MayaVanya

On a trip to Auckland earlier this year I spoke to DJ and production duo Mayavanya who favour a tropical dance-ready style. I heartily recommend checking out their Soundcloud page. It was for a piece for Magneto Magazine which you can peruse with your eyeballs here.

I also did a audio version which someone (I assume from the Mayavanya camp) posted on youtube though oddly it seems to have been remixed a bit at the end. The original SDW cut is below:

   MayaVanya - Magneto Magazine Interview by Shaun D Wilson

Writing Roundup

Firstly a live review for Groove Guide with some great photos by Ash Smith of Lil' Chief Records acts Princess Chelsea and Pikatunes.

Not much of my writing for Magneto this year is online but there are a couple of my marvelous fun to write radio columns. Here's one focusing on speech radio shows about music, and here's another talking about This American Life and other shows indebted to that cultural powerhouse.

Magneto Roundup 02

My work for Magneto has been building up! Check out reviews of albums by Venetic, Janelle Monáe, and Grayson Gilmour. Focusing on individual tracks (that vary between good, bad and amazing) we have my second and third single sentence track review columns. Also for the first time I write something for Magneto unrelated to music; in an interview with comedian Ewen Gilmour.

EDIT: OH DEAR, I'M AFRAID ALL THESE LINKS ARE DEAD NOW.

Magneto Roundup

Here's a roundup of my recent Magneto reviews (at least the ones available online).
If you're in the niche demograph of Yeasayer/Justin Bieber fans luckily we have the glory of Single Sentence Track Reviews.

Also reviewed are odd takes of Madonna, Peter Gabriel doing odd takes, and The Drums having a odd summer.
And of course there's plenty of other good stuff on the site.

EDIT: OH DEAR, I'M AFRAID ALL THESE LINKS ARE DEAD NOW.

Sampology and Laneway Festival

I've started writing for MAWSA's Magneto magazine. For those unable to pick up the beautifully designed mag on Massey Wellington's Campus, its articles are now becoming available online.

Here's an interview (including audio) with Australian turntablist Sampology.
I went up to the first St. Jeromes Laneway Festival to be held in New Zealand and wrote up this enlightening piece.



INTERVIEW: Sampology by Magneto

A MUNTed Doco

So MUNT FM huh? It's a station at a turning point and a lot of people I've spoken to are unsure about what's been happening to it. Luckily I can now point people in the direction of this documentary which summarises some of the recent events between MAWSA (Massey Wellington Student Association) and MUNT FM.

A MUNTed Doco by Shaun D Wilson

UPDATE:
MUNT FM became Muse Radio which eventually shut down.

MUNT Forums

There's been two forums on the future of MUNT FM recently. MUNT now has some sort of future though a lot of details have to be worked out. This is only of interest to those intimately involved in MUNT but here are those forums.

MUNT FM Forum 19 October 2009 by Shaun D Wilson

MUNT FM Forum 15 October 2009 by Shaun D Wilson

A more easily digested documentary on the MUNT situation is coming.

Save Munt FM

The MAWSA Executive have voted to close Munt FM down at the end of the month! We’re going to try and fight this. Here are some of the ways:

1. A Facebook group to save Munt FM has been created:

www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=150099934557&ref=nf

2. MUNT DJs and supporters who are Massey Wellington students can request a Special General Meeting if 40 students sign a document saying that they want a meeting.

3. A petition will be written and will be available to sign from next week.

4. Lobby MAWSA! Ring, email and go see everyone at MAWSA. Load them with communications (especially this weekend), but make it constructive and in no way nasty. Keep it above board!

Also it looks like there will be a gathering outside Munt’s premises on Friday 16 October. I’ll be there.

Closing down Munt FM is a mistake. Massey Wellington has a lot of trouble in building up a sense of community within the student body - this will strike a nasty body blow. Instead of destroying Munt more support needs to be given to it. Obviously these are difficult financial times but this is not a solution. Stay tuned to Munt to help save Munt.