Local songwriter, trip hop artist Vanessa Tottle invites you to celebrate NZ Music Month with herself and fellow musicians Andre Bunton, MyCivilian aka Shamus Crawford, and Charlie, on May 23 at Tāmaki Makaurau Kingsland venue the Portland Public House. 

Tickets are available here.

Can you tell us when you discovered trip hop? What song was your gateway drug, if you will?

I didn’t know I was making trip hop, my sound engineer Ben Furniss from Lonely Hawk Studios said to me one day last year, “You’re not pop, you are trip hop!” I researched the genre and haven’t looked back! I grew up on RnB music, and I’ve always loved bass, so I naturally just fell into the genre.

What aspects draw you to the genre?

The freedom to create different sounds and to be able to merge different beats together is so appealing to me. It’s a deep, meaningful connection to the music that I loved, almost therapeutic.

How would you describe your own brandof trip hop, what sets you apart from others?

Massive Attack and Portishead have been what I compare my sound to, with Chemical Brothers thrown in for good measure! I have deep bass lines that help to make my sound unique, along with story telling lyrics.

How is it that you come to run a popular trip hop-based radio show in Brazil?

Every time I have a new song I cast the net to not only local outlets but overseas. Through this, Radio Trip Hop replied to me saying, “You are the traditional sound – let’s give you your own show to showcase the genre from your side of the world.”  Five months now I have been doing it and I love it.

The upcoming show has a really diverse line-up. What do you appreciate most about this collection?

Like with the trip hop genre, it’s about being diverse and a mixture of different flavours. This is why it appeals to me to showcase different genres together on one night and the theme of the show is ‘love life and musi. No matter the genre, we can come together and inspire. Ignite and amplify.

What’s your secret to promoting a gig in 2024?

Hustle hard and believe in your art. Once you know and understand that it all falls into place.

Who do you reckon would love this upcoming gig?

Anyone who wants to be inspired to come and listen to self-managed artists and have a great time!