Imagine a hard working band of four, an album under their belt, a strong sound of their own and a desire to go far with their music. In an effort to make the big time they up and move to the big smoke, chasing opportunities to make it with their music. It’s the classic rock band scenario but this is 2003. Change the genre to drum ‘n’ bass, the location to “across the ditch”, from Christchurch to Melbourne, and you’ve got the story of Shapeshifter unfolding before you.

Shapeshifter started out in Christchurch, New Zealand, when the four members of the group met at Christchurch jazz school in 1999 and started jamming drum'n'bass together, much to the disgust of the establishment. Together Nick Robinson, Sam Trevethick, Devin Abrams and Redford Grenell create drum n bass that ranges from Bukemesque funky jazzy breaks to dark dancefloor smashing tracks. It’s not only the strong jazz influence that makes Shapeshifter’s sound so solid, but also their love of the live performance. Using drums, keyboards, guitar, horns, percussion and samples they manage to create studio tight drum and bass with loads of energy to rock the room. With two releases under their belt, the EP “DNA” and debut album “Realtime,” and the move to Australia, 2003 sees Shapeshifter on the cusp of even greater things. As the band play live shows around Australia and put the finishing touches on their forthcoming second album, we quizzed Devin Abrams on the how, what, when and why of Shapeshifter.

Firstly, why did you choose the name Shapeshifter for your outfit?
We chose the name as we believed what we were doing as a band was shifting musical ideas from one place to another, transforming electronic music into a live platform. Shapeshifting.

The NZ music scene seems to be going off the hook at the moment with bands like The Datsuns getting international acclaim, and Salmonella Dub always on the road. What are your thoughts on the New Zealand drum 'n' bass scene, and music generally in NZ?
I believe that for such a small county we output some amazing artistic products. Community plays a large part in the success of many artists in NZ. At the moment there really seems to be a sense of family among many of NZ musicians and producers. I feel that the drum and bass scene back home has always had quality Djs and parties for people to appreciate, but it is only now that producers are starting to consistently release great tunes... such as Concord Dawn, Bulletproof, Kapz and the Fabel Crew, MC Tali, Nathan Haines (was really the first) and a handful of other new playerz.

3. Considering drum'n'bass is such a studio based sound did you consciously develop yourselves as a live D'nB act or has it just happened that way? .
Yes that was the initial concept.

Why do you think we don't see more live D'n'B acts?
I think that a lot of musicians that play dance music struggle with the simplicity of structures and by no mean am I attempting to say dance music is simple, its just that playing music live is a very self-indulgent thing. I believe to play dance music in a live setting and appeal to people on the dance floor, it is important to capture the groove of a tune, and roll with it. Maybe this is why? It would be awesome if you could go to a nite of live dance acts, and still feel like your walking into club with a DJ playing.

You've decided to bring your diverse live sound from Christchurch and base yourselves in Melbourne. What opportunities exist for you in Australia that don't in New Zealand?
A much larger economy... higher standard of venues that can accommodate live acts and Djs.... warmer weather..

As relative newcomers to the music industry back in 2001, how did you feel when you walked away with not only nominations for your EP "DNA" but also the "Best New Act" award at the bnet New Zealand Music Awards?
We didn’t even go to the awards as we thought we had no chance of coming close to winning anything, so yeah extremely surprised!

Your debut album "Realtime" was released with wide spread acclaim and then went on to win the "Best Electronic Release" award in 2002. Did the recording or production method for "Real Time" differ to that used for the "DNA" EP?
With both projects we used the exact same studio setup. With Realtime we had recorded live drums, saxophone, guitar etc, where as with DNA we were purely experimenting with electronic textures.

How did you first hook up with your label Kog Transmissions?
We had met them through mutual friends, and when we ready to release Realtime we approached them with the finished product.

As a live outfit do you think you reach a wider audience than if your tracks are out there on vinyl being played by DJs? Which of these things is more important to Shapeshifter?
Both are extremely important to be successful in the dance music industry. But live is where are passion is, it is something we feel is different and unique.

How do you see Shapeshifter's sound evolving?
Hard to predict the future... but who knows we might even become a drum n bass covers band.

What is next for Shapeshifter?
The release of our second album throughout NZ and Australia.

Who are some up and coming NZ drum and bass artists you've worked with we'll be hearing about on our shores in the future?
DJ KAPS!!! bad bwoy, who is already blown away many UK Djs. He is all of ours pick for the next producer to hit international record racks....