Arch Hill Recordings began life as a studio on an industrial stretch of Auckland’s Great North Rd, among the mechanics and caryards.
A group of friends were recording at a studio and they banded together to release records, the first one coming out in 1999. Fifteen later it’s a label with a catalogue of over 50 local albums that range from globally ambitious uber-hip local indie bands, to towers of New Zealand song-writing, like David Kilgour and Don McGlashan.
Arch Hill founder and Flying Nun chief Ben Howe is busy co-ordinating the latest releases from Doprah and Tiny Ruins when I drop in to his modest Newmarket office.
Arch Hill Recordings boss Ben Howe. Photo: Supplied
The desk next door is occupied by Matthew Davis who runs Flying Nun’s international distribution arm Flying Out, part of the proof that Howe’s international aspirations are sound. “I think we always wanted an international approach, but I think we didn’t know how to do it for probably the first 10 years” says Howe modestly.
“It’s become a lot easier with the internet to reach out to people around the world. I’ve always been determined to work with music that means something to me and is important to me and that music is a fairly small niche within New Zealand, so you do have to look to larger international markets, where it is a niche there as well, but it’s a more sizable one.
“I feel like we’ve made some pretty good head-way with a lot of the bands, establishing them on a basic platform, where they’re not the break-through acts like The Naked and Famous or Lorde. But many of them can go to different places in the US and play to audiences, people have heard of them, people buy the records and that’s certainly a good launching pad for something potentially breaking through at some point.”
One of Arch Hill’s latest signings is Doprah, from Christchurch, who have only just reached the one-year anniversary of their first show. “I was at that gig. It was a bFM Fancy New Band showcase, their first ever show and they were fantastic. I’d heard tracks before, and the lead vocalist, I actually knew her parents, so there was a little bit of history there already,” says Howe.
I put it to him that Doprah’s sound is more electronic than the more guitar-oriented acts normally associated with his label. “I guess with Arch Hill I’m trying to go for some slightly different sounds. Part of that is a product of the fact that I run Flying Nun and Arch Hill, it would be sort of silly if I were signing the signing the same sorts of bands to both labels, so it is a conscious decision to go in a different direction, but on the other hand it’s because I think they’re a really great band.”
Listent to Ben Howe pick a handful of his favourite releases:
*A selection of Arch Hill Recordings artists play The Kings Arms in Auckland this Friday to celebrate the label’s birthday.
