I challenge anyone to stand back at a Shapeshifter gig. In fact, I'm not sure it's possible to be apathetic when these guys hit the stage. People tend to get sucked into the Shapeshifter vortex, sticking to the stage like moon-hungry moths and marvelling at the size of the Kiwis' sound; drum&bass;, dub and deep grooves all played live. That means there's a drummer that looks like he's been stolen from a metal act, thumping skins with the type of intensity that supersedes digital loops, and on the front line you can watch the boys slip into their own trance, occasionally teasing the audience and holding back a massive burst of bubbling bass only to drop it on the crowd and smile as the dance floor melts. It's pure joy and New Zealand's #1 independent act match that intensity on their recordings. First came the album Realtime - in my Top 10 Australasian 'dance' albums, ever - and now they relieve my boredom with another dose of brilliance: Riddim Wise. Beautiful low-key collaborations with Lady 6 and P Digsss put the fear into me; I thought the album would be much lighter than its predecessor. But no, the 5-piece combo deliver some very nasty cuts on Riddim Wise with help of a renowned purveyor of hellish bass: Evan Short (Concord Dawn). Skateland Killa is disgustingly fat; a particularly nasty roller that I'm desperate to hear live and loud, while Been Missing with P Digsss and Long White Cloud with Joe Dukie, are great examples of the other end of the spectrum; a new sound that combines soul and d&b; rhythms. With backgrounds that include jazz and metal, Shapeshifter are a virtual Pandora’s box of creativity and much more than a dance act, but for purists like myself, who frown when the tempo drops, this act delivers some of the finest, darkest, fattest d&b; available in this region. For the last 20 years I've written about every possible style of music and I can objectively state that Shapeshifter, over the last two years, have the distinction of being in Australasia's top 10 acts, regardless of genre.

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Tracklisting
1 When I Return feat LadiSix
2 Relocator
3 Tha Hybrid
4 Skateland Killa
5 Long White Cloud
6 Dynaflex
7 Boogie Times
8 Been Missing feat P Digsss
9 Move With Me feat LadiSix
10 Tapestry
11 Shakedown
12 Phenomenon

Full listing of SHAPESHIFTER releases