THE BLACK SEEDS

"One of New Zealand's most exciting acts"

"Since forming in 1998, The Black Seeds have become renowned as one of New Zealand’s finest and most dynamic live acts."

Country:
New Zealand
Genre:
Electronic, Reggae
Style:
Dub, Downtempo, Rocksteady

Members:
Barnaby Weir - Vox & Guitar
Mike Fabulous - Guitar & Vox
Daniel Weetman - Vox, MPC & Percussion
Bret McKenzie - Keys & Vox
Lee Prebble - Knobs & Faders
Jarney Murphy - Drum Set
Tim Jarray - Bass
Michael Taylor - Trumpet & Trombone
Jabin Ward - Saxophone
Nigel Patterson - Keyboards
MC Twink - Rocking it!


VIDEO
"Sometimes Enough"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGx3943gXBs&mode=related&search=

"The Answer"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qi2CkVlDJxM&mode=related&search=

KEEP ON PUSHING (2001)

Tracklist:

01 Dance Dance (4:17)
02 Keep On Pushing (Workshop Re-Dub) (4:45)
03 Sit There (3:12)
04 Black Sunrise (4:40)
05 You Wait (5:45)
06 In Your Eyes (Fabulous Dub) (3:49)
07 What We Need (4:52)
08 Little Atoms (4:51)
09 Hey Son (3:32)
10 Coming Back Home (5:53)

Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/61094189/bs-keep_on_.rar.html

The album received widespread critical acclaim, including being named one of the top 50 albums of the year by Rip It Up Magazine, and reached gold sales status. KEEP ON PUSHING was released in Australia through Shock records and France, Belgium and Switzerland through Productions Spéciales, with the first single reaching N°29 in France's 'Groove' charts and N°100 in the overall French single charts.

"Wellington's live roots rock reggae favourites The Black Seeds have at long last headed into the studio and captured some of their finest moments on disc for all to enjoy. Fans of the band will soon be singing along to memorable moments like 'Black Sunrise', 'What We Need' and 'Coming Back Home', or skanking on the good foot to wholesome grooves like the opener 'Dance Dance' and the digital dancehall boogie of 'Hey Son'. The title track drops as a deep and dubwise version, and 'In Your Eyes' gets similar remix treatment from local muso Mike Fabulous, making for a varied set of songs all up. It's all positive vibes warmly wrapped up in classic reggae production - a feel good album for these last few chilly winter months and onwards into the sunshine."

"a great mix of reggae, funk, jazz, and dub. Not something that is widely available in America. Those Kiwis really know how to make the groovin' music. Keep on Pushing has the original form of all the songs on it. The album has some groovy instrumental sections - great drum beats and funky jazz brass portions. Great vocal work on all of the tracks. My favorite tracks are Dance Dance, Little Atoms, and Hey Son. Funk Factor 9"

PUSHED - KEEP ON PUSHING REMIXED (2003)

Tracklist:

01 Keep On Pushing (50Hz remix)
02 Black Sunrise (House of Shem remix)
03 Black Swandri (100 Palstic knives & The Video Kid)
04 Almost Home (Jet Jaguar remix)
05 You Wait (Twinset remix)
06 Little Atoms (DJ Vee remix)
07 Coming Back Home (Nomad remix)
08 Your Sunrise (Mute & Hummel remix)
09 Keep On Pushing (Son.sine remix)
10 What We Need (Rhian Sheehan remix)
11 Hey Son (Flash Henry remix)
12 What We Need (DLT remix)
13 Hey Son (Mysterious D & Confucucius remix)
14 Yo Son (Pylonz remix)

Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/61103190/bs-pushed_192_kbs.rar.html

"Wellington dub/funk favourites The Black Seeds return with the first release since their top selling debut album 'Keep On Pushing' - a remix album on which said debut is flipped upside down and turned inside out by some of NewZealand's top dub and electronic producers. 'Keep On Pushing's' standout tracks have been remixed and remade into tasty new flavours ranging from deep dancefloor dubs to upbeat hip-hop, retro jazz, offbeat electronica, ambient soundscapes and storming drum & bass by the likes of LOOP label mates 50Hz and Rhian Sheehan, The Nomad, Jet Jaguar, son.sine, DLT and Pylonz, several undercover Black Seeds members themselves, and a handful ofup-and-coming artists and new faces. 'Pushed' is a fresh and funky makeover of one of last year's best local releases into some very dope new styles. Recommended."

"Pushed is the remixed version of Keep on Pushing. The mixing done is awesome. There are a couple of different mixes for some of the songs and they are all unique. Same great drum beats, brass sections, and vocal work with some funky atmospheres added. The remixes make you want to get your funky dance moves on. Even more so than the Keep on Pushing, if that is possible."

More review:
http://www.nzmusician.co.nz/index.php/ps_pagename/article/pi_articleid/245

ON THE SUN (2004)

Credits:
Artwork By - George Clarke Engineer, Recorded By - Lee Prebble , Mike Gibson (tracks: 1) Mastered By - Don Bartley Mixed By, Producer - Barnaby Weir , Black Seeds, The , Lee Prebble Recorded By [Additional Overdubs] - Lee Prebble

Tracklist:

01 Tuk Tuk
02 Turn It Around
03 Bring You Up
04 Sort It Out
05 So True
06 Fire
07 Lets Get Down
08 Shazzy Dub
09 You Get Me
10 Senegal Champions Of Africa
11 On The Sun

Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/61102261/bs-sun_192_kbs.rar.html

The group's second studio album, 2004's ON THE SUN, added a heavy dose of funk and soul to the dub reggae sound that underpinned KEEP ON PUSHING. ON THE SUN debuted at N°3 on the New Zealand album charts, achieving double platinum sales and solidifying THE BLACK SEEDS' status as one of New Zealand's premier groups. Album single SO TRUE was one of the most popular New Zealand songs of 2005, receiving massive support from commercial radio and music television, while singles TURN IT AROUND and FIRE received widespread airplay on student radio. In 2005 ON THE SUN was released in Australia through Shock Records and Loop Recordings.THE BLACK SEEDS are renowned as one of New Zealand's finest and most dynamic live acts. They regularly sell out New Zealand and Australian tours and play headline slots at some of the regions biggest music festivals.In September 2006, they completed their second, hugely successful European/U.S tour. The 27-show tour saw the band perform in Holland, Austria, Germany, Scotland, England and Ireland.In October 2006, the band returned to New Zealand via the U.S, where they performed showcase performances in New York, Los Angeles and Philadelphia.

"On the back of plenty of hard gigging and 2001's debut 'Keep On Pushing', The Black Seeds have set themselves up for big things with the release of 'On The Sun'. Where the mega-successful 'Keep On Pushing' (one of Smokecds most popular sellers) established the band as a clever and talented reggae/dub influenced pop outfit, 'On The Sun' shows the band's undoubted progression into one of New Zealand's premiere live acts (along with Fat Freddy's Drop and TrinityRoots of course). The playing is infinitely tighter, the songwriting continues to mature and evolve nicely, while the music itself has moved away from the obvious reggae influences to now include a distinctive and original funk element which allows the band to really explore and develop the sounds that the various members of this collective bring to the party. Production is handled by in house maestro Lee Prebble, with mastering done in Sydney, resulting in an album which sounds magnificent on a big fat system. Sounding a little like a sonic hybrid of Salmonella Dub and past NZ outfits such as the Holiday Makers and Netherworld Dancing Toys, 'On The Sun' is a thrilling, stylish and original slice of contemporary New Zealand pop musicthat could happily sit in any home. Congatulations must go to The Black Seeds for this excellent album. Heartily Recommended."

"New Zealand has a vibrant Dub scene, with groups like Salmonella Dub, TrinityRoots, and The Black Seeds. Tracks like Turn it Around, Sort it out, and Fire completely go off, very funky.
Local reviews called it "a thrilling, stylish and original slice of contemporary New Zealand pop music that could happily sit in any home."

Get yourself a fat sound system and enjoy!"

"Go you good thing! When its raining like hell I put this on and I don't care if there is a potential flood coming my way. This is THE sound of the summer. Thank you Black Seeds!"























INTO THE DOJO (2007)

Tracklist:

01 Sometimes Enough
02 The Answer
03 Heavy Mono E
04 Cool Me Down
05 One By One
06 Give And Take
07 Got A Girl
08 Love For Property
09 Good People (Get Together)
10 Way The World
11 The Prince
12 Cool Me Dub
13 Sometimes Dub

Link to download:
http://rapidshare.com/files/61095073/bs-dojo.rar.html

On July 16, 2006 THE BLACK SEEDS released their highly anticipated third album INTO THE DOJO in New Zealand. The album spent 5 consecutive weeks at N°1 in the album charts and has now reached well over platinum sales. While INTO THE DOJO (named after the band's practice room at The Surgery which was once a karate dojo) contains the elements that has characterized The Black Seeds' music in the past, it also shows a great deal of development in the group's sound. Song-writing duties were shared throughout the band, with Daniel Weetman having joined Barnaby Weir on lead vocal duties. The result of a year-long creative process, INTO THE DOJO is THE BLACK SEEDS' most mature and accomplished music to date. On November 4th, 2006, INTO THE DOJO was released in Australia through Remote control Records followed by a successful album release tour. The album has received critical acclaim and first single SOMETIMES ENOUGH has received strong airplay including high rotation on influential radio station JJJ. In late December 2006 the band performed standout shows at Australia's biggest New Years Music Festivals - The Falls Festival and Southbound.In early 2007 THE BLACK SEEDS will release INTO THE DOJO in Holland, Belgium and Benelux through Rough Trade Records. It will be release later in Europe through Sonar Kollektiv.

"The Black Seeds return with their third studio album and high expectations from their ever-growing fan-base. And those fans won't be disappointed as Into the Dojo is an album that should see them cementing their place as one of New Zealand's favourite bands.On the Sun and similar critical and commercial success for lead singer Barnaby Weir's Fly My Pretties project - Sensibly enough, the band haven't messed with their seemingly simple and successful formula. So expect infectious reggae beats, smooth melodies and singalong lyrics, all wrapped up in a warm blanket of pop, rock and dub sensibilities. Lee Prebble returns as the band's producer, and has somehow managed to find even more dynamic range for this release - never before has the band sounded so sumptuous and rich as they have here. The aptly titled 'Heavy Mono E', for example, just about falls out of the speakers so fat and full is the bottom-end.Highlights include the upbeat party tracks like 'Sometimes Enough' and 'Good People (Get Together)' and lazy summer tunes 'Way the World' and 'Love for Property', although the album as a whole is a pleasure to listen to from start to finish.A perfect party album, or maybe something to slip on when having a few beers around the barbeque. Recommended"
(http://www.smokecds.com/cd/39590)

"Into The Dojo’ blends traditional roots sound with hints of funk, soul and sun-kissed grooves to create an impressive album worthy of note. The opening track ‘Cool Me Down’ sets the tone, with its smooth production, effortless swagger and beautiful summer vibe. ‘Way The World’ is an outstanding track. The muted and imposing horns make this track; they wash over you, creating a stirring sense of happiness. There are many remarkable tracks on this release, my promo copy has a few missing for some reason, however cuts like ‘Got a Girl’ just ooze style and class, with its slow, down-tempo beat, just perfect for chilling to on a sun-soaked summer day. ‘The Prince’ is another instant winner, a hypnotic dub-wise cut with huge depth and intensity. ‘Sometimes Enough’ rides a more funky reggae riddim, which skanks along at a fine head-nodding pace, again utilising some serious horn playing. ‘Into The Dojo’ could easily be my reggae album of the summer. The band appears to have an unshakable and consistent style. Each track blends gracefully into each other, which makes for something very special indeed. Hypnotic, rhythmic, soothing and mesmerizing are just a few words to describe this album. Go check it now."
(http://www.ukreggaeguide.co.uk/index.php?id=229)

'Feel good, Reggified, soulkissed grooves…..The Black Seeds are worthy of attention' - Mo Soul Magazine, U.K
'There's something instantly catching about this sun-soaked album that will have you coming back again and again!' - IDJ Magazine, U.K



Biography:
The Black Seeds are a band from Wellington, New Zealand.Formed in 1998, The Black Seeds fuse dub, reggae and funk sounds to form a unique musical "party" sound. They usually perform with ten members, with instruments including vocals, guitar, saxophone, trumpet, bass, drums, bongos, keyboard, woodblock and more. The Black Seeds' lead singer Barnaby Weir is also the mastermind behind the sideproject Flash Harry, and the brainchild of Fly My Pretties, a collaboration of musicians from Wellington, New Zealand that only record their albums live. Former band member Bret McKenzie is also a member of international award-winning comedy duo Flight of the Conchords, and sideproject Videokid, as well as playing Figwit the elf in Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings. The Black Seeds have released four albums, Keep On Pushing (2001) and On The Sun (2003), a remix album Pushed, and Into the Dojo (2006).(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Black_Seeds)

Formed in 1998, The Black Seeds fuse dub, reggae and funk sounds to form a unique musical "party" sound. They usually perform with ten members, with instruments including vocals, guitar, saxophone, trumpet, bass, drums, bongos, keyboard, woodblock and more. The Black Seeds' lead singer Barnaby Weir is also the mastermind behind the sideproject Flash Harry, and band member Bret McKenzie is also a member of international award-winning comedy duo Flight of the Conchords, and sideproject Videokid.

ALBUMS
Keeping on Pushing (2001)
On the Sun (2003)
Pushed (2003)
Into the Dojo (2006)

More info:
http://www.theblackseeds.com/

http://www.myspace.com/theblackseeds

http://www.amplifier.co.nz/artist/2121/the_black_seeds.html

http://www.muzic.net.nz/artists/201.html

http://www.virb.com/theblackseeds

http://www.nativetongue.co.nz/writers.asp?contentID=theblackseeds