Archive for August 2016

READ: MAKING MUSIC DIGITALLY

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Making music digitally....hmmmmm, allot has changed over the years in terms of making music. The options for how one creates a song has quadrupled. You don't necessarily have to rely on others to create music which sounds like a whole band is playing. A little while ago I tried to get my head around making music digitally; laptop-check, midi controller-check, drum pad-check, ableton live-check, but what on earth does this all mean? And how do you even start recording and making music?

This week I talk to Brent 'Parks' Park, the producer and music man alongside Ladi 6, a bit about making music digitally (also Ladi's husband and baby-daddy).


How did you get into making digital music?
I think i first got into it from listening to so much sample based rap music in the 90's. The sampler sound really intrigued me because i was learning to play guitar and hiphop beats weren't as rigid as other forms of programmed-style music of that era like techno and stuff. I think i related to it a bit more because of that. It had the raw sample which made this weird friction between raw live instrumentation within the sample and the stiff machine sequencing.

What is your background in terms of making digital music....are you self taught? If so how did you go about learning the process? 
Where I grew up in Christchurch basically no one made the type of raw rap beats that I was interested in. Drum n bass owned our city and I never really related to that. When I moved to Auckland at age 21 I started hanging out with some guys who were much more hip to the

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Read: Beat Streets – An old school history lesson

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With raucous reality shows at a pervasive premium, it is refreshing and timely that the naughty folks at Netflix have secured a dynamite dose of ‘hip-hopology’ in the funky form of ‘The Get Down’, an adaptation of the early formative years of hip hop in the boogie down Bronx. This humungous history lesson is the master creation of Baz Luhrmann, yes he of epic classics such as ‘Moulin Rouge’, ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and ‘The Great Gatsby’ and promises to be a colourful cut ’n ’paste mosaic of the music, moves and grandmasters of the day.
So, with my Casio timepiece set to back in the day, I kicked off my Adidas, donned my Kangol cap and popped a personal mixtape into my memory bank of the sounds and music that etched its’ way into my scratched up lined refill from Waiheke Area School, circa 1984.   

Grandmaster Flash and his Furious Five took street gangs to the op shop, styling up in fur coats and fat gold chains, with the seminal ‘The Message’, an urban heads up from the crack laden footpaths of NYC. Def jams jingled and jangled care of ladies love cool James (or LL Cool J to those in the know), with Run DMC raising hell on the mic whilst Jam Master Jay transformed cold cuts to order like a beat crazed butcher.
Brat hop became a tag stolen from the bonnets of VW convertibles, as those beers swilling Beastie Boys tapped the bottle of teenage frenzy, taking keg party anthems to the suburban screens of everyday America via MTV. And for those who wanted something to dance to, Afrika Bambaataa and the Soul Sonic Force, lay down the mat for futuristic funk and unearthly electro, a head spinning mix of German electronica injected with James Brown drum loops.

As an English born beat lover, raised on the average avenues of Avondale, my mid 80s love affair with ghetto blasters, turntables and bedroom beat-masters is a far reaching testament to the raw sentiment, back shed construction and articulate recollections of a walk on the wild side, The fashion, the production and the fanfare came later, predated by a need for expression, escapism and scrapbooking pages and sounds from the time.


Delve into the vaults of our back catalogue and discover some treats of your own.I recommend a few to get you going on the good foot.
Try some Run DMC for starters, or let the Beastie Boys set the root down. A great collection for beginners is Rappers Delight or throw your hands in the air with Anthems.
Dave Tucker


                          

SEE: The Other's Way Festival - Our Picks

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Early September will see The Other's Way festival taking over K Road, in their follow-up to last year's debut. Run by Flying Out and 95bfm, the festival is becoming the NZ equivalent to traditional music industry-festivals such as CMJ or SXSW.

Along with classic NZ and Flying Nun associated acts such as The Phoenix Foundation and David Kilgour, there are appearances from hyped Aussie acts Twerps and Scott and Charlene's Wedding and many more. We've chosen our own stand-outs from the line-up below.

i.e. crazy


i.e. crazy is dark and powerful; she paints herself as the "deranged ex-lover who won’t leave you alone; the batty neighbour spying through the fence; the stranger at the bus stop who holds your gaze that fraction too long." Her live performances are immersive and intimate - drawing you in with quiet, nervous banter between crushing vocal and guitar deliveries. Currently she only has a couple of  songs on bandcamp, stream-able below, but you can also watch this milky video for her single 'You're a stranger to me now'.




Grayson Gilmour





Grayson has been making dense, textured pop music for about a decade now. Though recently his focus has been soundtracks (producing some incredible work for the feature films The Most Fun You Can Have Dying and Shopping, among others). Always a joy to watch. We have a few of his albums here.


Shocking Pinks




The Shocking Pinks are the ever-evolving project of Nick Harte. 2014/2015 saw the formation of a new lineup and completion of an approximately 60-date world tour. One of the best live acts in NZ at present, and who knows if you'll get another chance to see this particular (my favourite) lineup.

PS. The festival isn't all live music, Flying Nun founder Roger Shepherd will also be doing a reading from his recent memoir of the label In Love With These Times.

Tickets are available from undertheradar.co.nz and Flying Out

PPS. (i.e. crazy is also a regular performer around Auckland if you're not interested in the festival atmosphere, watch for shows on their facebook page)

-  James