The Bilders

The Builders
Background information
Genres New Zealand Underground
Years active 1980-present

The Bilders (aka Builders, Bilderine, Bilderbergers, Six Impossible Things) is a music group coordinated by New Zealand writer and musician Bill Direen. A string of self-recorded 7-inch vinyl releases between 1980 and 1982 culminated in Beatin Hearts, the first studio-album of the fledgling New Zealand ('Flying Nun Records') underground movement. Its most recent release is The Utopians, a 7-inch 45 rpm record and i-Tunes download released by SmartGuy Records (USA). Bilders' material is known for 'rough' music making (often live in the studio), and a lo-fi recording style that has produced "many genuine classic compositions".[1]

Guests and collaborators in the 1980s included Alastair Galbraith 1994, Alec Bathgate (recording project, 1984), Chris Knox (recording and production, 1982) of Toy Love and Tall Dwarfs, Alan Brunton (opera project Comrade Savage on the life of Australian-born NZ politician Michael Joseph Savage) (Red Mole), Steve Braunias, Campbell McLay (bass, 1980–82), members of The Terminals, Scorched Earth Policy and Victor Dimisich Band. Malcolm Grant was Bilders drummer (1980-82) before moving to (The Bats. Recent members include Greig Bainbridge (bass, Christchurch NZ, 1984–present), TThomthom G'schrey (Germany, violin, 1997, 2006–present), Stuart Page (of [The Axemen] drums and artwork, 1983-85, 2010–present), Robbie Yeats (Dunedin, The Dead C, 2014, drums), David Watson (NYC, 2013, bagpipes, 335 semi-acoustic guitar), Miggy Littleton (Brooklyn, 2013, bass), Hamish Kilgour of The Clean (Brooklyn, 1989, 2013-14), David Wukitsevits of Austrian band Der Nino aus Wien (2013, drums), Jess McCann (Melbourne, accordion), Stuart Porter (saxophones, percussion), Louise Johns (Germany/Singapore, bass), Mark Williams (Wellington/Germany, guitar), Jo Contag (Wellington, drums), Barry Stockley (Wellington/Melbourne, bass and instrumentation, 1987, 2013), Tama Stockley (drums, 2013), artist-guitarist Nikola Kapétanovic (2009–11, [France, electric guitar, dumbra, kalimba), dancer and actress France Hervé (France, 2010, chanteuse, actor), Kersten Ginsberg (Germany, drums, 1997), pianist, composer, improvisor, filmmaker Jonathan Crayford (Paris-NZ) - piano (2010–11, a special poetry-piano project), Rick And (2011, vocal), Peter Scott (2012, bass), Andrew McCully (piano, organ 2007-08, 2010, 13, 14) and Andy Maitai (drums, 2008). Further groups have played or collaborated in Europe, USA, Australia and NZ with musicians such as Jon Evans (Berlin, synthesiser, 2008, Berlin) and Parisian DJ Fred Morvan (beatbox, 2008, Berlin). This list is not complete.

Since the early 1980s, music has been released on labels such as South Indies, Unwucht, SmartGuy, Grapefruit Record Club, Onec Records Plymouth UK, South Indies, Siltbreeze, Onset Offset Christchurch NZ, Powertool NZ [CDs only 2006–2010], EMI, and Warner Bros Flying Nun.

Selected Discography

References

  1. ↑ Dix, John (1988). Stranded in Paradise: New Zealand Rock 'n' roll 1955-88. Palmerston North, NZ: Paradise Publications. ISBN 0-14-301953-8 ISBN 0-473-00638-3

Sources

External links

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