SELECTED WORKS #018

NTS, City Pop, Dublab, Photographs, etc...

Remember how I slipped down a staircase the other week? Yeah, about that. I went to see my physio on Thursday and they sent me off to get an x-ray. Looks like I’m okay on the bones front (no breaks!), but I’ve got a swollen lump in my lower back the size of a golf ball. Lovely stuff! It’s manageable, but painful, but I’m also falling behind on work. Hopefully I’ll rectify that over the weekend, and if not; oh well!

WHAT I’VE BEEN DOING:

After getting some pretty good feedback around my Closer: Street Soul & Swingbeat from Aotearoa New Zealand mix for NTS, I decided to pitch them a follow-up. It’s titled Peoples: 90s Hip-Hop from Aotearoa New Zealand, and well, it does what it says on the tin. I took the title from a song Dei Hamo recorded with Hamey Hame in the late 90s.

For those are unfamiliar, Sani Sagala aka Dei Hamo is a Samoan New Zealand rapper and producer from Auckland. In the ‘90s, he used to rap and sing with a few different jazz bands and jazz musicians like Nathan Haines, before taking a break, and reincarnating himself as a top40 commercial hip-hop artist down here in the early 2000s. His song ‘We Gon’ Ride’ was one of the biggest songs in New Zealand in 2004.

Hamey Hame on the other hand, is a rapper, singer, producer, DJ and educator. I guess he is from Auckland, but he found his musical pocket in the Christchurch hip-hop scene in the late 80s and early 90s. In 1997, he teamed up with Zane Lowe, yes, the Zane Lowe from Apple Music and started a downbeat/trip-hop band called Breaks Co-Op. They actually recorded three albums before Zane became the superstar interviewer he is now.

I’m not sure exactly when in the ‘90s Dei Hamo recorded ‘Peoples’ with Hamey Hame, but I’m gonna guess mid to late ‘90s. It’s got a simple, smoked-out vibe, shuffling drums, jazz keys, and Dei Hamo completely losing himself in his expressive, abstract rhymes.

Anyway, my Peoples mix is airing on NTS at 3pm UK time on March the 5th. I’ll post more details on social closer to the date. As well as ‘Peoples’, it showcases fifteen other songs from New Zealand Hip-Hop solo artists and acts such as Over Dose, Che Fu, King Kapisi, Teremoana Rapley, Dam Native, Urban Disturbance, Tha Feelstyle, etc.

WHAT I’VE BEEN READING:

The Endless Life Cycle of Japanese City Pop, by Cat Zhang (Pitchfork)

Over what I’m going to guesstimate as about 3000 words, Pitchfork Executive Editorial Assistant Cat Zhang weaves together Spotify viral charts; Tik Tok (did I spell that right?); the opulence and internationalism of 1980s inner city Japan; looking glass through looking glass cultural interpretations of the East by the West + the West by the East; rare groove DJ culture; YouTube algorithms; vaporwave; cyberpunk; and ideas of nostalgia to tell the story of The Endless Life Cycle of Japanese City Pop. If you’ve ever enjoyed a Tatsuro Yamashita or Mariya Takeuchi record (even just a youtube rip, especially a youtube rip), Cat Zhang’s essay is well worth reading. (click here)

WHAT I’VE BEEN LISTENING TO:

Dublab: Dylan Biscuit guest mix — APEX (02.21.21)

Over the last year, Dylan Cook aka Dylan Biscuit has become one of my favourite young DJs in Auckland, New Zealand. Dylan’s got great ears and a great touch, and I’m far from the only one paying attention. Jess Fu, who hosts the excellent APEX show on Los Angeles-based internet radio station Dublab asked him to put together a mix for APEX. Earlier in the week, she aired it on her show. Dylan went for a slower/lower tempo vibe, blending together tracks from the likes of Totems (RIP), Shanti Celeste, CCL, Prince (RIP), Kelis, BEARCAT, DJ Python, Léonce and many more - two hours worth actually. You can stream it via the station archive (here).

MY FAVOURITE SHORT STORY:

The Dinosaur, by Augusto Monterroso.

When he awoke, the dinosaur was still there.

THAT’S ALL FOLKS!!!