NZ Music Month is in full swing and is dedicated to celebrating music from New Zealand and the exceptional people who make it. From humble beginnings as a period of encouraging radio to incorporate and play more local songs on the airwaves, NZ Music Month has turned into 31 days of celebrating homegrown talent throughout New Zealand. This year’s theme is DISCOVER LIVE with emphasis on New Zealanders discovering their new favourite local live act and supporting local bands. Do your bit by checking out a live gig (see NZ Music Month’s roundup of gigs happening across the country here) or tap your feet to Cityscape Magazine’s Spotify playlist, Cityscape Magazine – NZ Music Month 2019, which was specially curated by Christchurch DJ Craig Shaw who has played sets at Rhythm and Alps, Electric Avenue Music Festival and even opened for Fat Boy Slim.
With 10 hours of solid Kiwi tunes ranging from those that you’d play at a get-together to those that would feature on your road trip playlist and those that serve up some sweet nostalgia, this playlist will easily become one of your go-tos. Follow the playlist here and check out some of the favourite songs from the playlist below.
Hit The Road
The ultimate roadie beats
‘Wandering Eye’ Fat Freddy’s Drop, Based On A True Story
There’s just something about this song from Fat Freddy’s Drop (or FFD to those in the know) that makes us want to salute to the epic good times with a bunch of our closest pals. Is it the funky electro-reggae vibes? Or the fact that NZ TV personality, John Campbell makes a cheeky cameo in the music video? Who knows, and quite frankly, who cares, ‘Wandering Eye’ is one of those staple songs that you can play on repeat and never get sick of. The song cemented the seven-piece band as a force to be reckoned with in the music industry and the band has gone on to produce some of the slickest reggae-infused, rootsy-dub songs that will grace your ears.
‘Groove Again’ Katchafire, On The Road Again
The guys from Katchafire not only have some serious street cred to their name, they’re also bound to feature on many a playlist thanks to their 10/10 reggae and funk beats. Their hit ‘Groove Again’ off their 2010 album On The Road Again is a true road trip classic – in fact that whole album is a godsend for when you’re tasked with DJ duties in the car and are unsure of what to play next. Chuck it on when you’re boosting it on the open road for guaranteed good times.
‘Don’t Forget Your Roots’ Six60, Six60
What would a road trip be if it didn’t have a bit of Six60 on there? The Dunedin natives have taken the world by storm since they broke onto the music scene with their song ‘Don’t Forget Your Roots’. It’s a fitting title for their song as the five-piece formed while attending the University of Otago and subsequently took on the name Six60 after their flat’s address. The band try to frequent their old stomping ground as much as possible (while they’re not off tearing up the stages abroad) and Dunedin always holds a special place in their heart as does the aforementioned song in our hearts.
Throwin’ It Back
Get your nostalgia on
‘Slice of Heaven’ Dave Dobbyn, Footrot Flats – The Dog’s Tale
No matter where you are, be it stuck in 5pm traffic or off on an overseas excursion, as soon as Dave Dobbyn’s seminal 1986 song ‘Slice of Heaven’ hits the airwaves, a sense of nostalgia is tapped to take over you. Likened to the scene from The Exorcist where Linda Blair gets taken over by the devil (sans the whole demonic possession part), you’re sure to be taken over by the sweet melodies of Dobbyn’s tune and will most likely find yourself swaying or belting out the three titular words that deserve their own star on Hollywood’s Walk of Fame.
‘Victoria’ The Exponents, Prayers be Answered
If your name was Victoria, you probably felt hella special knowing that 1. It was the title of The Exponents 1983 song and 2. Heartthrob Jordan Luck was repeating it over and over in his deep husky voice. Not only would you revel in the fact that your friends would look at you and mouth Victoria in sync with the band when they played the song but you probably felt some deep-rooted and spiritual connection to them. All that aside, ‘Victoria’ is a classic and without fail can always get a room up and dancing.
‘Gutter Black’ Hello Sailor, The Sailor Story 1975 – 1996
Hello Sailor’s ‘Gutter Black’ found favour among Kiwi crowds when it became the opening song on one of the best New Zealand TV series, Outrageous Fortune (arguments will be had if there is disagreement about this), and it ultimately became synonymous with the antics of the motley family. It’s a song that we believe is worthy of a feature on our throwbacks because 1. It was released in 1977 (serious throwback material) and 2. We love it. Enough said.
Feel Good Friday
Cruise into the weekend
‘How Bizarre’ OMC, How Bizarre
We don’t know about you, but as soon as we hear OMC’s ‘How Bizarre’, we get this insatiable urge to stop what we’re doing and jam out to this iconic ’95 tune. Cemented as one of the greatest New Zealand songs of all time – straight fact thanks to the Australasian Performing Rights Association – the song also won the award for Single of the Year at the 1996 New Zealand Music Awards.
‘Poi E’ Patea Maori Club, Poi E
If you aren’t familiar with this song, then pack your bags and book a one-way ticket outta New Zealand. Simply uttering the phrase ‘I don’t know this song’ in public will see you getting some serious side eye, looks of utter disgust and maybe even some profanities hurled your way. OK, no we lie, you’ll most definitely have profanities hurled your way. Written by Maori linguist Ngoi Pēwhairangi and performed by the Patea Maori Club, ‘Poi E’ was a No.1 stunner on the Kiwi music charts and was a way to promote pride among Maori youth in a popular format. The hit also found favour among the Brits when Patea Maori Club toured the big UK – 3 minutes and 57 seconds of pure Kiwi music bliss.
‘Always On My Mind’ Tiki Taane, Past, Present, Future
One of the OG members of Kiwi band Salmonella Dub, Tiki Taane has been experimenting, performing and producing music for the better part of two decades. No stranger to the music scene, he’s credited with bringing a powerful live performance to his gigs. Fun fact, he’d start the first part of the gig mixing the set then jump on stage to perform in the latter part. His 2008 album Past, Present, Future went double-platinum on Recorded Music New Zealand and the hit tune ‘Always On My Mind’ served some serious ‘lax vibes. We can’t help but smile when those opening bars start to play.
We Be Vibin’
Tunes to get your groove on to
‘My House’ Kids Of 88, Sugarpills
This one’s for those Gen-Y/Millenials among us who no doubt were moving and grooving to this song when it blasted all throughout school halls at those infamous Year 9 and Year 10 dances, are we riiiight? The resident DJ at the time – who was probably a friend of your mum or had some connection to the principal – would be sporting those obnoxiously lens-heavy glasses (or if they were alty, the ones with the lines between them) and getting you to wave around those glow sticks that you had forked out $2 for and ultimately tried to subtly discard on the d-floor after their prime 3 minutes of use had run out. In all honesty, this song is a banger so shout out to Kids Of 88 for creating a hit tune among the younger gen and for making getting paint thrown on you while dancing in slow motion cool. If you were wondering what the duo were up too, so are we. Any info would be greatly appreciated.
‘Yellow Flicker Beat’ Lorde, The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
The Lorde doth come and slay the music industry with her hauntingly beautiful ‘Yellow Flicker Beat’, which served as the lead single from The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1. Praised for its seamless blend of electropop melodies and metaphorical lyrical content, the track also got a tricked up version by Kanye West, with the pair co-producing.
‘Everything’ P-Money, Vince Harder, Everything
Peter Wadams aka P-Money is a renowned Kiwi hip-hop DJ and producer whose most notable work includes collaborating with artists Scribe and Akon. However it’s his collab with Vince Harder on their 2008 hit ‘Everything’ that upped the ante and cemented him on the music map. If you haven’t seen the accompanying music video to the song – trust us, it’s a goodie – you’ll want to get that on your radar stat and have a groove.
