| Unearth
- Independent New Zealand Music Stuff |
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| INTRODUCTION
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This is
a guide to some of the independent music currently being made and released
in New Zealand. There are tons of labels in NZ covering all manner of musical
styles. I have no desire to compile a definitive list of them all - this
site deals with music that I enjoy.
Hopefully
this page will assist people with similar taste to mine to discover some
of the most exciting, moving and innovative recordings in the world. Given
the links and contacts listed below, my interest in improvisation should
be obvious, but the information isn't restricted to music created in this
way. |
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For labels
that do not have websites, e-mail and physical addresses are provided where
known. If any of the information is incorrect or out of date, please let
me know. If you know of labels in a similar vein to those listed which seem
like obvious omissions, please get
in touch.
As
a disclaimer of some sort, I'm involved in three labels which are listed
here and also play on some of the releases, so total impartiality is not
a claim that I make. |
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| NZ
LABELS |
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| 20 City |
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Run by Richard
Francis primarily while he was living in Japan. Artists include
Eso Steel, The Boa Guild, Doe, Three, MSBR. I think 20 City is now
pretty much defunct, but Richard runs CMR
so you may be able to get some of the 20City stuff there. |
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| 8
Dec |
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Wellington label
run by Douglas Bagnall and
maybe others. Artists included on the 8
Dec Jukebox are Fever Hospital, Douglas Bagnall and Paul Solly.
The Halogen site which this is a part of contains film and other NZ
art/entertainment. The Random
Geographical Survey in particular is well worth a look. |
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| The Animal
Kingdom |
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Run by Shaun
Jury in Auckland. More info on the label soon - just wanted to
get contact details up to date. |
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| Apoplexy |
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Christchurch
label run by Peter Wright, whose artists include Atonal Death, Peter
Wright, Witcyst. |
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| Arc
Cafe |
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Dunedin Cafe
who have a couple of compilations and releases by artists such as
The Clean, Kitset, Jay Clarkson, Demarnia Lloyd, Mestar, Cloudboy,
Suka... |
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| Blunt Instrumentals |
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Run by Tim Cornelius
and perhaps others from Sandoz Lab Technicians in Dunedin. Everything
I have on this label is marvellous - mostly in a low-key vague-hint-of-a-song
way. The address was 19 Preston Cres, Dunedin but I have no idea if
the label's still going. Bands include SLT and Homunculus. |
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| Celebrate/Psi/Phenomenon |
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Run by Campbell
Kneale in Wellington. Mostly improvisation/noise taking in guitar
and electronic sources. Artists include Birchville Cat Motel, Small
Blue Torch, Eso Steel, Lugosi. 4 Whakataki Grove, Waiwhetu, Lower
Hutt, New Zealand. |
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| CM Productions |
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Nick Hodgson's
Christchurch label which has some fine releases by himself, Richard
Neave, CM Ensembles of various types. The sounds range from free noise
to free jazz. The old CM website is gone and I have no idea if
there is a new one or how to contact Nick. |
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| CMR |
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Richard
Francis' new(-ish) label from Auckland with releases primarily
based on laptop manipulated drones from what I gather. |
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| Corpus
Hermeticum |
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Probably the
best known New Zealand independent label, outside New Zealand anyway.
Takes up where Xpressway left off, but the musical focus leans more
completely towards improvisation than the earthy soul-baring of say
Alastair Galbraith, Sandra Bell and Peter Jefferies. Artists include
Omit, A Handful of Dust, Pieters/Russell/Stapleton, Sandoz Lab Technicians,
the marvellous English band The Shadow Ring (actually I take back
the not-being-earthy comment in their case) and the most "difficult"
recordings by Flying Saucer Attack and Thurston Moore. This site has
a online version of the most recent catalogue, which includes other
labels of note such as Next Best Way (run by Alastair Galbraith),
Metonymic and Medication (both run by Kim Pieters and Peter Stapleton)
Run by Bruce Russell in Lyttelton. |
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| Crawlspace |
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Run by Stu
and Gonzo Schmidt in Auckland, the "Artist Series" in particular
boasts an impressive lineup including Thela, Crude, White Saucer,
Children's Television Workshop, Pointsman. |
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| Deep Skin |
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Clinton Williams'
label from Blenheim which is the outlet for his solo project, Omit.
You can write to Deep Skin at 14 Girling Ave, Blenheim, New Zealand. |
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| Extemporaneous
Noise |
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Whangarei label
which is the home to Witcyst, Praecox and much more. The catalogue
is rumoured to include around 600 releases. I believe the mail address
is Extemporization, 233 Kamo Rd, Whangarei. |
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| Headshy |
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Experimental
semi-structured sounds which fall through the cracks between rock
and improvisation. Artists include Log Store, Negative Eh, Trough,
Noctuary (not the US black metal band). Was based in Palmerston North,
now in Melbourne. |
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| Hell On |
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Wellington label
run by Yuri, Helen
and Kristin. Heaped servings
of stoner pop and drone, with loose and raucous moments. Bands include
The Garbage and The Flowers, Entlang, The Drugs. At least two of the
three label honchos are now in Australia, but you may still get a
response from some of the e-mail addresses above. |
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| High
Tension House |
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Now defunct
Christchurch label run by Hamish
Noonan which covers abstract electronic music, jazz, electroacoustic,
skronk and interesting packaging gimmicks with artists such as Hiatus,
CM Group, Nick Hodgson (ex-Montessouri), Oistraka and Witcyst. |
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| Imperial |
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Originally run
by Andrew Moon (see RST section below), releasing material by Auckland
bands such as RST, Empirical and La Gloria. Imperial has now been
taken over by Robert Lundon
and releases include his band Pit Viper, as well as stuff by Peter
Jefferies, Rosy Parlane (ex-Thela)/RSWL, Fake Purr (Lovely Midget,
ex-Queen Meanie Puss) and Scottish social terrorists (that's a description,
not a band name), Decar Pinga (Prick Decay).
This link I had doesn't work any more - if anyone has information
on a new site please let me know. |
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| Insample |
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The mythical
Witcyst CD turns out to be reality, followed closely by a 7" from
Armpit ... other releases to date include a superb CD from Wellington's
Birchville Cat Motel and two Richard Youngs related releases. Sounds
tend towards the more noisy ends of improvisation. Run by Simon Baker
who you can write to at 22 Larch St, Rotorua. |
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| Is
Land |
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An Auckland
label that I know little about, but it looks like there's a Sone,
Sudersuk and Omit connection of some sort so I'll have to investigate
further. |
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| kRkRkRk |
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A Christchurch
label with an industrial focus (whatever that means these days) which
has been putting out tapes since 1992 and CD-Rs more recently. Some
of the more experimental stuff crosses into the noise and ambient
territory. Better known artists include the metal smashing Leonard
Nimoy and TMA-1. |
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| Mothertrucker |
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Run from PO
Box 266, Motueka, NZ - I don't know much about this label except that
there is a CD by Drugs vs. Grandchildren. I recall seeing ad's for
this label in punk zines years ago, so they must have a bit of stuff
out, mostly structured in a loud kinda way with lots of attitude I'd
imagine. |
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| Pink
Air / Girl Alliance |
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Auckland outfit
which I believe is run by Stella Corkery (Queen Meanie Puss, Lovely
Midget) and Alan Holt (White Saucer). |
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| Pseudoarcana |
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Wellington label
run by Antony Milton focussing mainly on the free and improvised.
Antony also runs the Wire Bridge label which is his imprint for more
melodic music. |
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| Root
Don Lonie For Cash |
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Run by Clayton
Noone once from Hamilton, now based in Dunedin, Root Don Lonie
have a good range of noisy pop and rock, mostly on tape. Artists include
CJA, Teen X Ray, Sugar Jon, Armpit, Pumice, Lugosi, Witcyst and more. |
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| Secret
Safari |
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Releases so
far by Palmerston North improvisors Bongo Bunny, She Camel of God,
Willow and Schawami. Structure within the music is generally not by
design. Now based in Melbourne. |
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| Sigma
Editions |
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Rosy Parlane's
(Paul Douglas ex-Thela) label run out of Auckland/Sydney/London (hard
to keep up) doing such fineries as RP and Minit (ex-Garbage &
the Flowers). |
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| Slag
Strut |
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Dunedin label
run by Pat Kraus who apparently
releases stuff like Murdering Monsters and The Aesthetics. Haven't
heard it first hand, so more info soon(ish). |
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| Spotty
Dog Records |
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Kinda rock,
in one way or another. Includes bands such as The Livids, Meat Market,
Rake, Foisemaster, The Ashvins, Dog Tooth Violet. Was based in Palmerston
North, now spread across the world but ostensibly in Melbourne. |
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| Stabbies
and the Rocket |
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Run by Stefan
Neville and the website has gone down, so I'm not quite sure what
the best way to get hold of Stabbies is at the moment. Artists includes
Pumice, Ohm, Armpit, Casagrante Apparatus, Teen X-Ray, The Aesthetics. |
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| Sumac |
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Not an NZ label
strictly speaking, but all NZ music so far. Based in Melbourne, Sumac
is run by recent emigrant Simon
Clough. Releases are all on CD-R so far, with artists on the roster
including the Palmy outfit Pasica and Aucklander Andrew Jones. |
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| Transient
Recordings |
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Run by Ben
Spiers and Karl Willis, this Tauranga label will soon see releases
by the duo Empty Mirror and others. As a reference point, Ben has
a side of his soothing guitar sounds on a Celebrate Psi Phenomenon
cassette. |
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| Wire
Bridge |
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Wellington label
run by Antony Milton focussing on his more folky lo-fi alter-ego,
Swagger Jack. |
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| World Resources |
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A label originally
run from Wellington by Paul Toohey and others. I believe PO Box 1009,
Wellington should give you a source to fulfil your requirements for
beautiful improvisational drone by artists such as Surface of the
Earth, K-Group, and the New Zealand Guitar Orchestra., but maybe not
from Paul as he has been shifting between Hawkes Bay, Auckland and
the Wairarapa in recent years. |
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| NZ
ARTISTS |
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| Aut |
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Information
on various art and music releases by Aut (Greg Godwin). Experimental
electronics. |
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| CakeKitchen |
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Graeme Jefferies'
post-TKP project which has been going since the late 1980's. |
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| Crude |
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Matt Middleton
and his many releases. Link to his website coming whenever I find
one. |
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| Dead
C |
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Everything you
ever needed to know about Port Chalmers' finest.
This link appears to not work any more - if anyone has information
on a new site please let me know. |
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| Foisemaster |
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Junk 'n' Roll
from Palmerston North. |
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| Greg
Malcolm |
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"Greg Malcolm
has been working in a specialized area of music for the past 10 years.
Although his music is difficult to categorise due to its polystylistic
nature, it is perhaps best defined by the loose catch-all phrase -
UNPOPULAR."
Christchurch based musician "somewhere in the vague area of Eugene
Chadbourne and Negativeland (although nothing like negativeland musically
speaking).....or cultural terrorism with a very good guitarist." |
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| Longshoremen |
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Ethereal Wellington
duo with a release on Headshy. |
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| Marineville |
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Wellington rock
band situated somewhere near Television and Pere Ubu. |
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| RST |
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Taking up where
Imperial Phase I left off. Andrew
Moon's site for his (usually) solo project RST, whose beautiful
drone and chings has hopefully found a larger audience with the recent
Ecstatic Peace CD "R136a". |
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| Space
Dust |
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Duane's Zarakov's
account of the history of a Christchurch/Auckland sloppy psych rock
band. The rest of his site is also worth exploring but drop crumbs
behind you as you go - it's a pot-holed goldmine of oddity. Space
Dust's performance makes it worthwhile hunting out the movie Snakeskin,
btw. |
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| This
Kind of Punishment |
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The post-Nocturnal
Projections outfit that Graeme and Peter Jefferies formed in the mid
1980's when they moved down South. |
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| Universal
Joint |
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Cornet/guitar/percussion
duo from Levin/Wanganui/Palmerston North/Melbourne. |
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| OVERSEAS
LABELS RELEASING MUSIC BY NZ ARTISTS |
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| Ajax |
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New albums and
reissues from Graeme Jefferies, Peter Jefferies, Roy Montgomery, This
Kind of Punishment, Wreck Small Speakers on Expensive Stereos and
the Renderers. Tim Adams now appears to be running the 3
Beads of Sweat label and still has lots of Ajax
and other stuff available from there. |
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| Betley
Welcomes Careful Drivers |
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Lots and lots
of noise and improvised stuff primarily from the UK and USA, but the
ubiquitous Birchville Cat Motel turned out a scorcher for them. |
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| Drunken
Fish |
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The recent Fit
For Kings compilation CD, Roy Montgomery's debut solo album, Birchville
Cat Motel's second CD, Children's Television Workshop LP, Sferic Experiment
stuff, Harmony of the Spheres box set (featuring Roy Montgomery),
Hash Jar Tempo (again featuring Roy Montgomery - a pattern is emerging)
and the Peter Jefferies/Jono Lonie reissue.
This link appears to not work any more - if anyone has information
on a new site please let me know. |
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| Freedom
From... |
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This Minneapolis
label aimed to release 100 tapes in editions of 30 on the same day
in 1998. The deadline wasn't quite met, but there's a lot of stuff
here. |
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| Kranky |
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One of the finest
example of a label with a consistent sound. Amongst the droning swirling
space-rock (TM) come albums from NZ artists such as Dadamah, Dissolve,
Flies Inside the Sun and Roy Montgomery. |
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| Last
Visible Dog |
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Chris Moon and
others' CD-R label from Nebraska who have just got out an Ohm CD and
a double Small Blue Torch CD amongst a stack of other things. Eso
Steel is upcoming apparently. |
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| Majora |
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Seattle label.
Dadamah, Gate. |
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| Siltbreeze |
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Dead C, Pin
Group. The old website has gone - sing out if you have information
on a new address. |
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| Touch |
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UK label who
have released Rosy Parlane (ex-Thela) among many others including
a personal favourite of mine, Oren Ambarchi. |
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| VHF |
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US label with
releases by Roy Montgomery and Sandra Bell amongst all their other
fine stuff like Rake (US), Total, Doldrums, FSA... |
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| OVERSEAS
DISTRIBUTORS SELLING NZ MUSIC |
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| Apartment |
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Great Norwegian
label who distribute an amazing amount of other great labels. The
double album + 7" compilation "We'll Sail Out Far..." has enough great
tracks on it (including a few NZ artists) to secure their reputation
forever. |
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| Eclipse |
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Ed Hardy in
Bullhead, Arizona has an astounding selection of hard to get music. |
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| MAILING
LISTS - INDEPENDENT NZ MUSIC |
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| Corpus
Hermeticum |
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A low traffic
information (rather than discussion) based list providing details
on the latest HCorp HQ goings on. |
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| Dead
C |
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This is a list
for the New Zealand "noise" band, The Dead C., and their various side
projects, like Gate and A Handful of Dust. Isn't the internet a wonderful
thing... a mailing list devoted to one of NZ's most enduringly obscure
(in NZ anyway) outfits. |
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| Lathe |
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A discussion
of free/noise/improv/drone in a somewhat limited scope. |
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| NZ-Pop |
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An often silly,
mostly mainstream forum in which NZ music and lots of crap is discussed.
It took me 2 years to resubscribe when I accidentally got kicked off
once - I keep thinking of unsubscribing now that I'm back on it, but
the odd bit of information and Roi Colbert's posts are enough to make
it worthwhile. |
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| RoutesForWarAndTravel |
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Discussion and
"updates on the migratory patterns of the pseudoarcana, jewelled
antler, haamumaa, root don lonie for cash, wire bridge, pink skulls,
lal lal lal, celebrate psi-phenomenon, last visible dog, 267 lattajjaa
& apoplexy labels & our friends & extended family. Postings
will focus on the unlit forests of tones around the world, troop movements
& the weather." |
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| Xpressway |
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Discussion of
the Xpressway label including artists such as The Dead C., Alastair
Galbraith, Terminals, Peter Jefferies, etc. |
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| OTHER
NZ MUSIC RESOURCES |
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| bands.co.nz |
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I think this
used to be NZunsigned, but it's heading more towards mainstream independent
bands - perhaps still worthwhile for those generally interested in
non-major label NZ stuff. |
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| Broken
Face zine |
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Swedish zine
by Mats Gutsafsson that features lots of good NZ music. |
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| Club
Bizarre |
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Mark Wallbank's
site on the "dark-end / avant-garde music" of New Zealand,
including some interesting historical
and contemporary band features. |
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| Dead
Weight |
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Internet zine
organised by Victor Billot (Alpha Plan, ex-Swarm, ex-Age of Dog) which
has the dual focus of underground NZ music and left wing politics. |
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| From
The Swamp |
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A guide to all
things musical from Palmerston North (where I lived). |
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| King Records
Worldwide |
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Lots of NZ artists
release music with the kind help of King Records Worldwide who cut
records individually on acetate using a lathe. You can contact Peter
King at:
35 Comyns St, Mount Somers, RD 1, Ashburton, New Zealand
(ph/fax +64-3-3039755) |
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| King
Worldwide Lathe Discography |
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Dan
Vallor's impressive research on all things to do with decent NZ
music. An impressive effort under any circumstances, but particularly
difficult to find out all this stuff from the US. |
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| Opprobrium |
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New Zealand
magazine covering all things obscure and obtuse. Guaranteed to inform
and alienate. |
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| Paul
Collett's Music Resource |
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A history of
New Zealand music with lots of good links and superb sites on the
least mainstream New Zealand and Japanese music - also the home of
the Corpus Hermeticum website and mailing list. |
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| Piero
Scaruffi's Online Cultural Archive |
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This site covers
a huge amount of views, overviews and reviews on all sorts of stuff.
You can spend days following band and genre links here (probably months
if you read Italian), but of particular interest to this site are
the NZ
1990's section and NZ
1980's section. |
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