Monkey Magic - Volume 2

Monkey Magic II is a specially priced CD and DVD celebrating contemporary independent New Zealand music. 10 of the tracks on the CD are from artists signed to genre-defying indie record label Monkey Records including Tim Guy, The Hot Grits, An Emerald City, The Benka Boradovsky Bordello Band and Káren Hunter. Also featured are four unsigned artists who are good friends of Monkey: Haunted Love, Steve Abel, The Mamaku Project and Ragamuffin Children. The DVD features all 14 of the music videos made by Monkey Records since 2000 featuring some of New Zealand s most talented emerging filmmakers and animators.

Independent radio has embraced and supported many of the artists represented on this compilation. The Hot Grits recently enjoyed several weeks at no.1 on student radio bFM. Werewolf by Haunted Love was voted Radio One song of the Year in 2007 and Cinema 90 by Onelung (here remixed by Sola Rosa) was the most played tune across the bNet for several weeks upon its release in May 2006. Much like the original critically acclaimed Monkey Magic compilation in 2004, this new selection continues to champion new and exciting music from Aotearoa and aims to introduce many of the artists featured to a wider audience in New Zealand and further afield. While the first Monkey Magic compilation was mostly an ambient, chilled out affair, the second volume isn’t afraid to kick up its heels a bit with tracks from the electrifying Afro Soul 11 piece The Hot Grits and the irresistibly danceable Benka Boradovsky Bordello Band.