DeLaye - EP Review: Blankspace.
17 Nov 2021 // review by Gwarden
20 year old producer DeLaye creates music that defies easy description. Inhabiting the experimental electronic space pioneered by the likes of Aphex Twin and championed by modern masters such as Flying Lotus and Four Tet, his music features fat glitch-hop bass kicks and chopped beats anchoring sonic explorations that ebb and flow with intent.
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EM/FM - Album Review - Quixote
03 Nov 2021 // review by Gwarden
Fitting snugly into the still-relatively underground retrowave sound (an umbrella term loosely used to describe the synthwave/vaporwave microgenres), EM/FM’s debut LP Quixote taps directly into the 80’s nostalgia vein and mines it for woozy pathos and dreamy yearning. Utilising many of the hallmarks of 80’s synth-heavy composers and movie soundtracks, from Phil Collins-esque reverbed drums, plucked bass twang, and all the analog synth tones you could dream of, it’s a fascinating re-composition of elements elevated to pastiche by focusing on real emotion and modern songwriting.
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Shapeshifter - Album Review: Rituals
17 Aug 2021 // review by Gwarden
Shapeshifter (affectionately known as ‘Shapies’ by fans) are a New Zealand music institution. With over 2 decades of live shows, 4 EPs, 5 full-length studio albums, a handful of music awards and a reputation as the best live Drum & Bass act in the world, they’re both revered locally and ambassadors of the sound worldwide.
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Truth - Album Review: Acceptance
23 Jul 2021 // review by Gwarden
Low-tempo maestros Truth return to their Deep, Dark and Dangerous imprint with a long-player of sublime electronica. Billed as their most personal album to date, Acceptance captures the duo at their most introspective, a response to a world in crisis evoked as nostalgia-inducing reveries and cavernous meditations.
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Decktrik - Interview with Decktrik
08 Dec 2020 // interview by Gwarden
Hailing from Palmerston North and with a varied career including radio hosting, music production, and a focus on community building within the NZ music scene, Decktrik AKA Samir Loumachi sat down with Gareth from Muzic.net.
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J Plates - Album Review: Seven Days Of Fire
29 Oct 2020 // review by Gwarden
2020 has been a big year for J Plates, releasing a string of heavyweight DnB alongside a side project offering ambient and lower-BPM electronic stylings. Dropping just in time for Halloween, Seven Days Of Fire marks his debut, self-released LP, and it’s a fitting collection for the spooky season - massive stabbing bass, crunching breakbeats and haunting atmospheres abound.
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Biobird - Album Review: Riders
13 Aug 2020 // review by Gwarden
Crisp production, organic drums, layered percussion and gritty, overdriven bass are hallmarks of Biobird's work: presented here for the first time in LP format, it’s a chance to draw together the specific vibe and tone (developed to great success on 2019’s Count to Ten EP) into a cohesive whole. Title track Riders opens with ominous swells before plunging into a dark, techy workout reminiscent of early-2000’s Drum & Bass staples such as Universal Project and Keaton; the second drop change-up bounces along on a half-time beat.
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Fear Not Want - Album Review: Return To The Source
14 Jul 2020 // review by Gwarden
Fear Not Want (stylised as FnW) is off to a strong start, with this LP dropping hot on the heels of debut release The Waiting last month. While that was an entirely ambient affair, Return To The Source finds Jeremy Graham (aka J Plates) exploring new terrain in the form of classic House music, mixed in with some downtempo and ambient bits.
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Truth - EP Review: Without You
02 Jul 2020 // review by Gwarden
Truth, predominantly known for their prolific output in the Dubstep scene via their own Deep, Dark & Dangerous label, now turn their attention to 170BPM on the stellar EP Without You. This is a substantial EP utilising classic Drum & Bass motifs, it retains enough of a connection to the vibe of deep Dubstep as to not alienate fans of previous works, while still crafting something truly unique.
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J Plates - Single Review: A Cut Above / Strength To Strength
04 Jun 2020 // review by Gwarden
J Plates comes correct with another nostalgia-infused slice of timeless Drum and Bass, for the debut release on his very own imprint. Originally appearing in 2014 on now-defunct Sonata Recordings, these two singles have been remastered and sound absolutely massive, sitting firmly in the wheelhouse of atmospheric, low-BPM DnB pioneered by the likes of LTJ Bukem.
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J Plates - EP Review: Brain Drain
13 May 2020 // review by Gwarden
NZ-born, UK-based producer J Plates surfaces for another killer EP following a brace of releases last November on Omni Music UK. This time around he lands on London label In-Reach Records with 5 cuts of old school Drum n Bass that will please fans of intelligent, rugged beats.
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Oakley Grenell - Gig Review: Oakley Grenell @ Dux Central, Christchurch - 19/01/2020
20 Jan 2020 // review by Gwarden
Coming off the back of supporting his latest single Serious Time across a series of NZ dates over the last month, Oakley Grenell graced the Dux Central courtyard alongside brother Redford on drums and Peter Flemming on double bass. Taking a stripped back approach to some staples from his back catalogue, it was the perfect soundtrack to a sunny Sunday afternoon, amid the bubble of a rejuvenated Christchurch inner city.
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Oakley Grenell - Single Review: Serious Time Feat. Rayjah45
23 Dec 2019 // review by Gwarden
Prolific local lad Oakley Grenell (now based out of Melbourne) returns with a bouncy slice of dancefloor double-time, which contains a serious message from vocalist Rayjah45. Titled Serious Time, the tight production assistance from fellow NZ’ers 10a and Hooves give this release a punchy impact destined for high rotation on Summer sound systems everywhere.
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Unsub - Interview with Unsub
11 Dec 2019 // interview by Gwarden
Lily Luck aka Unsub has been producing music for the better part of a decade with a slew of releases across multiple labels, including a whopping 3 albums this year alone. UK-born and NZ-bred, now based in Auckland, Lily was kind enough to answer some questions about her multiple talents, and what it’s like to live as three artists within one body...
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Vapour & Shape - EP Review: Nullius
05 Dec 2019 // review by Gwarden
Hailing from Auckland, duo Vapour & Shape burst onto the electronica scene with Nullius, a refreshing slice of 4/4 that fuses neon-drenched nightclub production with a melodic, nostalgic element making it suitable for both dancefloor and headphones. Opener Catchpool pulses with reverbed melody flickering around a dubbed-out bass reminiscent of classic NZ acts such as Pitch Black or Salmonella Dub.
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Flowidus - Gig Review: Flowidus with Jabz MC @ Hide Club, Christchurch - 16/11/2019
21 Nov 2019 // review by Gwarden
Billed as the perfect kick-ons for the Saturday of Canterbury’s Show and Race Day long weekend, hordes of white-shirted, short-skirted punters flooded into Hide Club to get frothy with popular local act Flowidus. Momentum Promotions has been on a roll lately and despite a couple of technical hiccups, this latest event was a continuation of their high quality line-ups and well-run evenings.
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