The key to Shapeshifter’s success comes down to the “energy they project on stage,” according to keyboardist/guitarist, Sam Trevethick. I think it’s safe to say the majority of their devoted fans would agree with that.

The New Zealand born and bred drum & bass outfit have built a solid following since teaming up in 1999, due mostly to their out-of the-bag live performances. The group seamlessly blend the essential elements of quality live grooves with the hard-edged intensity of dance music. It’s a rare fusion - they manage to keep the drum and bass heads happy while pleasing the tamer groove set out there.

The five piece formed at Jazz school in their hometown of Christchurch. Needless to say their drum and bass jam sessions didn’t go down so well with the jazz aficionados. “We didn’t last long at jazz school,” quips Sam. “But that was okay, we had different ideas in mind. We approached playing drum and bass the same way we approached playing jazz, we just jammed it out a lot, we didn’t let it get to rigid in structure. We were influenced by a lot of different types of music, we’ve never really seen ourselves as just a drum and bass group,” he says.   

Considering the random assortment of artists Sam’s been listening to of late, it’s not surprising he’s quick to distance himself from the drum and bass pigeonhole. The list of high rotation albums include Slayer’s latest album Christ Illusion, the Aphex Twin’s Chosen Lords, Sa-Ra’s Hollywood Recordings, and an old favourite, Jeff Buckley’s Grace. And like every good kiwi, he’s a devoted fan of dub.

The boys are first and foremost musicians. They're eclectic appreciation for music combined with their natural ability produces a unique musical flow. "There’s no need to think too much about what we're trying to create,"  says Sam, “it just seems to happen naturally.”

The New Zealand scene has nurtured and raised a considerable number of rare and talented outfits. According to Sam this is partly due to the nation’s quest to nurture difference. “We absorb what’s fresh in the international scene a lot quicker than larger countries. Drum and bass in the USA for example has only just become popular. Even underground culture in the last three or four years has only begun to take off. Whereas in New Zealand this stuff has been thriving for years,” he says.

Soulstice, the band’s third album is a stand out. “With Soulstice we really wanted to work off our influences… like soul and ambient and hip hop music. We basically wanted it to communicate what music meant to us,” he says.

And while the album is probably their best to date, it’s still all about the live shows for these guys. “It comes down to communicating with the crowd when we play. When we were learning jazz, all of us were jamming with fluid styles of music so we have the ability to be able to be spontaneous and change songs to fit the mood of the audience. We’ve really carried that live jazz element across. No one show is ever the same.”

Whether you’re a fan of drum and bass or not, this is an outfit well worth checking out live.

You can catch Shapeshifter on Friday May 25 @ The Prince of Wales. Friday 1st June @ The Shamrock, Brisbane. Saturday 2nd June @ Fowlers Live, Adelaide. Sunday 3rd June @ Capital, Perth.  Soulstice is out now on Pattern through Inertia.