In these turbulent times it seems more important than ever for people to come together and celebrate our similarities as well as our differences, understanding that our unique traits are what make each of us so special; and that these points of difference between one another are not something to be feared but something to learn about, and to be embraced. Soul music – in its’ many different guises – certainly attracts a wide variety of unique characters; and the pure love for the music is what unites us, despite our many differences. This is something we’ve always celebrated with the NZ Soul All Dayer events; embracing a wide spectrum of live acts and DJs, and having them throw down an incredibly diverse selection of top drawer music. It’s also something we endeavour to achieve with this humble ‘zine you’re currently reading. In previous issues we’ve featured content from all over the world, but for issue #9 we brought it right back home, and are proud to feature entirely Aotearoa content. Hard. In this issue you’ll find Top 5 lists from Cian, Ladi6 and Parks, Bevan Keys, Roger Perry, Kirsty Hargreaves, Big Stuff, Frank Booker, Leonard Charles, Toni Cooper, Jay Jeffrey, Lo-Key, Rose Alice, Rob Warner, Campbell Ngata, Pet Johnson, Grantis, Submariner, B-Lo and Sene. There’s also a ‘Top 10: Maori Showbands To Discover’ from Gene Rivers; flyer art from a handful of Auckland City clubs in the early/mid-‘90s, courtesy of Sam Hill; the story of “The Three Tops and a Funk Brother”, where Murray Cammick speaks with Eddie Willis; an Hawaiian digging odyssey written by Damian McGregor; a brief tale of ‘Dangerous Love’, from Simon Grigg; and a personal recollection of a magical introduction to the Auckland scene of the early ‘90s. There’s plenty here to keep you going all summer long. Which is handy, because the NZ Soul All Dayer will be going all summer long, too: Sat 28 Nov 2015 – Laundry On Cuba, Wellington Sat 12 Dec 2015 – Aotea Square, Auckland (as part of ‘Summer in the Square’) Sat 2 Jan 2016 – Astrolabe, Mount Maunganui (and a Record Fair the next day!) Keep up with all the details about these shows at www.thenzsoulalldayer.blogspot.com and www.facebook.com/thenzsoulalldayer, where you can find a whole bunch of other good stuff. Also, you can follow us at www.instagram.com/nzsoulalldayer. This issue and all back issues of our fanzines are available online at www.issuu.com/nzsoulalldayer. Enjoy summer, take care of each other and remember – soul music’s not a genre, it’s a feeling! _______________________________________________________________________________ Edited by: David ‘Nyntee’ Carroll With a massive thanks to everyone who contributed to this issue, particularly Sam Hill, Simon Grigg, Murray Cammick, Brett ‘Omega B’ Wagner, Damian ‘dFRESH’ McGregor, Pete Nice, Gene Rivers and David Rivers. We’d love to hear YOUR stories about soul music! Please get in touch: nzsoulalldayer@gmail.com
_______________________________________________________________________________ Flyers supplied by: Sam Hill www.jetskisafari.bandcamp.com | If there has been a party for it over the past couple of decades, chances are Sam Hill DJed at it. He began at the Siren in 1990, while also opening Auckland’s first true dance music vinyl store, Bassline Records, with Grant Kearney in the same year. In 1996 Sam joined with Simon Grigg and Tom Sampson in opening BPM Records and continued DJing, all over NZ and Australia. Sam DJs weekly to this day, all over the country; and is one half of local dance act Jetski Safari. They’re doing pretty well, too…
MY INTRODUCTION TO THE AUCKLAND SCENE I arrived in Auckland from London (via stints living in Sydney and Tokyo) in February ’93. Then, as now, my two great passions were football and music (soul, funk and their myriad acoustic and electronic derivatives). My mates in London told me that I could forget pursuing either if I was going to live here. In those pre-internet days, New Zealand was regarded as a distant backwater where rugby and bad rock music were the only available diversions. Luckily for me, the advice I’d received was completely wrong. The footie and the music scenes were both awesome. I’ll leave the footie for another day. This story is about the tunes. As you do in any new city, pretty much the first thing I did on arriving was suss out the local record shops. One of the first I went to was Bassline Records at the top of Lorne Street. That turned out to be a very auspicious move. I got chatting to Sam Hill (one of the owners) on that first visit. He was (is) a top bloke. Not only, to my amazement, did they stock a bunch of the vinyl I was then buying (house, acid jazz (Talking Loud, MoWax, etc.) and rare groove reissues), but he was also a font of information on the Auckland scene and recommended that I check out The Box and Cause Celebre that weekend. That recommendation was the real eye opener. The Box and Cause Celebre in their early to mid-‘90s heyday were as good as any club I’d been to in London, Sydney or Tokyo. Really. Not only did it host a heap of DJs that I knew from London (Norman Jay and Gilles Peterson – both mates of my brother, Andy; Roy The Roach, who I knew well from when he ran the original Quaff Records around the corner from my home in North London; Judge Jules – also from my area, etc.), but the resident DJs were two of the best I’ve ever heard anywhere in the world. Both locals – Rob Salmon and, particularly, Manuel Bundy. The main point of this rambling story is about Manuel. In ’93 (or ’94?), Gilles Peterson played his first gig at The Box. Manuel Bundy did the set before Gilles. I turned up early to see how the local guy would get on. What ensued from Manuel was, and remains to this day, one of the greatest DJ sets I have ever had the honour to witness. Actually, THE greatest. He played a combination of funk, soul, jazz and hip hop and it was an absolute master-class of selection and beat/mood/key matching. And most of it was done with acoustic (rather than electronic) tunes. Astonishing. I was absolutely rapt. And I wasn’t the only one – the rest of the crowd were also going nuts. Poor Gilles Peterson. He must have felt like the Stones did in that famous 1964 TAMI Show, when James Brown precedes them on-stage and plays an absolute blinder. How was he going to top THAT? Well, the truth is that Gilles didn’t even get close. No disrespect to him – no-one could have followed Manuel. I knew for sure that I’d landed on my feet that night. And I’ve never looked back. Good on New Zealand! Written by: Pete Nice
Flyer courtesy of: Sam Hill
A long-time music fanatic whose ties with the NZ Soul All Dayer also stretch way back, Pete Nice aka Peter Missingham, has a killer record collection, boundless energy and sweet steps on the dancefloor (for a Spurs fan). We at NZ Soul All Dayer Towers have also turned to him (successfully!) in his professional capacity as a lawyer on more than one occasion… _______________________________________________________________________________ The NZ Soul All Dayer online: www.thenzsoulalldayer.blogspot.com www.issuu.com/nzsoulalldayer
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ALOHA x LEMURIA Every record has its’ own story and this Pacifican golden grail is no exception. On my radar for some years but, being unwilling to fork out the exorbitant market prices it existed only as a dream – until a besties wedding invitation to Hawaii ignited THE HOPE and set in motion THE HUNT. Armed with only a primitive laminated A4 sheet collaged with near every killa Hawaiian LP cover imaginable, I strategically approached any cool kat fifty years old or more until finally the leads and stories of the albums, bands, musicians and venues thirty to forty years prior surfaced. I made loads of contacts as I had resorted to printing numerous copies of my sheet to hand out inclusive of my temporary Hawaiian contact details. A few days later I left Honolulu City on Oahu for the larger outer island suitably named Big Island. The island was cut off from the main island of Oahu, so antiques and odds and ends were everywhere on the island, which looks incredibly like New Zealand. Big Island is also originally known as Hawaii, and is where the real fun began. I kicked into full digger mode on Big Island, hitching frequently along the highway in the blistering heat, staggering deliriously over razor sharp volcanic masses of rock as I foolishly took short cuts across fields with arms full of records. I rang radio stations, talked to old musos at bars, basically losing complete control in pursuit of my most desired island prize, the beautiful Lemuria. Around three days had passed when finally, the breakthrough came. I’d taken the opportunity during the wedding reception evening to present my sheet of album covers to every member of the catering crew (to be honest, I hit up every local there, including the Filipino gardener) when miraculously the head chef said, “Yeah brah, my Uncle’s got that, he’s got hundreds of records dude, he was a muso in Waikiki during the ‘70s and I’m sure he wants to sell them!”. Well, you can just imagine the overwhelming feeling that struck me, can’t you? It was a mix of extreme elation and minor terror, euphoria and nausea, with finally hearing of its’ existence but fearing the looming doom that not every lead comes through. Well, two days later I hired a car and drove a couple of hours up the island to a small country town called Waimea, where the locals wore cowboy hats, rode horses and talked in a unique Hawaiian pigeon dialect. After finally meeting the chef around 11pm after his shift at a local diner, I followed him to his Uncle’s house where I was lead into a small, very hot room that was full of records. After two to three hours of intensive digging I finally had a pile of around 130 LPs ranging from ‘80s Salsoul boogie, early Sugar Hill rap, a section of ‘70s US psych but most importantly around thirty great Hawaiian LPs, one of which was the answer to my prayers, the blessed Lemuria. I’d like to end it there but in short, back on the mainland of Oahu, thanks to the previously distributed sheets, I found yet another copy of Lemuria along with other great funky Hawaiian albums such as Nohelani Cypriano, Mackey Fearey, Phaze 7 and so on… the gold was abundant, all just below the surface; all one needed to do was dig just a little deeper to find the ALOHA. Written by: Damian ‘dFRESH’ McGregor _______________________________________________________________________________ A record collector and selector based in the Manawatu, Damian has been involved in the local music scene for over 25yrs, playing in numerous bands, coordinating community music and arts programmes and spinning records in the few underground haunts Palmerston North has to offer.
THE THREE TOPS AND A FUNK BROTHER An interview with Eddie Willis I first saw the Four Tops when I was a teen, attending Glendowie College. They played two shows, one night at the Auckland Town Hall in August 1970. They were at their peak, just a few years after I purchased my first “soul” album, their legendary 1967 ‘Reach Out’ album where half the tracks were hit singles. They were the first Motown act to play New Zealand. I would see the Supremes (post-Diana Ross), Gladys Knight and the Pips, and the Temptations play the same venue during the ‘70s. Expectations were high when the Four Tops and the Temptations returned to New Zealand in April 1984 to play five shows. I was RipItUp editor by then and I did a train-spotter pre-tour Motown overview with Stevie Wonder on the cover. Original RipItUp editor Alastair Dougal and I decided we would do a road-trip and see the three North Island shows. We met for drinks at the Exchange Hotel, Parnell, prior to the Auckland concert on April 3 and Bryan Staff (1ZM, AK-79), arrived direct from the venue and announced, “There are only three Tops, because there are only three mics set up at the Logan Campbell Centre.” I suggested that, “Levi Stubbs has a mic at the front of the stage and the three mics are for the other singers.” We got to the venue and the 8piece USA Motown band (plus hired local horns) came on and there are three mics set up, and alas, only three Tops came on. The keyboard player did the harmony part of missing singer Duke Fakir. The photo taken by Kerry Brown of the group that night (above) shows the seated, singing keyboard player in the gap between Obie Benson and Lawrence Payton, where Fakir should have been. I loved the show but no dancing was allowed and I expected a tribute to Marvin Gaye, who had died the day prior, but, big bands read music and they stuck to their charts. Duke Fakir arrived in time for the Palmerston North show. The original Motown session player / “Funk Brother” guitarist Eddie Willis was on the tour, and Motown producer Gil Askey. We wanted to get interviews. I was keen to talk to Levi Stubbs; so we waited for hours in the foyer of the James Cook Hotel in Wellington. Security seemed tight and their floor of the hotel was offlimits. Alastair interviews Ron Tyson of the Temptations in the foyer pre-show and Tyson said, “Now our audiences are 90% white, and younger too.” I was told to tag along and I spoke to Duke Fakir backstage at the Michael Fowler Centre, 45mins before the show started. I asked Fakir about the Funk Brothers: “Sometimes in Detroit, when we need a piano player, Earl Van Dyke will come out with us. When we’re in California, Robert White does sessions and engagements with us,” said Duke Fakir, “But Eddie is with us for keeps, until he retires. Gil Askey has been with us on and off for about twenty years. He was the first conductor that went out with the Supremes. He wrote their first big stage act when they started having hits.” After a ten-minute interview it’s 8.30pm and Fakir has to go. I ask if I could speak to Eddie Willis. He is asked and he nods a yes, adding, “If you’ve got any questions?” Were you at Motown when it started? “Yep, with the original band Funk Brothers, about seven of us. We were strictly in the studio – we didn’t have time for the road,” said Willis. When Motown moved to LA he went there for three months. “It’s kind of a rat race out there for musicians.” He returned to Detroit. Willis had been in the Four Tops band for seven years. “I love being at home but there’s not a lot of sessions in Detroit.” Did you record live with the Motown artists? “We did the band tracks first and then overdubbed the voices later.” Did you know which artist would record the song? “Yes, but it had been changed before. It didn’t matter if we did tracks for one artist and it ended up with someone else doing it.” With all the producers working with you, was there a need for more than one band? “There was a need, but all the guys in Detroit went from studio to studio all day. Sessions were nine to five, nine to ten… we had them at 7am, 4am, the time didn’t really matter.”
THE THREE TOPS AND A FUNK BROTHER (continued) Were the songs presented to you in finished, written form? “No. That’s where the band didn’t get enough credit. No, they came to us with a chord sheet, the chords were written on a piece of paper. We made the feels up as we went – the band really made the track. We just had a guide with some chords on it.” We were interrupted, as it was time for the band to move to the stage. I quickly showed Willis his listing in the “Motown Who’s Who” I had compiled for the March 1984 RipItUp magazine. His pleasure at seeing his contribution acknowledged in print was obvious. He took the RipItUp on stage with him and stared at it until it was show time. I suspect it was one of the first times he had seen his name in a magazine. A reason for on-the-road security being so tight became apparent after the tour left the country. News broke: “Top pop groups slip Customs’ drugs net.” The newspaper story reported that the nine Americans of the Four Tops and the Temptations had left the Customs Hall on April 2, before “personal quantities of cocaine and cannabis” were found in their bags. A search of their rooms at the Hyatt Kingsgate revealed no drugs and charges were not laid as the groups told Customs, “They had no knowledge of the drugs and they had not packed their bags.” Written by: Murray Cammick Photo credit: Kerry Brown _______________________________________________________________________________ A BRIEF TALE OF ‘DANGEROUS LOVE’ The name Pauly Fuemana is household in New Zealand and it’s one that I have a tie to – a link I’m proud to tout, and, indeed I wrote a book about it. But (and this puzzles me) the name Phillip Fuemana doesn’t have the same national resonance. Yes there is an annual award, part of the Pacific Music Awards, which carries his name, and an Askew One mural in Otara, but the music created by Phillip is increasingly lost to us. Rather than list the records he either made or was the driving force behind, I’m going to throw one word into the mix: Houseparty. And more than that, one song: ‘Dangerous Love’. Houseparty’s ‘Dangerous Love’ slipped out in 1991 on Murray Cammick’s seminal Southside label and proceeded to sell almost no copies, or so Murray told me when he gifted me a box of 12” singles to do with what I wanted. This was, I guessed, a result of my enthusiastic rants about what I still consider a quiet landmark. Whilst records a little like ‘Dangerous Love’ were arriving from the likes of Steve ‘Silk’ Hurley, New Zealand had produced nothing like it – and arguably never would again. It was ruthlessly contemporary in a way few New Zealand records were at the time, but – more than that – it was essentially ours too. For Phil (with some help from Matty Ruys) had created the first modern Pacific Soul record. Built around sister Christina Fuemana’s sensual South Auckland vocal, the song placed the kind of NY and Chicago deep garage that was filling dance floors around the world in a South Pacific context. It rolled graciously and sensually like a Pacific party, something that the smokey northern club variety lacked. It was a theme brother Pauly would touch on later. It was, and still is, a glorious and quite extraordinary record, recorded in Phil’s small Otara studio, and one that gained only full voice when heard on the wide grooves of that 12” single (it was included on the 1994 Fuemana CD but in a much inferior remix). And the box of 12 inches? I gave them all to visiting DJs including Gilles Peterson and Norman Jay, both of whom played it on the radio, with Norman including it in his live set on and off for years thereafter. I have just the one copy left and the record remains largely unknown in its homeland. Written by: Simon Grigg www.audioculture.co.nz | Both Murray and Simon really need little introduction. They are hugely respected here at NZ Soul All Dayer Towers and we’re delighted to again include content from them in this ‘zine. If you haven’t immersed yourself in their website yet – you should.
CIAN Top 5: Soul Cuts On High Rotation
1. Linda Lewis ‘Gladly Give My Hand’ 2. Maxine Nightingale ‘Life Has Just Begun’ 3. Sharon Revoal ‘Reaching For Our Star’ 4. Ruriko Ohgami ‘Fuwari Fuwafuwa’ 5. Esther Phillips ‘Just Say Goodbye’ www.conch.co.nz | Cian is co-owner of Conch Records, one third of the legendary Turnaround crew and the brains behind their tasty fanzine (RIP) – one which this ‘zine gladly doffs its’ cap to. _______________________________________________________________________________ LADI6 AND PARKS Top 5: Current Favourite Soul Tracks (in no particular order)
1. Shuggie Otis ‘Island Letter’ 1. The Miracles ‘I Love You Secretly’ 1. James Brown ‘The Boss’ 1. Foster Sylvers ‘Lullaby / Uncle Albert’ 1. Sven Libaek and his Orchestra ‘Misty Canyon’ www.ladi6.com | Arguably the leading lady of soul music in Aotearoa, Ladi6 – and her partner in life/crime, Parks – are the real deal. We’re huge fans and stoked to have them in the ‘zine. _______________________________________________________________________________ BEVAN KEYS Top 5: Favourite Soul Songs at the Moment (in no particular order)
1. Cannonball Adderley Quintet ‘Walk Tall (Baby, That’s What I Need)’ 1. Junior Walker and the All Stars ‘What Does It Take (To Win Your Love)’ 1. The Sisters Love ‘Give Me Your Love’ 1. The Trammps ‘Where Do We Go From Here?’ 1. Zapp ‘Do You Really Want An Answer?’ Bevan Keys has DJed consistently all over Auckland and most of New Zealand since coming onto the scene as a fresh-faced youngster back in the early ‘80s. Four decades later and he looks every bit as good as he did back in the day. How does he do that…?
ROGER PERRY Top 5: Soul Cuts at the Moment
1. Team Dynamite ‘Cosmos Re-Up’ 2. Average Rap Band ‘Stream Of Nonsenseness’ LP 3. Renee Geyer ‘Be There In The Morning’ 4. Fat Freddy’s Drop ‘Cortina Motors’ 5. Dicky Beats ‘Yesterday’s Meal’ Roger Perry is one of our pioneers, responsible for introducing dance music culture to Aotearoa through his involvement in venues such as Brat, Asylum, Club Mirage, Playground, Berlin, Siren, the Box and many others, including recently keeping one end of Ponsonby Rd real with Barrio. _______________________________________________________________________________ KIRSTY HARGREAVES Top 5: Soul Cuts at the Moment
1. The Givens Family ‘I’m Still Waiting’ 2. The Ronnie McNeir Experience ‘Come Be With Me’ 3. D Train ‘Walk On By’ 4. Candy Bowman ‘I Wanna Feel Your Love’ 5. Jocelyn Brown ‘I Wish You Would’ The First Lady of the NZ Soul All Dayer, Kirsty hosts ‘The Bounce’, 10am Tuesdays, on Base FM. _______________________________________________________________________________ TIME SULUSI Top 5: Soul Cuts at the Moment
1. Donald Byrd and 125th Street, N.Y.C. ‘Love Has Come Around’ 2. George Duke ‘Brazilian Love Affair’ 3. Bob James ‘Sign Of The Times’ 4. Harold Melvin and the Blue Notes ‘Wake Up Everybody’ 5. Mr. Bird ‘On A Sunny Day’ Time Sulusi is possibly better known as DJ Big Stuff, who currently plays regularly at K’Rd fixture Verona; however, his face would also be familiar to anyone around the Auckland scene since the mid-‘90s, particularly anyone who tried to get into the Box or Cause Celebre…
FRANK BOOKER Top 5: Rotary Connection 45s
1. Brief Encounter ‘Human’ (Sounds Of The Universe) 2. Universal Togetherness Band ‘Missing You So’ (Numero Group) 3. Allspice ‘Slipped Away’ (Fruers/Soul Spectrum) 4. The Firebolts ‘Everybody Party (Get Down)’ (Greenback Records) 5. Bileo ‘Let’s Go’ (Athens Of The North) Frank’s busy! A limited 7”(Sleazy Beat), new Julien Dyne edit 12”(Down In The Basement) and another 12”(Disco Deviance) are all due this summer – plus European and US tour dates too! _______________________________________________________________________________ LEONARD CHARLES Top 5: Synth / Gaming Hacks
1. Gameboy (pro sound mod + SDJ + midi mod) 2. Midibox SID c64 stereo synth 3. Circuit benders CB-55 drum machine 4. Mario Paint 5. 8bitdo NES30 Bluetooth controller midi hack www.fromthecraterecords.bandcamp.com | Leonard Charles aka Jeremy Toy: musician, producer, multi-instrumentalist, singer, songwriter, survivor – and synth/gaming hack maestro. _______________________________________________________________________________ TONI COOPER Top 5: Current Numbers for the Soul In our soulless 21st century, hope for our future’s future has to have people come together and change for world peace. Become human together. Here are a few current numbers for the soul.
1. The Internet ‘Girl’ 2. Jill Scott ‘Can’t Wait’ 3. D’Angelo ‘Sugah Daddy’ 4. Thundercat, Flying Lotus and Kamasi Washington ‘Them Changes’ 5. Kendrick Lamar, Bilal, Anna Wise and Thundercat ‘These Walls’ Toni has been living in the Bay for a number of years now, and frankly, we’re still not happy about only getting to hear him DJ a handful of times a year, at best…
SUBMARINER Top 5: Current Soul Favourites
1. D’Angelo ‘She’s Always In My Hair’ (14K remix) 2. Gagle ‘Mother Tongue Boxing’ (instrumental) 3. Lord Echo ‘Bohemian Idol’ (DJ Day’s Chair Bro remix) 4. Norma White and Brentford Disco Set ‘I Want Your Love’ 5. J Rocc ‘Boogie Blamin’’ (45 King Special Edit) Submariner aka Andy Morton is another whose considerable body of work over the years has been an influence and an inspiration to we at NZ Soul All Dayer Towers. Massive love to the bro! _______________________________________________________________________________ B-LO Top 5: Favourite Soul 45s
1. Martha and the Vandellas ‘Dancing In The Street’ (Gordy, 1964) | Produced by William “Mickey” Stevenson and written by Stevenson, Ivy Jo Hunter and Marvin Gaye, ‘Dancing In The Street’ has been covered by Van Halen and the Grateful Dead, yet don’t let that put you off; the original is a sublime slice of Motown soul that stands as one of the label’s defining moments and offers ample evidence of Marvin Gaye’s potential as a songwriter. 2. Allen Toussaint ‘Southern Nights’ (Reprise, 1975) | Taken from the brilliant concept album of the same name, Toussaint (who recently passed away) was an incredibly influential New Orleans pioneer of R&B, and here details Creole life in Louisiana, matched by rich production and a laidback Southern feel. Just two years later, the song would be a megahit for Glen Campbell. 3. Latimore ‘Let’s Straighten It Out’ (T.K. Records, 1976) | Miami-based T.K. Records produced some of the finest soul of the ‘70s (check out the recent Athens of the North compilation for evidence), and among the label’s better known stars was Latimore. The blues-inflected sound of the Everglades make this a smoother than smooth classic, which has been covered by B.B. King and Gwen McCrae, and sampled by Monica. 4. Ann Peebles ‘Come To Mama’ (Hi Records, 1975) | You can’t really go past Willie Mitchell’s superb productions for Al Green and Syl Johnson, yet this one stands out for me, with an incredible vocal from Ann Peebles, whose series of albums for the Hi Records label are worth tracking down in their own right. Tight and rhythmic, with a typically precise brass arrangement, this is an essential soul record that often gets overlooked. 5. Lee Dorsey ‘Get Out Of My Life Woman’ (Amy, 1964) | Two things stand out about this fantastic record: the superb vocal by Lee Dorsey, and the jangly piano line, which was rarely bettered during this era. Written by Allen Toussaint – who wrote and produced a number of Dorsey’s best records, this song has it all: lyrical humour, great musicality and wonderful work in the studio from Tou-Sea Productions. Seek it out. B-Lo is a long established Wellington DJ and record collector with a number of residencies about town. He’s also a regular contributor to Radio Active FM, and Radio New Zealand’s Nights show.
ROB WARNER Top 5: Summertime Music for Poolside Grooving It is the DJs job to create musical memories. Regurgitating the obvious is a chump’s game.
1. Idjut Boys ‘One For Kenny’ (2012) | Dub-infused disco by one of the best artists in the game. A druggy groove and a piano flurry to push you halfway into your next Cuba Libre. 2. King Britt Presents Sylk 130 ‘The Reason’ (1997) | A record that has one foot in urban and one in house and which borrows a great groove from Boz Scaggs’ ‘Lowdown’. 3. Bent ‘Exercise 4’ (2004) | Like most records Bent released, this is plain awesome yet barely anyone knows it. Happy, synthy house with a twist of cheese – just enough but never too much. 4. Gavin Turek ‘Don’t Fight It’ (2015) | Modern day funk-soul-disco from this talented singer from Los Angeles. She’s been likened to Donna Summer even! 5. Bjork ‘Isobel’ (Motorbass Tranzfunk mix) (1995) | A Diana Ross-sampling slow-motion house groove with the quirky, crazy Bjork on vocals. www.soundcloud.com/rob-w | Rob Warner has been DJing more than 25yrs, but is currently fighting the good fight in Auckland for those of us who believe a proper international city – a city which is vibrant, alive and exciting – stays open past 4am… _______________________________________________________________________________ CAMPBELL NGATA Top 5: Pre-Summer Prime Jams
2. Louisana Purchase ‘Can’t Get Your Love’ (Kelli-Arts, 1984) | Thriller influenced boogie… “Damn!” and then dirty synthy bass happens… youtube that! 3. Future Flight ‘Dues’ (Capitol, 1981) | Never ending props to the Capitol stable, more ‘80s boogie perfection. Lamont Dozier on production duties. No wonder. 5. Keiko Project ‘Midnight Shuffle’ (Canyon, 1985) | Sadly, I don’t own this – it seems to be quite elusive and once everyone knows about the jam, it’s gonna disappear hard. Jap jazz funk/boogie, nicely restrained girly vocals, big horns: summer jam. 7. Cool Creations of St. Maarten ‘Wish Upon Love’ (Jay 1977 / AOTN 2015) | Compulsory entry from my fave reissue label, Athens of the North. Dreamy islands modern. 11. The Four Tops ‘Feel Free’ (ABC, 1976) | Top jam from the boys, underplayed. You play it. There’s a Soul Train clip of it around too. Campbell Ngata has been on board with the NZ Soul All Dayer since day one. We’re stoked to have him. When you get the opportunity to hear him spin tunes, take it. Please. _______________________________________________________________________________ Get the NZ SOUL ALL DAYER t-shirt Sizes in WOMENS and MENS from SMALL to 5XL Get the NZ SOUL ALL DAYER 12” slipmats
Contact: nzsoulalldayer@gmail.com
JAY JEFFREY Top 5: Favourites Currently Playing at the Sarsfield Street Soul Shack
1. Johnny Hammond ‘Shifting Gears’ (all of the ‘Gears’ LP is wicked) 2. Cool Million ‘Sumthin’ Like This’ 3. Tony Grey ‘Time Factor’ 12” 4. Johnny K ‘I Got Bills To Pay’ (45) 5. Starvue ‘Love Affair’ (forthcoming on Private Wax II) Jay Jeffrey aka Fat Albert has provided much of the inspiration for keeping our little celebration of soul music alive over the years. He played for years at soul parties and Weekenders in the UK, and now brings those good vibes to his DJ sets for us lucky folks here in Aotearoa. _______________________________________________________________________________ LO-KEY Top 5: Current Local Cuts
5. Leonard Charles ‘Township Heavy’ 4. Fat Freddy’s Drop ‘Wairunga Blues’ 3. S.F.T. ‘Oi Settle Down Mate’ 2. Chaos In The CBD ‘Midnight In Peckham’ 1. Aaradhna ‘Burn You Down’ Lo-Key aka Mike Haru is one of the most respected DJs plying his trade around Auckland. With a deep appreciation for the groove and the ear of a connoisseur, Mike is the digger’s digger. _______________________________________________________________________________ ROSE ALICE Top 5: Current Favourites
1. Aretha Franklin ‘Integrity’ 2. Joni Mitchell ‘All I Want’ 3. Rufus and Chaka Khan ‘You Got The Love’ 4. George Duke ‘Mercy’ 5. Steely Dan ‘Any Major Dude Will Tell You’ It took a few NZ Soul All Dayer events until we managed to get Rose Alice involved, but since we have, she kills it with her selection each and every time. She DJs about Auckland town on the regular, and you can hear her play at least one of our NZ Soul All Dayer events this summer.
PET JOHNSON Top 5: Bassline Hooks To Sing-A-Long To On 45
1. Aaron Neville ‘Hercules’ (No Label, 1973 / Jazzman, 2005) One of my favourite basslines of all time. Problems with the original press in ’73 saw most of these 45s destroyed. Thankfully Jazzman repressed it in ’05. Written and produced by Allen Toussaint and backed by The Meters, with George Porter Jr. on bass. Totes infectious. 2. Stevie Wonder ‘So What The Fuss’ (Tamla Motown, 2005) With so many killer Stevie Wonder basslines to try and pick (‘I Wish’, ‘Master Blaster’, ‘Superstition’ – to name a few) I thought I’d select a 7” that really showcases Stevie’s freakish left-hand. With Prince on gat, the OG four members of En Vogue on BV’s and a remix featuring Q-Tip on the flip. Really, Stevie?!! 3. The Whatnauts ‘Help Is On The Way’ (Harlem International Records Inc., 1981) This boogie classic was introduced to me by Omega B a few years ago and is always in my record bag. The bassline (played by Rodney Skeet Curtis from the P-Funk whanau) was slowed down and sampled by De La Soul on their equally awesome single ‘Ring Ring Ring’, and in ’82 Fat Larry’s Band pretty much jacked the track, changed the lyrics and released ‘Act Like You Know’. Still pretty dope though. 4. Gwen McCrae ‘All This Love That I’m Givin’’ (Cat Records, 1979) This uptempo, bass-driven, soul-funk nugget is a staple at rare groove and Northern Soul jams. Originally pressed and released on 45 by Cat Records (a subsidiary of T.K. Disco), this is another track that’s frequently sampled and edited – but never bettered. Written and produced by Betty Wright, with Michael Wilkerson on squelchy bass-synth duties. 5. Parliament ‘Star Child (Mothership Connection)’ (Casablanca, 1976) Soooo, probably not the easiest bassline to sing-a-long to, and when you think Parliament you could argue ‘Flashlight’, or even ‘One Nation Under A Groove’ – both featuring Bernie Worrell on some bad ass synth-bass styles – but this 45’s all about the Star Child himself, the man Bootsy Collins; and I just gotta have Bootsy in my top five. Pet Johnson is host of ‘The Soul Affair’, 7pm Sundays, on Wellington’s Radio Active 88.6FM. _______________________________________________________________________________ GRANTIS Top 5: Current Favourites
1. Disclosure with Gregory Porter ‘Holding On’ (original demo) 2. Lianne La Havas ‘No Room For Doubt’ 3. Fetty Wap ‘Again’ 4. BJ The Chicago Kid ‘Good Lovin’’ 5. Christopher Ellis, Stephen Marley and Jah Cure ‘End Of Time’ Grantis aka Grant Apiata is not only a dope DJ (‘The Real Afternoon Delight’, 12.30pm Mondays on Base 107.3FM), but also a dope photographer. Search ‘G13 Through My Lens’ to check it…
SENE Top 5: Favourite Soul Tracks (Male Singers)
1. Marvin Gaye ‘Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)’ 2. Teddy Pendergrass ‘Joy’ 3. Stevie Wonder ‘Do I Do’ 4. James Brown ‘It’s A Man’s, Man’s, Man’s World’ 5. Dennis Edwards ‘Don’t Look Any Further’ www.basefm.co.nz | Big Sene has been a fixture on the Auckland DJ scene for the past three decades, and currently hosts ‘The Smooth Crew Show’, 8am Sundays, on Base 107.3FM. _______________________________________________________________________________ GENE RIVERS TOP 10: Maori Showbands To Discover 1. The Maori Hi Five | Considered the first true showband, they recorded and toured prolifically worldwide. Conservative estimates put their combined international TV audience at 150 million people in ten countries. Staggering. 2. The Quin Tikis | Noted members: singer Rim D. Paul with his big, velvety voice; Rufus Rehu and Earl Anderson, who went on to play with Quincy Conserve; and Eddie Lowe, who enjoyed a very successful international solo career. 3. Howard Morrison Quartet | The long-running Howard Morrison Quartet is one of the best known Maori showbands and easily one of the most popular musical acts in NZ at the time. 4. The Maori Volcanics | Originally formed in Sydney, the Volcanics performed in more than thirty countries, and are arguably one of the most enduring of all the showbands. Also the jump-off point for Prince Tui Teka, Dalvanius Prime and Billy T. James. 5. The Hi Marks | Another top concert group. It’s probably worth mentioning a gat-party needs at least one Hi Marks song sung before it’s really a gat-party… 6. The Maori Premiers | Based around Rufus Rehu, the Maori Premiers enjoyed considerable success on the Sydney club circuit, but never toured internationally. 7. The Tikiwis | Formed in Sydney in the late ‘60s, the Tikiwis were another hard-working group who dominated the club circuit in that city, and also played a difficult stint in Vietnam. Members included Phillip Rivers, and his brother David, father of our very own Gene Rivers. 8. The Maori Castaways | Another group who enjoyed considerable international touring success, throughout Australia and in Europe, the UK, the US, Japan and other parts of the Pacific. 9. The Deuces | Mid-‘50s trio based around Nuki Waaka and his brothers, who formed many other noted showbands, including the Polynesian Trio, the Quin Tikis and the Maori Volcanics. 10. The Maori Troubadours | Beginning in the late ‘50s with Prince Tui Teka as frontman, the Troubadours performed through Australia and South East Asia. It’s also worth noting they toured as the support act for both the Mickey Mouse Show and the Harlem Globetrotters (!!). Additional writing by: David Carroll Picture credit: David Rivers Props to: David Rivers, and the Awarau whanau; also to www.facebook.com/maori.showbands www.thenzsoulalldayer.blogspot.com | Gene Rivers is one of the key NZ Soul All Dayer whanau, and the long-time host of ‘Chocolate Sundae’, 4pm Sundays, on George 96.6FM. David Carroll is the man behind this very fanzine, and he’s delighted you’re reading it.