2010

Rock/Blues/Roots

Contact: Kurt Fleming Ph +64 3 27 722 1136
www.myspace.com/vonvoinstrum

This month's featured artist are the 2010 UCSA Battle of the Bands champions, Von Voin Strum. The band went  through 3 rounds of judging before being announced winners. Well deserved, especially after opening the finals in front of no one and easily playing the best set out of any of the finalists...

Dubstep
Contact: Michael West
www.sickcycle.tk
Sick Cycle aka Michael West and Levon Maeder, are engineers of mechanical bass orientated noise. Primarily creating excessively heavy glitchy dubstep and headache inducing drum and bass, Sick Cycle precisely twist every sound in their own unique way...

Folk / Children's Music
Contact: Craig Smith Ph +64 273 433 537
www.craigsmith.co.nz
July means Kidsfest so we thought we'd take a look at the mysterious world of NZ children's music. Craig Smith is currently one of NZ's most popular children's music artists with his APRA award winning song The Wonky Donkey which has evolved into a best-selling book with over 40,000 copies sold to date...

Pop/Surf Rock
Contact: Callum Devlin
www.myspace.com/custardbear

June's Featured Artist, Custard Bear are the grand prize winners of the CHARTFEST 2010 Band Team Search competition. Veterans of disfunction and disorganisation, Custard Bear are pulling their furry little heads out of the ground in preparation for a monstorous bellow, but they are more afraid of you than you are of them...

Post/Prog/Ambient Rock
Contact: Josh Braden Ph +64 27 385 7809
www.myspace.com/anthesiac
With comparisons to Radiohead, HDU and Sigur Ros, Christchurch's post/prog/ambient rockers Anthesiac are all set to rip it up at CHARTFEST 2010 and their standout track Bliss features on this month's CHARTDISC Vol 3...

Neo-Soul/Roots
Contact: Mark Vanilau
www.myspace.com/markvanilau
Christchurch roots singer songwiter Mark Vanilau performs at this month's NZ Intl Jazz & Blues Festival and is our April 2010 Featured Artist. Mark Vanilau is a multi-talented musician and songwriter. He has created a solid reputation and constantly writes and performs with other artists, having connections throughout New Zealand and overseas...

Hip Hop
Contact: J Dubs
www.myspace.com/organiksnz

J Dubs first album is a selection of butter-smooth vibrations enriched with soul. ‘The Keynotes’ is a product of patience and passion, a project that took many years to manifest. Waiting for the appropriate time, J Dubs – aka Ben James – began making music at 14, MCing and eventually hosting RDU’s $ Mix hip-hop show before catching the attention of Shapeshifter’s Devin Abrams...