Dub dot dash

Nuevos Ríos bring the grooves

2026-04-14T19:18:00.004+12:00

Great new cumbia album on then ZZK label... "Nuevos Ríos is the new project born from the meeting of Colombia’s iconic Canalón de Timbiquí, led by the unmistakable voice of Nidia Góngora (Quantic, Ondatrópica, The Bongo Hop), and the Toulouse-based trio Reco Reco, known for their explorations of trance-driven rhythms from South America and beyond.

Rooted on the banks of the Timbiquí River in Colombia’s Pacific region, the collaboration fuses ancestral Afro-Colombian traditions with electronic and amplified sounds. The result is a powerful and hypnotic journey where marimba, percussion, bass, and voices intertwine with keyboards, guitar, and drums. Between ritual intensity and dancefloor energy, the music bridges continents—echoing West Africa, the Caribbean, and the sweaty clubs of Europe—while always returning to the river as a vital source of life and inspiration.

Released on ZZK Records (home to Son Rompe Pera, Nicola Cruz, La Yegros, among others), this debut album is both a manifesto and a celebration: a living testimony of Colombia’s Afro-descendant heritage, reinvented through collective creativity. Nuevos Ríos is not just fusion—it is a new current, a sonic ritual where traditions flow into modernity."

P-Funk documentary from PBS

2026-04-10T20:50:00.003+12:00

Some light relief from the Mothership...

New Sola Rosa album out this Friday

2026-04-08T20:42:00.001+12:00

In The Mids by Sola Rosa

Woo, this is sounding cool. Sola Rosa did a really great remix for our Rewind Reversioned project with Hallelujah Picassos, check it if you aint heard it.

Rewind Re-versioned by Hallelujah Picassos

Misled Convoy remixes collection out, featuring Picassos

2026-04-06T20:42:00.001+12:00

Translations IV by Misled Convoy

Misled Convoy aka Mike Hodgson (also of Pitch Black) did an epic groove mashout on Rewind for our 'Rewind Reversioned' project for Hallelujah Picassos last year. He's included that remix on his latest collection of his remix work, some great spaced out dub vibes on there, take a listen.

He also chopped up and reworked our original music video for Rewind, watch it below:

Out Of The Past Record shop - keep it in the family

2026-03-25T21:27:00.001+13:00

Billy Preston doco coming....

2026-02-07T16:38:00.002+13:00

This looks good...

"Billy Preston was 5 years old when he backed gospel legend Mahalia Jackson. Over the following six-decade career, Billy contributed his signature sound to the greatest artists of his time, including The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Barbra Streisand, Sly Stone, Ray Charles, Rufus, and others, while establishing himself as a GRAMMY-winning solo artist.

Despite his success, Billy struggled to reconcile his deep relationship with the Black church with his sexuality, setting off a lifelong quest to find love and acceptance. Learn more or to find a theatre near you at billyprestonfilm.com

Zherav debut 45

2026-02-02T20:10:00.007+13:00

NAJA / BAZAAR by ZHERAV

Out in mid March on Batov Records, very cool to see a local hook up with this label; "New Zealand-based producer ZHERAV announces his debut release, NAJA / BAZAAR, a double single and 45 on Batov’s Middle Eastern Grooves series. The record fuses psychedelic rock, hypnotic rhythms, and electronic production influences, creating a sound that moves between swung grooves and cinematic, reverb-soaked textures.

ZHERAV draws from his background in house and techno, layering live guitar, bass, and synths over programmed drums. “I had a production template for house music on Ableton” he explains, “and I thought about how to switch to this Middle Eastern sound using the same format”. Most of ZHERAV’s tracks developed through improvisation - starting with programmed drums, then experimenting around scales on instruments until something works. ZHERAV has already received support from independent radio in Australia and New Zealand, and encouragement from international artists like Ko Shin Moon.

Both tracks explore Middle Eastern scales, bringing a distinct flavour to the grooves, while maintaining ZHERAV’s signature hypnotic layered sound. ZHERAV had something in mind related to snakes and their charmers when creating the A-side, NAJA (“Indian Cobra”). An ominous bassline loops repeatedly over snapping drums and percussion, whilst ZHERAV improvises guitar riffs and effects over the top.

The B-side, Bazaar, evokes the bustling, nocturnal imagery of a Middle Eastern market at night. Again, shaped organically through improvisation and analogue texture, but at a faster pace. Flutes and percussion introduce the song before a pulsating bassline leads the way.

Looking ahead, ZHERAV is exploring live/DJ hybrid sets and collaborations with local musicians. NAJA / BAZAAR is the latest exciting edition to Batov’s Middle Eastern Groove series, promising to transport listeners into a world of rhythm, texture, and hypnotic instrumental storytelling."

Zherav.

Cool new local buzz

2025-11-29T20:01:00.003+13:00

Three fresh tunes from some talented locals... great uptempo soul cut from Romi Wrights, dance floor delight from Lady Shaka and Rubi Du, and a bouncy synth bopper from Amamelia. Go support them on Bandcamp.

Shine Your Light by Romi Wrights

Good Times (feat. Rubi Du) by Lady Shaka

Summerlong by Amamelia

A brand new Hallelujah Picassos remix album ‘Rewind Re-versioned’ out Dec 5

2025-11-05T19:44:00.000+13:00

Rewind Re-versioned by Hallelujah Picassos

Hallelujah Picassos announce a brand new remix album ‘Rewind Re-versioned’. It’s a version excursion, riddim-wise styles.

We are releasing a special remix album with 15 remixes of the same song, all in wildly different flavours. Why? That sounds insane.

Last year was the 30th anniversary of Hallelujah Picassos’ single ‘Rewind’ being released. The song quickly became hugely popular with fans and student radio, and was a highlight of our live sets, sung by our drummer Bobbylon from behind the kit.

We’re doing it to remind everyone what a magnificent singer Bob was. He passed away in 2018 and we want to do this project to honour him and his legacy.

We’re going to include a handful of remixes from a wide range of folks who have been active since the time we released it, along with the original version.

Remixers who are involved include Christoph El Truento, Amamelia, Stinky Jim (Unitone Hifi), Sola Rosa, Daniel Maneto, Surly, Timmy Schumacher, Evan Short (Kiljoy, ex Concord Dawn), Mike Hodgson (Misled Convoy, Pitch Black) Joost Langeveld (Subware), and Rachel D.

‘Rewind Re-versioned’ is coming out December 5, 2025 on a limited run of CDs and cassettes, and digital. All formats come with a booklet with photos and tales of Bobbylon from some of the remixers and friends of the band.

Preorder it on cassette or CD from Flying Out.

We will be having a launch event at Flying Out on Dec 5, from 4pm to 6pm, with DJs and pals to celebrate the release.

Watch the original music video for Rewind, recut to the mighty Christoph El Truento's remix:

Cookin' On 3 Burners new album drops

2025-11-02T20:41:00.001+13:00

Cookin' The Books by Cookin' On 3 Burners

Out now, some great Melbourne funk bizz from Cookin' On 3 Burners ... "Cookin’ The Books is the long-awaited album from Australia’s undisputed kings of Hammond soul. It’s their first studio LP in six years - and it’s all fire: deep funk grooves, sweet soul, cinematic vibes, and stacked with heavyweight guest features.

From the break-heavy title track to the bounce of “No Bread For You” and the introspective soul of “Phoenix,” this record covers serious ground without losing the groove. Featuring powerhouse vocalist Stella Angelico, alt-soul luminary Natalie Slade, wordsmith Mantra alongside heartfelt singer Jane Tyrrell, rising voice Wilson Blackley, and a lush string arrangement from Tamil Rogeon, the album strikes a perfect balance between grit and grace.

Captured live to tape with vintage gear at Soul Messin’ Studios, Cookin’ The Books oozes warmth and analog soul — the real deal. Whether you’re crate-digging, needle-dropping, or just vibing out, this is modern funk with old-school heat.

Two Nairobi funk delights from The Mighty Cavaliers

2025-10-31T17:49:00.002+13:00

The Mighty Cavaliers - Fisherman (WSR002) by Want Some Records

"Want Some Records proudly reissues two explosive gems from Nairobi’s golden funk era: Mapendo (1977) and Fisherman (1976) by The Mighty Cavaliers. Long hidden in collectors’ circles, these records are bold reminders of a time when Kenya’s music scene rivaled the world’s best—groove-heavy, politically charged, and dripping with style.

Formed from Joe Omari’s original Cavaliers in the late 1960s, The Mighty Cavaliers became one of Nairobi’s tightest and most forward-thinking bands. With sharp horns, psychedelic keys, and irresistible rhythms, they brought a cosmopolitan sound to Kenya’s hottest venues, including their famous residency at the legendary Starlight Club.

Both albums were engineered by German sound wizard Detlef Degener, whose studio innovation elevated their music to international standards. Degener introduced the band to cutting-edge synthesizers, multi-track layering, and bold sonic textures that set them apart from their peers.

Mapendo, originally released on EMI Kenya, is the crown jewel—a polished, politically aware masterpiece. Tracks like Baruwa ya Soweto denounce apartheid, Mama Come Home captures exile’s heartbreak, and Africa Tuungane calls for continental unity. It’s socially conscious music you can dance to: sharp, funky, and deeply rooted in East African identity.

Their debut, Fisherman, is rawer but equally striking, with the title track offering a poetic critique of Kenya’s political class under Jomo Kenyatta. Together, these two albums show a band unafraid to experiment, to groove, and to speak truth to power.

The Mighty Cavaliers - Mapendo (Want Some Records No. 001) by Want Some Records

Yet behind the music lies a cautionary tale. Like many African artists of the 1970s, The Mighty Cavaliers were exploited by record labels. Their names were erased from Mapendo’s cover, and royalties never materialized. Bassist Bonnie Wanda, now one of the three surviving members, reflects:

“We poured everything into this music. To see our credits missing and our work misused was painful. This reissue is about setting the record straight.”

Despite industry setbacks, The Mighty Cavaliers’ legacy has only grown stronger. Their sound—equal parts Nairobi funk, Afrobeat fire, and soul swagger—captured a city and a continent in motion, as bell-bottomed youth danced through political turbulence. These albums are sonic time capsules, but they feel just as fresh on today’s dancefloors.

Want Some Records is thrilled to bring these classics back, fully remastered and packaged with in-depth liner notes documenting this fascinating chapter of African music history.

With Mapendo and Fisherman, The Mighty Cavaliers reclaim their rightful place as pioneers of Kenya’s funk movement. This is more than a reissue—it’s a resurrection of a sound that shook Nairobi and deserves to move the world.

That time NZ radio banned a song by Hank Ballard and the Midnighters

2025-10-07T19:22:00.004+13:00

From 'Banned from radio: the Broadcasting memos' by Nick Bollinger, at Audioculture:

"Local record production began in 1949. Shortly afterwards, the New Zealand Broadcasting Service (these days known as Radio New Zealand), which controlled almost all radio in the country, established its Purchasing Committee. This group of between four and six employees from the music section of the Wellington Head Office would meet regularly to audition records for airplay.

The discs the committee considered acceptable would then be bought from the record companies in multiple units and distributed to the various regional stations; there, they would be played at the discretion of the individual programmers. This process remained in place until 1988 when the fourth Labour government undertook its deregulation of the radio market.

A set of memos from the Purchasing Committee, held in the audiovisual archive Ngā Taonga Sound and Vision, provide some insights into the decisions that were made over nearly four decades.....

In 1954 a series of events, reported in lurid headlines, fed into a public impression that juvenile immorality was on the rise. In June there was the brutal killing by Christchurch teens Pauline Parker and Juliet Hulme of Parker’s mother, Honora. The following month the Lower Hutt Magistrates Court heard about “a shocking degree of immoral conduct which spread into sexual orgies” between underage youths of 13 upwards. The court was told these teens would meet in milk bars, where they would arrange their sexual liaisons. Some of the teens rode motorcycles.

As a direct response to the Hutt Valley cases, a special government committee was appointed to look into moral delinquency in children and adolescents, and a copy of their findings was delivered to every New Zealand home. This became known as the Mazengarb Report, after the committee’s chairman Oswald Chettle Mazengarb QC.

... 'Sexy Ways’ (Hank Ballard and the Midnighters) seemed to mirror the incidents that had sparked the Mazengarb Report, and the Purchasing Committee promptly banned them.

But it could be the sound as much as the lyrics that kept records off the airwaves. “Noisy, coarse and crude” was the committee’s verdict on Hank Ballard.

Chris Knox documentary

2025-10-06T20:25:00.004+13:00

There's a biography of Chris Knox out this week - the author Craig Robertson contacted me a few years ago, as back in 1995 when I was at Ak Uni, I made a half hour documentary on Chris and he wanted to see it. Looking forward to seeing the finished book.

Last time it had a public screening was when a guy at AUT tracked me down and played it as part of a Chris Knox film night in 2014 (shot, Dave Yetton).

Anyway, I dug out the digital file and it's now online, enjoy! Featuring Barbara Ward, Alec Bathgate, Simon Grigg, Doug Hood (RIP), Murray Cammick, Lesley Paris among others....

Hallelujah Picassos new single, video drops this week

2025-09-15T17:57:00.005+12:00

Here is the latest release by Hallelujah Picassos, called All Systems Go. The title has two meanings but is not a double entendre, and sees the band swimming in a cacophony of polyphonic bliss, with a vocal battle chant "All Systems Go".

Slamming and drifting, through a banging riddim, crunchy keyboards that is the latest HP offering to the Euterpe, the muse of music, and for the public on Bandcamp, out Friday 19 Sept 2025.

We’ve made a music video for the song, shot and edited by band member Drew McCormack in glorious black and white, with animations by Roland Rorschach.

Hallelujah Picassos are part of the awesome lineup of bands playing ‘ToneFest’, returning for the third year at Whammy on Nov 1st, 2025. Starts early with an all ages show from 4pm, followed by 8pm show (R18).

Tone Exchange presents Tone Fest 2025, at Whammy Bar

all ages 4 - 7pm
4.14 Text To Speech
4.45 Steel Wool
5.15 Crying Ivy
5.45 Sprawl
6.15 Snuffer

R18 8pm - midnight
8.15 Hallelujah Picassos
8.45 Oxsun Ox
9.15 O/Pus
9.45 Preacher
10.15 Cootie Cuties
10.45 Grym Rhymney
11.15 New Telepathics

All Systems Go (single) by Hallelujah Picassos

Diasonics new album out October

2025-09-11T21:21:00.004+12:00

Moscow funk outfit The Diasonics serve up a new single of their upcoming album on Record Kicks, out Oct 3rd 2025.

"After the hypnotic psychedelic disco single “Oriole” and the funk stormer “Chickadee”, The Diasonics, Moscow’s instrumental soul-funk visionaries, unleash “Larks”, their third single and yet another chapter in the bird-themed journey leading up to their new album “Ornithology”, out on October 3 on LP, CD and digital platforms via Record Kicks.

With “Larks”, out now on all digital platforms, the band expands its sonic palette, also thanks to Diana Greb on vocals. The single’s release comes with an official video: an animated surreal vintage clip that develops the visual concept of the new album. The video was directed by Anna Kukleva, designer and illustrator based in France who works under the name Cactus Under Rainbow. Her work draws inspiration from 60s & 70s art, hand drawn vintage posters and natural landscapes in their simplicity and beauty."

Marbecks closes store, shifts online only, cuts staff

2025-09-02T17:40:00.009+12:00

Marbecks have announced they are closing their Queens Arcade store on Oct 31st 2025, via Facebook: "After more than nine decades in the iconic Queens Arcade, we are closing the doors of our physical store.

But...we are far from saying goodbye! Marbecks will continue to operate online, offering our exceptional range of new releases and the extensive collections of pop, jazz and classical that music lovers have come to trust.

The move to an online store marks the beginning of a new chapter for us, ensuring that you will continue to access the best in music, delivered straight to your door. We will also be only a call away for those who prefer to order by phone or check in for a chat.

Plans are also underway for special Marbecks pop-up events at festivals and music gatherings around the country, keeping the spirit of the store alive for those who love the in-person experience.

With the move to an online-only store, we simply can’t take all of our stock with us. To celebrate our time in Queens Arcade a huge sale begins today, Monday 1 September, both in store and online, with 25% off all in stock items (excluding gift vouchers, new releases and customer orders)."

Owner Roger Marbeck told RNZ that the store closure was due to high rent, declining foot traffic, and changes in consumer behaviour had made it unfeasible to continue. He said closing the Queen Street store was a tough but necessary decision.

"Marbecks is a great store. It's got great people and great customers, and they are friends for life. The thing is that it's changed, and to keep it going and be able to serve the customers we've got, we have to adapt."

The story was covered by TV One News, NZ Herald, RNZ, and Stuff, none of who asked if there would be any staff losing their jobs in the move. They just quoted the press release. Which I know is a common trend amongst time poor journos. But this is a business story, not just retail.

I have heard that all the existing staff will lose their jobs, none are moving to the new iteration of Marbecks. Some staff have worked there for over 25 years, so there's a huge loss of knowledge.

Marbecks was sold by Roger Marbeck in late 2006 to The CD Store chain. They eventually went bust 5 years later, shutting the Queens Arcade store in 2012, and he bought the name back in 2013, reopening in Queens Arcade as Marbecks Classical.

Marbecks bought an existing record store in Queens Arcade in 1934 from R W Strong as "The Record Shop" at store 15, Queen's Arcade, who in turn bought the same business from Caddell's Ltd who started it at Queen's Arcade in 1930, selling Columbia records. The Marbecks name appeared from the 1940s.

Marbecks history - Audioculture article

James White and the Blacks live, 1980, with Debbie Harry

2025-08-18T08:00:00.002+12:00

James Chance, photo by Edo Bertoglio, 1980

Here's some cool live footage - James White and the Blacks live in 1980, with Debbie Harry and Chris Stein (Blondie) guesting. So how did James connect with Chris and Debbie?

James White, or James Chance as he was previously known, dropped out of music school in Wisconsin and moved to New York on the last week of 1975.

James Chance: “I first came to New York on December 27th 1975. I’d been playing sax in Milwaukee, with a band called Death. Walls of feedback. Total incomprehension. I read in The Village Voice there was all this free-type loft jazz happening in Soho, plus little ads for ‘Ramones’ and ‘Television’, and what the hell is a ‘CBGBs’?

"That first night there was a concert with Lester Bowie on Avenue C and Third. I knew nothing about that neighbourhood. I started walking east on Bleecker. There’s CBGBs! Then all of a sudden there’s all these buildings falling down, burned out, vacant lots full of debris, bricks and stones everywhere. Somehow it didn't feel dangerous. In Milwaukee I’d walk around, fantasising about blowing people’s heads off. Here, I’m looking at garbage piled six feet high and I feel at home. I felt like I fit in.” (Mojo interview, 2017)

His first band in New York was helmed by Lydia Lunch, called Teenage Jesus and The Jerks.

Chance: "I met Lydia Lunch at CBGB’s. She was dancing — and no one danced there. In the Midwest everybody danced, and I missed that. I thought it was really stupid that everyone in New York was more concerned with looking cool. She was dancing in the aisles, so I introduced myself. She’d just come down from Rochester and she showed me this long prose poem she’d written. I was really impressed with it.

"By that time I had an apartment on 2nd Street between A and B. It cost about $110 a month. I think it’d been a drug den because it was all boarded up. One day she knocked on my door and said she needed a place to stay. So we lived together for a year or more. It wasn’t like a boyfriend-girlfriend thing. She got some old beat-up guitar and started showing me her songs. I encouraged her.

"So I ended up being in Teenage Jesus for most of ’77. Then she kicked me out because she wanted it to be even more minimal than it already was." (Purple mag interview, 2011)

He went on to form his own band, Contortions, later James Chance and the Contortions, in 1978.

He met Anya Phillips, who he described as a real presence on the scene - they become couple.

Chance: "I watched her from afar and a couple times I tried to talk to her and got slapped down, completely. Lydia hated Anya. She’d plot against her, saying, like, 'Let’s do this and let’s do that to Anya!' And then Anya met a German filmmaker and she went to Germany for a while, and when she came back I was doing the early gigs with The Contortions.

"That X magazine benefit was the first one she came to and the first time I went into the audience attacking people. I sort of worked my way to the back of the audience. She was there sitting in a chair. I saw her and thought, 'Should I attack her? No, better not.' But she came up to me afterward and we started hanging out, and somehow she decided to be Teenage Jesus’s manager. That was a real disaster. I don’t think Lydia ever did one thing that Anya suggested. Lydia did whatever she wanted, so it didn’t last long. Then Anya decided to manage The Contortions, who she didn’t like at all."

The Contortions featured on the seminal no wave compilation 'No New York' produced by Brian Eno, although Chance described it as more of a field document, noting Eno got the bands to set up and play live, which was the extent of his 'producing'.

They recorded their debut album 'Buy' for Ze Records in 1979, featuring their wonderfully angular jagged funk, most notably on the song 'Contort yourself'. That same year, one of the bosses at Ze Records asked James to make a disco album.

Chance: "When we did the Off White album Michael Zilkha, we had a contract with him for the Contortions, we were about to do the Buy album and he said, 'I have another thing in mind. I’m going to give you a budget, and I want you to do a disco album.' Something for $10,000, which wasn’t too bad for an idea as off-the-wall as that. But he didn’t elaborate on it more than that. He just said, 'I want it to be your idea of disco,' and he left it at that.

"He didn’t come to the sessions; he just left it to me to figure out what I was going to do that had some relationship to disco. You couldn’t help to listen to disco then. It was omnipresent. You didn’t have to go to disco clubs, you would hear it in a cab, you would hear it in the stores… you would hear it everywhere.

"So I thought I’d make a disco version of “Contort Yourself.” There was an earlier version that was faster. So what happened was we went to a black disco in St. Paul and somehow convinced the DJ to play it, and people were just completely baffled, and I realized it was too fast for disco. At that time my tempo was influenced by punk rock, so everything was really fast.

"Anyway, Michael decided we needed a new version that was more like disco, so he called August Darnell [aka Kid Creole], who was one of his artists, and he just literally slowed the track down mechanically, and he wrote a new guitar part and put that himself and put background vocals and claps. I wasn’t even there, he just did all that himself, and I just went in and did a new vocal ... I liked it. So it wasn’t really collaboration. He added his own take without consulting me. Which was fine with me! I don’t really collaborate with people too much in terms with sitting down and writing a song." (Vice, Sept 2015 interview)

Ze Records decided to do a festive album in 1981 titled 'A Christmas Record', getting acts on the label to write their own Christmas songs, with NYC via Akron Ohio's The Waitresses delivering an oddball hit 'Christmas Wrapping', alongside Was Not Was, Kid Creole, Suicide, and Material with Nona Hendryx. Chance contributed a tune to the 1982 re-release, the delightfully named 'Christmas with Satan'.

After the Contortions' album came out, the band fell apart and Chance recruited a new lineup including musicians from the downtown jazz scene, including Lester Bowie’s younger brother Joseph, who later started the band Defunkt.

Chance: “Punks hated jazz. The first black faces in No Wave were in my band. We became the top live draw in New York, Anya was going to manage the Mudd Club, but then she had a huge feud with the co-owner.

"Then our Ze Records relationship got destroyed because [label boss] Michael Zilkha hired someone who took a personal grudge against us. We started recording for Chris Stein’s label [Animal Records], then Anya got sick. Then Blondie broke up and Chrysalis dropped Chris’ label. I called my agent one day and there was no agent.” (Mojo interview, 2017) Anya Phillips died of cancer in 1981.

Chance was keen on covering James Brown with his bands, which is probably why they are doing 'I Feel Good' in this live clip from 1980....

In this next clip, Debbie Harry is singing Chic's 'Good Times'. Her and Stein took Chic's Nile Rogers uptown to a rap show in 1979 and Rogers heard the DJs playing 'his' song. Except it had people talking over it. And that's how he discovered that Sugarhill Records had borrowed Chic's tune for 'Rapper's Delight', and not asked him for permission. He later came to an agreement to get a songwriting credit on it for him and his musical partner Bernard Edwards.

Maps on vinyl - a book about record covers featuring maps

2025-08-12T19:12:00.004+12:00

A book about record covers with maps on them, what's not to like? Created by Australian cartographer Damien Saunder.

"This truly unique atlas of album covers, each featuring a map, is as enlightening as it is entertaining.

Presenting 415 album covers – beautifully reproduced, expertly laid out and accompanied by deeply researched text – Maps on Vinyl will especially appeal to map enthusiasts, vinyl junkies, music fans, graphic designers and artists.

The book is the brainchild of renowned Australian cartographer Damien Saunder, whose expertise has been utilised by Apple, National Geographic, Earth (the world’s largest atlas) and even Roger Federer. A keen crate-digger, he has amassed possibly the world’s most extensive private collection of records featuring maps on their covers, resulting in this one-of-a-kind book.  

Records by artists including Madonna, Oasis, Coldplay, Grateful Dead, Bob Marley, XTC, MC5, Queen, New Order, James Brown, Brian Eno and Weezer are featured, with cover art created by many giants of the design world, including Peter Saville, Curtis McNair, Richard Gray, Alton Kelly, Stanley Mouse, Neville Garrick, Roger Dean and Pedro Bell.

The records headlined span music from 1939 to today, and the book is divided into eight chapters highlighting different aspects of the collection – ‘C(art)ography’, ‘We Built This City’, ‘On the Road’, ‘African Beats’, ‘Astroworlds’, ‘Ocean Whispers’, ‘Maps with Attitude’ and ‘Music from Here’.

Maps on Vinyl is a beautiful artefact, but it’s also an important historical and cultural document, revealing how maps have been used in album cover design to reinforce a lyrical story, share a political view, express concern for the state of the world or creatively identify the origins of the music and the people who make it."

For AU sales, buy via Books at Manic

For US sales contact the The Map Center

New single from Saha Gnawa, off forthcoming album

2025-07-28T19:45:00.004+12:00

Saha Gnawa by Saha Gnawa

Gloriously joyous tune from Morocco via NYC...

"Saha Gnawa’s self-titled debut pairs Moroccan Gnawa music with NYC jazz and groove, channeling North African futurism through cross-cultural improvisation. Building off centuries-old practices, traditional song forms dissolve into psychedelic outer-space explorations." Single out now, album out October.

RIP Chris Faiumu aka Mu (Fat Freddy's Drop)

2025-07-18T10:15:00.009+12:00

Chris Faiumu aka Mu. Photo: Sarah Hunter

Very sad news to wake up to - Mu of Fat Freddy's Drop has died, RNZ reports.

The band have posted this message: "Our talismanic founding member, production maestro, selector and brother, Chris Ta’aloga Faiumu aka DJ MU aka Fitchie has unexpectedly passed away. This is a seismic shift in our world. Sending alofa to the Faiumu & Duckworth aiga, and to MU’s wider aiga of friends and fans worldwide. We ask please that you all respect everyone’s privacy during this difficult time. Hold tight.

Ua maligi loimata i le maua mai o le tala ua fa i lagi lau malaga Chris Ta’aloga Faiumu … DJ MU … Fitchie. O suafa uma nei na lauīloa ai oe ma ōu galuega fa’aofoofogia i tagata fai musika uma i Aotearoa ma le lalolagi atoa. Ua goto le fetū āo, peāu o le vasa, ua motusia le pale sa matou tiu ai Brother ina ua e fai malaga. Alofa atu mo aiga Faiumu ma Duckworth, atoa ma aiga o lo’o tagi mai i ala. Ia manuia lau malaga Chris.

Tears flowed on receiving word that your journey had taken you to the heavens Chris … DJ MU … Fitchie. These were all the titles you were famously known by for your miraculous works to all music makers of Aotearoa and the whole world. The star by which we navigated across the sea has gone and the crowns of flowers that adorned our heads are forever broken since you journeyed Brother. Much love for the Faiumu and Duckworth families, as well as those family members who can only cry from afar. May your journey be blessed Chris."

Steve Shaw wrote in 2002: "Mu himself is a long established DJ. He’s also a well-respected producer and a key figure in the Wellington music scene. Mu started off Fat Freddy’s Drop along with vocalist Dallas Tamaira, just the two of them at first. They recorded a track ['Hope'] for Radio Active’s 10th anniversary CD [in 1998] and ended up totally immersed in the sound. They started doing a lot of gigs, using a sampler to produce the drums and bass. It all started working so they added Iain Gordon from Ebb on keys and guitarist Tehi Mana Kerr – a classically trained player who was performing mainly rock."

I remember going down to Welli in the early 2000s to do a Dub Asylum gig at Bar Bodega, with Trip To The Moon. The gig had a small audience, and was pretty low key. After we played and packed down our gear, Mu and a few of the Fat Freddys guys wandered in and Mu started setting up his MPC, he was a friendly, chatty guy. About an hour later they started playing and the place was absolutely packed. This is before they even had an album out.

Fat Freddy's Drop released their latest album Slo Mo in October last year, putting out the vinyl first.

Mu told RNZ's Tony Stamp "I've been buying records for 40-odd years. I'm the youngest of five kids, I inherited my sister's great little soul collection. My brothers were more into Santana and Neil Young. "When I hit intermediate I started on a cassette collection, which by the time I finished high school in the late '80s, turned into vinyl. I think the very first record I ever bought was Stevie Wonder's Songs in the Key of Life. That's where it all kicked off."

Fat Freddy's Drop first toured Europe and UK in 2003, there's a doco made in 2023 of it. The band went back there almost every summer since, and very few folk here really get how big they were in Europe and UK. For example, in 2014, they sold out London's Alexandra Palace. Thats a 10,000 person venue.

Mu (Audioculture profile)

Fat Freddy's Drop (Audioculture profile)

Watch: 2004 documentary on Wellington jazz scene

2025-07-12T15:05:00.007+12:00

"Documentary on Wellington Jjzz scene featuring Jonathan Crayford, Anthony Donaldson, Leila Adu, Lucien Johnson and Jeff Henderson. Directed by Simone Audissou during the 2004 Jazz Festival in Wellington, which was curated by Anthony Donaldson. All about the joy of group improvisation, which persists in Wellington to this day."

New video from Crystal Chen

2025-06-19T20:38:00.003+12:00

Cool new video from local soul singer Crystal Chen for her recent single Kiss it better, album out later this year.

Pre-order Limited Edition Vinyl of Crystal Chen's debut album "You Can Call Me CC" from 28.06.2025 on https://crystal-chen.com

Chinatown punk wars doco

2025-06-04T18:24:00.005+12:00

Watched this cool doco on the rise of LA punk bands playing in Chinese restaurants, once all the regular venues had banned them. Wild.

"In the late 1970s, two Chinese restaurants became the unlikely epicenter of L.A.’s burgeoning punk scene. The emerging music form featured fast-paced songs and hard-edged melodies with anti-capitalist messaging. As told through interviews with John Doe (X), Alice Bag (The Bags), Keith Morris (Circle Jerks, Black Flag, OFF!), and Martin Wong (Save Music in Chinatown), and featuring music from current performers such as The Linda Lindas and more."

Unzipped - Prime Sex original soundtrack from 1992

2025-05-21T18:41:00.003+12:00

Unzipped - Prime Sex was a NZ TV documentary that decided to get some fresh local talent to record some originals to use. Ive digitised my CD copy and made a wee playlist.

The lineup featured Supergroove in the same year they released their debut single, Shihad before they had made their first album, Ngaire, These Wilding Ways (ex Screaming Meemees) and a wicked hiphop crew from Wellington called Rough Opinion. Rappers were K.O.S. 163, who later helmed Footsouljahs, and RIQ, who changed his name to The Field Style Orator, then Tha Feelstyle.

This track is their only released recording, but they toured with Supergroove and made their name known on the live front. I remember them opening a few times for my band Hallelujah Picassos, and absolutely ripping up there stage. They were awesome and hard as hell.

New Sola Rosa EP out now

2025-05-12T21:17:00.000+12:00

New Tomorrows EP by Sola Rosa

Well worth a listen, out on vinyl and digital.