NICEUP 10 YEAR BIRTHDAY

When: Saturday 30 May

Where: San Fran – 171 Cuba Street, Wellington

Featuring:
Jacky Murda (Chopstick Dubplate, UK)
Raw Collective
Hawk I
Winston Spliff
Shaw Shot
DDog (Bass Frontiers)
DJ Jaz

9pm start, $10 before 11pm, $15 after

Come celebrate 10 years of NiceUp!

Killa line-up of UK ragga jungle don, Jacky Murda! Live hip-hop crew, Raw Collective! And heavyweight selectas Hawk I, Winston Spliff, Shaw Shot, DDog and DJ Jaz!

Raw Collective-Wise Horizons EP

Raw Collective is a project initially started in Wellington with Jack Cromie (aka Dose Decepta) Raw Deezy (Evil Mule), & Pauly Lowe aka Professor Plum (Blvd. Nights). 

With their own recording studio, producers, beat makers, audio engineers and a string of musicians the ‘Raw Collective’s aim and passion is to create thoughtful and fresh hip-hop in the studio, backed up with an impressive full band live show.

Pauly Lowe (guitar/vocals) velvet vocals intertwined with Rory McAlister (raps/producer) hard hitting lyricism is a well fitted juxtaposition. Jock Jones (samples and keyboards) creates magic on the keys, Blain Fitzpatrick (bass) keeps that funky bass flowing while Jack Cromie (drums) keeps the tempo with dazzling virtuosity. Featuring a live 3 piece horn section lead by Ben Hunt (trumpet) with Sax and Trombone. 

To sum them up...Raw Collective is a unique blend of Hip Hop, Funk and Soul.

 
 
Influences include esteemed producers such as J Dilla, Madlib, RZA, with a touch of the familiar ’Wellington style’ funk and reggae artists.
After a great response at the Newtown Festival (Wellington, New Zealand) and regular airplay on Radio Active, Raw Collective is quickly gaining a big following in Wellington. 

Now hitting the road to promote the Wise Horizons EP, Raw Collective are looking forward to sharing their unique sound with the rest of New Zealand.  Each show will be filled with banging beats and funky melodies, punctuated with sharp conscious raps , draped in the darkest minor chords and layered with soothing vocals all wrapped up with some funky ass bass lines to get people dancing!



 

EP available for only $10 here
Raw Collective at Soundcloud
Raw Collective T-Shirts available here
Raw Collective at Facebook
For gig bookings and press please contact here

Legendary Welli DJ TP live...

 

Ladies and Gents, grab your lace-less or fat laced Adidas or Puma kicks, bomber jackets, ski goggles and pressed Lee jeans and get on down to Public in Courtney Place, Wellington...why?...oh just because

Legendary Wellington DJ T.P. aka Tony Pene was well ahead of his time back in the 80's, the Man used to rhyme and play records at legendary Welli spots like Dr Johns, Exchequers and Spats and always rocked the house...he is playing for 2 special nights at Public and will no doubt give lessons on the Old School and what good music from the soul is all about, not to mention mad boogie shoes grooving on the dance floor, as well as TP 2other Welli legends will also be gracing the decks and doing what they do best...DJ Raw and Aki-D.

Tone is a Man I grew up listening to and was heavily inspired and influenced by (I once saved all my pocket money so I could buy and rock some fresh ski goggles just like him after I saw him in a local newspaper :) and most of my time getting introduced to Hip Hop and Funk in the very early 80's revolved around TP and the Uncut Funk Show on Radio Active 89 FM.

DJ TP

DJ Raw
DJ Aki-D

and special guests

Friday 1st April and Saturday 2nd April

http://www.public.net.nz

These are nights not to be missed...just don't mention the KFC belt bag...haha ;)

The Boom Bap Sessions ft BUFF1...

Michigan born and bred MC, Buff1, formerly of Athletic Mic League, is hitting Wellington this month for the first time in his career and supporting him at the San Francisco Bathhouse in Wellington, New Zealand will be the legendary Marek (aka Maz Def) (of Fried Chicken Sound System) and crowd favourites Bucks-A-Pop collectivity known as The Boom Bap Collective, the show will be a hype one and along for the show will also be CheKamikaze from Auckland.


Along with 3 AML albums

http://rateyourmusic.com/artist/athletic_mic_league





Buff has released 2 solo albums, 2007's Pure and the follow up, There Is Only 1 in 2008, currently Buff1 and Rhettmatic are putting the finishing touches to the upcoming Crown Royale album.



http://www.asideworldwide.com/artists/crown-royale

Here is a dope little taster from it...

Crown Royale-We Got Cha (2010)
http://www.mediafire.com/?y5m65m9f1z3pn4i

and some Buff 1 joints to get you familiar with his flavour, if you haven't heard it ;)

Buff1-Beat The Speakers Up (2008)
http://www.mediafire.com/?4qg28k4x27o4xg4

Buff1-Love The Love (Feat Tres Styles) (2008)
http://www.mediafire.com/?esabrzw8ccdcazw

Buff1-Never Fall (Ft Black Milk) (2008)
http://www.mediafire.com/?wuh2ik6st7exvps



The Boom Bap Sessions ft BUFF1 (US)

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=107573445964181


Doors from 12:30am

Tickets $20 + Booking Fee:

Doors sales on the night

Tickets From:

www.undertheradar.co.nz

Like the late, great Dilla from Detroit said Turn It Up...

http://www.asideworldwide.com/artists/buff1
http://www.myspace.com/buff1der

Exclusive interview with Tha Feelstyle

Kas Futialo aka Tha Feelstyle is a New Zealand/Samoan Hip Hop veteran in New Zealand, having been the first ever winner of the first MC battle in New Zealand, way back in 1987 it is not surprising that he has been involved with the culture since the early 80's and that he has been in more than a few groups ranging from early Wellington Hip Hop outfit Noise In Effect to Wellington's own Rough Opinion (with Kos from The Footsouljahs and DJ Rockit V) to The Overstayers from kua (with King Kapisi and DJ Raw (The Footsouljahs) and the Mt Vaea Band.

In eager anticipation of his upcoming new album, Firepower For The Peoples, the follow up album to the outstanding album, Break It To Pieces his first solo album released in 2004, which won 3 awards at the inaugural Pacific Music Awards in 2005,

• Best Hip Hop album
• Best Male Artist
• Best Song

* The music video for Tha Feelystyle's award winning single "Suamalie/Ain't Mad at You" was filmed in Samoa and directed by well know New Zealand video and filmmaker Chris Graham.



I picked Tha Feelstyle's brain on a few topics and this is the end result, I hope you enjoy all of the interesting information here and make sure to purchase his new album when it gets released and pick up Break It To Pieces as well.

Kas also released a Samoan language album only titled Lokokasi in 2008, on Samoan Hip Hop Sounds.






Talofa Kas, please give some background on yourself for some of the overseas readers that might not know about your past, where were you born?, when did you come to New Zealand and was is it a struggle for you and your and Family?

I was born in Samoa in the out backs of Sataoa where the hospital was like 5 hours away , so the old ladies of the village delivered me into this world and so the journey begins.
I grew up mainly in the city, Apia in a neighborhood called Lalovae'a , so i had a great balance between the overseas influence of music , tv and movies to the Kerosene lamps of the out back village where i was born.
In the 80's i was sent over to NZ for a better education as a child. But i really didnt want to come over , it took me a little while to get use to the idea of coming over and lived with my relatives.I was a street smart kid from the get go, i remember getting off the plane and waiting at the airport for 5hours for my uncle to pick me up.
I sat there and asked myself do something about it or face defeat , lucky my bags had an address written on it if was lost they can send it there.
I sat there practicing what ever English i could summon up , walked out to the taxi stand , scan for an island looking driver and asked him to take me to the address on my luggage. to make the story short , i got there , my uncle came out of the house and said ' I thought you were coming next week ' lol i was only 8years old at that time?

How well was Break It To Pieces received overseas, did you get good distribution for that album, would you say that the Break It To Pieces album is the one you are most proud of your new upcoming one?

The Break it to Pieces album ' received amazing feed back from overseas DJ and made their top 10 albums of the year etc.
I don't think it got a distribution push that i believe it should have deserve.
But i am proud of it and it did what it set out to archive and contribute to the growth of Aotearoa Hip Hop.


Who are some of the guests and producers on the new album, why has it been so long between releases?

The new album is completely different in weight compares to the last one.Im working with Juse from MTC on some songs , Victor Keil a talented Samoan Producer and another uso name Andrew . But I'm more active on shaping this album like a director, i co-produce everything.

Some of the guest artists on this album IVA LUMKUM , LADI6 and TEMPLE JONES , RIDDLEZ , ADEAZE , ADONIS , KELLE FINAU . .Between the first Break it to Pieces ' album i worked on 6 other island albums counting my Samoan album called LOKOKASI its my way of keeping Samoan Hip Hop music alive .

So its a natural progression that i am excited to release the follow up FEELSTYLE album , after all i am the best of both worlds lol

Who are your some of your greatest influences back in the days and of artists out today who do you admire and respect?


Back than music influence me any type of music , i was fixed.Especially when you come from the islands you only hear the songs on the radio we never used to see who sang them lol so music videos was like god.And i just love rap thats what it was , all sorts 7A3 , KING TEE , SCHOOLLY D , KRS ONE , JUST ICE ,GHETTO BOYS , POOR RIGHTEOUS TEACHERS , LOW PROFILE , PUBLIC ENEMY , AUDIO TWO etc
And today's artist i like MOS DEF, TALIB , LIL'WAYNE , KANYE, JAY Z only the complete artist

Did your old group The Mau aka Rough Opinion with Kos (Footsouljahs) ever record enough material for an album?, also please let us know what other groups you have been involved with over the years.

With Rough Opinion , we wrote a hell of a lot of songs , but manage to record one song for a Safe Sex program called LIPS lol the song was called 'DAM DEM FUNKY HORMONES '
The first group i put together was The Island Rappers or Ti Rappers. Than Righteous Indigenous Quest and i had the same Dj as Noise in Effect...that was Vini.
So i join Noise in Effect , soon it evolved into the Mau / Rough Opinion. As Gifted and Brown started i was like the extra member of the group but because Gerald made music i liked we started a group called Conscious Navigator and we did play for the Red Hot Chilli Peppers when they played at the SHOW BUILDING in Newtown.

The Overstayers from Kua was a concept group invented while at Danny Ds house with King Kaps at the time.
So it became me Dj Raw and King Kapisi.

Haha yes I remember that "Dam Dem Funky Hormones", I was in the video and was wearing a T-Shirt that had "Wednesday Night Jam" scrawled on it lol...okay, In your opinion Kas, what do you like and what do you dislike about New Zealand Hip Hop, are you happy with the current state of it?

I like the potential about NZ Hip Hop , im not really a hype type of person , meaning don't talk about how good you are show me how good you are.
A lot I see is that we lack creativity , our scene is like a poor duplication of what already exist overseas , but by saying that , if you want to be the next Drake or Mos Def make sure your better than them .

The new album title is great, what is the meaning behind "Firepower For The Peoples"?

Firepower for the Peoples ' is basically like a audio food an electric current to motivate you to own the moment that your in.

How would older fans go about getting your older tracks like "Walls of Steel (with Erhmen)" and "Hibiscus Milk" and "The Anthem"?

I apologize to those people that are in search of those tracks .I myself don't have a copy but consider those very important to where I'm standing at right now.

Anything you would like coldrockdaspot readers to know about you and your music?

If i can make or inspire someone to make a difference in there life than its all worth making music.
Its not about the fame or money , that shit is easy to gain.
A good album is a good album.

This has been great and really helpful so thanks a lot Kas and best of luck for the new album and your career.

My pleasure many thanks Jaz.

http://muzicheadz.com/articles/interview_-_tha_feelstyle

Special shout out to Martha at muzicheadz.com