New Zealand reggae

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

New Zealand reggae is the New Zealand (Aotearoa) variation of the musical genre reggae. It is a large and well established part of New Zealand music, and includes some of the country's most successful and highly acclaimed bands.

Reggae in New Zealand the 1970s and 1980s included Herbs, Dread, Beat and Blood, Unity Pacific and the Twelve Tribes of Israel. The 1979 Bob Marley concert at Western Springs Stadium is credited with having a huge influence of the growth of reggae in the country and inspiring many prominent reggae artists. The growth of the Rastafarian religion, particularly among Māori, was also a factor in the growth of the genre, and the high rates of use of marijuana among New Zealanders is likely to have had an influence.

The reggae scene is centred around the Waikato and the capital Wellington, with capital music having a more dub and jazz influenced sound. Most New Zealand reggae bands incorporate different stylistic influences, and the result is a unique combination of sounds.

The most successful of recent acts is Fat Freddy's Drop, who incorporate jazz, soul and dub influences and reflect the capital sound. They have won numerous awards and sold over 90,000 copies of their debut album. One of the most important groups of the last decade was Trinity Roots (1998-2005), who also melded sparse jazz melodies with their reggae to great effect.

Other major groups include Katchafire, Cornerstone Roots, Kora, House of Shem and The Black Seeds. Major dub/electronic groups include Pitch Black, Shapeshifter and Salmonella Dub.

The scene is live performance based, and large reggae festivals occur annually. The most important are the Soundsplash Eco Reggae Festival in Raglan and the Kaikoura Roots Festival, and local reggae artists are an integral part of the live music scene. A strong collection of 'soundsystems' exist, groups putting on parties and events with DJs and MCs.