Music 101

1:15 Tune-Yards: The dynamic duo releasing their Sixth Studio Album

Tune-Yards, the experimental music project of California-based couple Merrill Garbus and Nate Brenner, has been pushing sonic boundaries for over a decade. Originally from New England, Garbus is a singer and multi-instrumentalist, while Brenner plays bass and co-produces the group's bold, genre-defying sound.

In 2012, Tune-Yards played a memorable show in Aotearoa that left fans buzzing about their boundary-breaking performance. Now, the duo is preparing to release their sixth studio album, Better Dreaming, out on May 16.

Maggie Tweedie caught up with Merrill and Nate in their basement studio, where they spoke about the evolution of Tune-Yards, the creative journey behind the new album, and the influence of a surprising new collaborator — their 3-year-old child, who’s taken on the unofficial role of producer for this latest record.

Song's Played:

• Bizness 

• Powa

• Gangsta

• Heartbreak

• Limelight

2:15 Samoan Country Musician TheWesternGuide on making it mainstream

TheWesternGuide, a Samoan musician from Tāmaki Makaurau, has explored a range of genres in his musical career and to great success, generating some massive hits not just in English, but also in Samoan, with hits such as 'Pe Moni Ea' and 'SIVA MAI', In recent years he's made quite a name for himself as a country musician.

Maggie Tweedie talks to TheWesternGuide about the significance of country music in Samoa, and his ambitions for taking Samoan music into the mainstream.

TheWesternGuide's latest single:

3:20  The Sampler: 'Freqs in Flux' by Pitch Black

Tony Stamp dives into the latest selection of bass bin-busting remixes from Pitch Black's Rude Mechanicals.

Song's Played:

• Transient Transmission (Intercept's retwist of Adrian Sherwood's Iota Remix)

• 1000 Mile Dub (International Observer's Stink Mix)

• 1000 Mile Drift (Adrian Sherwood Mix)

• Fragile Ladders (Module's Heavy Snakes Remix)

• South of the Line (The Versionaries Remix)

3:35  Essential Album: ' The Awakening' by Dudley Benson

Dudley Benson trained as a choirboy and made his first album with predominantly classical instrumentation. Nick Bollinger discusses Benson’s ground-breaking debut and unique artistic vision in this episode of Essential New Zealand Albums.

Song's Played:

• It’s Akaroa’s Fault

• Audrey H.

• Asthma

• On The Shoulders of the Earth Willow

• The Awakening

• Rapaki

• Psalm for Antigone

• Lingeress

• I Don’t Mind

4:05  The Mixtape: Paddy Hill

Producer and audio engineer for Roundhead studios, Paddy Hill, shares the tracks that have sound tracked his career working with some of the best bands locally and abroad from Jack Black to Mark Ronson. 

Paddy's Selection:

• Can - Moonshake

• Cameron Winter - Nausicaä (Love Will Be Revealed)

• The Millennium - To Claudie on Thursday

• Perfume Genius, Aldous Harding - No Front Teeth

• Bob Marley - Waiting In Vain

• Marvin Gaye - Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)

Songs Played:

1pm - 2pm

J Rocc - The Best

Gwen Mcrae - Doing it (Joey Negro Soulful Reprise)

CHAII - Pineapple Pizza

Reb Fountain - Come Down

Gloria Barnes - Home

Rebecca Vasmant, Emilie Boyd - Sun Song

Matthew Herbert, Momoko - Babystar

2pm - 3pm

Quantic - Eko Eko (DJ Kicks)

Thundercat - Dragonball Durag

Minuit - Aotearoa

Arjuna Oakes - Motel

Zipso, Mr Tee, Shy Guy - Teine Tama

TheWesternGuide - DIVE BAR

Chaos In The CBD, Josh Milan - I Wanna Tell Somebody

Ladi6 - Alofa

BJM - Fingertips

3pm - 4pm

Asha Puthli - Space Talk (Dimitri From Paris Remix)

Frank Booker - Yes, No, Maybe

Parcels - Comedown

Nitin Sawney - Sunset

4pm - 5pm

Can - Moonshake

Cameron Winter - Nausicaä (Love Will Be Revealed)

The Millennium - To Claudie on Thursday

Perfume Genius, Aldous Harding - No Front Teeth

Bob Marley - Waiting In Vain

Marvin Gaye - Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler)