Gathering sounds collected on CD
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The trance sounds of Nelson electronic artist Sean Hendry feature on the first ever compilation of music from The Gathering. The Gathering compact disc, released last week, is the result of a partnership between Universal Music, Kog Transmissions and The Gathering.
The disc features music from artists who have performed, or will do so, at the New Year's dance party, including Pitch Black, Micronism, Baitercell and Salmonella Dub.
Hendry, the man behind Obnoxia, says he was "stoked" to receive a letter inviting him to submit some of his work to the compact disc. His track, Sub Toxic Fusion, was created in the days after the 1996 Gathering and perfected during the year, he said. Hendry, who also plays keyboard with the Nelson band DK Dance, is preparing to perform live with DJ OJ in the trance zone at the upcoming Gathering, probably on January 1.
One of the three directors of The Gathering, Alison Green, said the sound track was a breakthrough for The Gathering. It was the first time in New Zealand a major record company like Universal had provided major backing for what is traditionally alternative niche market music.
And success is looking inevitable. Stores had reported waiting lists of people eager to buy the disc, she said. It was great to be able to help establish potentially lucrative connections between the artists and the record companies Universal and Kog.
She describes the music on the disc as mimicking a journey through a day at The Gathering. The sounds move from the mellowness of dawn to the uplifting sounds of a summer day to the upbeat craziness of midnight, she said.
The Gathering begins on December 31 and runs until January 2 at Canaan Downs on Takaka Hill. It will feature more than 100 disc jokeys, 20 video jockeys, 35 live acts and 100 street performers, an FM radio station, a cinema, and seven dance zones.