New Zealand musicians have put their own spin on genres like soul, jazz, reggae and rock to create a distinctive sound inspired by home, land and sea.
This fusion of sounds expressed in a Pacific style, is the homegrown music that keeps Kiwi crowds jamming at home and abroad.
One of New Zealand’s most distinct sounds is known as Aotearoa roots music.
Described as organic, earthy and inspired by the land, it is epitomised by the organic rhythms of Trinity Roots, and the smooth seaside-inspired tunes of Fat Freddy’s Drop.
New Zealand headliners
Trinity Roots - Aotearoa roots music Influential in the Aotearoa roots music scene with their unique fusion of soul, blues, jazz and reggae, Trinity Roots is a three-piece roots band from Wellington that was formed in 1998.
Trinity Roots style transcends genre. Indigenous, organic and unique, their music was captured on a self-titled EP (2000) and two critically-acclaimed albums: True (2002) and Home, Land and Sea (2004).
Led by the soulful vocals of Warren Maxwell, backed by the baritone voice and bass guitar of Rio Hunuki-Hemopo, and supported by the beats of Ricki Gooch, Trinity Roots were the leaders of a strong roots / dub scene in Wellington until the band members went their separate ways in 2005.
Describing the band’s sound, Maxwell told NZ Musician magazine in 2002: "Spiritual is the first element that comes to mind ... We use roots as a vehicle or medium to convey emotion. We combine lyrical message with primal rhythms, often Afro/Cuban or dancehall. We are organic in our music and spiritual in the way we play it, though not in a religious sense. It’s about playing a beautiful groove - it’s a way to get in touch, to cleanse yourself and you get that feeling when done well in any genre."
After five years apart, the band reunited in 2010, hitting the road for sell-out shows in Auckland, Christchurch and Wellington - validating Trinity Roots as one of New Zealand’s most influential and loved bands.
Trinity Roots Fat Freddys Drop - Pacific Soul Purveyors of contemporary Pacific soul, Fat Freddys Drop is a seven-piece family of musicians who grew up together in Wellington.
Emerging through a multitude of musical incarnations from funk jam bands to reggae soundsystems, jazz improvisation to live techno, Fat Freddys have become one of New Zealand’s premiere groups.
Wellington’s acclaimed Jazz school is where the brass lineup - Chopper Reedz (Scott Towers, saxophone), Tony Chang (Toby Laing, trumpet) and Ho Pepa (Joe Lindsay, trombone and tuba) - first breathed joint life into their instruments, and where their booty-shaking rhythm owes its roots.
Acclaimed solo singer Joe Dukie (Dallas Tamaira), guitarist Jetlag Johnson (Tehimana Kerr) and keyboardist Dobie Blaze (Iain Gordon) join band leader DJ Fitchie (Chris Faiumu / Mu) to round out the collective.
The band's alter egos have been immortalised in the cartoon characters featured on the band’s first album cover - Based On a True Story (2005) - which debuted at No.1 on the New Zealand music charts, and is the highest selling album by a New Zealand band to date.
The band’s second album Dr Boondigga and the Big BW (2009) was New Zealand’s highest selling album of the year.
DJ Fitchie tells the story about how Fat Freddys started out: "We were all busy with other projects. We came together as a jam band, everyone sharing a love for improvisation. It progressed naturally from there, slowly morphing into everyone's main focus."
Shapeshifter - Drum & Bass Live Shapeshifter is a live drum and bass act from Christchurch that has been heralded as a musical phenomenon for its ground-breaking live shows and unique blend of heavy soul with drum and bass.
It is Shapeshifter’s use of organic instruments - drums, saxophone, guitar, percussion and horns, as well as synthesizers and keyboards - to create a genre of music that had previously been restricted to pre-sequenced or pre-recorded performances that sets it apart from other groups.
'Drum and Bass' live was created by the group's diverse range of musical influences and backgrounds from dub, jazz, and hip hop to metal, funk and electronic music.
Shapeshifter is: Devin Abrams (synths, saxophone), Paora 'P Digsss' Apera (vocals), Sam Trevethick (keyboards, guitar, and percussion), Johnny Hooves (drums) and Nick Robinson (bass, keyboards).
In 2006 the group won ‘best album’ for Soulstice, ‘best song’ for Bring Change, and ‘best live act’ at the publicly voted annual bNet New Zealand Music Awards.
After the release of their fourth album and in typical cutting-edge fashion, Shapeshifter performed a legendary series of shows with leading New Zealand symphony orchestras that was sold-out weeks in advance.
In 2007, the group released the live album Shapeshifter Live (2007) which was recorded at the Christchurch Town Hall - the final show of their orchestra tour and in the band's hometown.
Shapeshifter The Black Seeds - Roots / Reggae with Funk Originally from Wellington, The Black Seeds is recognised as one of Aotearoa New Zealand’s leading live sounds - a reputation earned with platinum-selling albums, a masterful live show, and a sound that’s a unique Pacific blend.
With vocals by Barnaby Weir and Daniel Weetman, the music is essentially a fusion of big-beat funk, dub, and soul, mixed with vintage roots / reggae.
Described by Clash Magazine as "one of the best reggae acts on the planet", The Black Seeds’ eight-piece live show has taken its funky beats and good vibe through countless sell-out New Zealand and Australian tours, and regularly performs at many big European and North American festivals.
Headquarters is at the Surgery Studio in Wellington - a condemned building and formerly a karate dojo that band sound engineer Lee Prebble set up as a studio - which has since been responsible for producing some of New Zealand’s finest modern albums.
The Black Seeds enjoys a large following in New Zealand, Australia and Europe. Their most recent album releases - Into the Dojo (2006) and Solid Ground (2008) - were released in Europe to critical acclaim and strong airplay, particularly in Germany and France.
Kora - Live Powerhouse Kora is a five-piece roots / rock band with a huge live presence that brings together four brothers from Whakatane (on the North Island’s east coast), and a Wellingtonian.
The Kora brothers - Laughton (vocals, guitar and keys), Fran (bass and vocals), Stu (guitar and vocals), and Brad (drums) - grew up in a family of talented singers and musicians. The brothers have powerful voices that sail across the powerhouse rhythm section, a fusion of elements including reggae, rock, dub and roots. Dan McGruer plays keys and bass.
Kora - described as a futuristic funk rock act - is considered one of the most exciting live acts in New Zealand and has become a sought-after headline act. The band’s self-titled debut album went straight to No.1 on the New Zealand music charts when it was released in 2007.
Brothers Brad, Stu and Fran are also passionate about Brazilian jiu jitsu and surfing. When not touring they can be found surfing at Whakatane beaches or coaching jiu jitsu at their new state of the art school.
