To celebrate 25 years of iconic homegrown icons Shapeshifter, Sin and Brook from George Drive sat down with the lads and had a BIG ol' chat.
Paora 'P Digsss' Apera - now the band's legendary vocalist - recalled being left mind-blown after he first saw the trio perform in the early 2000s. At the time, Digsss was so skint he had to pass on going to a Salmonella Dub gig, but as fate would have it, he found himself seeing Shapies at the Queenstown Town Hall instead.
Listen to the full chat with the lads from Shapeshifter and their 25-year journey here:
Digsss recalled his mate saying: “Holy shit Shapeshifter, it’s like these three dudes, instrumental, it’s the heaviest bass I’ve ever heard.”
He remembered saying "what the fuck" after witnessing their live show, but it was months until he was able to slide into a jam session with the band.
Destiny took hold at The Gathering, an iconic outdoor dance music festival that ran from '96-02. Digsss was MCing for Sunshine Sound System just before Shapeshifter took the stage, and he ended up freestyling with them with only 10 minutes' notice.
One of Shapeshifter's founding members, Sam 'Sambora' Trevethick, remembered the magic moment, saying Digsss performed "like no other MC they'd ever had".
"[He] gets on stage and he’s just got a beautiful singing voice and singing all these real cool melodies," Sambora said.
Sambora was stoked to hear the tale of Digsss first brush with the band, saying he had no idea Digsss had been hoping for an 'in' with them since he first saw them.
“I didn’t know that you came armed like that," Sambora told Digsss. "It makes it even more special."
Shapeshifter remains a cornerstone of the NZ music scene, and we're fizzing to see what's next. Make sure you check out the full chat to look back on a quarter CENTURY of history-making bangers.
