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Great to see the Classic Indie Record award going to a record devoid of jangly guitars.
Micronism, aka Denver McCarthy, was part of a wave of electronica that took over central Auckland clubs in 1998, thanks to the innovative approach of Kog Transmissions.
Last year [1998] the Kog team released one CD a month, a very ambitious plan, but one that paid off handsomely, rapidly building a loyal following for their musical activities. This clever technique bought them to the attention of major record label Universal Music, who offered to step in and help with the distribution of their CDs around the country...
"... Musically, the Kog releases have been exploring various musical styles within the dance genre: Chris [Chetland] says 'Every release we do is in a different style, which from our point of view is interesting, because you get to learn a different style of music each time, and you get to meet people out of that particular scene. And if someone likes say one of our releases that is in the House style, then maybe they'll trust us and try another one of our releases, like Pitch Black, so it breaks down a lot of those barriers.'
That diversity runs from Mark de Clive Lowe's jazzy dance to Pitch Black's reggae/techno, to Epsilon Blue's melodic trance, to Baitercell's drum n bass."
"I really appreciated what you wrote. It was kind and thoughtful, and I felt like you'd been listening very closely. That book helped a lot of people find that record, and I was thankful for that."
It's hugely gratifying to see them finally getting some recognition. Their approach to running a label flipped it on its head, and gave an outlet for some of the most exciting, challenging and influential music to come out of Aotearoa in a long time.
As Simon Grigg writes on the Audioculture page on Kog, "It is hard to overstate the importance of Kog as an innovator and an A&R hothouse. It essentially changed the face of New Zealand music and the way it was presented and sold, although rarely has the collective had the credit it was due for doing just that."
I wrote about the label/collective for North and South in 1999, noting that "Within an astonishingly short space of time, they have established themselves on the local music scene, with little or no help from the music industry. They have done it all their own way, setting up their own recording studio, releasing their CDs on their own label, and selling them at their own cd launch gigs; you pay $15 to get into the gig and get a CD to take home with you.
I wrote about the label/collective for North and South in 1999, noting that "Within an astonishingly short space of time, they have established themselves on the local music scene, with little or no help from the music industry. They have done it all their own way, setting up their own recording studio, releasing their CDs on their own label, and selling them at their own cd launch gigs; you pay $15 to get into the gig and get a CD to take home with you.
"It's great value for money, and a great night out. The business equation reads like this: they manufacture 500 CDs, get 500 people along to their gig, and hey presto, their CD sells out in one night, rather than sitting in record shops for months and months.
Last year [1998] the Kog team released one CD a month, a very ambitious plan, but one that paid off handsomely, rapidly building a loyal following for their musical activities. This clever technique bought them to the attention of major record label Universal Music, who offered to step in and help with the distribution of their CDs around the country...
"... Musically, the Kog releases have been exploring various musical styles within the dance genre: Chris [Chetland] says 'Every release we do is in a different style, which from our point of view is interesting, because you get to learn a different style of music each time, and you get to meet people out of that particular scene. And if someone likes say one of our releases that is in the House style, then maybe they'll trust us and try another one of our releases, like Pitch Black, so it breaks down a lot of those barriers.'
That diversity runs from Mark de Clive Lowe's jazzy dance to Pitch Black's reggae/techno, to Epsilon Blue's melodic trance, to Baitercell's drum n bass."
Reissued in 2017 by Loop, remastered and on vinyl for the first time, Grant Smithies talked to McCarthy about the reissue that year, and discussed Smithies' book 'Soundtrack - 118 NZ albums (2007) listing his favourite New Zealand recordings.
"I read that book!" says McCarthy, who's now a Hare Krishna monk, living in Brisbane.
"I really appreciated what you wrote. It was kind and thoughtful, and I felt like you'd been listening very closely. That book helped a lot of people find that record, and I was thankful for that."
Smithies: I devoted an entire chapter to the brilliance of McCarthy's 1998 debut album, declaring it "the best electronic album ever made in this country".
The album is getting repress on vinyl in limited numbers, and Micronism will be performing live in Auckland at Neck of The Woods, April 15, the night of the Taite Prize event.
PRE-ORDER VINYL REPRESS HERE
AUCKLAND SHOW TICKETS AVAILABLE HERE
‘inside a quiet mind’ was created in bedrooms in Morningside, Kingsland, Mt Eden (NZ) and Brisbane (Australia). Made over two years from 1996 to 1998 on outboard equipment and computer free. Remarkable.
Gear list:
Roland TR-909
Roland TR-606
Roland TB-303 Bassline
Roland MC-202
Roland JX-3P
Roland CR-78
Roland Juno-106
Korg A3 Effects Unit
Korg Wavestation
Korg DDD-1
Korg Poly-800
Boss Heavy Metal HM2 Pedal
Yamaha TX81Z | Vintage Synth Explorer
Tokai Overdrive Pedal
Sovtek Small Stone
Casio CZ101
Akai DR4
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