Independent Music NZ March News

Independent Music NZ March News

The Coolies and other Kiwis fly to Austin

Baitercell and Schumacher top the world breakbeat sales charts

Tonganchic tour about to hit the decks

Ghostplane lands this month

Dawn Raid take NZ hip hop to the people

Whirimako’s album on the horizon

The Coolies (in music) are one of the New Zealand bands who have been invited to attend the South by Southwest Music Convention in Austin, Texas, which runs from March 12 – 16. They will join Pluto, Meterman, the Neil Hannan Band, The Have and Little Thief as well as some of the most exciting bands from around the world. Around 20,000 international delegates are expected.

Hot off the press from Kog Transmissions, Baitercell and Timmy Schumacher's current single What's Down Low (featuring Bextasy) was officially the world’s biggest selling breaks tune in the last week of February (also it's first week of release). This is based on the Breaks FM Sales Chart as broadcast on the Distortionz radio show, which is the first worldwide breakbeat chart based entirely on music sales.

After a 40 day round the world business trip including attendance at MIDEM, Intergalactic Records’ owner Andrew Featherstone has secured a world (excluding NZ and Australia) license deal for 8 Foot Sativa's albums. The deal will see the simultaneous release of the new album Season for Assault in 35 countries later this year. This includes all of Europe, USA, Canada, Japan and other Asian territories. Other contacts are also in place for other titles/artists to be released through Intergalactic through other licensing partners around the world.

In addition, Andrew has been setting up the World Battle of the Bands in Los Angeles and Hong Kong. With venues booked in these cities for events in July and August this year. The winning band from L.A, H.K and Australia will travel to Auckland in November to compete against the '04 NZ winning band, in the first ever World Final. More details will be announced soon.

Dawn Raid is in the midst of the huge Boost Mobile Hook-Up national tour, running until March 20 2004. The first four shows rocked, with 1100 people showing up in Christchurch and over 2000 students in Dunedin. This massive tour features Scribe, Mareko, DJ Sirvere, Deceptikonz, Adeaze, Ill Semantics, S.A.S & Frontline. Stopping through 17 towns across New Zealand, collectively these artists have sold close to quarter of a million records.

Soane's debut album TonganChic debuted at number 23 in the RIANZ album charts, and the official album release tour is in progress. Soane will traverse a fair chunk of the country from March 18, playing in Auckland, Gisborne, Christchurch, Queenstown, Dunedin and Wellington, with further dates to be announced.

Tauranga-based hiphop crew Flow On Show have been working with successful UK r'n'b and hiphop producer Colin Emmanuel (Jamelia), who reworked their song for the Resonate seminars held last week.

March 1 saw the release of a seven-tracker by Wellington's Ghostplane (formerly Dana Eclair). You may have recently seen Ghostplane playing support for the Pretenders or Calexico (both in Wellington) or at other gigs (in other cities) along with the Verlaines, Phoenix Foundation, Voom or Fang. It is also possible you have heard the tracks State Hijak (on b-net or The Hill is Alive compilation) or The Straight and Narrow (b-net or video).

A flurry of video making activity by Arch Hill bands means you might be seeing a bit of them on your local music TV. Ghostplane Straight and Narrow, Red Drum (Jeremy Eade - formerly of Black Drum and Garageland) No Cross on the Crossroads and Fang I Can't Help It are all out there now. And in the studio, with albums in various states of completion are Pine and Fang.

Katchafire’s new single, Bounce, is on the latest NZ On Air hitdisc and the video has just been completed by an independent film company. The band recently played three gigs on Waitangi Day (Hamilton, Auckland, Nelson) and were followed for the day by a film crew. They are currently on an Orientation tour throughout NZ and are playing Pacifika this month. Forward plans include a trip back to Australia for more gigs in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne to set up the album release.

Mai Music’s new signing, Whirimako Black, has been in at Mai Studios working on her new album. Joel Haines is on guitar and the 13 tracks will also feature the use of taonga puoro (traditional Maori instruments, including noseflutes and percussion sounds), played by Whirimako's partner Justin. Chris Macro (Katchafire, Dubious Bros, D2S, Flow On Show) is at the controls. Whirimako came to the attention of the world with the 1 Giant Leap CD and DVD/TV programme on Palm Pictures, where she appeared on two tracks and wrote one (which was subsequently used for the movie Bulletproof Monk). The album is due to be released in April.

Reliable Recordings follow up their Sun Valley Sounds album in April with Sun Valley Sounds Volume 2 (to be distributed by in music) featuring tracks by Cuffy & Leon D, Dick Johnson, Soane, Tim Richards, Subware, Reactor Music and more.

Fabelmusic has just completed project management for the recent Smoothgrooves NZ tour by London Elektricity Live who toured with Pacific Heights and the Sugarlicks SoulSystem. The tour was a huge success.

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