Welcome to Original Material. I’m Gemma Syme, and each episode I ask my favorite musicians to share three songs that blew their minds in high school, three words that described their teenage selves, and one track every young person needs to hear today.

Introducing Today’s Guest

it is only right that our final guest is the mastermind behind the label Sunreturn. Joining me for this podcast is the prominent Tāmaki Makaurau-based broadcaster, publicist, and independent music champion, Zac Arnold!

In this episode, we talk about the early days of being a self-professed after-school "punisher" at the local CD store, and the unexpected pipeline that connects early-2000s animated Eurodance directly to a modern hyperpop obsession.

Zac takes us on a journey through his formative encounters with New Zealand music media - from catching half-played videos on TV to lurking on iconic local punk forums. He shares what it was like experiencing the raw, lawless energy of his very first DIY local hardcore show at a neighborhood church, witnessing a mind-melting live performance by a legendary noise-punk band, and how an artist playing solo bass chords through a wall of distortion completely revolutionized his entire approach to the instrument.

Chapters:

0:00:00 Welcome to Original Material

00:01:45 What were three words that you would use to describe yourself as a teenager

00:08:56 How did you discover new music in high school?

00:12:40 Song #1: The Mint Chicks – “Welcome to Nowhere”

00:19:11 Song #2: Brick vs Face – “Never Give Up”

00:28:48 Song #3: Despot – “Black Leaves”

00:35:18 One song all teens today should hear: Brian Eno – “Discreet Music” (Side A)

Stream or buy the tracks featured in the podcast here: https://www.tunemymusic.com/share/TOqrJmJ6VK

https://instantfantasy.bandcamp.com/

https://www.sunreturn.co.nz/

This podcast is for educational purposes. Any opinions and all that jazz is the hosts only, and not their employers and such.

Created, recorded by Gemma Syme

Edited by Daif King

Welcome to Original Material. I’m Gemma Syme, and each episode I ask my favorite musicians to share three songs that blew their minds in high school, three words that described their teenage selves, and one track every young person needs to hear today.

Introducing Today’s Guest

Prepare yourselves, ladies. By popular demand, I am sitting down with the magnetic Tender Moonlight.

In this episode, we step back into a formative era of early internet exploration—from dial-up 56k Limewire downloads to deep-diving into international music forums like the Mars Volta chatrooms to crack the code of complex time signatures. We also discuss his deep, enduring love for the aggressive, uniform-wearing grindcore—including the story of how he ended up with a custom karaoke track for his favorite song. Plus, we look at his sudden pivot into the glossy, smoky, primary-colored world of 80s Italo-disco, and how a low-bitrate YouTube video completely birthed the "dad aesthetic" performance art of Tender Moonlight today.

Chapters:

0:00:00

00:01:24 What were three words that you would use to describe yourself as a teenager

00:04:03 How did you discover new music in high school?

00:07:06 Song #1: Sabot - "Tracking"

00:10:24 Song #2: The Locust - "Anything Jesus Can Do I Can Do Better"

00:14:11 Song #3: Roger Meno - "I Find The Way"

00:18:36 One song all teens today should hear: Just keep going. And go to your local record store.

Stream or buy the tracks featured in the podcast here: https://www.tunemymusic.com/share/jp2rFz6Afp

https://www.instagram.com/realtendermoonlight/

https://myspace.com/thanksforthename

https://instantfantasy.bandcamp.com/

https://www.sunreturn.co.nz/

This podcast is for educational purposes. Any opinions and all that jazz is the hosts only, and not their employers and such.

Created, recorded by Gemma Syme

Edited by Daif King

Welcome to Original Material. I’m Gemma Syme, and each episode I ask my favorite musicians to share three songs that blew their minds in high school, three words that described their teenage selves, and one track every young person needs to hear today.

Introducing Today’s Guest

From an 11-year-old kid whose primary job in his first band was hitting the "on and off" button on a Casio keyboard's drum loop, to being my band mate in Holidays with Friends in the late 2000’s charging around Wellington’s alt-indie scene, Matt Buck joins me today.

Matt takes us on a journey through his older siblings' music collections, tuning into Channel Z from the bathtub, and how a chic, pale-blue album cover featuring a glass chair completely changed how he looked at the connection between music and visuals. We also talk about his first band, The Mabin Experience, his love for "unbelievably smooth" vocals, and how his synaesthesia allows him to literally see sounds as distinct colors and three-dimensional objects.

Chapters:

0:00:00 Welcome to Original Material

00:01:51 What were three words that you would use to describe yourself as a teenager

00:03:46 How did you discover new music in high school?

00:06:25 Song #1: The Strokes – “Hard To Explain”

00:11:44 Song #2: Jimi Hendrix – “All Along The Watchtower”

00:18:05 Song #3: Beck – “Debra”

00:28:10 One song all teens today should hear: The Modern Lovers – “She Cracked”

Stream or buy the tracks featured in the podcast here: https://www.tunemymusic.com/share/P9nSbOpqMI

https://holidaywithfriends.bandcamp.com/

https://myspace.com/thanksforthename

https://instantfantasy.bandcamp.com/

https://www.sunreturn.co.nz/

This podcast is for educational purposes. Any opinions and all that jazz is the hosts only, and not their employers and such.

Created, recorded by Gemma Syme

Edited by Daif King