Independent Music NZ News

October News

Hope you had a great long weekend and are getting into the swing of spring. Here are some of the highlights of recent times for IMNZ labels, plus future action to look forward to. Also this month we say kia ora to new IMNZ members Mai Music.

Wellington Music Week was held October 20 - 21 with a Music Trade Show, Music Seminar Series, and the Windys Wellington Music Awards.

Sugarlicks is looking after the music bookings at Rakinos Café in Auckland.

Foreign Affairs

Mareko (Dawn Raid) is heading over to New York in November to release a 12” vinyl single in the USA.

Rubicon’s ‘Yeah Yeah (Rockstar)’ has been played on USA alternative radio shows with funny names, such as Sunday School on 99X WNNX Atlanta, D’ya Still Like Scratchin on Adventure University and they’re on the It Hurts When I Pee list from KXTE Las Vegas. Wildside and Rubicon are working with Joe Berman of Smart Recordings, who set up the Steriogram USA deal.

Baitercell vs Timmy Schumacher (Kog) this month have tracks featured on the cover CDs of 2 international magazines: drum n bass and breaks magazine, The Knowledge and London mag Mofo.

Kog’s Australasian breaks comp ‘Return of the Booom Shwack’ hits Australia on Nov 3 and is being followed through with an Aussie tour.

Katchafire’s album ‘Revival’ (Mai Music) is almost platinum and the band head on tour to Australia in November, with two dates sold out six weeks in advance. Watch out for a reissue of the album with bonus dub mixes.

Pacific Soul (King Music) have finished production on a new single and are touring the U.S in November.

NZ singer Taisha has released her debt single ‘I’ll Go’ (King Music). She is touring the U.S and Europe through November.

LOOP have had plenty of good news lately including:

Shock Records have signed the LOOP catalogue for Australia. The next release in Australia by LOOP is ‘LOOP Select 004’, which is also due for UK release in October through Timewarp.

German label Select Cuts/Echo Beach are co-releasing a compilation with LOOP in February 2004 called ‘New Zealand in Dub’; distributed through EFA in Europe and Caroline Distribution in the USA.

‘Seek Know More’ by 50Hz featuring Ladi6 is due for release on 12” world-wide. Rhian Sheehan has international licenses to MTV Europe and BBC Channel 4 and compilation licenses including ‘Barraundi Vol.4’, ‘Cafe del Mar Vol.10’.

French cable television show Tracks is coming to NZ in December to shoot two documentaries on NZ Hip Hop and NZ dub. The show has 22 million viewers - for more information you can contact mikee@loop.co.nz.

Releases

Congratulations to 3 The Hard Way (Joy) for ‘It’s On’ going to number one in the national singles chart and also to 8 Foot Sativa (Intergalactic) whose album ‘Season For Assault’ entered the RIANZ album chart at number 6.

‘The Warratahs Collection’ (Pagan) spent the last six weeks in the national charts after debuting at number 16.

Gracing the floors of this year’s L’Oreal Fashion Week was the new Antenna compilation ‘Hip Pop’ featuring Dub Asylum, Trip, Relaxomatic Project, 50Hz and Subware.

Maorimusic.com is distributing the new album from Urban Pacifika’s latest signing, Koha Kii, released November 10.

Tangata Records has signed new recording artist Morgana Watson, who will be performing in Auckland at the Black Pearl Awards in November.

Ron Mak (Mai Music) from D2S has just signed a management deal with Ray Columbus.

In conjunction with SAE, Mai Music recently awarded the He Taonga Waiata Scholarship, now in its second year, to young Aucklander Havila Taukolo.

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