Throughout New Zealand Music Month we’ll be hearing stories from young musicians about the local songs they love the most. Today, Diaz Grimm explains why songs from PNC, Tony Douglas and Kamandi, Brooke Fraser, Lorde and Scribe are so important to him.
Diaz Grimm. Photo: Cameron Robinson
Hailing from Cambridge, local rapper Diaz Grimm has just released his debut album, Osiris. Clocking in at a very-manageable length of just under 30 minutes, the record comes with an array of decent feature spots from others amongst the hip hop scene, including Spycc, Louie Knuxx and INF.
Grimm’s talent lies in his storytelling. He’s no stranger to exploring different types of music, as you’ll see from the songs he’s chosen below, and he seemingly focuses on what inspires him as a songwriter and lyricist instead of whatever genre those songs fall into.
Here are five of his favourite local songs, in no particular order, and in his own words.
PNC – ‘As I Fly’
As soon as this joint dropped a few years ago it hit a serious chord with me. The Boyz II Men sample mixed with the Justin Bieber sample create the perfect blend of ambient/stadium music that can work well as a live performance track or a bedroom listening track. Also, growing up watching PNC has really helped me get to where I am as a musician so naturally he needs to appear on this list. I was impressed by Sam's openness into his personal life and thoughts on the struggle that take you to a new depth of PNC's story. This is still my favourite PNC track to date.
Tony Douglas & Kamandi – ‘BetaDead’
Tony Douglas was the first producer I ever linked up with to begin working on my own music and he has been a part of the G7NG story since day one. Kamandi (outside of my own G7NG team members) is the producer I'm enjoying the most in NZ right now. ‘BetaDead’ is a wordless story. The extremely cinematic sound matches perfectly with the progression throughout the song by managing to take you away without bringing you back at the end. It takes one listen to appreciate the journey that these two New Zealand based, international level producers have created inside the three minutes that is ‘BetaDead’. What has been brought to the table on this track is what I am aspiring to match through my own music.
Brooke Fraser – ‘Better’
In December 2003 I got a voucher for a CD store for Christmas and on Boxing Day went straight in to pick something. At the time I was a massive fan of Brooke's single 'Better' so I grabbed her debut album What To Do With Daylight. I listened to the album over and over and I have no doubt the fact that her lyrics were all inside the booklet might be when my appreciation for lyrical content really started to blossom.
With proven longevity which can often be a rare skill in NZ, she's paving the way for Kiwi artists to completely change their sound without alienating their fanbase or dropping off of the radar. With What To Do With Daylight being one of my personal favourite albums of all time, Brooke had to appear on this list.
Lorde – ‘Flicker (Kanye West Rework)’
Where do I start with Lorde? She has single-handedly shown every other New Zealand artist what's possible and set a new bar. I love when bars are raised, progression is the most important thing for me in life in general and I know there will be generations to come that will have Lorde to thank for where the bar is when they step into this industry. Connecting with my personal number one artist of all time, the pair have managed to create a hauntingly minimal rework of the original to sit quietly behind the talent monster that is Lorde.
The rework truly showcases Lorde's impressive ability to create beautiful harmonies with her uniquely captivating vocals, whilst equalling the quality of vocals with her lyrical content. Most importantly, she has managed to create a great song as a whole. I have a goal of curating a movie soundtrack and now that it has been proven possible, plans are being laid. Thank you Lorde.
Scribe – ‘Not Many (The Remix Ft Savage and Con Psy)’
As a New Zealand rapper, I have this song to thank for more things than I can count. Showcasing New Zealand's 2003 hip hop powerhouse that was Scribe, P-Money, Savage and Con Psy (David Dallas), the track set new standards for what was expected and continued on to become an iconic New Zealand hit known word for word by generations.
Having already been a big fan of Frontline, I had been aware of Con Psy for a minute, but it wasn't until Dave dropped arguably one of the hardest verses in New Zealand at the time, that I began following him as an individual. This would lead to years and years worth of studying David Dallas and figuring out what he was doing right.
Not only am I sure that learning this song word for word as a 14-year-old was a huge part in becoming who I am today, I also know I was only one of thousands to be effected by the ripples this team created. Scribe also took over New Zealand music for a while and seeing an urban artist do that was mad inspiring. Respect where it's due.