Celebrated DJ/production duo Sweet Mix Kids are looking forward to coming back to their Whakatipu ‘‘second home’’ for gigs this week.
Sandon Ihaia and Chris Scott are returning their high-energy, genre-hopping act to Snow Machine until Sunday, with a one-off Arrowtown show tomorrow night the mix as part of their Stargazing tour.
‘‘Couldn’t think of anything better,’’ Ihaia says of being back in the Basin.
‘‘Arrowtown’s been our second home over the past six months, we just love coming here, going to the restaurants and having a glass of wine or seven with the locals.’’
Indeed, they chose the resort as the venue to launch their own vintages ‘Stargazing’ pinot noir and ‘Gravitate’ sparkling – last December.
The bottles of plonk are actually cunningly-designed albums, each containing a QR code you can stream their tunes from.
In a world-first, bottle sales count towards the NZ music charts after the pair got clearance from the necessary authorities in a coup that ‘‘works out quite well, especially if you’re getting a couple of bottles at a time’’.
It’s the sort of innovative thinking the double-act can deploy directly to their business, given they manage themselves.
Famously busy, criss-crossing more than 90 international borders in the past year, they’ve dabbled in bringing agents and managers on board ‘‘but they can’t keep up with us, so it’s easier just to do it ourselves’’, Ihaia says.
Scott adds: ‘‘We just say ‘yes’ to everything and work out the logistics later, we haven’t yet hit the wall’’.
Although Auckland-based these days, the pair are mainlanders, Scott from Christchurch and Ihaia Nelson, then later Dunedin where he attended Logan Park High School – ‘‘a really good college for basketball, I was an avid b-ball player’’.
Regularly performing at some of the globe’s biggest musical events, alongside superwatt stars like Adele, Ed Sheeran and Coldplay, the
pair retain a solidly-grounded South Island sensibility to it all.
‘‘You’ll have just as much fun playing in a pub in Greymouth as you will playing for one of the world’s biggest celebrities on a really big stage because the chemistry, vibe and outcomes are the same,’’ Ihaia says.
They once played an after-party gig for Adele that just ended up being the British songstress grooving to their sounds on her own.
‘‘It was strange but it was pretty cool because she’s into the same kind of music as us.
“She loves a bit of old funk, soul and hip hop, so it was quite sweet and special.
‘‘She’s about as down to earth as it gets, just another chick from London.’’
Punters can be assured of a typically eclectic set at this week’s shows.
‘‘We approach making music from the perspective of DJing, and there’s no point being a DJ if you can’t be versatile and play a bit of everything,’’ Scott says.
And they don’t have favourites.
‘‘We both really love all of it.
“Whatever genre’s best is whatever genre will work for the crowd on the night.
“We mix them all together and everyone has a good time.’’
Known for their flamboyant outfits, Ihaia says they’ll be dressed fittingly for the stargazing occasions.
‘‘We’ve got some amazing mirror fabric imported especially for us by Trelise Cooper and made into outfits by top Dunedin designer Tanya Carlson, which will be quite fun.’’
Sweet Mix Kids Stargazing Tour, Royal Oak Courtyard, Arrowtown, 6pm, tomorrow, tickets $49 via ticketfairy.com ; and Snow Machine
till Sunday.
