Amplifier

01.07.09

As we enter July there are a bunch of new tours being announced to get you out from in front of the heater and into the night for some musical adventures. 

King Kapisi is hitting the road with a live band in preparation of his forthcoming new album Hip Hop Lives Here. 

Kapisi aka Bill Urale will road test new material from the upcoming album, including the first radio single Stand, which features the conscious lyrics of prolific Jamaican artist Luciano sharing vocal duties. The feel-good video for Stand has a 'Wellington represents' theme to it and includes members of Urale's family, friends and Hurricanes and All Black player Ma'a Nonu.

Surf City who are also working on an album are taking time out of the recording studio to play some shows.

Another artist who is about to release their album is well established Drum and Bass DJ/Producer from Wellington, Trei, whose touring to showcase some tunes prior to their album coming out later in the year.

INNUENDO, Trei's début album (on NZ's own Samurai Music), a divergent sonic landscape, stays grounded through the common threads of decidedly futurist synthetic soundscapes and chest pounding, subwoofer rupturing low-slung bass lines.
 
Working with the likes of vocalists Lisa Tomlins and Thomas Oliver (of the Thomas Oliver Band) and fellow producers State of Mind, Dose, Teknik and Southern Soul, TREi has crafted a cohesive 12-song deep full-listening experience as much driven by hooks and musicality as it is explosive drum and bass pressure.

Also out and about this month are; Ragamuffin Children & The Eastern Winter Tour and Die!Die!Die!

In today's fragmented media world it can be hard worlk to stay abreast of what options you have for seeing live music, one place we recommend to keep in the loop for all things gig wise is Makuna, visit them here - keep an eye out for the Amplifier recommended shows.

In other news The Clean are releasing their first studio album in 8 years called Mister Pop. Out in New Zealand on Arch Hill on the 7th of September in the USA Merge Records and Morr Music in Europe will be looking after the release.

Visit Pitchfork for a free download of the single "In the Dreamlife You Need a Rubber Soul"

Staying on the live theme for the day, you can experience what a Clean show is like via last years live album Mashed

Featuring cuts from the band's March 2007 Bangers & Mash Tour with several thousand in attendance, Mashed captures all the triumphant madness - David Kilgour's reverberant guitar echoing above the furious and distinctive rhythm section of brother Hamish and bassist Bob Scott.

Featured release
DJ Presha Presents: Way Of The Samurai

The first LP/CD release project for Samurai Music, Way of The Samurai presents a panoramic vision of global drum and bass music circa 2009.

The brainchild of Internationally respected, New Zealand-based drum and bass pioneer Geoff Wright (DJ Presha), Way of The Samurai is an artfully curated collection of progressive drum and bass from New Zealand and abroad.

Featuring exclusive material from New Zealand drum and bass producer's State of Mind, The Upbeats, Dose, Menace, Trei, Luca and Mosus with equally unique material from some European contributors, Way of The Samurai traverses the full gamut of drum and bass flavours over the course of its twelve track running order.

Be it the atmospheric and upfront sounds of Divinity by Klute, the haunting and urgent cries of SFX by The Upbeats, or the almost cosmic tones of Carbon Black by Zero T & Mosus, the common threads of quality and diversity through this album become quickly apparent, even after the most cursory listen.

Way of The Samurai - music to shape the future.

Enjoy.