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Pumice

The Aesthetics artist photo

The Aesthetics

Dunedin destructo-rock outfit formed in 1995 by Matt Middleton (aka Crude). Trashy but sinister post-punk noise rock inspired by King Loser, Snapper, and the Dead C, with numerous lineup changes over three decades.

Thee Ideal Gus

Thee Ideal Gus is a sprawling experimental collective originating from Hamilton, New Zealand, in the early 1990s. Born from the same prolific underground “gene pool” that produced acts like Pumice, Armpit, and G.Frenzy, the group is characterized by a fluid, loosely defined membership and a steadfast commitment to lo-fi, improvised, and chance-based recording.

Pumice

The noisy, lo-fi and experimental one-man band of prolific multi-instrumentalist Stefan Neville who has been releasing DIY punky folk masterpieces since the mid 1990s (and continues today).

Celebrate Psi Phenomenon

Celebrate Psi Phenomenon is a drone, noise and experimental music-focused label from Upper Hutt’s Campbell Kneale, the prolific performer behind Birchville Cat Motel and Black Boned Angel. The label often utilises a distinctive wallpaper aesthetic to their cover designs.

The label was particularly prolific from the mid 1990s until around 2008.

#nzmusic #experimentalmusic #dronemusic #celebratepsiphenomenon

Root Don Lonie For Cash

Prolific cassette, CDr and lathe-cut label run by Clayton Noone (aka CJA) and utilised by a fair few New Zealand (and some overseas) artists since the mid 1990s. Their first few years of releases had distinctive spray-painted covers. The original Don Lonie was billed as ‘America’s No. 1 high-school assembly speaker’, who recorded several albums for popular Christian record labels in the early 1960s.

#nzmusic #undergroundmusic #rootdonlonieforcash

The Strange Girls

Fantastic folky lo-fi group from Dunedin from the super-prolific Clayton Noone and ex-Ho’ Dogs guitarist Kaaterama Morehu – who sadly passed away in 2020.

“At their best, The Strange Girls made ruminative, repetitive and atmospheric bummer folk”

#nzmusic #thestrangegirls #undergorundmusic

Naked Sailors

A mid-1990s side-project of super-prolific Armpit / Futurians lof-fi / experimental / noise musician Clayton Noon, presumably with his Armpit bandmate Jon Arcus (aka Sugar Jon).

Casagrante Apparatus

Dunedin mid-90s experimental trio with a handful of impossible to find releases, including a lathe on Crawlspace, and 2 releases on drummer Stefan Neville’s own ‘A Stabbies and the Rocket Recording’ label.

Ohm

Biography Ohm is a quartet that includes Campbell Kneale as well as Stefan Neville of Pumice. Their Live at the Crown, packaged within a hilarious upside-down variation on the Who’s Maximum R’n’B logo, is one of the most beautiful albums… Read More »Ohm

The Renderers

Biography The Renderers are New Zealand’s prime example of southern-fried country, and are indeed one of our finest ever bands. Brian Crook formed the Renderers with his partner Maryrose in early 90’s Christchurch when The Max Block failed to go… Read More »The Renderers

Teen X-Ray

Biography Gfrenzy and Pumice‘s Steffan ‘Level’ Neville started Teen X-Ray in Hamilton back in 1993. Over the years they’ve managed to put out a few releases despite being scattered across the country (and even the world), though the band finally… Read More »Teen X-Ray

Stefan Neville

Biography Stefan Neville, The Man Behind Pumice And Stabbies And The Rocket Recordings Released An Unusually Titled Cd-R Under His Own Name In 2003. – You’re not welcome cd-r Stefan Neville is the incredibly talented musician behind Pumice, as well… Read More »Stefan Neville