (Breaking Bad’s Aaron Paul), they end up joining with his arch nemesis Dino Brewster (Dominic Cooper), an entrepreneur in the car world, who makes them a business deal that’ll save their dying autoshop. But when things go awry and a wrong move leaves Tobey in jail, things get personal. “To me, that’s the great human component of the movie,” says Scott. “I feel that the film has a tremendous amount of heart. Each character really opens up. The film is a metaphor for the racing culture, and the things that humanly we do to seek that thrill.”
42
|
RIPITUP.CO.NZ
The human aspect behind the fighting was something Scott touched on in his previous blockbuster, US war film Act of Valor. But the action side of things was also something he wanted to expand upon further. Having worked as a stuntman, doing a “car movie” was a dream and as a former car commercial director, it was time to put his experience to good use. But unlike other films in the “auto-racing” genre, Scott wanted to do things a little differently with Need for Speed, by bringing an authenticity to racing scenes. And that meant little CGI. “What we really strived for in the film was the chance for you to actually sit in the seat and open it up. Not to be a spectator and watch but to participate in the film and drive. Which is what’s great about the video game. You get to drive the cars. “I just want to put the camera in unique places so people can see it differently. It’s really important to me. And one thing that we really wanted to do, and we spent an exorbitant amount of time on, was jumping the Mustang
in Detroit. We wanted to do the biggest jump possible, but practically. And we found it and it jumped 194 feet and it went over three lanes of traffic. And I think it’s fantastic in the movie. It’s definitely real. And it’s just one of those things that I think is plausible. You could drive away from that, because we did.” In true Need for Speed fashion, the cars are an integral part of the casting. Choosing the right cars was just as important as finding a leading man, and like many who have laboured over customising their car just the way they want it in the games, Scott took his time when it came to finding the right wheels. “We chose the Mustang because we knew that the 50th anniversary was coming up. And it is a car that really represents American culture and its alliance with its designer, Carroll Shelby. It just represents modern muscle. It’s always been a fast car. It’s one of the few American cars that still travels at high speeds.
this movie is in the end, you really get to watch the supercars race, which is the MacLaren F1, the Bugatti Veyron, the Koenigsegg Agera R, the GTA Spano, the Saleen S7 and the Lamborghini Elemento. All of them are multimillion-dollar cars.” While it’s hard to compete with the audience following that the Fast and Furious franchise has established over the last 14 years, Scott hopes Need for Speed ushers in a new era of car flicks, and believes that the groundbreaking cinematography and “up close and personal style” is something modern audiences are after. “One of my mottos in preproduction was, ‘Don’t replicate. Reinvent. Make it the same but different, so it’s new and it feels fresh.’ And that was hard,” he explains. “But I think when you see the cameras and the way we move it and the way the characters’ arcs are, it’s definitely a reinvented car culture film.” NEED FOR SPEED
“And then also because some of the greatest cars come from Europe, and they’re the fastest, one of the things that’s fun about
IN CINEMAS THU 20 MAR
BILLY CONNOLLY
The Long -Awaited return of NZ’s Favourite Comedian
APRIL TUE 8 WED 9 SAT 12 SUN 13 WED 16 TUE 22 FRI 25 TUE 29
HIGH HORSE TOUR 2014 MAY
NAPIER MUNICIPAL THEATRE NAPIER MUNICIPAL THEATRE AUCKLAND VECTOR ARENA AUCKLAND VECTOR ARENA NEW PLYMOUTH TSB STADIUM PALMERSTON NTH REGENT THEATRE CHRISTCHURCH CBS ARENA TIMARU THEATRE ROYAL
TICKETEK TICKETEK TICKETMASTER TICKETMASTER TICKETMASTER TICKETDIRECT TICKETEK TICKETEK
THU 1 SUN 4 WED 7 FRI 9 SUN 11 WED 14
INVERCARGILL ILT STADIUM QUEENSTOWN EVENTS CENTRE DUNEDIN TOWN HALL BLENHEIM STADIUM 2000 WELLINGTON TSB ARENA HAMILTON CLAUDELANDS ARENA
TICKETDIRECT TICKETEK TICKETDIRECT TICKETDIRECT TICKETEK TICKETEK
HIGHLY ANTICIPATED REUNION
SOL WED 26 MARCH D POWERSTATION, OUT AUCKLAND TICKETMASTER.CO.NZ
2014 GRAMMY NOMINEE
FRI 14 MARCH POWERSTATION, AUCKLAND TICKETS FROM TICKETMASTER.CO.NZ
THU 27 MARCH THE BEDFORD MARQUEE, CHRISTCHURCH MINTTIX.COM & COSMIC
SAT 22 FEBRUARY POWERSTATION, AUCKLAND TICKETMASTER.CO.NZ
CONNECT WITH US RHYTHMGROUPENTERTAINMENT.COM
WOMAD
PHOTO: PETER DE GRAAF
ARTIST Q&A
WHAT IN THE world? The international festival. WOMAD (World of Music and Dance) is returning again to Taranaki for its 10th year running. This local version of the festival, started 34 years ago by musicians and artists including Peter Gabriel, has become a permanent marker on the summer festival calendar, and is quite possibly the most chilled, relaxed, challenging, informative and outrageous three days of summer. WOMAD is a festival that covers all the bases. If you’re into jazz then check out the amazing Cuban dance and funk of Roberto Fonseca, who returns after a four-year hiatus. His infatuations with Africa continue the jazz excursions of Herbie Hancock and Abdullah Ibrahim. On stage he’s an irrepressible force, at times standing and hammering his piano, then grabbing a drum and transforming his group into a comparsa. Hip hop legends Arrested Development will be in the house. They’ve been going for over 20 years now, providing a socially conscious alternative to gansta rap and championing organizations such as the ANC and the plight of the homeless, highlighted in their Grammy award winning single ‘Mr Wendel’. 1920’s revivalist Pokey LaFarge will add a touch of Old Town Americana with early jazz, string ragtime, country blues and Western swing.
Simone’s but more flexible and virtuosic”. The haunting strains of twin pipers have become a defining signature of Breabach, the Nuevo Scottish folk outfit looking to break down the clichés and introduce ad traditions to a new generation. Speaking of barrier-breaking, don’t forget to take a look at Japan’s answer to James Brown, Osaka Monaurail who do ‘Soul’ like it’s 1965! Bandleader Ryo Nakata drops into the splits and howls like the Godfather, whilst his seven piece band behind him purrs like a high-performance machine. From Portugal Carminho, a future major player on the World Stage with the raw unbridled passion of Fado. Kiwis this year will include country artist Delaney Davidson, the funky Latin Aotearoa Project, Moana and the Tribe, Tim Finn, Brett Adams and Diane Swan (The Bads), and two time Grammy winner Kimbra. Max from Masterchef returns to host the World Kitchen, where musicians host cooking demonstrations of their own cuisine. WOMAD is a festival for all ages. It even caters for the visually and physically impaired with special viewing platforms and hearing devices for the deaf. Don’t miss out either with a special arts and crafts area and a parade just for them! If you need any excuse to visit the ‘Naki, then this family friendly all ages world party is it! TIM GRUAR
Blues/Flamenco singer Buika is definitely one to see - the New York Times says, “she has a husky, layered and imperious voice, something like Nina
44
|
RIPITUP.CO.NZ
LIAM GERRARD ARTIST Who’s in the dead supergroup for your dream hologram show? Dio, Dimebag, John Bonham, Phil Lynott, Pete Steele, Ray Manzarek, Jon Lord, Euronymous and Dead from Mayhem, arranged and conducted by hologram Frank Zappa. What’s an upcoming film you’re jazzed about? 13 Years a Slave. Where can your stalkers find you during the weekend? Devonport’s fabulous ‘The Patriot’, or kicking back shirtless with a sixer of Radler. What happens when you mix Coca Cola with Pepsi? A clash of the titans.
BOWL OF BROOKLANDS, NEW PLYMOUTH
You’d get arrested if the police knew that you… ‘Hit & Ran’ a group of schoolkids. People say you look like… Former betchadupa drummer Matt Eccles, and a cat. Kittens or puppies? Both. What generic current affair has your blood boiled? My blood’s pretty chilled out about the whole generic current affair sitch. SEE HIS ARTWORK: LIAM GERRARD TUE 25 MAR – SUN 06 APR SANDERSON CONTEMPORARY ART OSBORNE LANE, 2 KENT ST,
Your fantasy spirit animal is… Charlie Twaddle.
NEWMARKET, AUCKLAND
PHOTO BY: RABIE ALBURAIKY
Your signature “I’m an amazing cook” dish is… Stovetop popcorn. A lost art.
WOMAD 2014 FRI 14 MAR – SUN 16 MAR TSB
The best place for a date night is… Orphan’s Kitchen, Ponsonby Road.
The best TV show around at the moment is… True Detective.
MUSICF RINE EPARKS
JAZZ, BLUES, COUNTRY, LATIN, DUB & MORE in a park near you
JANUARY TO MARCH 2014
www.musicinparks.co.nz
BC3004
Auckland Council
LEFSETZ LETTER
THE FUTURE
MAJOR LABELS
SPOTIFY
Survive. Because they’ve got the money and the relationships with radio. Wanna compete? Have the money and the relationships. Until the radio hegemony is broken, the major labels will sustain.
Helped Universal’s numbers. Read the reports. If you believe streaming is the death of music and there are no dollars involved, you’re uneducated, you’re probably still saying that P2P is gonna kill the incentive to record! But the truth is there are more recordings than ever and I don’t know anybody who steals music anymore, why?
RADIO It’s the curation, stupid! And the ability to garner and maintain an audience. No one wants to go where no one else is. Prior to the Internet there was very little off the grid and we were all aware of it. Now, music, like information, is infinite. Do you really want to live on Pluto?
SOUNDSCAN Toast. Let’s see, they get their “accurate” numbers from record stores, which are declining, and sales no longer mean anything, gross does. Look at your bottom line, not specific elements. Add up your recording and streaming revenue and tickets, merch and sponsorship dollars then tell me whether you’re winning or not. Tickets are much more expensive than they used to be. And sponsorship dwarfs the dollars of yore. To focus on recording dollars is to miss the point.
46
|
RIPITUP.CO.NZ
BILLBOARD The bible no more! To think Janice Min can save “Billboard” is to believe Guggenheim didn’t overpay for it! But focusing on pictures and celebrities in an era where viewpoint and voice matter...is to miss the point. In other words, whatever “Billboard” was it will never be again.
ROLLING STONE Losing Matt Taibbi is like your lead singer quitting the band. Just like MTV, “Rolling Stone” fumbled its digital future. Neither of these outlets mean much online. There’s still a vacuum without an inhabiting music site. Wanna know why? Because everybody in music is so busy saying their stuff is better, and there’s so little money involved, that anybody with a brain is in
tech and all we’re left with is the nerds who believe the mainstream is anathema. But the truth is, we’re all gravitating towards the mainstream, it’s inevitable in a Tower of Babel society, you want to find someone who can speak your language, anyone.
BLOCKBUSTERS Will rule the future. If you’re not a star, you’re a nobody. Sure, fans will support journeymen, but the old saw wherein you pay your dues and you gradually climb up the ranks? It don’t happen that way no more. Now either you write and play music that many can get, or you reside in your niche.
MANAGERS Same as it ever was. Every hit act has one. Having a great manager is more important than having a great deal, just ask the Beatles!
ALBUMS Look at it from the perspective of the listener... He’s time constrained and only wants the best. No one has a short attention span, everybody can just separate the wheat from the chaff, instantly. Don’t tell people they have to give your music time to percolate, no one’s got that
time. You’re in the hit business whether you’re radio-friendly or not. You need to create the one hit listen. Which is why Max Martin and Dr. Luke are so successful, they understand the game. You might pooh-pooh the hits, but a lot of work went into them and they’re not easy to create. Making money is hard. Not because people don’t want to pay, but because they don’t want to pay for crap! If every one of the tracks on your album is a certifiable smash, release an LP. But it turns out the public only had time for Adele’s “21.”
VISIBILITY This week’s soon to be forgotten new album...BECK’S! An unbelievable publicity campaign with absolutely no sticking power. Next week there’s no story. Unless your track is going to get radio play or you’re constantly on the road playing it it’s got a shelf life of close to zero. Your hard core fans buy it, everybody else forgets it. Tomorrow’s musicians have a full time job staying in the public eye. It’s your job to figure out how to do this. But the best way is to dribble out quality music. Because remember...it’s about the bottom line, not anemic record sales.
R I N G EXPERIENCE Not everybody can divine a hit. Not everybody knows where the bodies are buried. Which is why the business is run by old men LUS SPECIAL (and a few women!)P They’ve got intuition. You might think you know what’s going on, but you really don’t. Pay your dues!
P R E S E N T S became the most played Spotify track of all time. Worldwide. And it is a worldwide business, more than ever before. Everybody’s got money, music is the universal GUESTS language, speak it.
ELLIE GOULDING
PPLLUUSS SSPPEC ECIIAALL GGUUES ESTT
CREDIBILITY
Do not conflate the wannabe famous no-talent youngsters with TAYLOR SWIFT true stars. Biggest star of the unIs the second most influential der twenty set this year? Lorde, artist working. The first is with “Royals.” Yes, the less than the rappers. Anyone can be a perfectly good looking geek with rapper, note I didn’t say a GOOD the nerdy boyfriend who speaks rapper, but a rapper. Learning her mind and truth to power. how to play an instrument and If you think it’s about cozying write songs requires a bigger up to the Fortune 500, you’re investment. But people are still living in the last decade, or making it. Just like Mariah Carey admitting SAT URDAY 7 JUN Eto yourself your music begat Christina Aguilera and the doesn’t capture and A U C K L A N D • V E C T O R A R EtheNzeitgeist, A Melisma Maddies of TV singing therefore TICKETMASTER.CO.NZ • 0800 111 999most people are not competitions, we’re to have 9 JUN interested M Ogoing N DAY E in it, or can enjoy it singing it. A Quick W aEbunch L L IofNgirls GT O Nsongs • T S B Btoday A Nand Kthen A forget REN from the heart.TICKETEK.CO.NZ Ms. Swift is the • 0800 TICKETEK quiz... Name two songs from Jay WinEDNESDAY 11Z’sJUN Ealbum! Better yet, biggest star America, if you’re Samsung CHRISTCHURCH • CBS ARENA not trying to replicate her suc- CANTERBURY two songs from Beyonce’s new TICKETEK.CO.NZ • 0800 TICKETEK cess, you’re looking up a blind LP! How about two from Springalley. She’s represents everything steen’s! Those three albums had FRONTIERTOURING.COM | ELLIEGOULDING.COM classic rock used to...catchy stuff reams of press, but none of them sung from the heart that sets your have stuck. Sticking is the key, mind free. not mainstream media coverage, certainly not paid for by an COUNTRY electronics company that’s hipper Is only going to get bigger. Bethan your tunes. cause not everybody’s a hipster and people clamor for songs that CLASSIC ROCK speak to their condition that they Soon to be dead on the road. can sing along with. We’ve got somewhere between M O O N L A N D I N G 2 0 1 4 fiveWandOtenR years L D left. TO UR See ‘em P LYOUTUBE US now, before they lose their voices GUEST Just like Netflix is the majoror die. We’re in the middle of a BUSBY ityOofU bandwidth, YouTube is transition wherein the younger MAR propped up by music. It’s where acts are generating the touring fans go to testify. If they’re not dollars. It’s happening. making videos of themselves singing your song...it’s not a MBAS hit. Video is the new radio. Will continue to have no place in Especially now that everybody the music business, because art can compete. Not everybody can’t be quantified and one hit is listening to the same radio record blows all your projections station, if they’re listening at all. to hell. Sure, controlling costs But everybody has YouTube at and knowing where the dollars NEW ! are is important, but not as much SHOWtheir fingertips and visits the site on a regular basis. It’s America’s as great music. There’s no soul in radio station. Just check the tech, but soul is the foundation TICKETEK.CO.NZ views of those monster hits! of music.
ON SALE NOW
TUES 27 MAY MICHAEL FOWLER CENTRE WELLINGTON LEFSETZ WED 28 MAY CIVICBOB THEATRE ELECTRONIC MUSIC AUCKLAND TICKETMASTER.CO.NZ Who knows? It survives. Does it VISIT THE ARCHIVE: LEFSETZ.COM/ WELLINGTON TICKETS ON SALE MONDAY 10 FEB surpass hip-hop to become the WORDPRESS AUCKLAND TICKETS ON SALE NOW dominant format? Maybe... After TWITTER.COM/LEFSETZ FRONTIERTOURING.COM | JAMESBLUNT.COM all, Avicii’s “Wake Me Up” just
N E W A L B U M M O O N L A N D I N G F E AT U R I N G T H E H I T S I N G L E B O N F I R E H E A R T O U T N O W
WELLING TON
TSB BANK RENA WEDNESDAY 12 MARCH 2014 BA NK AARENA TTIICCKKET ETEK EK.C .CO.N O.NZZ
AU CK LAND
VECTOR AARENA RENA THURSDAY 13 MARCH MA R CH 2014 TTIICCKKET ETMA MASSTTER ER
M AC K L E M O R E & RYA N L E W I S ‘THE HEIST’ OUT NOW
FR ONTI ER TOUR I NG.CO.NZ | FUTUR EMUS I CGR OUP.COM.A U | MACKLEMOR E.C O M
FUTURE MUSIC GROUP, FRONTIER TOURING, GEORGE FM & THE EDGE PRESENT
ELLIE GOULDING GORGON CITY
DEBU T A ‘HOMLBUM E’ INCL ES THE FEEL UD HITS T H NOT G E LOVE , HELL IVING IN, C FREEZOULD E & WAIT ING NIGH ALL T O
UT NO
W!
PLU S S PEC I A L G U ES T S
TOURING NEW ZEALAND WITH FULL BAND! SATURDAY 7 JUNE AU C K L A N D • V E C TO R A R E N A
TUESDAY 4TH MARCH TICKETMASTER.CO.NZ • 0800 111 999
9 JUNE TICKETMASTER VECTORMONDAY ARENA AUCKLAND
WEDNESDAY 5TH MARCH WEDNESDAY 11 JUNE
W E L L I N G TO N • T S B B A N K A R E N A TICKETEK.CO.NZ • 0800 TICKETEK
TSB BANK ARENA WELLINGTON TICKETEK
CHRISTCHURCH • CBS CANTERBURY ARENA FUTUREMUSICGROUP.COM.AU•FRONTIERTOURING.CO.NZ•RUDIMENTAL.CO.UK TICKETEK.CO.NZ • 0800 TICKETEK
ON SALE TUESDAY 26 NOVEMBER FRONTIERTOURING.COM | ELLIEGOULDING.COM
#WINNING VISIT RIPITUP.CO.NZ FOR MORE INFO AND TO ENTER THE DRAW TO WIN PRIZES
BECK 3 X COPIES OF MORNING PHASE
LIONEL RICHIE & JOHN FARNHAM THU 20 MAR CBS CANTERBURY ARENA, CHRISTCHURCH SAT 22 MAR TSB BOWL OF BROOKLANDS, NEW PLYMOUTH SUN 23 MAR VECTOR ARENA, AUCKLAND 1 X DOUBLE PASS TO SHOW OF CHOICE
PHARRELL 3 X COPIES OF G I R L
THE COUNSELOR 3 X COPIES OF THE COUNSELOR ON DVD
LO-FANG 5 X COPIES OF BLUE FILM
WIN
48
|
NEED FOR SPEED PRIZE PACK
NEKO CASE
10 X DOUBLE PASSES
FRI 14 MAR THE POWERSTATION, AUCKLAND
10 X NEED FOR SPEED HATS
1 X DOUBLE PASSES
RIPITUP.CO.NZ
T WEET TALK
AucklandNZ.com
“I have noticed not many ballin’ playa’s wear capri pants” Dai Henwood @daihenwood
“I refuse to take any trend seriouslyremember when only wearing lip liner was popular? Humanity is adorably lost.” Kristen Schaal @kristenschaaled
“There are a lot of ways to practice the art of journalism, and one of them is to use your art like a hammer to destroy the right people.” Hunter S. Thompson @GonzoVice
“fact: there is a kangaroo somewhere in Brisbane who is seriously disappointed in me. I’m sorry kangaroo. really. i am.” Deadmau5 @deadmau5
“theme tune to Grease is an absolute tune” Ed Simons (Chemical Brothers) @eddychemical
DIGITAL MEDIA AT SIT Bachelor of Digital Media Bring your creative ideas to life with digital filmmaking, screenwriting, sound design and animation!
New Zealand Film Commission Chief Executive Graeme Mason says, “I’m really impressed by the motivation of the course organisers to help get students real life experience while they are studying. We’ve worked with the SIT to provide opportunities for interns on films we’re supporting – it’s a win-win for the students and for the productions.”
SIT's digital media students get access to top-of-the-line cameras and computers, all equipped with the best industry-standard software (not just educational packages). Study in a productive creative learning environment in which you receive expert advice and guidance from our highly skilled and qualified staff. Invercargill’s location is ideal as students get the opportunity to work with production companies in Queenstown and Dunedin. A very high percentage of our graduates are now employed in the industry, both in New Zealand and overseas.
Call today or email info@sit.ac.nz
TE WHARE WANANGA O MURIHIKU
‘The Keeper’ Producer Claire Kelly says, “With SIT’s help and contribution we were able to complete the shoot on our short film which we shot in the beautiful Catlins. The students that worked with us had enthusiasm matched with an in-depth understanding of the film making process. I would happily use them on any set, they were a real asset to our production.”
www.sit.ac.nz 0800 4 0 FEES