The Sweet Az Soundsystem Debut album “Coastal Connection” is the brainchild of producer DJ Kina (Simon Boyd) from The
Versionaries and MC Extraordinaire RayJah45 (Raymond Te Oranga-Nolan) from Sydney Reggae band This Version.
Never ones to be bunched with the rest, Sweet Az Soundsystem have forged a hybrid formula that could best be described as a fusion of Dub, Hip Hop, Reggae, Dubstep and Drum and Bass.
The Sweet Az Sound always keeps one foot firmly on the dance floor with the conscious soulful vibes of RayJah and the sub frequency production of DJ Kina coming together to form a unique style that appeals to a wide audience.
The album features collaborations from a talented bunch of musicians including Shamik the Human Drum Machine from Canada, MC Kye from Budspells, Georgie Fisher and Haile Suspicious from The Versionaries, Kakhand, MC Antic, Simon Kay and Tom Fisher on horns.
The first single off the album “Blaze” quickly climbed the Juno dub downloads chart (reaching number 3) and has been remixed by The Nomad, Foreigndub, The Versionaries and Semper Fi. Radio airtime has sparked a huge interest resulting in shows throughout Australasia, including PHAT (Nelson), Subculture (Queenstown), and Renegades of Dub (Hobart).
The idea was for a group of artists from the Sydney coastal dub community to come together in the true spirit of music and create an album that bridged the gaps between genres. Whilst on tour with The Versionaries and Budspells in New Zealand, various tracks were tweaked and shaped and thus ‘Coastal Connection’ matured into a full 13 track album.
Upcoming shows include:
Thursday 21st April @ Sammy’s in Dunedin
Sat 23rd April @ The Catlins River Festival.
Both from Aotearoa NZ, DJ Kina(Simon Boyd) from The Versionaries and RayJah45(Raymond Te Oranga Nolan) from The Reggae band This Version have performed/collaborated at many events and festivals within Australia and New Zealand during thieir musical careers including Raggamufin, PeatsRidge, Pacific Unity, LoveJam, EarthDance, Splore, Island Life, Playground Weekender and collaborated/performed with various Artists including Fat Freddy's Drop, The Wailers, UB40, Herbs, Katchafire, Pitch Black, Three Houses Down, The Nomad, Oakley Grenell, Lotek, Ishu and Shamik.
The new Album "Coastal Connection" released with Foreign Dub (Aus) and Loop (NZ) follows up on their previous collaboration with Bondi Crew The Versionaries, "Bhutee Skank", a positively rapturous, bouncy, 7 inch vinyl single that’s guaranteed to “nice up ya dance! ”. The first single off the album "Blaze" has also been Remixed by the likes of The Versionaries, Foreign Dub and The Nomad and they will be released in 2011.
For bookings, publicity, editorial or more information, contact Simon Boyd on +61415390011 or email: simon.b.boyd@hotmail.com


GOT TO HAVE A HOBBIE? MAKING MUSIC IS MY HOBBIE. I MAY SUCK AT IT! BUT ITS FUN.

Fat Freddy's Drop’s pirate soul train, resolutely independent, worldwide.

Formed in 1999 in Wellington, New Zealand our sound draws inspiration from almost every part of the black music lexicon. Soul drenched vocals and jazz harmonies collide with tape delays and echo chambers, underpinned by a rhythm section as comfortable laying down a throbbing, techy soundscape as they are a swampy blues stomp.


grown in Chicago, rooted in Aus

Booking:
James@greens-keepers.com

James Curd began his DJing career in Chicago when he was only fifteen years old. Being underage, Curd was snuck into events to play at raves and clubs he was not legally allowed in. He played along side some of electronic music’s most respected acts and DJs. Through his love of DJing and music Curd began to write and produce for himself. At nineteen Curd released his first track on the globally respected label “Basenotic” out of Paris. From there Curd created “Greenskeepers”, a name to represent himself and the wide range of music he wrote and the artists he collaborated with.

As “Greenskeepers” Curd released an array of music on Classic records. He made his mark on the dance music world by infusing swing music and Chicago house to invent the term G-Swing, being short for Greenskeepers Swing. Curd focused on G-Swing and started a label by that same name to feature this unique sound. Around this same time Curd also owned and operated two other record labels “Igloo” and “Greenskeepers Music”.

Curd has released four full length albums under Greenskeepers, “Ziggy Franklin Radio Show”, “Pleetch”, “Polo Club” and “Live Like You Want To Live”. Curd has also had phenomenal individual success with releases on DFA, Permanent Vacation, Exploited, Eskimo, ETC ETC, Bang Gang, OM, Ministry Of Sound, to name a few. Curd is also highly sought after for his remixes. He has remixed artist such as Juan Maclean, PNAU, Midnight Magic, Poolside, Kaskade, Hercules & Love Affair, Groove Armada, Flight Facilities and more. Curd’s music has also been remixed by great artist like Poolside, Flosstradamus, Juan Maclean, Gigamesh, Treasure Fingers, Pepe Bradock, The Rapture, Dimitri From Paris, Flight Facilities and Derrick Carter.

Four of Curd’s songs have been featured on “Grey’s Anatomy”, while others have appeared on T.V shows such as C.S.I Miami, Point Pleasant, MTV Real World and Keeping Up With The Kardashians. His music can also be found in foreign films as well as main stream movies such as “What Happens In Vegas”,”The Vow” and the hugely successful animation “The Incredibles”. If you listen carefully, you will even find Curd’s work on BBC documentaries and American Airlines inflight radio! His work in T.V. and Film has enabled him to work behind the scenes as a music supervisor. His latest film “Crush” is produced by Intrepid Pictures and features an amazing array of artist from around the world hand picked by Curd to fit each scene perfectly.

Curd has toured the world over, renown for his energy behind the decks and his ability to make a party. Curd has performed at some of the world’s most respected clubs. From Fabric in London, The Avalon in Los Angeles, Home in Sydney to The Arches in Glasgow. Curd has also been part of festivals such as Park Life in Australia, Lollapalooza In Chicago, T In The Park in Scotland and Electric Picnic in Ireland.

Curd continues to consistently release quality new music by pushing his sound while also staying true to his roots. He has started a new band called “Favored Nations” with singer Morgan Phalen who has also worked with Justice and Phenomenal Handclap Band. The third bandmate is Sid Who?, who also plays bass and guitar for Empire Of The Sun. Curd is also putting together a mix CD coming soon on Ministry Of Sound. With Curd anything and everything can be expected. Whether it’s Rockstar Games using his song for the “Grand Theft Auto 4” Ad campaign or his latest EP sitting at number one on Juno, you never know what to expect from the talented Curd or where his music might pop up.

When Stu Boga Fergie was only a child, his Yakin Andu elders gifted him with the nickname DidgeriStu, a nod to his prodigious skills on the didgeridoo. They must have had a gift of foresight. Now, DidgeriStu is all grown up, and his skills on the otherworldly Australian instrument are too. As one half of the genre-defying dance-roots duo OKA, Fergie rattles earth and sky on his didge and also brings the ancient stories of his people to stages across the world. Next to him sits Chris, a man with haunting sense of melody and a daunting collection of instruments (bamboo flutes, harmonica, slide guitar and more). With or without their rhythm section, Oka updates the throbbing, earthy beats of tribal music for the digital age, while keeping their spiritual melodies pure.

The Nomad bio 2024

After a quarter century of pushing boundaries and frequencies Daimon Schwalger, aka The Nomad, firmly fits the bill as a pioneer of the electronica music scene in Aotearoa New Zealand. Since his first album release ‘Movement’ in 1998, he has gone on to release nine full length albums, remix albums and various singles while working with some of music’s leading talents.

“The nomadic traveller working on beats all day” has compiled an impressive body of work, which features collaborations with many different artists and musicians from New Zealand, Australia, UK and Jamaica.
Artists include Barnaby Weir (Black Seeds), MC Antsman (The Nomad/Rhombus), Tehimana Kerr (Fat Freddy’s Drop), Pearl Runga, Tiki Taane, Opiuo, King Kapisi, Farda P (Rockers HiFi), Luciano, Lisa Tomlins, Oakley Grenell (O.G.), Pepsi (Wham), Ras Stone, Tim Budgen (WarpTV) and many more.

This year 2023 saw the release of The Nomad’s finest work – Infinite, double album release, featuring 16 hand-picked tracks celebrating twenty-five years of his musical journey. This retrospective anthology maps the progression of Aotearoa’s electronic music scene, with many then-emerging artists now firmly established stars.

Nomadic by name and nature, The Nomad has clocked up the miles from the early days in Dunedin
and Christchurch, featuring at the infamous The Gathering festivals, maturing as a musician and father, through to his more recent success as a videographer based in Westport, capturing the beauty of Aotearoa’s West Coast. This is all part of the rich textures that make The Nomad a unique ‘life form’.

Hi-Fives:
- 9 album releases as an independent artists
- Played support for international artists; Moby, Rockers HiFi, DJ Vadim, Fat Boy Slim, Mad Professor
- Second Selection (1999) was awarded the “Best Dub/Hip-hop/Reggae Release” in the B-net New Zealand Music Awards.
- The Nomad – Infinite (2023), #1 NZ Independent Music Charts (Sept), #2 NZ Music Charts (Sept)

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