Grant Smithies

Wellington's ENJOY Contemporary Art Space hosts a show called Everybody Soundsystem over the coming weeks, inspired by Aotearoa's early underground dance party scene. Inspired by that project, Grant… Audio

Freshly remastered and sounding better than ever, Safe As Milk was the first studio album by Californian musical auteur Captan Beefheart (Don Van Vliet). We'll hear two key tracks from that today… Audio

The latest signing to Aotearoa's premier wonk-pop label Flying Nun is 7-piece Wellington, followed by a scalding new single from ex-pat Aucklander Dion Lunadon (The D4) and a classic from Nigerian… Audio

Today we'll hear two tracks from a killer collection spotlighting "The Lost Queen of New Orleans Soul" Betty Harris, followed by raucous power pop action from Rangiora's Best Bets and some prime UK… Audio

The debut album from Chicago trio Horsegirl is released today, and it's a rough and ready noise-pop ripper. We'll hear two tracks from it, plus a great new single from Wellington band Let's Planet and… Audio

Produced by Velvet Underground's John Cale and subsequently disowned by lead singer Jonathan Richman, Grant says the Modern Lovers' 1976 debut album remains one of the all-time greats. We'll hear two… Audio

We'll hear two tracks today from a new classic funk compilation on French label, Wagram, followed by a new song from New Brighton shoe-gazer Blair Parkes and a dusty sound-system classic from Jamaican… Audio

Released to coincide with an exhibition at London's Tate Modern, Life Between Islands focuses on the myriad musical styles to emerge out of the distinctly Caribbean world of sound systems. We'll hear… Audio

Love them or loathe them, the English band UB40 are deeply entwined into Aotearoa's musical DNA. Yadana Saw explores how a reggae-pop band from the British West Midlands burrowed into the South… Video, Audio

In these troubled times, music often serves as spiritual medicine, and Grant says the recently reissued double LP Shaolin Soul 4 offers heavy doses of the good stuff. We'll hear two tracks from that… Audio

The late '60s was a golden period for Latin soul records in New York City, and Grant says some of the best feature on the recently repressed Soul of Spanish Harlem double LP. We'll hear two key tracks… Audio

Grant reckons the self-titled fourth album by Los Angeles trio La Luz is a gorgeous haunting marvel. We'll hear two tracks from that today, alongside some blistering Afro-funk from Nigeria's The… Audio

Two double albums of Jamaican rocksteady have just been released via Trojan Records in the UK, just in time for summer. We'll hear a track from each of those today, alongside gems from Dunedin band… Audio

On his debut full-length Still Slipping Vol 1, Grant says UK producer Peter O'Grady (Joy Orbison) puts his idiosyncratic stamp on a variety of club styles, folding in the voices of his family members… Audio

Comprising two couples, the Fergussons and the Welchmans, Brisbane's The Double Happiness call their sound "Surfgaze"- a mix of reverb-soaked surf-rock guitar twang and the gauzy textures of the indie… Audio

Grant brings tracks from London-based New Zealander, Hemi Hemingway and winter warmers from British soul/ reggae singer Liam Bailey and Gabonese soukous star Mackjoss. Audio

A 50th Anniversary Edition of The Pretty Things' celebrated "Parachute" album was released late last year, and Grant says it's a cracker. We'll hear a song from that today, alongside the band's… Audio

After a difficult few years of illness and lockdowns, Melbourne quartet Hiatus Kaiyote return with what Grant says is their best album yet. Well hear two tracks from that today, alongside a spanking… Audio