Called Elephant, the band formed around singer Mischa Hill, enlisting friends Samdrub Dawa (Thundercub), Theo Francis (Brown) and wife Emma Johansson to complete the line-up.
Primarily an artist, Hill says there's an element of art underpinning the band, which starting last year began posting a string of elaborate images and teasers of the band's aesthetic online well before releasing any music.
''I'm very interested in the impact of social media and the internet on the music and art scene,'' Hill says ''so naturally I decided [especially with known musicians involved] that I would promote ... the band to create interest and even fans. It seems that music isn't necessarily the most important aspect of getting your band or brand out there.''
Now that interest in the band's visual and online presence has been established the group will debut their sound, which Hill describes as ''experimental/dance/rock/electronic'' with next week's show and a release in the next month.
• Experimental electronic duo Matmos (US) will perform their first show in New Zealand next Tuesday at the Dunedin Public Art Gallery.
Comprising MC (Martin) Schmidt and Drew Daniel, the duo began making music in the late '90s and have since released a slew of acclaimed electronic albums, drawing toe-tapping rhythm out of odd and unusual sound sources, while collaborating with artists such as sludge metal band the Melvins and Icelandic queen Bjork.
Last year the pair released their ninth studio album, The Marriage of True Minds, an audio experiment drawn by a conceptual agenda: telepathy.
Over four years, the pair conducted parapsychological experiments on a series of sensory deprived test subjects in which they attempted to telepathically communicate the concept of the new Matmos record. The resulting transcripts became poetic and conceptual scores used by Matmos to generate the nine songs on the album. The pair also accompany the avant-live performance with dazzling visuals.
• Dunedin musical veteran Nick Knox will release his new album Resuscitate on Friday at Queens Bar.
Alternating between dark vocal pieces supported by his deep bellowing Tom Waits-like voice, and gentle polyphonic percussive piano interludes, Resuscitate is deeply gothic and heavily emotional.
The album was recorded by Timothy Greenslade (Independent Records) and mastered by Forbes Williams (Studio Otoitu).
Supporting Knox is singer-songwriter Fuschia Gash and darkwave duo Strange Harvest, who released one of this columnist's favourite albums of 2013.
Resuscitate will be available for purchase on the night and from nicknox.bandcamp.com following the show.
Be there
• Elephant launch, Friday, January 24, at the Attic (140 George St), doors 6pm.
• Altmusic presents Matmos with The Ladder is Part of the Pit, Tuesday, January 21, Dunedin Public Art Gallery, doors 8pm. Tickets available from undertheradar.co.nz
• Nick Knox Resuscitate album release party, Friday, January 24, at Queens Bar (1 Queen's Gardens). Support from Fuschia Gash and Strange Harvest. Doors 8pm, tickets $6.
