LISTEN HERE
Ōtautahi’s talented duo Dillastrate have today released their epically emotive and absurdly catchy new single ‘I’m Crazy’.
Listen to ‘I’m Crazy’ HERE
Up-tempo, fun and very danceable, ‘I’m Crazy’ has hints of 70s funk, soul and Anderson Paak influence. Drawing the listener in from the first drum fill to the last vocal line and holding them there until the end, the duo says that “every playback in the studio caused us to involuntarily boogie along!”
Made up of music and lyrical talent Henare ‘H’ Kaa (lead vocals/drums) and Tim Driver (keys/bass synth/loops/vocals), this new single is another great addition to the already impressive Dillastrate catalogue - most recently their collaboration with Tiki Taane - ‘Way To Flow’, and their first Waiata Anthems single ‘Taku Aroha’ (#7 RadioScope Te Reo Māori Airplay Chart). Made with the support of NZOA’s New Music Development Funding, ‘I’m Crazy’ is all about finding peace with people and things that may never change. “Ultimately, it's a positive song that emphasises acceptance of the struggle,” says Dillastrate.
The main recording was completed at FiveAM Music, with the final vocal recording and mix completed at Parachute Studios by Nic Manders. “Back when we were recording our first self-titled album, we heard whispers about this legendary producer Nic Manders. These tales stayed with us and we hoped to be able to work with him at some point in our careers. Now that we’ve progressed to a certain point, we thought we’d approach him to work on this track and, to our surprise, he agreed! We spent several days in the studio being whipped into shape to produce ‘I’m Crazy’ and we think it was absolutely worth the wait.” The pair say that stylistically the song speaks strongly to their influences as musicians. “There’s a lot of the sound of the soul greats in there (Stevie Wonder, Michael Jackson, Marvin Gaye, etc), but also a modern treatment reminiscent of artists like Anderson Paak, Lizzo or Bruno Mars. It’s also a story that will be familiar to anybody who works in the music industry, so the narrative of this song resonates with us on a personal and professional level.”
This year Dillastrate have been working with some of the best production talent in Aotearoa New Zealand to craft and release a great single like ‘I’m Crazy’, and lots more exciting new music and news to come, make sure you’re following their socials!
Born from the late great Aaron Tokona’s Ahoribuzz, Dillastrate have been making waves since the release of their 2017 EP, BLACK DIAMOND. Their experience as live musicians include extensive festival, headline and support tours - seeing the duo playing repeatedly to crowds of over 20,000. A live Dillastrate performance is a finely-tuned and explosive experience that can transform entire venue crowds from stationery to dancing-their-asses-off in a matter of seconds. They’ve featured on national TV, commercial, iwi and alternative radio, boast a strong digital presence, and have placed in both the Official NZ Top 20 Singles and RadioScope Charts multiple times. In addition, the group have gained traction in their quest to uplift te ao Māori, with their bilingual hit Party In My Head (Tāwara Ana) and waiata ‘Taku Aroha’.