Pitch Black | Artist
Pitch Black is a New Zealand electronic dub duo formed 1997 in Auckland by Michael Hodgson and Paddy Free. Hodgson is a respected video producer, sound designer and film soundtrack composer. Paddy Free is one of New Zealand's best-known electronic musicians, an award-winning audio engineer, and the producer for NZ electro-dub outfit Salmonella Dub. Having worked New Zealand's electronic music scene from their inception, they have spent over a decade living in London and touring internationally. The duo's sound ranges from organic ambient beginnings and layered soundscapes to skanking keyboards, cutting acid riffs and thumping rhythmic grooves, with dub being the glue that holds it all together. One critic has described them as like "Orbital meets King Tubby, or Rhythm and Sound in Technicolor". Their debut album Futureproof was released in September 1999 and rose to the top of the New Zealand electronic charts. Electronomicon followed in August 2000, leading to a sell out 30-date tour of New Zealand and Australia . Both albums spawned remix projects, featuring mixes by local luminaries such as International Observer, Epsilon Blue and Downtown Brown. Their third LP Ape to Angel was released in October 2004 to critical acclaim. The Ape tour followed with 42 shows across the world including their debut performances in America . Their following album Rude Mechanicals came out in New Zealand and Australia in August 2007 and was lauded by Q Magazine as 'the sound of the future!' To-date the duo has released six studio LP's of consistently high standard, with standouts including Futureproof (1998), Electronomicon (2000), Ape to Angel (2004), Filtered Senses (2016), and Third Light (2019). The duo's live shows are infused with Mike Hodgson's cutting edge visuals, which he manipulates at the same time as mixing the sound. This has led to them being invited to play England's Big Chill festival on three occasions. Over the years they have also found favour among many DJs, both radio and club, including John Peel (Radio One/BBC), Nick Luscombe (Xfm), Greg Roberts (Dreadzone) and Pete Lawrence (Big Chill). Their music has been used in fashion shows, computer games, TV shows such as True Blood and CSI plus many films, including the Oscar nominated Whale Rider.
Artist Website: pitchblack.bandcamp.com
Featured Albums: Pitch Black
Related Artists: Salmonella Dub
