Shapeshifter Record-breaking New Zealand tours, scene-setting appearances at festivals like Glastonbury, Rhythm and Vines, The Big Chill, Big Day Out, Electric Avenue, Northern Bassand Parklife, sold-out performances across Europe, multiple music awards, fourEPs and five LPs — three with platinum sales—and an army of fans who return to relive the experience time and time again. These are just some of Shapeshifter’s towering achievements.
The five-strong lineup of P.Digsss (vocals), Sam Trevethick (guitar/synths/sampler), Nick Robinson (bass/synths/MPC), Dan McGruer(synths/sampler), and Darren Mathiassen (drums) have created their very own heavy soul; a stadium-sized sound which adds layers of drum & bass, jazz, funk, rock and electronica to solid bass culture foundations.
Originally hailing from Christchurch, the future-shocked soul outfit’s music is crafted by a living, breathing band of musicians, with all the form-changing sonic possibilities live instrumentation offers.“The essence of Shapeshifter is that on stage we create our music fully live. No click tracks, no sequencers. Just humans and instruments. Samples and drums. We communicate in a different way to the dancefloor.” – Sam Trevethick.
Off the grid and out of this world, from the clubs to packed festival fields, Shapeshifter’s transcending sound has already seen them achieve extraordinary things. With their 7thstudio album“Rituals” among their best work to date, the innovative band continue to solidify their status as New Zealand’spremiere live electronic outfit. Released in late 2022, “Crystal Eyes” has already become one of the bands best-loved songs, and is a premonition of a batch of outstanding new material to come in 2023.
Belgian born Alix Depauw is the face behind production moniker Alix Perez and collaborative duo SHADES (w/ Eprom). Alix released his debut album "1984" to critical acclaim in 2009 which is still talked about now as one of the most accomplished Drum and Bass albums of all time. Since then he has released a sophomore LP, multiple EP’s, launched a multi award winning record label and has collaborated with the foremost names in dance and electronic music including; Noisia, Foreign Beggars, MachineDrum and many more. Following the release of his 2nd album Chroma Chords in 2013, Alix delivered a BBC Radio 1 Essential Mix, which was shortlisted for essential mix of the year.
In 2016 Alix launched his own imprint; 1985 Music. Now in its 6th year since inception, the label is regarded as one of the most tasteful audio & visual platforms in the electronic realm. Always pushing the envelope, the imprint has released music from artists such as MachineDrum, Ivy Lab, Halogenix, Skeptical, Eprom, Shades, along with building a roster of core artists like Monty, Visages, Submarine (amongst many others). 1985 Music promotes multiple club nights globally. Highlights include festival stages at Outlook and Shambhala, Untz Festival & Basscoast. Almost every release on the label has found its way to number 1 in the Beatport charts. In 2017 the label won ‘Best New Label’ at the Drum and Bass Arena Awards (by public vote) and in 2021 it went on to win ‘Best Dubstep Label’ at the Dubstep Awards (also by public vote).
Alix’s high levels of creativity and discipline are the reason he is very much at the forefront of electronic music today. His focus always remains in the art and the music by sticking true to his roots and vision.. He is a true artist and a trailblazer in his own right. He recently sold out a 4 week residency in London at the revered venue XOYO as well as multiple dates across the USA, UK and Europe.
Home Brew are one of Aotearoa’s most beloved hip-hop groups, rising to equal parts greatness and infamy through their extensive run of EPs through the early 2010s and culminating in their now-classic #1 self-titled debut. Their aggressively DIY ethos has endeared them to many in the New Zealand Hip-Hop music scene, and they have cemented their place in history as one of the country's most authentic, uncompromising acts."
Kyrist is a Bristol based DJ and producer, revered for dark, bass driven vibes delivered with soul and panache. Her swift rise to eminence reflects superb quality control, with a handful of outstanding releases on premier drum & bass labels such as Dispatch, Critical and Hospital, plus a successful 140 foray with Uprise Audio.
A striking talent behind the decks, Kyrist is an increasing regular for high profile events such as Let It Roll, Outlook, Boomtown and SW4, whilst twice combining with Red Bull to curate her own lineups. Despite a hectic 2020 for all, her stature continues to build, with music on Lenzman’s The North Quarter, a collab with T>I on Critical and her own Bandcamp self-release ‘Chimera / Space Junkie’, dropping to great acclaim.
Kyrist combines a versatile outlook with a lethal output and is an undoubted prospect to her growing base.
Odd Mob is the solo project of Brisbane-based Harry Hope, who has developed a knack for identifying unique sounds and creating fresh productions. Harry has become known for his ability to diversify across many genres with an emphasis on the unconventional. Odd Mob broke through with the ubiquitous 2014 track ‘Is It A Banger’, a track that resonated with Australian listeners, charting in triple j’s ‘Hottest 100’ and has since amassed over 6 million streams across platforms.
The boundary-pushing producer showed no signs of slowing down subsequently releasing tracks such as ‘Intrinsic’, and ‘Lithium’ that have seen Odd Mob surpass 20 million streams across platforms, while he has been an ever-present name on the ARIA Club Charts. 2020 saw the release of ‘Wide Open’, and ‘Bad Moon’, while Harry was called upon to remix one of the hottest Australian tracks of 2020 in ShockOne ‘Follow Me’. From remakes, vocal tracks, remixes, and right through to his original productions Odd Mob is no stranger to pushing the sonic boundaries. A genre-defying catalogue of songs, Odd Mob has given back to his audience creating bootlegs under his Oddities brand, which have garnered millions of plays and have been played by a plethora of big-name DJs.
Across the board, Odd Mob music has been supported by the likes of Diplo, DJ Snake, Jauz, Oliver Heldens, Don Diablo, Tommy Trash, and Disclosure, Odd Mob has turned heads in the industry. No stranger to electrifying heat-seeking crowds, Harry has also been signed to US booking agency ‘Agency for the Performing Arts’ (APA) sharing the roster with the likes of 50 Cent, Tyga, Dead Letter Circus, Azelia Banks, T.I, The Delta Riggs and Blondie. Since that signing, Odd Mob has toured around North America in late 2019 completing an 8 stop tour across the USA and Canada, before an additional 11 stop tour in 2020 was scheduled just prior to the pandemic.
Operating under a nuanced identity, Lou Nour seeks to carry forth the legacy of successful predecessor Sicaria Sound via the conception of Sicaria: a persona marking her solo endeavours into the world of electronic music. Characterised by her boisterous personality and fueled by her passion for the genre, Sicaria continues to be strongly praised within the dance-music community for supporting everything which is exciting and forward-thinking in dubstep, cementing her status as a heavyweight advocate for lively, chest-rattling 140 bpm sounds.
Born and based in London but of Moroccan descent, Sicaria cites her envelopment of SWANA culture as the main influence shaping her identity growing up - providing a continuous exposure to music ranging from Classical Arabic to Egyptian Shaabi, Algerian Raï to Moroccan Gnawa and everything in between.
A shy child, her early affection for music would see her sign up to local dance and musical theatre groups which would go on to form the basis of her empowering on-stage persona today. And it wasn’t until her teenage explorations into electronic dance music that she formed the foundation of her current love of bass-driven sounds which inspired Sicaria to invest in her first pair of CDJs as a means to escape her university studies. She fell into a radio production job after graduating and soon started co-piloting a regular show of her own geared towards creating a space for women voices on radio within the dubstep community. Little did she know that this first foray into presenting was to be a definitive move into being a tastemaker of innovative low-end heavy sounds from the get-go, or that later on down the line her joint prime time monthly residency slot on Rinse FM would gain a global cult following.
Having navigated as one half of the imprint Sicaria Sound over the last six years, they were noted as the undisputed champions of dancefloors worldwide whilst owning responsibility for exposing dubstep as a culture to an entire new audience.
Amidst a global lockdown, Gerringong locals Jacob Finch (vocals), Lukas Anderson (lead guitar) and Ben Salvatori (rhythm guitar) began teaching each other to jam in their shared trailer house, owned by landlord/legend, Terry… Many noise complaints and two additional members later, Cameron Cooper (drums) and Trent Cooper (bass), Terry agreed to lend the fully formed band his name, and at last, the almighty Tezzas were born.
Since their debut single in mid 2020, The Terrys have been prolific in their releases and touring, embodying their secret sauce to life and music, "Don't think. Just do. And go with your heart.” Having not even celebrated their first birthday, triple j dubbed the band “your new favourite surf-indie outfit” and that summed up the unstoppable storm that was brewing. Following the heavily supported singles ‘Our Paradise’ and ‘Cost The Peace’, The Terrys sold out all 12 of their debut East Coast tour shows. In September 2021, the band released their debut body of work in The TerrySonic Mixtape which has amassed over 8 million streams and was supported by a 21 date national tour which was presented by triple j.
The impact The Terrys cult following became undeniable at the beginning of 2022, when ‘Our Paradise’ was voted in at #76 in triple j’s Hottest 100 and they were also announced as the #1 most played artist on triple j Unearthed for the year or 2021. Not bad for a completely independent band that had formed 12 months ago.
Infectious, fun and free-spirited is the classic Tezzas way. It’s not the streams or radio plays – it’s fulfilling their own creative urges and building a community on the foundation of music and mates in the process. It’s about not trying to appease anyone or faking who they are. It’s about reflecting on life, embracing what they’re going through and putting that to paper. It’s spinning everything into a positive learning curve and always looking for the ray of sunshine. It’s letting their true colours show and inspiring the Terrydactyls to do so too.
AUNTY EL from Ngati Raukawa ki Otaki, began her DJ career in Poneke before moving to Tamaki Makaurau to dive deeper into her DJing and DJ Software Technology career at Serato. AUNTY EL loves the way DJing allows her to express her identity, while also bringing diverse communities together through the love of music. She has played at some of New Zealand’s most prolific dance music events Rhythm and Vines, Rhythm and Alps, Homegrown 2023, and 121 Festival along with MCing and Hosting events such as The Department of Arts Working Late and Boiler Room TV. AUNTY EL’s taste in music knows no bounds- Her sets span across the many dance music genres, making every set memorable and unique. AUNTY EL’s combination of skills in Hosting, MCing, and DJing make an invitation to your next event a no-brainer.
Indie Rock Pop band, Coast Arcade, are making huge waves in the indie music scene. Having formed at high school in early 2021, the band has an impressive CV that includes supporting Aussie legends Bootleg Rascals and The Grogans, as well as Kiwi icons The Beths and Princess Chelsea. They’ve secured spots on the Rhythm and Vines festival and Spring City festival line-ups - alongside well-established acts such as Groove Armada, Zane Lowe, and Ladyhawke.
Coast Arcade describe their sound as Indie Pop Rock with twists of Surf and Punk. This combination of genres crafts their energetic and fun summer sound. Coast Arcade is made up of Bella Bavin (vocals + lead guitar), brothers Chris (rhythm guitar) and Nate Tims (bass), and Thom Boynton (drums + backing vocals). These Auckland-based up-and-comers have placed in the charts with their previously released singles - fast-paced ‘Highest Heights’ (Official NZ Charts ‘Ones To Watch’, #2 Hot NZ 20 Singles Chart + #37 Hot 40 Singles, #7 RadioScope Most Added + #24 NZ Airplay), ‘Surf Club’ (#20 Hot NZ 20 Singles Chart) and infectious debut ‘Tattoo’ (#11 Hot 20 NZ Singles Chart, RadioScope Most Added). Most recently, they released their debut EP 'Next To Me' which had fans frothing. They celebrated the release with a sold-out show at Joel Little's 'BigFan' venue.
The future's looking good for Coast Arcade; with many local shows under their belt and a solid fan base getting behind them, they have built up an energetic performance filled with fun, vibrant melodies, and great songs.
Christchurch DJ/ Producer Emilie is vastly proving a force to be reckoned with in the UKG scene in Christchurch and beyond, with no slowing down in sight.
With the success of her debut garage single ‘Generations’, a Speed garage/bassline-based track. To date the track has been playlisted and featured on the well-known radio station George FM, charted top 4 with NZ official music hottest hits charts and a Shazam tender, it's exciting to see what is to come from Emilie.
In her short time as an artist, she’s already had the opportunity to play at two festivals and support some amazing artists to name a few favourites; Effy, Main Phase, Interplanetary Criminal and Loods.
2023 and beyond you’ll be seeing a lot more of Emilie as she rises to the top.
Fleeced, the alias of Otautahi-based Damien Bolliger and Sam Barty, electrifies the rave with their productions and selections drawing inspiration from techno, UK bass, and the classics.
Notable releases include their UKG-inspired bootleg of A$AP Rocky’s “Praise The Lord”, which has amassed over 6,000 streams on Soundcloud, and original track “Not A Gangsta” a gritty electro stomper released on Otautahi-based record label Echo Train Records.
Within their come up, Fleeced have already supported Effy, and Kedu Carlo, and have been booked at the likes of Hide Club and Flux. Over the summer period they were booked to play at festivals including Rolling Meadows and Hidden Lakes.
2023 is looking promising already with a number of international support slots locked in and productions in the works to release. They are true carvers of their own path and refuse to be categorised by genre. While they are a great contender for anything 4 to the floor, Fleeced’s sets will always be infused with a healthy dose of surprises guaranteed to mash up the dance.
First learning how to mix with drum and bass, Hali has found her love playing house, tech house and is impartial to a garage groove.
Taking inspiration from the likes of Melè, Cloonee, Salute and Soulecta, her love for both soulful and high-energy sets has landed her support slots for names such as Solardo, Netsky, Sin, and a set at Bay Dreams.
MJ came up quickly in the scene late 2020 after winning New Zealand’s first all-wahine DJ competition. Since then, she has become one of Otautahi’s most notable multigenre female DJs. She has played at multiple festivals and gigs alongside artists such as Aloka, Kessler, and Alix Perez. She also initiated a women/femme/non-binary DJ community for the South Island, and hosts regular shows on RDU.
Persuaded by the deeper percussive side of life, her sets often explore a wide range of genres, taking inspiration from the likes of SP:MC, Skee Mask, Ben UFO, and Paradox. Whatever the genre, MJ is sure to bring her unapologetic style and vibes with her selection.
Yams, a rising star of Otautahi's garage music scene, is a dynamic and innovative selector with a solid foundation in house music.
With a distinctive style that fuses lively garage beats with heavy-hitting rhythms, Yams creates a musical experience that will get you grooving. With a track record of successful performances, Yams has already established herself in the scene. She has played support for Yung Singh, X Club, Holy Goof, and Conducta.
Yams' sound can best be described as the musical equivalent of the crisp and tangy flavor of a yam vegetable. Her refreshingly original approach to music is invigorating, and her ability to connect with audiences through her unique sound is undeniable.