IT’S A WELLINGTON SOUL WEEKEND

For as long as I’ve been going out to concerts in Wellington, our city has always, in one way or another had a love affair with African American rooted musical forms – jazz, soul, funk, RnB, hip-hop, ad infinitum. Wellingtonian’s appreciate great voices, good grooves, lush melodic sensibilities and bottom end bass which is doing the limbo at the lowest setting possible. I think there will probably always be a following for music that exists within this continuum locally, and this week, from Thursday to Saturday, I can present you with three compelling reasons why/excellent gigs to attend.

Thursday: Data Hui, San Francisco Bath House, $20 entry on the door.

A collaborative effort between acclaimed Maori psychedelic rock guitarist Billy TK Snr and his son, golden voiced singer and multi-instrumentalist Mara TK (of Electric Wire Hustle) and respected drummer, multi-instrumentalist and producer Riki Gooch (Eru Dangerspiel), Data Hui, through musical expression, explores the concept of Maori in Space. On the night, Billy, Mara and Riki will be joined by Iraia Whakamore (drummer to The Nudge) and Crete Haami (who you may know from his work playing bass for Hollie Smith). I’ve been lucky enough to hear some demos from this group and the music is sounding crazy good – a must see.

Friday: Olmecha Supreme and Myele Manzanza, San Francisco Bath House, $15 presales via Cosmic Corner, $20 on the door.

A dual album release gig, this event celebrates both One (Myele Manzanza’s debut solo album) and The School of Evil Laughter (Olmecha Supreme’s new album). Both decidedly Afrofuturist acts; attendees can expect a waist winding mixture of jazz, soul, hip-hop, funk, electronica and rock. With local soul diva’s Bella Kalolo and Rachel Fraser dropping past to perform, and a special appearance from Rio Hemopo (Trinity Roots), it’s gonna be an evening of interesting rhythms, stunning voices and spiraling, asymmetrical melodies. Again, I’ve been lucky enough to check out the material which will be performed on the night, and it’s spectacular.

Saturday: Funkommunity, The Matterhorn, FREE ENTRY

For those who aren’t familiar, Funkommunity is a collective venture between always good natured Auckland beatmaker, multi-instrumentalist and singer Isaac Aesili (who you may know from Solaa or Opensouls) and singer Rachel Fraser. They’ve been working together on an off for a few years, but through creating their first album Checkered Thoughts realised they really had some magic going on. Their music mixes classic soul and RnB with glistening modern electronic bass beats. The Funkommunity sound has been winning them praise both here and abroad, and with a DJ support set from Taay Ninh (of Electric Wire Hustle) kicking things off, this night will be another scorcher. And if you’re on the broker side of the tracks this week, it’s free entry, so you’ve got no excuse for not coming past and having a dance.