Rip It Up Issue 373

FREE I S S U E . 373 J U N E 2015

SOC IAL S I NC E 77’

PROTEST BEING SIKH DON MCGLASHAN MAJOR LAZER SHAMIR

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ISSN 0114-0876

CONTENTS

12.

22.

23.

15.

28.

30.

6. What Goes On/On The Rip It Up Stereo, 8. Don’t Freak, I’m Sikh 10. So What…/Tweet Talk, 12. Muse, 15. Don McGlashan, 16. Major Lazer/This Month In Clubland, 18. Style Like Florence + The Machine, 19. Style Like Jamie xx, 20. Gadgets, 21. Gaming/Semi-Permanent, 22. Entourage, 23. Shamir, 24. Album Reviews, 27. Hermitude/Thomas Press, 28. Film Reviews, 30. Cairo Knife Fight, 31. #WINNING

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WHAT GOES ON

CONVERSE RUBBER TRACKS Converse has announced the global launch of a new Converse Rubber Tracks program that opens the doors to some of the world’s greatest recording studios in music history. Over a two-week period, Converse Rubber Tracks will activate across eight different countries in four continents, offering aspiring musicians the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to record original music at 12 landmark studios, including the two Converse Rubber Tracks studios, at no cost. To find out more about Converse Rubber Tracks, or to learn more about how to register for one of the coveted sessions, please visit CONVERSE-MUSIC.COM/ WORLDWIDE

LAURYN HILL SoulFest has announce the final artist line-up for SoulFest 2015. The festival is pleased to announce the return to New Zealand of acclaimed hip-hop and soul singer Ms. Lauryn Hill, Grammy Winning R&B star Miguel, legendary hip-hop duo Black Star (consisting of Yasiin Bey aka Mos Def and Talib Kweli), and the amazing Grammy nominated singer Jazmine Sullivan. They will join the already announced Mary J. Blige, Jill Scott, Charlie Wilson, Jhenè Aiko, De La Soul, Talib Kweli, Dwele, Eric Benet, BJ The Chicago Kid, Floetry and Kamasi Washington, making this one of the greatest international line-ups of Soul, Hip-Hop and R&B stars on one festival.

THE OFFICIAL NZ TOP 40

CHRIS CORNELL Chris Cornell - multi-Grammy award-winning, Golden Globe nominated and acclaimed singer songwriter recently announced solo acoustic tour dates for November 2015. Due to exceptional demand for tickets during the current pre-sale period a second Christchurch show has now been confirmed for Saturday 21 November.

Tickets are available now through TICKETEK.CO.NZ.

This year it marks the ruby anniversary of The Official NZ Top 40 Music Charts. The Charts have measured popular music in New Zealand since May 1975.

To commemorate 40 years of The Official NZ Top 40 Music Charts, Recorded Music NZ is also releasing a limited edition 7” pressed on ruby red vinyl with proceeds going to charity. The commemorative ruby records will be available through record stores in June and collectors will be able to choose between a Scribe or Tiki Taane cover.

ON THE RIP IT UP STEREO DON MCGLASHAN – LUCKY STARS (2015) RIHANNA, KANYE WEST AND PAUL MCCARTNEY – ‘FOURFIVESECONDS’ (2015) FAITH NO MORE – SOL INVICTUS (2015) TOM LARK – ‘SOMETHING TO TELL YOU’ (2015) LAURA MARLING – ‘STRANGE’ (2015) ST. VINCENT – ‘BIRTH IN REVERSE’ (2014) MARLON WILLIAMS – MARLON WILLIAMS (2015)

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JAMIE XX – ‘GOSH’ (2015) JOSEPH & MAIA – SORRENTO (2015) GARETH THOMAS – ‘GONE COLD’ (2010)

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ANDREW JOHNSTONE

DON’T FREAK, I’M SIKH

FRIDAYS AND SATURDAYs nights on Auckland’s Queen Street are when the religious come out to sell their wares.

running the show this evening.

It was impulsive of me. I was tired and grumpy. He was unimpressed and I don’t blame him.

An elderly man with a long grey beard sings scratchy little songs on a ukulele about Jesus and eternal damnation. When he isn’t singing he lets us know in no uncertain terms that Mohammed is a false prophet and that we, you and I, are in desperate need of ‘saving’. He speaks in terms of absolutes and uses fear as a selling point. He message is not terribly palatable but hell, the ‘truth’ never is.

Next up are the Mormon’s. They are bold American’s selling ideas the way McDonald’s sells fries, with persuasive guile and gleaming smiles. They walk in suited in pairs, greeting everyone as they go, sharp eyes seeking out an opportunity to ‘pitch’ their story. They remind me of circling sharks.

Down the way a buff and macho young Polynesian man is also selling truth.

“You see,” he says thrusting a bible out toward the passing crowd, “I was a sinner. I used drugs and drank alcohol and had sex with lots of women then I found the truth,” he waves the bible around some more before proclaiming: “I WAS SAVED.” “Why would you want to be saved from that?” I quipped toward the Alpha Male type

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A canny and ambitious Indian religious teacher goes to America, the result is Krishna Consciousness. This Hindu sect is an American innovation and like their cousins the Mormon’s, they ‘hard sell’ their version of the ‘truth’. They want your heart and soul and financial resources, a typically American preoccupation that the Krishna’s have honed to a fine art.

On Friday nights, they bring their women out and party up hard- dancing and making music in honour of their Lord.

Religious ecstasy makes for a beguiling spectacle but at heart

this is a conservative outfit with patriarchal tendencies, strict rules and some weird ideas, fairly typical stuff for this end of town.

The Pilipino group down by Aotea Square do a passion play.

It’s a little bit Sound Of Music with a big dose of interpretive dance. It’s not Mel Gibson’s Passion of Christ, but it is heartfelt and beautiful.

Their Jesus tends toward compassion and virtue and stands in stark contrast to the ‘Jesus of the fear and loathing’ their neighbours favour.

The other notable religious group on Queen Street are the turbaned Sikh who are not out selling religion, they are just out.

The turban is a sign of devotion to the Sikh way of life. Not all Sikh’s wear the Turban and many young Indian’s, while not Sikh as such, will often attest to being influenced by the ideas of Guru Nanak Dev. Guru Nanak Dev was born in the Punjab region of North India in 1469. He died in 1539 aged 70. (Guru is a title bestowed upon those considered to be wise and

expert teachers).

Guru Nanak Dev’s genius was to design a values system that addressed religious intolerance, social inequality and offered a clear and deeply considered description of the meaning of God, one without the usual human centric add-ons. His other genius was his ability to convince people to join him in his quest to create a better society.

The three underlying principles of the Sikh way are: Sharing with others / Making an honest living / Remembering God at all times.

Otherwise, ‘Be selfless, fight superstition, have empathy with the poor and less fortunate’.

Dev’s message was simple and without affectation: “Live an active, creative, and practical life of truthfulness, fidelity, selfcontrol and purity” Social Equality is an essential element of being Sikh and Dev declared male and female equal in all things, remember

this was in the 15th century and in the context of its time, a revolutionary declaration.

The goal of a Sikh is to have no hate or animosity to any person, regardless of race, caste, colour, creed, gender, or sexuality.

Sikhs believe that ‘all religious traditions are equally valid and capable of enlightening their followers’. Sikhs respect Jesus and other prophets but do not believe that Jesus or any other prophet is the only way to meet God. What Is God? God is first and foremost, love.

Secondly, there is no Muslim, Hindu nor Sikh God, there is just God. Otherwise God is: indescribable, inestimable, indubitable, infallible, intangible, imperishable, immutable,

immortal, immaculate, immanent, unconquerable, unique, formless, fearless, deathless, timeless, ageless, compassionate, omnipresent and creator of all.

God, in other words, is an elemental mystery that cannot be quantified, but can be experienced. God is an ‘experience’ that encourages peace and love.

The Sikh culture values learning and casts an open mind toward the world. Nanak Dev, himself an avid traveller, encouraged travel as an educational opportunity and a way to broaden ones horizons.

“The community is one of the best anywhere,” replies a young Muslim man to my query about Sikhism. “I was advised by my father that if I get into trouble in New Zealand I must go to a Gurudwara, they will help.”

The Gurudwara, (The Lords Place), can be identified by tall flagpoles bearing the Sikh flag, the Nishan Sahib. The buildings are usually white and sometime posses a golden dome. The Gurudwara is a place of sanctity.

Common to each Temple is a communal kitchen. A free meal is to be found 24hours a day for anyone and any reason at each and every Gurudwara.

This is a practical demonstration of sharing.

Everyone gets the same meal on the same plate in the same proportions. Everyone eats off the same bowl sitting on the same level floor.

This is a practical lesson in equality.

Societies do, its extreme factions, socially conservative and reactive elements, but mostly Sikh people are kind, thoughtful and honest. This culture values ‘personal integrity’ and it shows.

Sikh’s have lived in New Zealand for generations, notably in the Waikato where they are sizeable players in the regions behemoth Dairy Industry. Latterly many tens of thousands have travelled down from North India to study.

“New Zealand is cheap place and Kiwis are mostly not racist,” is the most common response to my query.

The last word goes to a young turbaned man I accost in the hallway. What does it mean to be Sikh? He gather his thoughts and replies, “Sikh are the people that help other people.”

I must be careful not to paint a picture of Utopia. The moderate Sikh Society suffers, as all

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SO WHAT...

S Club 7’s Hannah Spearritt wants the band to release new music. The singer - who reunited with her former band mates for the opening night of their Bring It All Back tour in Birmingham - has admitted she’s loved being back with her pals and hopes they will get the opportunity to make a new track together. And fellow S Club star Paul Cattermole insisted he is also up for doing more with the group now they are back together, and is eager to make a movie as he had left the band by the time they released their feature-length film Seeing Double in 2003.

Coldplay’s new music has been inspired by Game of Thrones. The British band, fronted

by Chris Martin, have registered several new tracks on music database ASCAP, with three of the song titles referencing the HBO fantasy drama. Songs placed on the database include ‘Rastafarian Targaryen’, ‘Red Wedding’ and ‘I’m A Real B*****d’, while other titles not relate to the series include ‘Closer To Home’ and ‘Still Going Strong’.

James Corden thinks Zayn Malik is irreplaceable in One Direction. The Late Late Show... host thinks 1D are right to continue as a four-piece in the wake of Zayn’s departure from the boy band as it wouldn’t be right to add a new fifth member. But Corden firmly believes the pop group have a “rich” future together as a foursome. Talking on the red carpet at the British Television Academy Awards at London’s Theatre Royal, the 36-year-old TV personality said: “No one can replace Zayn, it’s about the four of them and they have a very rich and brilliant future ahead of them.”

T WEET TALK “I have not met her IRL but I spend a significant portion of my day being proud of Demi Lovato” Lena Dunham ‫‏‬ @lenadunham

“I want to steer clear of “opportunities” and focus on dreams.”

KANYE WEST ‫‏‬ @kanyewest

“A guy named Tony found my credit card on the street in NYC and returned it! Tony! You make this city even greater! Thanx.

HANX.” Tom Hanks ‫‏‬ @tomhanks

“I believe that truth has only one face: that of a violent contradiction. - S. SquarePants” FATHER JOHN MISTY @fatherjohnmisty

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Chris Hemsworth had to clean breast pumps to make a living before acting. The Avengers: Age of Ultron star has revealed the worst job he had before making it in Hollywood was scrubbing the used nursing aids at a pharmacy.

When asked during a joint video interview with his co-star Chris Evans what his worst job had been, he instantly replied: “Cleaning Breast pumps! I worked for a pharmacy that would rent out milk extractors, you know breast pumps, for pregnant women.

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ANDREW JOHNSTONE

MUSE

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CHRIS WOLSTENHOLME HOW IS IT that I have never heard any music

by Muse? I am a music writer, after all! In my defence, there is just so much music out there and every week it’s a deluge of releases and some of it just slips by. So there it is, and I had no idea what a big deal Muse were until I turned up at Warner Music to listen to the new album a few weeks ago.

I was ushered into a room and introduced to the young woman who would be supervising my listening session. She politely asked for my phone and laptop before asking me to sign a contract of confidentiality that ensured that I would not talk to anyone about the music I was about to hear and the interview I would be conducting with the band’s bassist, Chris Wolstenholme, until the end of May, just prior to the new album’s release date, Friday 05 June.

The contract stipulated that the music was not to be played out loud, I had to listen through headphones (I presume this was just in case I had a concealed recorder on me), so I duly put them on, leant back in the chair, the supervisor pressed play and armed only with paper and pen (for notes), and a lyric sheet, my first Muse experience was underway.

Some 50 minutes later it was all over and it was like waking from a dream. It had been an immersive and revelatory experience and as I removed the headphones, my head was flush with thoughts, feelings and ideas, and this I think, was the point.

Drones is an impressive new album from one of the world’s biggest rock acts and as Chris Wolstenholme explains, “We have been trying to make concept albums from the start and we feel that Drones is the first album where we got the themes down tight.”

Muse are a progressive rock band – that is, a band concerned primarily with ideas, musical and otherwise, and with Drones they explore economic, environmental and human rights issues (notably freedom of expression), and the general sense of unease in many hearts and minds with the current political forces at play in the West.

Drones is a story about a military recruit who is being trained to attack via a remote controlled drone. The enemies are unseen, the killing second-hand and the motivations secretive.

As the album progresses the recruit finds himself feeling more and more uncomfortable with his role in an undefined war and as he begins to question his orders discovers within himself a hitherto unknown quality for critical thinking and self-reflection.

At the heart of Drones is a portion of the speech that President John F. Kennedy gave on April 27, 1961, titled “The President and the Press” before the American Newspaper Publishers Association: “For we are opposed around the world by a monolithic and ruthless conspiracy that relies primarily on covert means for expanding its sphere of influence – on infiltration instead of invasion, on subversion instead of elections, on intimidation instead of free choice, on guerrillas by night instead of armies by day. It is a system, which has conscripted vast human and material resources into the building of a tightly-knit, highly-efficient machine that combines military, diplomatic, intelligence, economic, scientific and political operations.

Its preparations are concealed, not published.

Its mistakes are buried, not headlined. Its dissenters are silenced, not praised. No expenditure is questioned, no rumour is printed, no secret is revealed. It conducts the Cold War, in short, with a wartime discipline no democracy would ever hope or wish to match.

Nevertheless, every democracy recognises the necessary restraints of national security – and the question remains whether those restraints need to be more strictly observed if we are to oppose this kind of attack as well as outright invasion.”

By including these words in the album, Muse are asking if America has become exactly that which it once opposed: an ideological force operating without recourse, empathy or conscience.

Kennedy closed his speech with these words: “It was early in the Seventeenth Century that Francis Bacon remarked on three recent inventions already transforming the world: the compass, gunpowder and the printing press.

Now the links between the nations first forged by the compass have made us all citizens of the world, the hopes and threats of one becoming the hopes and threats of us all. In that one world’s efforts to live together, the evolution of gunpowder to its ultimate limit has warned mankind of the terrible consequences of failure.

“For we are opposed around the world by a monolithic and ruthless conspiracy that relies primarily on covert means for expanding its sphere of influence” And so it is to the printing press – to the recorder of man’s deeds, the keeper of his conscience, the courier of his news – that we look for strength and assistance, confident that with your help man will be what he was born to be: free and independent.”

The band’s guitarist and singer Matt Bellamy described Drones in a BBC interview as “a modern metaphor for what it is to lose empathy … through modern technology, and obviously through drone warfare in particular. It’s possible to actually do quite horrific things by remote control, at a great distance, without actually feeling any of the consequences, or even feeling responsible in some way.”

In many ways, the band has perfectly captured the zeitgeist of the times. Drones is a highlycharged “protest” album, the likes of which we have seldom seen since the 1960s, one that asks dark and difficult questions about the political world and our own individual participation in it.

Drones is an old-style album, that is: it is purposely designed to flow from beginning to end, each song linked through a story arch.

Wolstenholme explains that the band debated the relevance of the traditional album format before entering the studio, wondering if they were taking the right approach in a world seemingly enchanted by individual songs and playlists.

It is an issue that has come up in many interviews I have conducted with established acts and while the music industry has changed radically in recent years, little has changed as regards the consumer. Song downloads have largely replaced the physical single and songlists have mostly displaced the mix-tape/ CD. As for the album, it is still is it has always been, a mixed bunch that ranges from the artful and considered to the uninspired.

I don’t think Muse have anything to worry about here, their territory is the album format and they traverse this landscape with skill and thoughtful endeavour. They have built their considerable audience through the quality

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Radio via the Rip It Up website.

A FEW THINGS ABOUT CHRIS WOLSTENHOLME...

He is the father of six children. “It’s pretty chaotic in our house but it’s not as crazy as it sounds because we had a five-year gap between our third and fourth so we kind of look at it as two sets of three. The older three are grown up a bit so it’s not like we have six toddlers. As I said it’s chaotic but it’s good chaos. I love it.”

Favourite album: Beach Boys’ Pet Sounds.

Favourite bass players: Les Claypool from Primus: “My favourite band growing up, and in terms of technique Les is right up there.”

Favourite football team: Rotherham United FC, a championship league team. “Who are not doing so well at the moment and are embroiled in a bit of a relegation fight. I went and saw them play Fulham last night and it didn’t go well. Fingers crossed, might just survive.” of their albums, the voracity of their live performances and the “word of mouth” of their fans.

Muse have recorded six studio albums since their inception in 1994 and have not used a producer for the last two albums but for Drones (number seven), they enlisted the services of legendary record producer Mutt Lange.

Wolstenholme: “We are both huge football fans and we hit it off immediately. Mutt is a really lovely mellow guy and not at all what I expected. He’s a bit of enigma, if you look on the internet there is hardly any information about him at all. He doesn’t do interviews and is not interested in fame or anything like that, he just loves music. He said to me that he’s “practically married to music and lives to be in the studio”. He’s a really good guy to work with musically as well, he has lots of ideas, ideas which made the songs stronger and the album more cohesive. We did the right thing by choosing Mutt to help us.”

I mention that Mutt owns a big parcel of South Island high country land and recently donated some of it to the nation’s conservation estate.

Wolstenholme: “Yeah, he loved showing us pictures of the property and we asked him about the land he had donated but he played it down. He is self-effacing and doesn’t want to make a big deal about stuff like that.”

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Drones has a very big dry spacious sound that is up front and in your face and I could not but help think that the headphones were not doing the production aesthetic any favours. This is an album that begs to be played ferociously out loud. The bass sound in particular is especially interesting.

“Matt is not a rhythm guitarist so it’s up to me to fill out the band’s sound. I started off as a rhythm guitarist and I try to apply the same principles to the bass. I operate three sound rigs when I play and I am always experimenting with the bass, trying to make it feel bigger and fuller, trying always to give the band a solid foundation to rest on.”

I finish the interview with Wolstenholme by asking him if the band is ever coming to NZ again?

“I am sorry that we have missed NZ on the last two tours but it’s a really awkward place to get to get to, it’s just so far away from everywhere and when you are only doing a couple of gigs it can be quite a difficult thing to organise.

That said, whenever we have played NZ, the audience has been amazing and I am really pushing to include you guys the next time around.”

Chris is a former “raging alcoholic” who lived to “get pissed”. His father died of alcoholism and when he himself started vomiting up blood he realised he was heading down the same road and decided to get serious and “knock the drinking on the head”. Halfway through the recording of The Resistance in 2009, he checked into rehab and has been dry ever since.

He later wrote two songs, ‘Liquid State’ and ‘Save Me’, about his alcoholism for the 2012 album The 2nd Law. “‘Liquid State’ was written about the person you become when you’re intoxicated and how the two of them are having this fight inside of you and it tears you apart. ‘Save Me’ was about having the family, the wife and kids who, despite all the crap I’ve put them through, at the end of it you realise they’re still there and they’re the ones who pulled you through.

‘Save Me’ is sort of a love song and I think it’s the more positive among the two, it’s about having a difficult time and having a person in your life who can pull you through – my wife, in my case. I guess it’s all about searching for stability and finding it through the person you love.”

NEW ALBUM: DRONES

It was a wonderful interview and Wolstenholme was a scholar and a gentleman.

Listen in to the full interview on Rip It Up

OUT FRI 05 JUN

ANDREW JOHNSTONE

DON MCGL ASHAN because it’s not placed exactly halfway. It put the council in a quandary because they usually take that kind of thing straight down.

They had a special extraordinary meeting and designated it official artwork, which saved me the ignominy of having to see it being removed.”

I explain to McGlashan, that in my mind at least, Kiwi pop and rock music possess three intrinsic qualities – angular melodies, a subtle underlying melancholy and the quirkiness of the subject matter. McGlashan’s 1994 number one song ‘The Heater’, a paean to the Shacklock Conray (a heating appliance), possesses these qualities in spades.

DEVOTIONAL MUSIC, HYMNS and songs of praise and worship are generally the domain of the religious. It is a vast international canon and represents one of the oldest genres of music. Tucked away in a little corner is another form of devotional song, one not directed at a god or creator figure.

Among my favourites is Brian Ferry’s version of the Bob Dylan song ‘A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall’. His version is a bouncy and joyful reflection on the mystical. Jimmy Webb’s ‘Up, Up And Away’ is an allegorical meditation on the joy of being alive. Australian Archer sings gloriously to the unseen mystery in ‘The Garden’. It’s a song of fragrant beauty and emotional honesty as is Don McGlashan’s ‘Bathe in the River’. Sung by the Mt Raskil Preservation Society, featuring Hollie Smith, it was a huge hit.

McGlashan: “It came pretty fast. I had a sketch in a journal about a gospel song, one with all of the passion of a gospel song but not about God or Jesus, rather about other humans, so when they asked for a gospel song, I remembered this half-formed idea and I picked up the guitar and it pretty much wrote itself in an afternoon.”

I tentatively suggest that the song is spiritual.

“Spiritual is good. I don’t believe in an

external god, but I do believe in our human capacity to love and look after each other and I feel a religious sense about that.”

A few weeks ago I sat down to chat with songwriter Don McGlashan about his new album Lucky Stars. The scheduled 15 minutes turned into a 40-minute conversation that covered politics, the philosophy of song craft and an exploration of his extensive catalogue.

This is McGlashan’s third solo album and like everything he does, is class all the way. A two-time Silver Scroll Award-winner with five songs on the APRA Top 100 NZ songs, he is self-effacing and while he speaks of his pride at this achievement, he is quick to remind me that these things are subjective and that “you don’t write songs in order to win things, you write songs to last.”

Perhaps his most iconic song is Dominion Road, a winner that has also lasted. Written for The Muttonbirds it was only a minor hit on release in 1992, but it has never gone away.

In the preceding 23 years, it has worked its way into the nation’s psyche and has become something of an anthem for Auckland.

“When I was a teenager I left home and moved into a flat and the experience and sense of independence and confidence didn’t come in a linear way, it came in packets, like a series of waves, and one of these waves came over me in a second hand shop when I was shopping for a heater. I bought this old thing that had a palpable sense of history and I suddenly felt like a grown up. It was a magical and mystical feeling that lasted only for a really short time and I wanted to capture it in a song.”

I can’t finish this story without letting McGlashan give voice to deeply felt thoughts on the current state of New Zealand society: “It seems that if you are not running after the cash you are letting the side down. In actuality most of us are not running after cash. We do our work, look after the people we love, we think about the future of this place and we try to do our bit to make it better, and our every waking moment is not devoted to increasing our market share. The prevailing philosophy of the people who are running this country treats those sort of people as a by catch and as surplus to requirements. We are living in age that lacks foresight and imagination.”

As for the album, he loved making it and it shows. Lucky Stars is transcendent.

LISTEN TO THE FULL INTERVIEW ON RIP IT UP RADIO.

SEE HIM LIVE: DON MCGLASHAN SEE TOURS AND EVENTS FOR DATES

McGlashan: “A vigilante sculptor put a plaque halfway down Dominion Road, a little brass plaque saying you are standing halfway down Dominion Road, which is contentious

NEW ALBUM: LUCKY STARS OUT NOW

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NICK COLLINGS

THIS MONTH IN CLUBL AND grow. The idea has always been the same … “have fun”.

My understanding is that the bulk of the musical production is done by Diplo. What roles do each of the other members bring to the group in a studio environment?

Yeah Diplo is constantly working on beats. Sends me several a day, me and Jillionare go back and forth on ideas with the beats. I get the Caribbean artists on it and then we all just keep attacking it till it’s finished.

WALSHY FIRE MAJOR LAZER Major Lazer began as a partnership between American DJ/ Producer Diplo and English DJ/ Producer Switch to fuse reggae and dancehall music with electronic genres. In 2009 their debut album Guns Don’t Kill People…

Lazers Do spawned the club hit ‘Pon De Floor’, which Beyonce later used for ‘Run The World (Girls)’, and their assault on dance music as a collective began. Switch left the group in late 2011, leaving Diplo to enlist help from Walshy Fire and Jillionaire plus Boaz van de Beatz to help with parts of the production and live shows. A second album Free The Universe in 2013, several EPs, an animated series, production for No Doubt, Chase & Status, Snoop Lion, Crookers and headline festival tours around the globe soon followed and have all lead to Major Lazer transcending electronic music to become one of modern pop music’s highest achievers.

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You are set to release your new album Peace Is The Mission in June 2015. For the novice Major Lazer fan, how do you describe it?

I would describe it as future fusion. Genre-less music that grabs sounds from the whole world and puts it together.

What is the story/meaning that lead you to name the album Peace Is The Mission?

“Peace is the mission” is something the listeners should interpret themselves. Inner peace, societal peace, whatever it is that’s happening in your life, we want to bring happiness and fun into it.

How has Major Lazer evolved with the commercial success of the project between the releases of Free The Universe, Apocalypse Soon and Peace Is The Mission?

I’m so blessed to have been a part of those three projects and to see the crowd grow and grow and

The role of the DJ as a music specialist has taken a backseat in recent years to the importance of theatrics and stage show. How much of a conscious effort do Major Lazer put between being entertainers and being musically credible in live shows?

We don’t put so much effort into thinking about that. The focus is having fun. We are all solo DJs so we know what is rocking the crowds in our respective worlds.

So whatever it takes for you to leave our show with the feeling of how awesome that was is all that matters.

You have put your name to a Major Lazer cartoon where season one is on air now. How much creative input do you have on the show?

I didn’t do anything with cartoon; I’m watching it for the first time with you guys! I love it.

The show follows the adventures of the animated character “Major Lazer”. In most episodes the storyline seems to lead to getting high.

How much influence does marijuana play in the overall Major Lazer brand?

We don’t smoke, drink or do any drugs. At all. Every episode I’ve seen that talks about that are saying don’t do this. Don’t do

lean, don’t get high etc.

What is the typical day in the life of Major Lazer, when you’re on the road?

On the road it’s the same, working hard on making great music with friends.

Diplo is a known friend of New Zealand’s Lorde, are there any other New Zealand acts you rate highly?

Nothing now, but I’d love to work with some NZ reggae artists.

Solo I do real roots style reggae.

Quickfire Qs: What’s on the Major Lazer rider that people may not expect? Coconut water. Always.

Who fills in your departure/ arrival cards at the airport?

Me. J.K. Simmons voices President Whitewall on the Major Lazer animated TV show. Do you still listen and chuckle that he’s also the voice of the yellow M&M? Didn’t know that! Chuckling now.

It’s 8am, the day after the after-party and you’ve come home. What movie do you put on to help you sleep? I don’t get to watch movies unless I’m on a plane. And we never sleep. So blessed to be able to be doing what we are doing we don’t wanna waste any time.

What’s the musical equivalent of the G-Spot? For me it’s a sax on a reggae beat.

And finally, are there any plans to head back to New Zealand in the near future?

Hopefully soon!

NEW ALBUM: PEACE IN THE MISSION OUT NOW

TURNING THE TABLES WITH TOKIMONSTA

SICK CYCLE Sick Cycle is the alias of Christchurch-based multi-genre producers Michael West aka Westy & Levon Maeder. With over 50 releases on some of the biggest bass labels in the game including Rottun Records, Sick Cycle are about to reach another milestone, their first ever vinyl release.

Westy: It’s been quite a few years in the making now, so we’re very happy with that. It’s a four-track EP on one 12’’ record.

It’s called Subsonic New World Order and that’s the title track, with Jabz MC, a local MC from Christchurch. We recorded that in my amazing vocal booth made of duvets and a closet.

Levon: The second tune on the A-side is called ‘Blood Clot’. I dunno if you’d call it Drumstep or... it’s kind of Jungle vibes, it’s about 160BPM. I was having one of those days where I was just sitting on my hands and didn’t know what to do. I jumped in the studio and smashed it. It was one

of those times where everything you touch is gold.

W: ‘Convergence’ is a track with local producer Brassic. This is a weird one, Brassic has a real atmospheric, trippy style going on, so I tried to hold back a bit on the aggression of the track.

He brought around samples of an orchestra which we looped in the intro. We found Mr Alan Watts talking on YouTube about what’s wrong with the world and how we need to separate ourselves from ego to be happy, which I thought was onto it.

L: ‘Lump’ was a bit of an experiment, I wanted to create a lead strictly off distorting nothing but my bassline, just using the tones of the distortion unit to add new notes. It took maybe nine months to get the bassline and the tops right. I decided I was going to do this thing that was fundamentally wrong to achieve the sound that I wanted.

SUBSONIC NEW WORLD ORDER EP MON 22 JUN SECTION8RECORDS. COM

1. Tokimonsta is the alias of Los Angeles resident Jennifer Lee. 2. She is of Korean descent. Toki means “rabbit” in Korean.

3. She is a classically trained pianist.

4. Coolio’s ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’ was her first record purchase.

5. Before music she worked in business development and licensing for a video game publisher.

6. She is the first female to release music on Flying Lotus’s label Brainfeeder.

7. She has released three albums – Midnight Menu (2010), Half Shadows (2013) and Desiderium (2014).

8. She started her own label, Young Art Records, in 2014.

9. She has done official remixes for Justin Timberlake, Maria Carey, Lupe Fiasco, Jodeci and more.

10. She cites MIA as a role model and hopes to work with her one day.

SEE HER LIVE: TOKIMONSTA (US) FRI 05 JUN SAN FRAN, WELLINGTON FRI 12 JUN GALATOS, AUCKLAND

5 ALBUMS WE’RE LOOKING FORWARD TO IN 2015

3: Years & Years “Communion” (Polydor) FRI 10 JUL

1: Leftfield “Alternative Light Source” (Infectious Music) MON 8 JUN

4: The Chemical Brothers “Born In The Echoes” (Virgin) FRI 17 JUL

2: Hudson Mohawke “Lantern” (Warp) TUE 16 JUN

5 : Nero “Between II Worlds” (MTA) FRI 28 AUG

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GAMING

SUNLESS SEA ADVENTURE/EXPLORATION (FAILBETTER GAMES)

For the past 90 hours, I have been sailing the Sunless Sea, and I can safely say that I’ve never felt such desolation before. I’ve spent much of this time talking to my crew, learning of their pasts, their fears, and their aspirations.

The conversation keeps me sane; I only wish I could say the same for the crew. But I do not begrudge them their madness, for when you’re lost in a vast ocean, without so much as a glimmer of sunlight to comfort you, sanity starts to seem somewhat trivial, don’t you think?

The game centres around the city of London, long after it has collapsed beneath the Earth’s surface, and into the dark, endless ocean below. Your role is that of a ship’s captain, determined to recover your father’s bones, amass immense wealth and compile an epic novel by way of exposing yourself to the many tales that the Sunless Sea has to offer.

The game’s mechanics are simple; you control a ship as it sails between island ports, trading your goods for financial gain, in order to afford yourself trips to undiscovered lands.

The journey is accompanied by powerful, ambient music which, alongside the slow chug of your ship’s engine as you cross vast, empty distances, provides an incredible sense of isolation and loneliness. Occasionally,

SEMI-PERMANENT

however, you will encounter other life-forms, be they ships or despicable sea-creatures, which you will have to either kill or flee from in order to continue.

The combat is incredibly basic and is more focussed upon threat assessment than carefully inputted button combinations or challenging tactics. Admittedly, if Sunless Sea’s focus was on combat, it would be fairly unfulfilling, but fortunately the game’s most significant strength lies in its incredibly immersive atmosphere and imaginative storytelling, the power of which takes the pressure off of the somewhat bland combat system.

The adventure truly begins when you dock at one of the Sunless Sea’s many islands, initiating that island’s story, which is presented in a text-based picka-path format. You get to decide how you interact with each of the subcultures that inhabit the game’s world, and your decisions stick with you like the barnacles on your ship’s hull, each carrying heavy political and financial implications, and ultimately affecting your chances of success.

It must be stated that the game is incredibly slow-paced, with very little emphasis on “action”, so those seeking a more adrenalinefueled experience would be wise to shy away from this particular release. However, if you are seeking aesthetic immersion and dark, interactive storytelling, then you’d be foolish to refuse the call of the Sunless Sea. WILLIAM BOWELL

HEDGE AABY SENNEP What are you working on right now?

I’m working on a 3D helix for Cancer Research UK. The interactive DNA contains the names of all the supporters of a new research lab, and is a personalised ‘thankyou’ for their donations.

Who was an inspiration or idol to you growing up?

Pippi Langstrømpe (Pippi Longstocking) – the strongest girl in the world. Pippi is nine years old and live on her own with her horse and monkey, as her pirate dad is at sea. She is not afraid of anything and is a bit crazy at times, but she is very kind and protective of her friends.

When you were a kid what was your dream job?

It kept changing, when I was very little I had a fascination with clowns and wanted to join the circus. As a teenager I wanted to study law. After A levels I took a year out to snowboard and I joined an Art & Design evening course. This was the first time I heard of graphic design and I got very excited about pursuing a career in a creative profession.

Where was the last place you went out for dinner?

We had a meeting in Amsterdam recently and had a lovely meal at a small, family run Italian restaurant. I had scallops tagliatelle, but I can’t remember the name of the restaurant.

What’s your guilty pleasure?

Playing addictive game apps on my phone like Threes, Candy Crush and Sennep’s own game TEN. What do you most respect about your friends?

That they are kind and honest, have integrity and take pride in whatever they do.

One piece of advice you’ve never forgotten…

When was a teenager I remember my uncle said to me; “no matter what you do in life, do it well.”

The biggest mistake you’ve made is…

I wish I realised sooner how important it is to have a strong plan or vision. Having clear goals makes it easier to prioritise and to focus on the things that add real value and impact. My days of obsessing over pixels are over… I hope :) The biggest success you’ve had is… ...cocreating a workplace with a great culture and talented people, that makes me excited to go to work every day.

Name five things surrounding you right now.

My unpacked suitcase, a Frozen dress, my laptop, my iPhone, pictures of my daughters.

SEMI-PERMANENT AUCKLAND FRI 03 JUL – SAT 04 JUL VICTORY CONVENTION CENTRE, AUCKLAND

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ADRIAN GRENIER

WHAT DO YOU think it is about the characters and the world of Entourage that resonates with so many people around the world?

AG: I think certainly the world of glitz and glam and fun and a life about options without consequences is certainly part of the appeal and very exciting. But I think it would wear thin if that was all it was about, and there wasn’t something deeper, more meaningful.

Because these guys are so good to each other, because they support each other through the treacherous world of Hollywood. In spite of all the seductions, they manage to come back to home, back to what’s important; which is their loyalty and friendship. I think that really brings it to a dynamic place where people can really relate and connect to the characters.

Tell me about Vincent Chase and what it is that you like most about your character, first in the show and now in the movie?

AG: I really like that he’s a Zen master. He’s been able to hold on by letting go, and I think there’s something really cool about that. It’s sort of lesson for all of us that you have to just ride the wave; you can’t control the wave.

You’ve got to float on top of the wave. And if you try too hard to latch on, you’ll fall. So I just like that he’s so easy going, that he cares about everybody else more than himself. And that he leads with his heart.

I find the movie extremely poignant and lovable. You really get a sense of the friendship and the comradery of all the guys, and their closeness, which I think is what

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makes this movie so special. You get what you would expect with the girls and the cars and the parties, and the cameos, of course.

But you also get this added element, which gives it a really great layer of friendship. And I think women and girls are going to love the movie because it’s very touching; you see an emotional side to these guys.

Entourage as a brand is known for so many beautiful women. But even though it’s about the bros, the women are not just decorations. They have parts to play and they have stories, right?

AG: Yeah, I mean, people say it’s all about the women, whatever. That’s the tapestry; that’s not really the meat and the heart of the story.

But the women aren’t just in and out or just background—it’s the women who actually drive the story and interact meaningfully with the characters. They’re all really strong, powerful women, between Sloan [Emmanuel Chirqui] and Mrs. Ari [Perrey Reeves] and [MMA champion] Ronda Rousey. It’s the women who really hold court.

What was it like for you to get back with this group of actors that you spent so much of your life with? Had you guys stayed in touch?

AG: Yeah, we’ve stayed in touch enough to know what we were up to. But it really is like a family reunion. You don’t really have to think much about it. You dive right in and just roll with it. I mean, you start acting and there’s Drama [Kevin Dillon], being perfectly Drama and Turtle’s [Jerry Ferrara] there. They say

acting is reacting, and that’s certainly the case here. It’s like riding a bike.

What about writer/director Doug Ellin? Is he another member of the gang? And what’s your collaboration like?

AG: Doug is certainly one of the guys. I really respect the fact that he’s able to abstract stories from all of us, even when we don’t even know he’s doing it. Just taking pieces from our real lives, stories that we’ve conveyed, even invented stories that turn out to be true, he somehow just puts it all together so that the show has a relevance, and also is often prophetic. I’ll tell you, this has been a ‘meta’ experience for sure. I don’t know if you saw my documentary, Teenage Paparazzo, but to become famous by playing a famous guy in a show about fame is interesting.

Vince directs a film in the Entourage movie, and since you’re beginning to dip into directing, do you think that was one of those things that Doug incorporated into the character based on your own life?

AG: Oh, absolutely, yeah. I think there are pieces of all of us in the characters and in the storyline that keeps it within a range that we’re all really able to authentically embody. I mean, I’m honored. Although documentaries usually cost like, half a million dollars if you’re lucky.

And I think Hyde [Vincent Chase’s debut film] is considerably more.

IN CINEMAS: THU 04 JUN

ANDREW JOHNSTONE

SHAMIR fat ass”. When he was eight years old he became aware of the music that was being played around him and knew that it was going to be his life. At age nine he was given a guitar and a copy of Guitar for Dummies. He taught himself to play and began writing songs.

One of the notable elements of Shamir’s sound is his voice. One minute it is all playful and informed hip-hop, the next minute it’s all “torch” balled. This boy can sing, the way Michael Jackson could sing, the way Beyonce sings. He grew up listening to his mothers Nina Simone and his aunties Janis Joplin, his grandmothers Tina Louise and Ella Fitzgerald and it shows.

He talks about his mother as though she is a shinning star. My curiosity is piqued and I ask him to tell me a little more about her. He laughs and says he has painted something of a glossy image, and says that in reality his mother is just a normal and imperfect human being who just happens to be his “best friend.”

He credits her nurturing ways for the success that has come his way. “She has always given me the space for me to be who and what I am and has encouraged my art.”

THERE ARE A tonne of talented kids out there but it takes a bit more than talent, persistence and skill to get discovered. Luck is part of the equation and if Shamir Bailey hadn’t sent his demos to NY punk-oriented label Godmode on a whim, things might have worked out quite differently and he might just have gone farming in Arkansas as he was planning to do. His mother, about whom he speaks with great affection, urged him to give it a little more time. He did and this year finds himself signed to XL, one of the world’s most prestigious labels. They run a small roster that includes Adele, The Prodigy, Radiohead and Jack White.

A punk label like Godmode seems an odd starting point for a pop writer like Shamir, but punk is where his heart lies. He even formed a punk band when he was 15. It didn’t work; his associate suffered crippling stage fright and their first gig was their last.

This failure forced Shamir back to the bedroom “where he belonged,” and he got on with making pop music. It is often the way with songwriters, they are fated to make music different to what they like. Some struggle with it but not Shamir, while he is deeply inspired

by punk, he does what he does with joy and grace.

With Godmode producer/owner Nick Sylvester at the helm, he recorded and released The Northtown EP in 2014, a collection of songs about the life and times of the people living on the fringes of Vegas. The EP was wellreceived and bought him to the attention of XL who promptly signed him and have since been “friendly and warm and totally supportive of my art.”

As we speak, Shamir is preparing to fly out to London, now his second home, to begin his first major tour. He is distracted and who can blame him – one minute he is making music in his bedroom, the next, he on the media treadmill being prepped by a major label for the big time. It’s all happening and happening fast.

Shamir is 20 years old and Las Vegas-born, a place he describes as dusty and mostly hot.

Northtown is half an hour north of the strip in the deep suburbs, “a long way from the tourists”. On Twitter he describes himself as a “musician, comedian, singer, rapper, twerker, chef, writer, filmmaker, tumblr and skinny

Shamir is androgynous and in his own words, “to those who keep asking, I have no gender, no sexuality and no fucks to give.”

“I always find it amazing that people get mad because they can’t figure out my gender,” he says. “Even though my only job here is to create art, I think being a genderless figure … it shakes people. And when that happens it makes me feel like I’m doing my job.”

Shamir’s sound and style is indicative of the new wave of young African American artists, and here I include Willow Smith. It’s inventive, somewhat surreal, and wholly “African”.

Taking its cues from be-bop and Afrofuturism and hip-hop, this new African American voice is bold and confident and distinct from all that has gone before. It’s like “new wave” of young black artists have unshackled themselves from the weight of the past and are flying free, pushing boundaries and effortlessly taking pop music to places it has never dreamed of going.

Ratchet, Shamir’s debut album, is a triumph that marks him as a voice to watch.

NEW ALBUM: RATCHET OUT NOW

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ALBUM REVIEWS **** DJANGO DJANGO BORN UNDER SATURN (BECAUSE)

Just when you’re wondering if you’re ever going to have another genuinely WTF musical experience, along comes a record that makes the brain contort into unforeseen shapes. The second album from this Scottish group fills your head with question marks and exclamations, because it’s just so different to everything else out there. It belongs to the genre of art-pop. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, think of Brian Eno’s early pop-rock records, perfectly-crafted, clever

*** PRINCESS CHELSEA THE GREAT CYBERNETIC DEPRESSION

*

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***** TWENTY ONE PILOTS BLURRYFACE

(PIAS)

(PARLOPHONE)

(FUELED BY RAMEN)

Throughout her career, Chelsea Nikkel’s coy coo has most often been offered up with the kind of deadpan delivery that could always separate her from the cloying amongst the twee kneesock brigade. On The Great Cybernetic Depression, vocals tackle subjects closer to Nikkel’s heart (single ‘No Church On Sunday’, penned by friend Jamie, who rejected familial religious life with Nikkel at a young age) with a kind of bleak retrofuturistic melancholy. Ultravox and Berlin synthpads space out over crystal cascades, occasional guitar wails and a Pet Shop Boys aural distancing. Longtime collaborator Jonathan Bree (who performed with Nikkel in much-loved chamber pop team The Brunettes) pops up upon occasion, as does Nikkel’s cat Winston. Certainly a step beyond the quaint and dainty, nestled within estranged, arm’slength synth.

Sometimes timing just ain’t on your side. Róisín Murphy was Robyn before Robyn was Robyn (see: her work within Moloko and Murphy’s initial solo singles) and dressed like Gaga before the latter was out of Tisch School of the Arts (see: the accompanying publicity/videos for Murphy’s brilliant 2007 album Overpowered). Criminally overlooked in the mid-2000s, we’ve now had to wait eight years for any following LP release. A smidge regrettably, Hairless Toys moves away from the tighter structuring of pop, employing much longer explorations (most tracks are around the six-minute mark), of a more skeletal, wonky electronic groove. Bubbling basslines push otherwise lulling tracks forward, with Murphy’s voice often enveloped within song arrangements rather than standing proud upon their surface. Perhaps start with standout ‘Evil Eyes’ and melt on inwards.

‘White Sky Boy’ opens Weller’s 12th solo album. It could be an intimidated response to the success of bands like the Black Keys, with retro-garage blues plastered all over this Hendrixtinged blinder and later on but the blister-pack ‘Long Time’. But he’s not the Modfather for nought. On the album’s title he’s found his way back to the Beatles and The Faces. There’s also a good mix of Northern Souls and Housemartin “croonery” peeking through on ‘Going My Way’ and ‘Pick It Up’, which mutates into a sample-fest of clever guitar distortions. A nod to the musical Hair surfaces on ‘Phoenix’. It all rounds off with ‘These City Streets’, a modern take on Marvin Gaye’s ‘What’s Goin’ On?’ Knitting it all together is an assortment of spaceblips and ciphers, maintaining the astral theme. Despite the temptation to get grumpy in his old age, Weller’s determined to have fun on this.

Remember when you first heard Prodigy’s ‘Firestarter’? What heady overkill for the senses. That was the same shot in arm I got from track one of Blurryface, the follow-up to 2013’s The Vessel.

‘Heavydirtysoul’ is a full mix of multi-genre rap ‘n’ rock techno.

But the Ohio duo are no onetrick pyromaniacs. Songwriter Tyler Joseph’s cranium must be exploding at the seams with ideas – power pop, rudeboy rap and Weezer-style indie. Much it is couched in reggae idioms all offset by Joseph’s imitation Londoner staccato rap verbosity.

But ‘Tear In My Heart’ is a vaudevillian keyboard-pounder with Sweeney Todd imagery and contrasting uke strummer ‘We Don’t Believe What’s On TV.’ It’s all highly overwhelming. No doubt this album will go ballistic and probably already is. But like too many Fluffy Ducks on pub crawl you will begin to feel queasy pretty quickly.

SARAH THOMSON

SARAH THOMSON

TIM GRUAR

TIM GRUAR

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*

GARY STEEL

PAUL WELLER ***** SATURN’S PATTERN

(LIL’ CHIEF/FLYING NUN)

RÓISÍN MURPHY*** HAIRLESS TOYS

slices of partly-ironic but still emotionally-centred pop. Think of the nudge-wink sharp humour of post-punkers The Monochrome Set, or contemporary clever bastards, Field Music. Then add a dash of dance aesthetic, to give the whole thing a crisp, motivational groove. Born Under Saturn is a beaut, ultra high-def, kaleidoscopical, colourful musical experience. Art-pop has never quite been on-trend, so you’ll see some negative reviews too. Make up your own mind.

ALBUM REVIEWS ***** NICK CAVE & WARREN ELLIS LOIN DES HOMMES (GOLIATH)

A soundtrack created for a film set on the landscapes of Algeria, Loin Des Hommes (Far From Men) won’t be interesting to those expecting Nick Cave to be wrapping his dulcet tones over a bunch of songs.

Completely instrumental apart from the extraordinary, haunting glossolalia of Greek musician Psarandonis on a couple of tracks, like most of their other soundtrack work, it’s so much more than the repetitive cues and incidental atmosphere generators of most

FAITH NO MORE*** SOL INVICTUS

*

JASON DERULO *** EVERYTHING IS 4

*

SHAMIR RATCHET

*****

(RECLAMATION)

(WARNER BROS.)

(XL)

A mere 18 years after their last album, Mike Patton and mates gather for the big reunion album.

Except it’s not, really. The great thing about Sol Invictus is that it doesn’t aim for a big comeback statement, and they don’t seem the least bit interested in defining (or redefining) what made the group special. The result is both good and just okay. The creatively prolific Patton gets to fidget with all manner of voices, going for the low yo-yo one minute, and highly-processed layerings the next. Apart from the singing, the most remarkable thing about Sol Invictus is just how un-rock most of the backing is – piano and drums often take the lead, in a variety of styles that some fans might find a bit camp. But there’s almost always an intense blast to be found in the choruses, where the group’s anthemic power punkmetal roots glow through.

Producer, singer, dancer Jason Derulo is huge. His new single ‘Want to Want Me’ was posted on YouTube in late March and has been watched by 34 million and should easily go 60 million

by July if his overall figures are anything to go by. Derulo is the grandchild of Michael Jackson and the great grandchild of Motown. His music is polished, sophisticated mainstream pop and the new album, while breaking no new ground, will be warmly greeted by fans and radio alike.

Everything Is 4, released June 2015, is a perfectly pitched album about the ups and downs of love; it’s full of hooks, choruses, break-ups and reconciliation and new love. There are special quest appearances from people like JLo, Stevie Wonder and country music star Karl Urban. The latter two collaborate on a hip-hop track that weaves in a nice country twist.

GARY STEEL

ANDREW JOHNSTONE

At 20, Shamir Bailey has fashioned what should be his fledgling debut, but any flaws are easy to forgive in the face of such a sense of self and a determination to do and be what comes naturally. He’s got one of those voices you hear rarely in gospel or disco – a voice that’s neither countertenor nor falsetto but genuinely straddles the emotional divide between man and womankind. The boy can sing, and when he gets a chance – like on the acoustic, uncredited extra song – it’s easy to see that Shamir will easily break through the novelty barrier. But for now, novelty works, and Ratchet, with its canny combo of electro-disco beats, bleeping, synthy nonsense and hedonistic lyrics, it’s all too much fun. In an echo of what made Prince so great on ‘Make A Scene’, he’s swapping vanquished dreams for having fun, right here, right now. Big fresh.

GARY STEEL

movie composers. Taken on its own merits, it’s spooky, evocative and haunting and stimulates the visual cortex without any extramural stimulation. They’ve employed the services of a sizable string section but there’s nothing conventionally orchestral about this project, on which queasy and sometimes unbearably sad droning textures are spiced with simple keyboard melodies. It may not sound like the Bad Seeds, Grinderman or Dirty 3, but it’s in keeping with the gothic grace of the duo’s other work.

GARY STEEL

*** * OZRIC TENTACLES TECHNICIANS OF THE SACRED (MADFISH)

Formed in 1983 at the hippie Stonehenge festival, they have 28 albums of their unique, instrumental psych-trance-spacerock under their belts. If your ultimate sound is a combination of Hawkwind’s endless space-rock jams and the kind of repetitive electronic trance that was hot in the early ‘90s, then this might just be the spiritual experience you’ve been looking for ever since The Edge fell off the stage and killed your enthusiasm for U2.

Nearly every track here – it seems to go on forever, folks! – lasts around 10 minutes and they all sound pretty much the same. This musical salad is lentil as anything – it starts with spaced-out synths bleeping across the stereophonic landscape, building up its tempo and intensity with yet more synths, tribal samples and endless guitar wig-outs, with punctuation provided by the odd riff-hanger.

It’s so bad that it’s bad. I love it.

GARY STEEL

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ALBUM REVIEWS ***** UNKNOWN MORTAL ORCHESTRA MULTI-LOVE (JAGJAGUWAR)

Holy shit, Ruban Neilson’s sound has grown limbs. Disco/ soul saturation, lumbersexual psych-folk, a healthy chunk of Sly & the Family Stone and more than a little funk-heavy Prince.

Never one to shy from detailing the highly personal catalysts for his output, Neilson on MultiLove is documenting the highs, the confusions and the losses inherent in his and his wife’s first polyamorous relationship.

(Google it, seriously. He’s an incredibly honest interview

JLIN DARK ENERGY

(HARVEST)

(PLANET MU)

(ANTI RECORDS)

West Coast’s Best Coast’s third full-length album continues the trajectory of lo-fi to professional polish. California Nights is their most radio-ready guitarpop statement yet. A statement that done well is a force to be reckoned with. For all of its efforts, California Nights is a bit on the damp side. While their recordings get consistently better, the songs stay the same.

Bethany Cosentino’s lyrics deal with relationship matters generic enough that a poeticallyinclined pre-pubescent could relate. Oh and weed. That all makes sense in a bedroom demo.

The studio makes the hooks too slippery to hold on to. There’s shades of fellow Los Angeles punk-turned-pop queen Belinda Carlisle in Cosentino and it’s a well made record. Unfortunately the WASP-y, wistful, weed-fog boredom just isn’t very productive territory anymore.

Footwork’s roots in Chicago house and inexorable link to the street dance developed in parallel to make it a genre of tradition, albeit a recent one.

Gary, Indiana native Jlin has left her luggage behind, entering new territory with the swiftness of the recently unburdened. True to the footwork recipe, Dark Energy is primarily concerned with the production of rhythmic energy, but the real promise of the release is its pregnant emptiness, using space as a core texture. A fresh manoeuvre in a style that has the potential to feel stuck on sixteenth note hi-hat patterns. As some fusty old French fella once said, it’s about the space between the notes. This, coupled with the fact Jlin generates her own sounds, rather than relying solely on sampling, provides an overall sensation of moving and looking resolutely forward.

Milk Carton Kids Joey Ryan and Kenneth Pattengale continue crafting their own take on nouveau-folk. Sure it’s been done before. The Felice Brothers were the last to make significant waves in this space. While the Mumfords and Bellowhead have cornered the pub-stomp market, the Kids’ main skill is the deft employment of close vocal harmonies and delicate acoustic guitars. They bring the quiet. Half of Monterey was made on tour, the other half in a Nashville church. But it all feels as intimate as a lounge-room performance. ‘Getaway’ and the exquisite ‘Shooting Shadows’ both showcase a delicate interplay of voice and elegantly picked guitar. A sombre austerity sneaks through most of the songs, especially on ‘Deadly Bells’, making more upbeat numbers like the Simon & Garfunkel type ‘The City of Our Lady’ which seems positively rockin’ by contrast.

(CAPITOL)

TIM GRUAR

SAM WIECK

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SAM WIECK

*** MILK CARTON KIDS MONTEREY

*

SARAH THOMSON

** ** BEST COAST CALIFORNIA NIGHTS

SAM WIECK

*****

subject). Repurposing the money afforded him by Jagjaguwar to pay for album production, Neilson instead self-produced and spent large on a litany of vintage instruments and studio kit. The psych-pop of UMO’s previous two albums is still present, but fleshed out considerably with fuzzy stonk and squelchy, electric soul. The enjoyment of highlights ‘Can’t Keep Checking My Phone’ and ‘Like Acid Rain’ is inescapable, with the rest following not far behind.

MY MORNING ***** JACKET THE WATERFALL Quasi-spiritual beardy dudes are back in, so grab your leather braid headband and your zip-lock bag of fungus – you’re about to hear the word “interconnected”.

My Morning Jacket’s seventh album is back in familiar territory, somewhere between the back porch and the giant wicker statue, with the addition of a thematic conceit. The songs are interconnected by a single relationship. This time it’s personal, for Jim James at least.

Liverpuddlian lamentations of lost love over finger-picked guitar, swampy reverb and fuzzy synths swim together quite happily.

The big, bold arrangements have the Coachella context in mind; wide open spaces left by a fading open chord for the sun to set over and vocal harmonies to swell up through, while the spaced out festival-goers sway. It’s hard not to imagine The Waterfall heading to a Laneway near you.

ON THE RECORD

LUKE DUBS HERMITUDE Your house is on fire, what do save?

My retro game console collection. I’ve got lots of saved games going on!

Favourite ‘90s TV show?

Twin Peaks. Or The X Files. I had a bit of a crush on Scully.

Dream job as a kid?

Tornado chaser.

First album?

Thriller, Michael Jackson.

Crammed into the back of my dad’s Corolla listening to it on tape on the way to the Snowy Mountains.

If you weren’t a musician, what would you be?

Photographer or writer.

Ultimate festival line-up?

Frank Ocean, Kendrick Lamar, Flying Lotus, Bach, Ella Fitzgerald, Oscar Peterson and us!

Who would you play in a film?

I’d be happy to start out as a zombie in a horror then maybe move up to a supporting role like Dennis Dun in Big Trouble In Little China.

ARTIST Q&A

I check out the likes of my favourite artists and see where that leads me. My girl opens my ears up to lots of cool new sounds too as she has a completely different taste in music to me.

Worst job you’ve had?

I was a porter at a three-and-ahalf star hotel in Darlinghurst Sydney for four years. It was both my worst job and best job.

It was like being in the Quentin Tarantino film Four Rooms. I saw erreerything at that place.

Which song do you wish you wrote?

‘Fuse’, Hudson Mohawke.

Biggest fear?

Drowning. I’m a shit swimmer.

First gig in attendance?

My dad’s jazz band. Didn’t really listen to the music though, was more interested in skidding across the dance floor on my knees.

Any vices?

None I can talk about here.

Favourite lyric?

“You can all run naked backwards through a field of dicks” – Run The Jewels SEE HIM LIVE: HERMITUDE THU 09 JUL UNIVERSITY OF OTAGO, DUNEDIN

THOMAS PRESS COMPOSER/SOUND DESIGNER Who’s in the dead supergroup for your dream hologram show?

Robert Johnson, Billie Holiday, Jimi Hendrix.

What’s an upcoming film you’re jazzed about?

Pretty pumped to get my masculinity threatened by Mad Max. Where can your stalkers find you during the weekend?

Somewhere between Q Theatre or Basement Theatre.

What happens when you mix Coca Cola with Pepsi?

Diabetes.

Your fantasy spirit animal is …

Sheep Man. Your signature “I’m an amazing cook” dish is…

My Moroccan lamb or pumpkin salad is just fancy enough to get me through most potluck dinners.

House of Cards.

The best place for a date night is…

A wander up Mt Eden.

You’d get arrested if the police knew that you…

Oooh would have loved to have spray painted “Not our community” on the SkyCity billboard, see below.

People say you look like…

An aspiring hipster.

Five celebs on your fucklist?

I’m a lover not a fucker.

Kittens or puppies?

I swing between both, definitely going through a puppy phase.

What generic current affair has your blood boiled?

Flag debate, waste of money to give illusion of democracy.

TPPA anyone? And while I’m on my soapbox, for weeks I had to ride past a SkyCity billboard on my way home proclaiming “Community, it all starts here” – made me ill every time I saw it.

FRI 10 JUL JAMES CABARET,

How do you discover new music?

A lot through Soundcloud,

WELLINGTON SAT 11 JUL THE STUDIO, AUCKLAND

The best TV show around at the moment is…

I’m having a great time with

DUST PILGRIM THU 04 JUN – SAT 13 JUN Q THEATRE, AUCKLAND

FILM REVIEWS

DIRECTED BY GEORGE MILLER STARRING TOM HARDY, CHARLIZE THERON, NICHOLAS HOULT

***** MAD MAX: FURY ROAD No more than five minutes after having my senses assaulted by the visually frenetic, thrash-metal heavy, adrenaline ride that was Mad Mad: Fury Road, I wanted more. Like some kind of action

film addict, this wild ride through a bleak post-apocalyptic future had me hooked to the intensity – a feeling that’s been lacking in recent blockbusters.

Why is it so good? Because George Miller, his cast, crew and every person involved in making

this film has gone to pain-staking detail to create a believable, albeit freakin’ insane, alternative universe. From the scrap metal heap vehicles that are comprised of chopped up pieces of Fords, Mercedes, Chevys and more, to the disease-infested albino army of War Boys running around the desert, this is a visual treat to watch unfold. Essentially, plot-wise, this is a chase flick.

Charlize Theron’s bad-ass warrior Furiosa is on the run – picking up straggler Max (Tom Hardy) along the way – and her employers are tracking her down in their custom hack-job war machines. Punches are thrown, shots fire, explosions

ensue … like nothing you’re ever seen before. Miller, through soundtrack cues and a myriad of rapid cuts, creates a high-tension atmosphere as cat and mouse fight to the death against the stark, unforgiving backdrop of the Namibian desert.

But you know what else is cool?

Unexpectedly, Mad Mad is a feminist action film. It’s telling that both Theron and Hardy have double billing on the film’s poster – neither one is the hero/heroine, but a thrown-together duo, united by a common enemy. She saves his ass, he saves hers – and they both have a mean right hook.

LAURA WEASER

DIRECTED BY ELIZABETH BANKS STARRING ANNA KENDRICK, REBEL WILSON, BRITTANY SNOW DIRECTED BY BRAD BIRD STARRING GEORGE CLOONEY, BRIT ROBERTSON, HUGH LAURIE

PITCH PERFECT 2**** Aca-believe it Pitches – all the things you loved about the 2012 original is back and with more sassy quips from everyone’s favourite Australian (no, not Mel Gibson) Rebel Wilson. It was a tough call, after to-ing and fro-ing about making a sequel, whether it would live up to the hype and long-time Pitch Perfect fans won’t be disappointed.

After a presidential performance in front of Barack Obama goes south (literally), the Barden Bellas are stripped of their national title and are suspended from any future shows. Basically their acacareer is over. Thankfully, a glitch in the system means they can be reinstated if they win worlds – a feat never before achieved by a US team.

Like all sequels, it’s hard to mediate all the things we loved about the original while coming up with a fresh angle. Thankfully,

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with its star Elizabeth Banks now behind the camera as well as in front, Pitch Perfect 2 is in the right hands. There’s still plenty of aca-jams, girl power bonding moments and a good ol’ fashioned a cappella riff-off.

The story moves along, posing the all-important question, “What happens after college?” and provides a driver as the girls struggle to face the outside world.

Now a huge actress in her own right, thanks to the popularity of Fat Amy, Rebel Wilson is the star of this show. She gets outstandingly good lines that go beyond “I’m fat and I can laugh about it”, and for the first time in history, the plus-sized sidekick gets a romantic subplot! Thanks again to Banks for taking the reins and turning a singing flick into a pro-gal piece of excellent comedy.

LAURA WEASER

TOMORROWLAND***** In an era of adaptations, making a movie based off a Disneythemed ride isn’t a total surprise but that doesn’t make it okay.

Yes, Pirates of the Caribbean managed to successfully do it for one out of four (soon to be five) PG-rated flicks, but you can’t just go turning every twirling teacup or log ride into a feature-length joyride. Such is the case with Tomorrowland. A beautiful concept, a fun ride through outer space, alternative worlds and the creative imagination of the film’s writers – only to come to little conclusion that ultimately leaves you feeling somewhat satisfied yet lacking that hands-in-the-air thrill.

Bound by a shared destiny, Casey Newton (Britt Robertson), bursting with scientific curiosity, and a former boy-genius inventor

Frank (George Clooney) embark on a danger-filled mission to unearth the secrets of a place somewhere in time and space that exists in their collective memory as Tomorrowland. Stars Clooney and Robertson are perfect in their respective jaded-optimistic stereotypes, Clooney a stonecold silver fox to this day. It’s also refreshing to see a young woman in a heroine role, over an older, stalwart figure such as Clooney. But when much of the story is in their hands, explaining long-winded monologues for the benefit of the films target market (they couldn’t show the kiddies too much danger) you start to lose interest. Visually, Tomorrowland is a wonder for the eyes, a CGI marvel, however, the onedimensional storyline might leave you feeling a little flat.

LAURA WEASER

CONCERT PROMOTER REQUIRES OFFICE JUNIOR Brent Eccles Entertainment Ltd is looking for an Office Junior to join their enthusiastic team!

This is a full time job that touches on all aspects of the music industry.

You’ll know if it’s the right gig for you!

Contact helen@eccles.co.nz or call 09 849 7707

03—04.

July 2015

this is semiAD–permanent AD Victory Convention Centre Auckland

Purchase tickets at www.semipermanent.com

Michael Bierut Pentagram — Jessica Walsh Sagmeister & Walsh — Christopher Doyle Designer – Georgianna Stout 2x4 Evan Roth Artist & Hacker – Andrew Gordon Pixar – James Brown MASH – Hege Aaby & Matt Rice Sennep Yuri Suzuki Designer & Musician – Tomas Libertiny Product Designer & Artist – Kathryn Wilson Kathryn Wilson +++ more

ANDREW JOHNSTONE

CAIRO KNIFE FIGHT “progression from the EPs, that were all trending towards a more concise, punchy, rendering of the music...” many of the Black Eyed Peas hits, as well as being a cornerstone performing and recording musician for them. He has also worked with the likes of Carlos Santana, Damien Marley and Nas. The pair met serendipitously as George had a studio in Gaffaney’s backyard. “I literally walked outside, and there he was and yeah, we got chatting and he wanted to jump in. He’s been wanting to play rock again for years, because obviously the Black Eyed Peas didn’t really do that, and yeah, he’s excited about it.”

NICK GAFFANEY SINCE BEING FOUNDED in 2009, New Zealand’s Cairo Knife Fight have released four EPs and opened for the likes of Queens of the Stone Age, Shihad, Them Crooked Vultures, Foo Fighters, and Gomez. 2015 is the year that Cairo Knife Fight finally released their debut album at the end of May, which will be followed by concerts in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

The album is called The Colossus and talking to Cairo Knife Fight’s founding member, drummer and frontman Nick Gaffaney, it is easy to see how the name fits. Written and recorded over three countries and two continents, this “beast” of an album “heralded a new beginning for the band … [the album] has been through so many incarnations, its sounded so different it was such a colossus to put together, that [The Colossus] just seemed like an appropriate title for how big this project has been.”

“Big” is a good descriptor for those who have been involved in the album as well as the album itself. Gaffaney has been drumming since he was six years old. Now 37, he cites a wide range of influences, from Tony Williams to John Bonham, honed over years of being involved with everything from free jazz to rock and roll. He also worked with some of New Zealand’s leading musicians, including Anika Moa, Dimmer, and Fat Freddy’s Drop before he established Cairo Knife Fight. This

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allowed Gaffaney to “appreciate how much work goes into creating music, so I was under no illusions.”

Cairo Knife Fight is well-known for smashing precisely layered tidal waves of sound over their listeners, and this album looks to be a “progression from the EPs, that were all trending towards a more concise, punchy, rendering of the music,” says Gaffaney.

Collaboration has been an important part of Cairo Knife Fight’s music from the beginning. The band operates as a duo live, with Gaffaney and an eclectic mixture of established musicians performing under its moniker. This has included William Knepp, Joel Haines and Aaron Tokona, as well as Mark Lanegan (QOTSA) as well as Los Angeles producers/musicians Tyler Fournames and John Anderson. However, when creating music for the album, it was done “mostly as a duo,” says Gaffaney. “I’d get in the room with someone, with our gear and I’d hit record on Pro Tools and we’d jam and we’d find bits that we’d pull out and say that’s a great little part there let’s turn that into a song, and most of the performances begin that way on the record too.

It’s drums and guitar down and then we fill out around things how we want.”

George Pajon Jr is the latest musician working with Gaffaney and will be joining him on his tour of New Zealand. Pajor Jr is a Grammy award-winning guitarist, songwriter and producer who was involved in co-writing

From that initial chat, the duo have performed at South by Southwest festival and various shows in LA. They are currently doing an 18-tour show across Australia with Karnival before Cairo Knife Fight head over to New Zealand. It is clear that Gaffaney is brimming with optimism about the “new beginning” for Cairo Knife Fight. “Everyone who has been involved in the project is like ‘we are starting again, it’s exciting again, and after all the twists and turns – because, you know, bands aren’t easy things to be in – it’s good.”

With the three-date tour of New Zealand fast approaching, Gaffaney hopes that the band brings “a sound that hasn’t been heard [here] before. The way that George approaches guitar is exciting, he gets incredible tones that I haven’t heard or worked with before, he really knows what he is doing, and it’s exciting, I feel the vibe onstage, its pushing us to new heights and it’s exciting.”

As Nick and I say our goodbyes on the phone, I am struck by how both this project and the band itself has involved a colossal amount of talent, dedication, and tenacity. Rather than being the means to an end result, this album marks the beginning of a band that traverses geographical and musical borders, creating a sound and potential that is infinite with possibilities. That is a huge and important thing for any band.

NEW ALBUM: THE COLOSSUS OUT NOW

#WINNING VISIT RIPITUP.CO.NZ FOR MORE INFO AND TO ENTER THE DRAW TO WIN PRIZES MAJOR LAZER 3 X COPIES OF PEACE IS THE MISSION

WIN

SEMI-PERMANENT FRI 03 JUL – SAT 04 JUL VICTORY CONVENTION CENTRE, AUCKLAND 1 X DOUBLE PASS

COBAIN: MONTAGE OF HECK 5 X COPIES ON DVD

DON MCGLASHAN MUSE 3 X COPIES OF DRONES

2 X COPIES OF LUCKY STARS

CAIRO KNIFE FIGHT 3 X COPIES OF THE COLOSSUS

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UPCOMING TOURS & EVENTS

MAROON 5 (US) Thu 01 Oct Horncastle Arena, Christchurch Sat 03 Oct Vector Arena, Auckland Sun 04 Oct Vector Arena, Auckland

NEIL DIAMOND (US) Mon 19 Oct Vector Arena, Auckland Sat 24 Oct Forsyth Barr

SEETHER (ZA) Fri 26 Jun Logan Campbell Centre, Auckland

Stadium, Dunedin NZ INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL Thu 16 Jul - Sun 02 Aug Auckland Fri 07 Aug - Sun 23 Aug Christchurch Thu 30 Jul - Sun 16 Aug Dunedin Thu 20 Aug - Sun 13 Sep Hamilton Thu 03 Sep - Sun 20 Sep Hawke’s Bay Wed 02 Sep - Wed 16 Sep Masterton Thu 06 Aug - Sun 23 Aug Nelson Thu 03 Sep - Sun 20 Sep New Plymouth Thu 20 Aug - Sun 06 Sep Palmerston North Thu 20 Aug - Sun 13 Sep Tauranga Fri 24 Jul - Sun 09 Aug Wellington

RANDA & TRIP PONY Wed 03 Jun San Fran, Wellington Fri 05 Jun Dux Live, Christchurch Sat 06 Jun Chicks Hotel, Dunedin ROBBIE WILLIAMS (UK) Sat 31 Oct Basin Reserve, Wellington Tue 03 Nov Vector Arena, Auckland RUSSELL BRAND (UK) Wed 14 Oct Vector Arena, Auckland

eo

20 YEARS

ft

he

A

N

NIV

NEW

NEW

NEW TOKIMONSTA (US) Fri 05 Jun San Fran, Wellington Fri 12 Jun Galatos, Auckland

TRINITY ROOTS Fri 05 Jun The Blue Pub, Methven Sat 06 Jun The Ferry Ale House, Christchurch Thu 11 Jun Top Shelf Bar, Whakatane Fri 12 Jun The Dome, Gisborne Sat 13 Jun Crab Tree Winery, Napier Sat 20 Jun San Fran, Wellington

Harvey’s Aroused by Wolves

www.facebook.com/ Newzealandbattleofthebands

www . ba ttl

NEW SHLOHMO (US) Thu 23 Jul The Kings Arms, Auckland Fri 24 Jul Bodega, Wellington

RYAN ADAMS (US) Tue 14 Jul Town Hall, Auckland Thu 16 Jul Opera House, Wellington

OHAKUNE MARDI GRAS Sat 27 Jun Ohakune Junction, Ohakune

present

NEW

SEMI-PERMANENT AUCKLAND 2015 Fri 03 Jul - Sat 04 Jul Victory Convention Centre, Auckland

3rd of July @ The Kings Arms Harvey Knows a Killer Strangely Arousing Albie & The Wolves DJ Sulu ( The Black Seeds )

R

Y

MARLON WILLIAMS Thu 25 Jun Bodega, Wellington Fri 26 Jun Crystal Palace, Auckland Sat 27 Jun Isaac Theatre Royal, Christchurch Sun 28 Jun Chicks Hotel, Dunedin

E R SA

ba

nd

BANDS -

E

. nz s . co

ER NOW! NT

Huge prize pool

Tour oF europe reCorDiNg oF A SiNgle gloBAl rADio AirplAY AlleN & HeATH MiXiNg DeSK AuDio TeCHNiCA MiCropHoNeS MuSiCWorKS VouCHerS and more

Auckland

Kings Arms

59 France Street, Newton, Auckland. www.kingsarms.co.nz

Waikato

Biddy Mulligans 742 Victoria St, Hamilton www.biddyshamilton.co.nz

Bay of Plenty

Brewers Bar

Manawatu

The Royal 44 Rangitikei Street, Palmerston North. www.sabreentertainment.co.nz

Wellington

Bodega 101 Ghuznee Street, Wellington www.bodega.co.nz

Canterbury

Allen St

107 Newton Street, Mount Maunganui www.brewersbar.co.nz

32 Allen Street, Christchurch City

Hawke’s Bay

Otago

The Cabana

11 Shakespeare Rd, Napier, Hawkes Bay www.cabana.net.nz

The Robbie Burns Pub

Taranaki

374 George Street, Dunedin

69 Devon Street West, New Plymouth www.themayfair.co.nz

65 Crawford St, Dunedin

The Mayfair

Sammy’s

Visit our website for full list of dates and times www.battleofthebands.co.nz

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Tickets from www.eventfinder.co.nz

$15 on Eventfinda $20 at the Door Doors open @ 8pm