Ancestors

Written by Strypey on 2025-01-17 at 11:00

In late 1980s/ early 1990s Aotearoa corporate record labels hadn't really discovered local music in a big way yet. But despite that - or even because of it - there was a thriving musical underground.

Of course it included plenty of bands who worked in identifiable genres. But also record-addled mavericks, who ate genres for breakfast, and sweated multi-genre genius out of their collective armpits as they played incendiary live shows.

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[#]music #Aotearoa #NZ

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Written by Strypey on 2025-01-17 at 11:16

Perhaps the most famous now is Salmonella Dub. As the name subtly suggests, they began as a bit of a punk band, before morphing into an instrumental live dub soundsystem. Then into what my mate calls "summer BBQ reggae", beginning with For the Love of It, on 1999's Killervision. Only to lose soundman and Love of It singer Tiki Taane in 2006.

The dubbies' Conspiracy Dub, from the Calming of the Drunken Monkey album (1997), remains one of my all-time favourites;

https://salmonelladub.bandcamp.com/track/conspiracy-dub

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Written by Strypey on 2025-01-17 at 11:25

Then there were soul-funk-rap-metal legends Supergroove, who got "world famous in NZ" off the back of relentless touring, and the tremendous debut album Traction. Compared to those unforgettable party anthems, the follow up, an EP called Tractor, was a much darker and more intense collection;

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLqDQMZLeXOlnt4lTDimqy61J2vBn47f19

The 'groove came unstuck during an ill-fated overseas tour, losing singer Che Fu and their trumpet player, and released a disappointing final album before splitting.

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Written by Dave Lane :flag_tino: 🇳🇿 on 2025-01-17 at 11:25

@strypey definitely one of NZ's greatest bands.

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Written by Strypey on 2025-01-17 at 12:59

@lightweight I'm pretty sure they were the first originals band I ever saw live, and it was epic. I still have a drumstick somewhere.

I was so excited for Backspacer, hoping for more radical funk-metal tunes like Five Word Headline, Sex Police, You Freak Me, Scone Farm and Where the Sun Don't Shine. Instead we got 5th Wheel 😕

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Toot

Written by Dave Lane :flag_tino: 🇳🇿 on 2025-01-17 at 13:19

@strypey Yeah, I never even really got past Traction...

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Descendants

Written by Strypey on 2025-01-17 at 20:46

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@lightweight

I never even really got past Traction

Oh dude! The Tractor EP is awesome, and some of their finest songs were b-sides on their singles; Sex Police, Come to the Party, and especially Five Word Headline

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cscCBzpMJ44

A song which - no word of exaggeration - single-handedly got me interested in media criticism, and thus independent media production. Without it, I may not be here today doing this work.

Never underestimate the power of song.

[#]music #Supergroove

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Written by Strypey on 2025-01-17 at 20:46

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These b-side songs only appeared on an album when they published the Postage retrospective CD a decade or 2 later.

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Written by Dave Lane :flag_tino: 🇳🇿 on 2025-01-17 at 23:22

@strypey will seek it out! Exciting!

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