CD of the Week: SHAPESHIFTER "Delta"

Monday 10th June.

Delta was recorded in Berlin, Woodhill and Wellington and features ‘Monarch’, ‘Diamond Trade’ plus the new single ‘Gravity’.

Delta is the embodiment of this spirit of exploration. The sublime opening chords of ‘Arcadia’ and junglist jabs of ‘Shadowboxer’ neighbour elevated trance progressions in ‘Diamond Trade’ and jagged guitar riffs on ‘Giving Up the Ghost’. Delta builds on Shapeshifter’s bass heritage while barreling forward into the future, unhindered by BPM counts or genre boxes.

Perhaps the most revolutionary aspect of Delta is the electronic production underpinning the album. Live drums have mostly been eschewed for a backbone of digital rhythms that support all-analogue instrumentation of vintage synths, horns and guitar.

The towering success of Christchurch-formed Shapeshifter can’t be denied. Across their career they have made genre-defining appearances at Glastonbury, The Big Chill, Big Day Out, Parklife plus sold-out performances across Europe. This is the fifth studio album from Shapeshifter, following the previous albums that have all achieved platinum status within New Zealand.

The five-strong lineup of PDigsss (vocals), Devin Abrams (sax/keys/synths), Sam Trevethick (guitar/synths/sampler), Nick Robinson (bass/synths/MPC) and Darren Mathiassen (drums) have individually called Auckland, Wellington, Melbourne, Kingscliff, Berlin, Queenstown and Christchurch home.