The Sampler

Tony Stamp lends an ear to new releases by Los Angeles singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey, Christchurch DYI maestros Wurld Series, and a compilation of exploratory sounds from 1980/90s Japan. Read more Audio

Tony Stamp checks out the latest from Rwanda-NZ rapper Raiza Biza, Christian indie strummer Julien Baker, and a collection of seventies Nigerian funk curated by the resourceful record label Analog… Read more Audio

Tony Stamp examines new albums from chucklesome Christchurch singer-songwriter Jed Parsons, golden-voiced RnB muso Jordan Gavet, and frenetic UK post-punks Shame. Read more Audio

Tony Stamp listens to three new local albums - the positive affirmations of Tāmaki Makaurau hip hop trio Team Dynamite, the magick-tinged soul grooves of Lou'ana, and Miles Calder's nostalgic… Read more Audio

Tony Stamp reviews new albums from kiwi troubadour Edward Castelow, Australian import Jazmine Mary, and Scottish post-rockers Mogwai. Read more Audio

Tony Stamp assesses the second album from witty Canadian rockers Kiwi Jr., a new EP by Christchurch husband and wife duo Terrible Sons, and a roster of local artists taking on a classic Split Enz… Read more Audio

Tony Stamp reviews the new album by Canadian outfit The Weather Station, Peckham post-punk band Goat Girl's second full-length, and a blissful EP from Tāmaki Makaurau beat maker SR Mpofu. Read more Audio

Tony Stamp discusses the debut from buzzed-about Brit soul artist Arlo Parks, Wellington musician Estère's ambitious third album Archetypes, and a surprise pair of releases from UK producer Four Tet.

Nick Bollinger identifies some of the many and various musical references on Rough and Rowdy Ways - Bob Dylan's epic 2020 album - from Jimmy Rodgers to Chopin. Read more Audio

New Orleans rap duo The 79rs Gang draw on the rich cultural and musical traditions of their hometown. Taking their 2020 release Expect The Unexpected as a starting point, Nick Bollinger traces some of… Read more Audio

In a turbulent year, this clandestine British collective produced an album that plays like a Black Lives Matter soundtrack. Nick Bollinger discusses these new Black protest statements and recalls a… Read more Audio

In the 1950s, an eccentric collector called Harry Smith fuelled a folk music revival with a definitive anthology of American folk recordings. Now the reissue label Dust-To-Digital have turned those… Read more Audio