Junktion is Palmerston North’s beat orientated musical hub. It was established in 2006 with the goal of promoting local artists within the community. Junktion gathers tracks from artists in Palmerston North and abroad, makes compilations and hands them out, all for free. With funding received from the local arts council and local Bnet station, Junktion has released free music from over 30 artists from the last four years. The original aspirations of developing an awareness of local musicians within their own community has evolved into exporting local talent nation and worldwide.

2010 brings the third compilation from Junktion - A unique blend of genres from the flatlands of Palmerston North and surrounding areas. Opening with the summer time vibes of 'Phat Buddhas' with Palmys own songstress Khan laying down her vocals over her London outfit. A soulful blend of jazz inspired hip-hop sees Dirty Hairy mashing it up with 'Need Not Worry' an up and coming emcee from Rhode Island, followed closely by Guy Friday and JK from the IllySpillaz with their Hawera meets PNorth track 'She Makes Me Go'. An appearance by Rots One, a definitively dominate emcee from Phoenix Arizona with beats from Mike Gao (from Galapagos 4) with 'Day after Day'. Rots One is about to drop an album with the great 'Maker', this is a great introduction to a rising talent. Ara (former Katchafire bassist) displays his producing prowess with his new roots/reggae outfit PaePae Soundsystem. Dar Kist and DUB XL provide the transition from organic to digital with their own unique take on the dark wobbly sound of Dubstep. Midnight Kid, Faker, Nutella Monk and MNT see the album out experimenting with their own electronic interpretations and creations.

Junktion - taking the palmers town sound from the underground.

Download the Junktion 3 compilation for free!
Read the Junktion 3 compilation review!

Thanks to Cam Lock for answering these questions about Junktion:

So what exactly is Junktion?

Well, I guess it’s a music community project set up by myself and Hayden Sin. Junktion's definition is continuously evolving, we began in 2006 primarily as a way to build awareness of local musicians to the public in Palmerston North. A secondary function was to establish a virtual meeting place and an outlet for musicians to collaborate, share in ideas and receive support ensuring artists within Palmerston North felt a part of the collective. We done this by paying for our own website to promote local music including a forum for the collective, we brought a stack load of blank CD’s, a CD printer and just began making compilations and handing them out for free everywhere. We tried to light a spark that would become its own unmanaged free flowing collective oozing out music, when left to its own devices, it became obvious that we would need to keep managing the music so that it was heard.

4 years on and we are now receiving financial support from our local BNet station (Radio Control 99.4) and from our local arts council (PNCAC). Music is now searched for rather than awaiting submissions, We’ll find an international beat maker, or an emcee, then get them to collaborate with someone local who we think they suit, this is a great opportunity for us to bring international artists into the fold, as well as expose our artists to those overseas. Currently our definition has slowly evolved into a hub that administers beat makers, producers, emcees, either by promoting and distributing their music, or to help them get a remix done, or an emcee to feature.

How did you come up with the name Junktion?

Hayden and myself were discussing names we could use for the collective to encompass our geographical position.. Palmerston North is affectionately referred to as the ‘Swamp’, we had lots of names revolving around the swamp but decided we wanted something a little more original. We had two names GREYAREA54, as our weather here is always grey, and we are on State Highway 54. The other name was Himitangi Junction, as that’s the turn off to Palmerston North when travelling to Wellington… and no one takes it, a symbolism of our isolation. Later we dropped the Himitangi, and spelt junction with a K, cos its ganksta, heh.. we feel the original meaning of Junction can also be applied to what we try to do, a coming together of sorts.

What artists are involved, how would you describe the music?

Good question, I guess that’s what its all about. Don’t expect any big names, cos that’s not what we do, we promote and distribute the great unknown artists, that deserve to be heard just as any big name does. Just rattling off a few names that have been on our compilations Khan, DNator, Kanuka, Paepae Soundsystem, Haluciagiea, Faker, Nat Lover, Selectafari, Katipo, JK, iLLyspiLLaz, DarKist, Kyro-Dubz, Dub XL, Faint and Skinni, Midnight Kid, Jenkins, Shinobi, NMC, Rouge State, Revival Orchestra, Dirty Hairy, Rots1, Nutella Monk, Mike Sesh-ons, Mechanical Noise Theory… and yea, more to mention but like I said, you probably haven’t heard about them, that’s what we think is the exciting thing.

The music I would say is… Hip Hop, electronic, dub, reggae, dubstep, future beat, ambient, synth rock, trance, glitch… anything with a beat, more so than rock influenced genres. Palmerston North already has a very strong presence of rock, thrash, punk, metal by way of $lave Records.

You give away all the music, what’s in it for you?

Yeah.. we also invest our own money on getting our friends music heard. Living in Palmerston North is an interesting experience, there is a definite toxic mindset that comes with living in the ‘suicide capital’. Some people walk around dismally speaking of their distain for their own city, people post on facebook just for a quick diss to their own town. I don’t take it personal, as its their depression to deal with, but I do think these self loathers need to either love it, leave it or do something about it. That’s what we are doing, Hayden and myself have our families here, so we are trying to build a sense of civic pride, something the average resident can be proud of. Being a New Zealand town with sporting teams that don’t perform well, we hope that people can look toward music as alternative source of pride, as that is perhaps our greatest strength. So the investment we are making in our eyes is worth it.

How do you go about finding artists?

Sometimes they find us, which makes things a whole lot easier. Palmy is a small town, so if someone’s making beats, they tend to like music, if they like music they tend to go to gigs, and those sort of people all know each other so it’s a natural progression. The more challenging aspect is finding quality international artists that want to give away their music for free, but there is a lot of talent out there wanted to be heard. We recently got a local track remixed by ‘Joob’ a future beat maker from LA who has been featured on Mary Anne Hobbs mix. We also got some beats from a local to Washington DC emcee Ardamus, its making these Palmerston North meets the world tracks that we continue to strive for.

What about distribution?

Distro is vital, with the myspace/soundcloud/bandcamp musician explosion and free downloads its easy to get your music lost in the ten million pages of music on the net. With the rise of technology anyone with a computer and some pirated software can become a producer, hence the supply of artists going though the roof, the demand can’t keep up, at least the demand for music that is paid for. We are still living in the freefall of traditional distribution methods, great inde labels like DefJux are shutting their doors, the independent labels are finding sustainability increasingly difficult as piracy becomes easier to be involved in. Where piracy once relied on peer to peer networks like limewire, the new trend of file hosting sites in conjunction with blogs having the album artwork, review, tracklising and a link is making downloading incredibly easy. You can have a new album of your favourite artist in 5 minutes. As the consumers/pirates are catching on to these blogs their visitor numbers swell over a million visits in one year for single blogs, individual blogs become the catalyst for what is worth downloading as everything is ‘free’, this is the new digital distribution. some believe music is losing its worth, some say music companies are just getting their comeuppance for years of price inflation. The whole point of the internet was to share information, so it seems that’s exactly what’s happened, with movies, music, books, ideas, opinions, theories and anything else that can be encoded. Effective laws could be the solution, New Zealand passing the Section 92a amendment to the copyright law may slow the illegal downloaders, but their will be no reversion to how it once was, it’s the Ipod generation, they are advertised as being able to hold 30,000 songs, charged at $1 a song, its unlikely its going to get filled by legal downloads. So there are undiscovered means distributers are yet to look at, we have a an endless amount of ideas on how to react to the current climate, I wont go into every detail but one thing Junktion has is contacts with multiple high traffic blogs, we get our artists music included, and receive the increased download count.

What gear do you use for your post production?

I’ll get Hayden answer that, he’s the wizard kid.

Hayden: nothing to flashy really a PC running the latest version of wav labs and my top secret blend of vst's and analysing tools…… plus a few years of experience behind me.

Who are your favourite artists, in Palmy and NZ?

Cam: In Palmy I really dig the iLLyspiLLaz, to us locals its much more than another group, they show a story of inspiration and dedication. I also like Kyro-Dubz aka Darkist, heavy dub sound. New Zealand wide, I think it would be Julien Dyne, Electric Wire Hustle, Sola Rosa, Lord Jackson, Misshin, but id have to say my favourite is Ghost from Christchurch.

Hayden: that's a tough question being a big supporter of local music I'd say I like all aspects of the local scene and anything it produces, you can always find a silver lining … even in music.

What’s next for Junktion?

Well, we’ll keep on with the compilations, there’s just too much great local music that isn’t being heard. One thing we want to work on is our website, we have only ever held a few links to our albums. After all of the contact we’ve had with artists we’d like to host their albums on our site, create a catalogue for any visitors to flick though and download at will. As we do everything for the love, its proving difficult to have a web developer on call, but we have faith someone will show up.

Junktion is run by Cam Lock (recruiter, emcee, digital digger) and Hayden Sin (future beat maker, audio engineer).

Website Links

Official Junktion Website
Junktion Facebook Page

Thanks to Claire for answering these questions:

What can we expect to see from Farmer Pimp over the next year?

First off is the release of our debut album 'Sweet Hot Pepper Pop'! During the recording process we got to work with some amazing people and are stoked with the finished product. We've also been working with some great DJs/electronic artists so expect to hear some Farmer Pimp remixes in the coming year.. Oh and of course playing some kick-ass shows! For our album release we're going all out, playing with a string quartet and three piece horn section, so we're really excited about the line up.

What advice would you like to give to other aspiring musicians?

Forget about what you've learned and approach your music with a clean slate. Don't worry about what genre you fit into or who you should sound like, forge your own musical style.

How do you come up with your lyrics?

I like to think of songs as short stories. I usually start with a scenario or imagery in my head and then go from there. Some song lyrics come from a personal experience and others are completely made up, that's the great thing about songwriting, you can make it as crazy as you want!

How do you describe Farmer Pimp’s music?

Everyone in the band has such different musical backgrounds that get mixed together in the Farmer Pimp melting pot. I like to think of our music as bitter-sweet pop, like a good quality dark chocolate, tastes sweet but won't give you cavities!

What inspired you to start Farmer Pimp?

Mark (bass player/producer) and I met awhile back at uni and discovered a shared passion for superheroes and music, the rest is history.

What is the best gig you have ever performed at, and why?

Probably the first gig we ever played. We used to practice in the apartment up stairs from the bar at Joy Bong and we got to know the bartender pretty well ($4 tap beers bless him!). Late one evening we were drinking there and got talking to the other people at the bar about the band, after some cajoling and a few more drinks we dragged our amps down and played our first show! We probably sounded terrible but was a lot of fun..

Farmer Pimp is Claire Holmes (vocals), Mark Michel (upright bass, spoken word), J.P Muir (synth, keys), Mahuia Bridgeman-Cooper (violin) and Alex Simeti (drums).

Website Links

Muzic.net.nz Page
Amplifier Page
MySpace Page
Facebook Page

Press Release: Farmer Pimp Announce Debut Album

Farmer Pimp's debut album 'Sweet Hot Pepper Pop' is due for release on 26 April 2010 and you can read the review here.

What can we expect to see from Niko Ne Zna over the next year?

More touring, more recording, more writing, more action, more more more!!!

What advice would you like to give to other aspiring musicians?

Find what you really love and go for it! Learn as much as you can, play out as heaps, and always challenge yourself. Also listen to more world music.

Who would you most like to support live?

Without a doubt Romanian Gypsy Balkan brass superstars Fanfare Ciocarlia. They are our heroes. If you haven't heard of them you need to check them out!

How do you describe Niko Ne Zna's music?

Energetic, sexy uplifting brass and percussion heavy music that is accessible to all people of all generations and unites them.

What is the best part of being a musician?

Living music. Doing what we love. Spending most of our time doing the thing that we love the most in this world.

What is your favourite NZ venue?

I think every venue can be a kick ass place if there are lots of keen enthusiastic people. On our recent summer tour, Chicks Hotel down in Port Chalmers was a fantastic place to play. Nice old pub feel, nice people and good vibe.

What is your most embarrassing on tour/gig moment?

Being on tour and forgetting to shut the trailer door before driving off and only realising that it's wide open about an hour down the road. Only lost one bag of clothes but it meant Nick the Sousaphone player only had the clothes he was standing in for the rest of the tour so I had to lend him a few shirts. Luckily we didn't loose all our gear!

Niko Ne Zna is Ben Hunt (trumpet), Frankie Curac (saxophone), Amanda Maclean (trombone), Nick Van Dijk (tuba), Rebekah Greig (accordion), Jeremy Hantler (drums) and Andreas Lepper (percussion).

Website Links

Muzic.net.nz Page
Amplifier Page
MySpace Page
Facebook Page
Youtube Page
Monkey Records Page

Press Release: Niko Ne Zna EP Release Auckland Show (last night)

Niko Ne Zna released their EP to Auckland at Bacco Room last night (Saturday 10 April). You can download their single 'Kustino Cupcek' from their muzic.net.nz page!

Thanks to Joel for answering these questions:

What can we expect to see from Pavlova and The Jandals over the next year?

Lots of great shows, our debut album, more quirky stop motion videos, and more music!

What will your next release be?

Our Debut self-titled album will be out on the 15th of April!

Who are your favourite NZ musicians/bands, and why?

Fly My Pretties, the Woolshed Sessions. Lisa Crawley, Hannah Howes, The Eastern, The Mint Chicks, Roger Manins, Dixon Nacey, The Twitch, Yebisu, Coach, BlacksandDiva, and The Sproutts! There are so many great artists in New Zealand at the moment, it's really inspiring.

Who would you most like to support live?

I'd pick the Woolshed Sessions, Ryan Adams and the Cardinals, or Feist. Or Ricky Gervais!

How do you believe Pavlova and The Jandals fits into the NZ music industry?

Pavlova and the Jandals is a collaborative band; we all play each others' songs, and everybody has input into what comes out. It's inspiring how there is so much collaboration in the Wellington scene, with Fly my Pretties, and the Woolshed sessions etc. Everybody plays on everybodys' stuff! This is starting to happen a bit more in Auckland, so hopefully we can help keep it moving. We'd love to jam with all you fullas!

How do you describe your music?

I'll wash, you dry. Chur!

What is the best part of being in Pavlova and The Jandals?

The best part of it for me personally, is being playing guitar on songs that I really like, with people who I really like. Having the privilege of playing music to an audience is absolutely awesome!

What NZ musicians or bands would you like to see more of, and why?

Anything led by Neil Watson is always fantastic to watch and to hear.

What is your most embarrassing on tour/gig moment?

Nothing too bad yet. We are touring from next week tho, with a camera and a dictaphone, so watch this space!!

How did you come up with the name Pavlova and The Jandals?

We are a winning combination of sugar and rubber.

What is the best gig you have ever performed at, and why?

We sold out our christmas showcase at The Wine Cellar. This was the first gig with all 5 of us, and we played through all of the songs which are on the album, some for the first time. Looking forward to heaps of great gigs over the next few weeks!

How do you keep in contact with your fans?

We are touring both Islands from the 15th of April. So come and see us for a geez and a yarn. 

We're on Facebook and we'd love you to be our friend on there.
Check our MySpace for dates. Hope to see all you fellas soon. Chur!

Pavlova and The Jandals are Fleur Jack, Simon Ross, Joel Vinsen, Chris Howard and Todd Beeby.

Website Links

Muzic.net.nz Page
MySpace Page
Facebook Page

Press Release: Album Release Tour

Pavlova and The Jandals' debut album will be released at the Kings Arms (Auckland) on 15 April.

UK-based Lawrence Arabia’s Chant Darling wins the Inaugural Taite Music Prize

An album that judge Francesca Rudkin described as “instantly beguiling and absolutely gorgeous”, Chant Darling was this evening awarded the Inaugural Taite Music Prize, a new initiative on the creative landscape that awards a cash prize to the finest release by a New Zealand artist or group, specifically focusing on the artistic merit and creative excellence of one album released in the previous calendar year.

The work of UK-based New Zealand musician Lawrence Arabia AKA James Milne, Chant Darling was recorded between Nov 2007 and Jan 2009, in Stockholm, London, Auckland, Wellington and Port Chalmers, and was produced by Milne himself. Judge John Taite said that the album “feels like a love affair of an album... and completely out of fashion. And although the calculated rough shambles they've created can sound like the musical equivalent of spending an hour on your hair to look like you've just got outta bed, it's ultimately singular and passionate enough to feel real. Get on a plane. The world is waiting”.

Full Article

Knights of the DUB Table – ‘Tronic EP’

Knights of the DUB Table hit full stride with their first physical release ‘Tronic EP’ – a showcase of musical styles blended together to bring you an emotive and unique sound. Following on from their previous ‘Sing It To Me Remix EP’ (digital), ‘Tronic’ has captured the ultimate vision and essence of the band.

There is a sense of growth within the music as the Knights have matured through a flurry of live performances. Since their win at the 2009 York Street Studios Band Experiments, their sound has become bolder and stronger and this is echoed through the tunes laid down on ‘Tronic’. The sounds are full and rich and delve deeper into the musical creativity which will forever keep the Knights sounding fresh and ahead of the times.

Full Article

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Forbidden Joe 2010 Tour Dates and Forbidden Joe Album Release Gig

Thirty Seconds To Mars

The Freddy's Show - Live in 3D

Scribe vs Savage - The Battle of The Century

Dimmer Announce NZ and American Dates

Dragon to headline Winter Festival Mardi Gras

Feastock 2010

We Love Sounds Music Festival

More Gig and Concert News

New Artists

The following musicians were added to the muzic.net.nz website recently. Check them out:

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Competitions

Congratulations to the following winners:

- S. Stewart (Tauranga), who has won a copy of the latest album from Salon Kingsadore, 'Mountain Rescue'.
- The following people have won a copy of the 3rd compilation from Junktion: A. Mason (Nelson), K. Soar (New Plymouth), D. Wells (Auckland), S. Tuaupiki (Te Awamutu), S. Reed (Whangarei), M. Storey (Auckland), B. George (Ohaupo), L. Burns (Dunedin) and B. McGinlay (Christchurch).

Enter today for your chance to win the following competitions:
Please note - you must be logged in to enter competitions.

Past competition winners can be viewed here.

Reviews

Check out our latest reviews:

- The House of Capricorn - 'Sign of the Cloven Hoof' album review

- George and Queen - 'Teenagers and Grownups' album review

- Her Make Believe Band - 'A.M. Radio' album review

- Farmer Pimp - 'Sweet Hot Pepper Pop' album review

- Junktion 3 Compilation

- Late 80s Mercedes @ Juice Bar, Parnell - Tuesday 23 March 2010

Check out every single interview and review in our new Articles Page.

Tour Features

Every feature we have ever had on the site can be viewed here.

The next muzic.net.nz newsletter is going out on 25 April
and will feature The Managers and Jdubs!

There is space available for features from 9 May onwards.

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YOU NEED TO GET IN TOUCH WITH US TODAY!

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