Shapeshifter
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Shapeshifter

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"Shapeshifter"

“This album once again sets the production bar high globally for other drum’n’bass acts to aspire to”
- ***** Waikato Times
- Waikato Times


"Shapeshifter at the Forum"

Drum and bass is not a genre that I generally count myself as a fan of, but tonight’s performance may just change that. Unfortunately I arrived too late to see Budspells, partly due to watching the Rugby, and partly due to an inability to find the venue. Eventually our wanderings led us to cross paths with a guy on his mobile phone who announced in a loud and unmistakably Kiwi accent “Yeah bro, I’m going to see Shapeshifter”. After thanking him for his help, we entered the venue to find Perth DJ Greg Packer playing. For those that haven’t been to The Forum, it’s a well set up venue, with high balconies overlooking the stage from each side and a moderately sized dancefloor, with wide steps behind, forming a kind of amphitheatre. However, $24 for three left me with a bad taste in my mouth.
I tend to think of drum and bass as dark and broody, but the tunes that Greg Packer was playing were for the most part happy and upbeat. The energy in the crowd was phenomenal, and it was clear that most people in the place were up for a big night. If this is representative of a normal drum and bass crowd, then I think I need to get out to a few more gigs. There was a genuinely friendly atmosphere that I have rarely experienced before. Perhaps Packer’s DJing was responsible for this. One track he played, which unfortunately I can’t name, had a brief vocal section, part of which was “OK, I lied. It’s drum and bass. What you gonna do?”, followed by breakdown. He had the crowd going absolutely nuts.
Packer was followed by a brief (too brief) interlude from Gsan and Shapeshifter drummer Dreadford. I apologise for my ignorance of technical matters, but it involved turntables and some kind of electronic drum type bizzo. Suffice to say that it was fantastic, with their treatment of James Browns’ “Ain’t it good to be the boss” simply breathtaking. James de la Cruz, who may well have “ex Avalanches” engraved on his tombstone one day, was next up. The man is an excellent and accomplished turntablist, but there was a little something lacking from this set. He didn’t really keep the energy of the previous two acts, and as one of the people I was with said, it was like being at an underage dance party one minute, then back at a drum and bass gig the next. He also left the crowd a little perplexed when he finished off with 20 seconds of Groove Armada’s “Superstyling” – report card says: “Can do better”.
It was Shapeshifter that everyone was there to see though, and they certainly didn’t disappoint. With a lineup consisting of five, there were more keyboards, synthesizers and various other pieces of electronic music making kit onstage than you could shake a very large stick at. Add to this a saxophone, electric guitar and a drum kit, and you have a recipe for some off-the-scale good live drum and bass. Frontman P-Digsss is a charismatic and talented vocalist, and with Tiki from Salmonella Dub on the sound desk he sounded even better. I’m reliably informed that they played a lot of their newer stuff – understandable with their new album “Soulstice” due for release in September. Based on tonight’s performance, it will definitely be one to look out for.
Having seen Shapeshifter live on two other occasions, I thought I knew what to expect, but this was by far the best I have seen them play. The skill, speed and tightness of the drumming was particularly impressive, and the jazz training of the musicians was evident in the guitar and sax playing. Much respect and thanks to all involved in putting the night together, a gig that opened this reviewer’s eyes to just how good drum and bass can be.
- Live Review


"Shapeshifter"

Dance music and heavy metal; for most it’s a bit like chalk and cheese, but not for Kiwi drum & bass live act Shapeshifter. Turning heads recently when they were selected by US hard rock titans Tool to support them at their Myer Music Bowl show in Melbourne earlier this year, it was another stunning achievement in a long line of accolades.
No one does drum & bass quite like Shapeshifter, and their reputation as a solid live act is known around the globe. In their native New Zealand they’re mainstream superstars, with gold selling albums to their credit and sold out tours up and down the country. Since relocating to Australia they’ve continued to work hard at refining their sound, and in January released ‘Soulstice’, their most accomplished album to date. - inthemix.com.au


Discography

Full Length Albums:
Real Time
Riddim Wise LP
Soulstice
The SYstem Is A Vampire

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Bio

Shapeshifter
New Zealand’s best live act is an extraordinary spectacle you can’t miss.

Shapeshifter have been heralded as a musical phenomenon for their ground breaking live shows, and have received widespread critical and commercial acclaim for their recorded work. Their reputation as pioneers of modern music was built by a unique approach to electronic music, creating live what had previously been restricted to computer based studio musicians.

Their latest album Soulstice was released in August 2006, it entered the NZ national charts at remarkable Number 4 and spent over 2 months in the New Zealand top 20, they also reached number 1 on the independent charts. In 2006 they were awarded a phenomenal 3 awards at the New Zealand bnet music awards for Best Live Act, Song of the Year for “Bring Change” and Album of the Year for Soulstice.

Soulstice obtained Gold sales status in New Zealand in 3 weeks. It has a star line up featuring Shapeshifter’s artistic talents and features vocals from some of New Zealand’s top artists. September 2006 saw Shapeshifter tour throughout Aotearoa spreading their acclaimed drum and bass soul styles. In cutting-edge Shapeshifter fashion, they performed with leading orchestras in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch creating a revolutionary experience and selling out their shows weeks in advance.

Early 2007 saw Shapeshifter release Soulstice in Australia and the first run of albums were sold out in 5 days. They headlined the Hothouse Stage at the 2007 Big Day Out Australian tour and were handpicked by Tool to support them in Melbourne to a massive sold out audience of 15,000.

2001 saw the release of their debut LP Realtime, highlights included a collaboration with sublime vocalist Ladi6, on the track 'Move With Me'. Realtime was awarded the Best Electronic Release at the 2002 bnet NZ music awards, and was also nominated at the RIANZ NZ music awards for 'Best Electronic Album'. The track 'Tapestry' became the No.1 most played track on the Alternative Radio Airplay charts for 2001, and was also nominated for 'Best Song' at the 2002 bnet awards.

Their second release Riddim Wise LP gained gold sales status and is only the second independently distributed Drum’n’Bass album in the world to do so. The hits “Long White Cloud”, “Been Missin” and “When I Return” feature the voices of some of New Zealand’s top soul vocalists – Joe Dukie, P-digsss and Ladi6 respectively. The album has subsequently spent many weeks at number 1 on the independent album sales charts. They won ”Best Electronic Video” for “Long White Cloud” at the 2005 Juice TV Music Awards.