DJ TUNESIFTER - ONE WHO SIFTS THE TUNES
Vinyl DJ Sets - Classic turntable mixing with 20+ years of crate-digging expertise. Funk, soul, disco, hip hop, and latin grooves played on the same 2nd hand Technics 1200s I've been using since 2001
Digital DJ Sets - Same genres as my vinyl sets, but the flexibility in Serato/CDJs to play edits where I can remove that strange 8-bar synth solo before the main chorus :)
Live-Stem Dub - A unique live performance applying classic dub techniques to any tune in real-time, with over 100 knobs and faders angled for the audience to see. Using stem separation technology, I isolate and manipulate vocals, drums, bass and other instruments, channeling the pioneering spirit of King Tubby and Lee "Scratch" Perry to deconstruct tracks on the fly. Each set creates immersive soundsystem experiences that honour the dub tradition while giving a new take DJing for the dancefloor.
Time For Love - Mayer Hawthorne into FFD
The Nod - Fat Freddy's Drop
Money Money - Horace Andy
How did I become a DJ and end up with a PHD in Music?
I come from a strong music heritage, starting on the recorder and piano at age 7, followed by trumpet at age 11. I purchased my first record (Miles Davis' Relaxin') at age 13 in Wellington, a 7-hour bus ride from my home in Taranaki. This led to an ever-increasing collection of jazz records. Home-made compilation tapes of songs from the radio were taken to the next level when at age 16 my older brother moved to Auckland. What followed was a weekly mail package of radio shows recorded off 95bFM and sent down to Taranaki where I would create my own compilations of my favourite tunes. Shows recorded included "Tru School Hip-hop Show", "Zambesi Jazz Show", "Nice n Urlich" and "Manifesto Jazz Show" which all formed a mine of songs that, in pre-Shazam days, would take the next decade for me to track down.
"My DJing philosophy has always been to
play at least one tune for everybody in the room during my set...
...that means thinking about what might get that grandma sitting over there dancing, and what about that guy celebrating his 19th birthday, and also what about the bar staff...
...weaving all those tunes together to make a great night for everyone....
...that's where my DJ name came from in 1999, to sift thought the tunes."
DJ Tunesifter can be booked for festivals, venues and events anywhere in New Zealand.
4hrs of vinyl in 30 seconds @ CiderFestival 2025
I moved to Wellington to study tertiary music in the late 1990s, and was exposed to the vibrant DJ and band scene, along with the record stores including Colin Morris Records, Chelsea, Real Groovy and Slow Boat Records. I began DJing on borrowed gear in my 2nd year in Wellington. This meant driving to two locations to obtain one turntable, and then across town to obtain a 2nd turntable and a basic Gemini mixer, without EQ, just a crossfader, volume and headphone cue. I would set up the borrowed gear at home for 2 hours before the gig to test the mixes that I had visualised in my head. I knew my records inside out, so it was quickly practicing the technical skills needed to mix two records together.
In 2001 I purchased a 3rd-hand set of Technics 1200 turntables and a 3-channel Vestax mixer, which had previously been used on a regular house club night (La Bella), and Drum and Bass night (Valve bar with The Upbeats). I still own and use those turntables! I gigged extensively around the Wellington region, with a reputation for playing from multiple genres with a lean towards funk. Private gigs took me around the country, including playing in a shearing shed in the Wairarapa, a yacht club in Whangarei and various marquees in fields. A few years living in Latin America further widened my record crate and most of my sets include a diversion into tunes with a Latin flavour.
For the last 15 years, as a resident of Nelson, the sunshine capital of Aotearoa, New Zealand, I've continued to play my unique blend of funk, soul, disco, hip hop and Latin for festivals, street parties, regular club nights and private functions. Previous clients include Pics Peanut Butter, Proper Crisps and Nelson City Council with local venues being Devilles, Fairfield House, Kismet Bar, East Street, Rhythm and Brown, Founders Park and The Freehouse Yurt. I'm called on to open for out of town DJs, co-founded the regular "Soul Funk Collective" club night running since 2017, and had a popular livestream during the Covid-19 lockdowns in 2020 & 2021.
DJing in the early 2000s at a farm in rural Pukekohe
