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Having had a big influence on the Birmingham music scene when coming together a decade or so ago, it didn't take long for Overproof Soundsystem's blend of reggae, dub and electronica to catch on outside their homeland.
It started as electronica/dub duo Groove Corporation (G. Corp) and a group of like-minded musicians playing regular club nights amid an often hostile Birmingham music scene, but was not intended to become a touring band.
But that's what happened and the group have brought their tour party to New Zealand and Australia.
G. Corp's Brian Nordhoff says he has always been keen to get here and the group are thrilled at the prospect of leaving Birmingham behind at such a cold and wet time of year.
Nordhoff has had dealings with New Zealand musicians over the years, including doing mixes as G. Corp for Salmonella Dub and playing with Fat Freddy's Drop in Britain.
"We do get hold of a lot of the New Zealand stuff," he says.
"I remember buying the Fat Freddy's stuff in the really early stages. I'm a big fan of all the Salmonella Dub stuff and I've been a big fan of Fat Freddy's."
Nordhoff says the Overproof set-up is similar to that of Fat Freddy's and describes it as a band over and above a "sound system".
"The only difference is there's not a drummer, there's a DJ at the back."
He says the emergence of Overproof and their peaceful vibe came at a time when the music scene in Birmingham seemed to be dominated by disaffected youths looking for an excuse to fight.
While it was an outlet for some, it could make for an unpleasant night out for those simply wanting to enjoy live music.
"Who wants to go out and spend a night worrying about treading on someone's trainers," he says.
The Overproof collective was born out of a monthly music night at a local club which went from a group of musicians playing together in a relatively unstructured way to playing regularly as a touring band in Europe.
"It became really popular and we had a regular crowd of about 1500 people and it was a real mix - and a great sort of party atmosphere, really peaceful and really positive", Nordhoff says.
Club nights at a place called the Medicine Bar, helped create a more relaxed live music option in a less edgy part of town than what many music fans had grown used to in Birmingham.
"What eventually started happening was that some of the big old sound systems like Earthquake, etcetera, started running dub nights in the same venue, and again got the same kind of crowd that we did.
"It sort of helped cross it all over again, which is really what was happening in Birmingham in the 70s, when the whole punk and reggae scene joined together."
Nordhoff says a German promoter turned up at the club one day and liked what he saw enough to start organising gigs in his home country and other parts of Europe.
Those gigs have been running ever since.
A mixture of festival and club gigs have been lined up in Australia and New Zealand for Overproof, who start the New Zealand leg of their journey at the Splore festival southeast of Auckland city tomorrow and play five dates between there and Dunedin.
Nordhoff says the Overproof team always enjoy themselves and are looking forward to doing a mixture of shows.
Either way, he says fans can expect an uplifting experience. "It's always heavy, always positive and full of energy.
"It's a real party sound."
PERFORMANCE
Who: Overproof Soundsystem
When & where: Splore festival, Tapapakanga Regional Park (event starts today, they play tomorrow night) Revolver, Queenstown, Feb 14; Sammy's, Dunedin, Feb 15; Soundsplash, Raglan, Feb 16 (with G. Corp DJ set); Bodega, Wellington, Feb 17.
- NZPA