New Zealand has always had a strong association with reggae, with the likes of Herbs and Twelve Tribes Of Israel paving the way throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s, to more modern day forces like Fat Freddy’s Drop.
You can add Wellington natives The Black Seeds to the mix as well, with their dub, funk and Afrobeat musings elevating them to household name status in The Land of the Long White Cloud.
“It was just a good old-fashioned tale of a bunch of people getting in a van, doing lots of gigs, staying in shitty backpackers and having a great time,” guitarist/ singer Mike Fabulous says of the group’s strong work ethic. “Reggae’s popular all over the world of course and there’s always been a strong taste for it in New Zealand so it wasn’t like we were playing some obscure thing that people had never heard of. We just built things up the old-fashioned way doing gigs.”
It’s been four years since The Black Seeds’ last studio effort, 2008’s ‘Solid Ground’. But with new album ‘Dust And Dirt’, Mike is eager to reunite with his bandmates after forgoing the group’s last couple of tours to spend time in the studio. “It’s been going great, apparently,” Mike says. “I have to add that I didn’t actually go on the American and European leg of the tour. I got someone else to go in my place and I stayed here working in the studio. I’m about to jump back on board for the Australian and New Zealand shows. But by all accounts it’s been a next level tour over there.”
The band has taken a step forward on ‘Dust And Dirt’, revealing psychedelic and garage-rock sounds. While this may be new territory for the Seeds, they’ve already received a great response internationally, and Mike says it’s good to feel the love. “It’s probably the most satisfied we’ve ever been with an album I think, so that’s a good start and the response has been really good. We did give ourselves more freedom this time around and we had our own studio, which we were just about kicked out of unfortunately. We gave ourselves more time for the process, with good results.
“All the performances on there are just good natural takes of the band actually playing well and not trying too hard, so I think that’s where it really comes across.”
The Black Seeds may be known for their impressive live shows, but – having done all the engineering and recording for ‘Dust And Dirt’ – it’s the creative process that Mike’s most passionate about. “I just find myself increasingly wanting to be studio-based these days. I love the studio work; I think that’s probably my favourite. I mean I love going to rock shows and getting paid, that’s awesome. But I just like making stuff.
“It’s far more creative than playing live so that’s probably the most rewarding thing and it’s more practical for me. It means I can keep working in the studio while they’re away. I’m just really lucky they let me do that and that I’ve got other people that can fill in for me.”
With all the members of The Black Seeds having been involved in music for well over a decade, never did Mike imagine they’d still be together today.
“It’s weird if bands stay together for more than the first couple of years usually, so I always assumed it would just end the way bands normally do but it hasn’t so I had to change my thinking about that at a certain point. I soon realised, ‘Shit, we could end up like the Rolling Stones here!’”
The six-piece ensemble is anticipating their return to Australian shores next month, ready to show off the thoroughly roadtested ‘Dust And Dirt’ LP. “Basically the band will just be smoking. I find it usually takes around three weeks playing most nights and then you really start to get into that next gear. So the band’s going to be in fine form and because I haven’t been doing that I’m really going to have to come up with the goods. But I’m confident I can jump back in there.
“I love touring Australia and New Zealand. I think they’re still my favourite places to tour just because everything is reasonably familiar, and because we’ve been coming to Australia for seven or eight years lots of the places that we visit are all familiar now. You know where to get a good meal and get good coffee so it’s always nice coming back.”
THE BLACK SEEDS PLAY THE GREAT NORTHERN JUNE 7, THE HI-FI JUNE 8 AND SOUTHPORT RSL JUNE 9. ‘DUST AND DIRT’ IS OUT NOW.
