Weekend Rewind: When Aotearoa got its groove on

A recent outbreak of boogie fever has NZ On Screen’s Nicky Harrop looking back at some local funk, soul and disco.

It may seem hard to fathom, but next week marks the 40th anniversary of the release of Saturday Night Fever. A little closer to home, compilation album Heed the Call: Soul, Funk, and Disco From Aotearoa 1973-1983 has just been released, to much acclaim. It seems a resurgence of all things funky is at hand – the perfect time then, to dig up these groove-laden gems from the 1970s.

Released in April 1977, It Doesn't Matter Anymore gave Kiwi singer Mark Williams his second number one single in New Zealand. Abandoning the violins of the Buddy Holly/Paul Anka original, Williams' version leaned heavy on percussion, horns, and a heaping helping of funk - as evidenced in this fantastic performance for music show Ready to Roll.

See Mark Williams performing It Doesn't Matter Anymore here:

For a brief period from the late 70s, Morrinsville's Golden Harvest shone bright, dropping a string of radio friendly hits with more than a hint of funk and disco. Their biggest was I Need Your Love, still guaranteed to fill a dance floor with the 50-plus crowd, and with good reason. This performance - also taken from Ready to Roll - sees the band in fine form, complete with Hendrix-esque guitar moves and blue satin bellbottoms.

See Golden Harvest performing I Need Your Love here:

In addition to some great performances, Ready to Roll also delivered a weekly dose of funk in the form of its opening titles – soundtracked to The Commodores hit Machine Gun. Accompanied by suitably groovy graphics, the opener ran from 1975 through to the early 80s, when it was replaced by an equally "of its time" synth-laden spectacular.

Watch the 70s opening titles for Ready to Roll here:

The Yandall Sisters were another popular local group in the 70s, offering an infectious blend of pacific flavoured soul. Here they perform their biggest hit, 1974's Sweet Inspiration. A cover of US band The Sweet Inspirations, the song has gone on to become a perennial Kiwi classic.

See The Yandall Sisters performing Sweet Inspiration here:

Never one to shy away from a good groove, Dalvanius brought more funk to the party than perhaps any other Kiwi artist during his all-too-brief career. Here he's seen in a clip from music show Sweet Soul Music doing what he did best – on stage delivering a legendary performance, in this case a great version of the Don Covay (and later Aretha Franklin) classic See Saw.

See Dalvanius performing See Saw here:

You can learn more about New Zealand's 70s funk scene here at AudioCulture.