P Digsss, frontman of the genre-bending Shapeshifter, shares the tunes he keeps on repeat for the perfect weekend.
You don’t need a special scenario to enjoy the musical stylings of Shapeshifter – in fact, it might just be what you need to make the weekend perfect. Just ask their frontman P Digsss because, after all, he’s been doing this for 25 years.
The drum and bass ensemble recently celebrated their quarter century anniversary with sold-out shows across the motu, and limited edition reissues of all of their albums, including Shapeshifter Live. It’s a “bloody great” milestone, P Digsss says, “still doing what we love and getting better at it. Hard to beat living off one’s art and passion.”
While the band works on tuning their guitars and preparing for “a massive set” over the summer, here’s what P Digsss plays to soundtrack the perfect weekend.
Cinematic Orchestra – ‘Everyday’
I love the whole album from start to finish; great way to start my day off, driving to the surf. It has heaps of favourites like ‘All that you give’, ‘Burn Out’ and the incredible ‘All Things To All Men.’ Just magical. It’s one of my favourite albums to cook too as well.
Kyuss – ‘Gardenia’
After a surf on the drive home, Kyuss’ ‘Welcome to Sky Valley’ gets played loud. Love the tuning, the tones and the grit of this monster of an album.
Prince – ‘Purple Rain’
If we are going to say it’s a perfect weekend then I need to hear Prince’s album Purple Rain again from start to finish. It has to be played. He’s the greatest to ever do it.
D’Angelo – ‘Chicken Grease’
I would also check all of D’Angelo ‘Voodoo’ from start to finish … It just makes me want to sing out loud. Timeless wonders such as ‘The Line’, ‘Chicken Grease’ and ‘The Root’ have that soothing vibe, uplifting and just phenomenal musicianship.
Stevie Wonder – ‘Hotter than July’
Start to finish too – ‘All I Do’, ‘Rocket Love’ and ‘Master Blaster’ are all time. Grew up with this playing at home. It always makes me feel comfy.
Break, Die and MC Fats – ‘Foundation Dub’
This one is a one-off from a comp, the ‘We Gotcha LP,’ honouring the legend MC Fats. Serious ital vibes when I’m blazing.
Ini Kamoze – ‘World-A-Reggae’
This is from 1984 but timeless. Love a bit of Ini Kamoze! His vocal tones are supreme – “out in the streets they call it murder.”
Shy FX and T. Power – ‘Diary Of A Digital Soundboy’
I think it would be a subpar weekend without some Shy FX, one of the legends of drum and bass. So run the whole album Diary of a Digital Soundboy, from ‘Feelings’ through till ‘Delta VIP’ – top shelf material.