Andrew Dubber

Just returned from London where I was interviewing Zane Lowe for a radio documentary I’m making with Sam Coley for Radio New Zealand. The programme is called Musical Chairs, and it’s a series that focuses on New Zealand musicians, and tells their story through interview and music.

Of course, Zane’s not really known over here in the UK as a musician – but then he’s not really that well known back in New Zealand as a broadcaster, so I guess that evens out. The story we’re telling is about both.

Zane is, as far as we can work out (with the possible exception of Phil Keoghan), New Zealand’s most successful broadcaster.

We were promised 45 minutes with Zane, and we were a little worried, because it was late getting started… but I guess Zane was enjoying himself, because we ended up with almost double that. His producer Kat started to look a little anxious, because he was due to go on air at 7pm, but Zane gestured her away with a ‘two more minutes’ sign. Several times.

We all know each other in New Zealand
Zane and I have history – which is why I’m presenting this documentary. I used to work for his Dad many moons ago, and first met Zane when he was not much older than Jake is now. I’d stay behind after work at the radio station recording Zane’s rapping and hip hop beatmaking. Recording those early demos, and the first Urban Disturbance single ‘No Flint No Flame’ was something I was really pleased with, and it was nice to catch up properly all these years later.

It’s Sam’s programme really – he’s producing it, he’s organised everything, and he’s doing all the production and editing work. But he asked me to get involved, do the interviews and front the programme on the strength of some sort of rapport I may have with Zane. I suspect Zane can ‘do’ rapport with pretty much anyone who walks through the door – but it was good to have these points of connection all the same.

We’d spoken once in the past couple of years when I worked on a research project at the BBC, but this felt like a real catch-up and it was really good of him to spend that much time.

Zane: the early years
We talked about the old days in Auckland. What it was like for him growing up at the feet of New Zealand radio royalty. Making beats and doing battle with Mark de Clive-Lowe and Andy Morton at Auckland Grammar. Rapping over jazz and hip hop beats at De Brett’s, the Box and Cause Celebre nightclubs.

He spoke about working with Graham Bollard, who went on to become New Zealand’s biggest earning composer (perhaps ever) for penning this catchy little tune. Recording a guaranteed smash hit record and then never releasing it. Producing what has come to be broadly recognised as NZ’s best hip hop record.

And we talked about his first forays into broadcasting at Max TV. His road trip across America. His arrival in the UK and his subsequent employment by MTV and XFM. And then his time at the BBC, where he appears to consider himself one of the luckiest people on the planet – interviewing Eminem, Paul McCartney, Bono, Mike Skinner and many others – and playing the “hottest record in the world today” every week.

It’s about the music. Always the music.
Ultimately, Zane’s a music fan. He’s passionate about it, and he gets to be as close to it as it’s possible to be, and enthuse about it to as many people as it’s possible to reach. Can’t ask for much better than that.

Of course, this will all be cut right back for the radio programme, the voices of some of the other characters in the story will feature in the finished show, and there’ll be lots of music in the mix – from the Beastie Boys to Smashing Pumpkins – and of course some of Zane’s own musical contributions: from the early Urban Disturbance days, through the radio phenomenon of Breaks Co-op, to the remix work he’s done recently for P-Money.

But just in case you’re interested, I’ll be posting the full audio of the interview I did with Zane here sometime over the next week. Lots of stuff you won’t hear on the radio.

Rather pleased with how that went.

Tagged: BBC, Interview, New Zealand, Radio, RNZ, Zane Lowe