Music Industry News

Indie punk, jazz, rap rhythms and other musical flavours abound on a forthcoming compilation album of contemporary new music from Ōtepoti Dunedin.

The Dunedin City Council project Ōtepoti Hou, which loosely translates to “Fresh Dunedin”, comprises 10 acts who represent the city’s broad range of musical talent.

The compilation will be released as a small vinyl and cassette run and on digital platforms in May 2026 as part of NZ Music Month. The album launch will be celebrated with musicians, studio professionals, mentors, friends and whānau on Friday 22 May, at Burns Hall, Dunedin.

The DCC’s Ara Toi/Creative Partnerships team, which is leading the initiative, invited music organisations and communities to recommend suitable artists from the priority groups: youth, Māori and Pāsifika musicians. The final track listing was based on meetings and discussions with artists, assessing proposed tracks, and considering the best musical fit for the album.

The album artists are:
Crash Out
Cuck
Dunedin Youth Jazz Orchestra
HŌHĀ
Keira Wallace
Scapegoat MERCY
Seek Help!
Suge Sound
Tough Guy
Turama ite Ara

As well as the album production, the project provides participants with business, professional, and technical mentoring and advice.

Kāi Tahu artist and musician Madison Kelly has designed the album’s artwork and associated graphic material.

The album will not be available for sale, but each project participant will receive a vinyl record, cassette, a zine publication featuring all those involved, and the album will be available for free download on Bandcamp. Archival copies will be set aside for local and national collections. All project costs are covered by the Ara Toi/Creative Partnerships pre-existing budget and are expected to come in under $24,000.

Lisa Wilkie, Team Leader Ara Toi/Creative Partnerships says, “It has been wonderful to see this project come to fruition and the album line-up shows that music-making in Ōtepoti is diverse, alive, and kicking.”

There are so many great stories to celebrate. High school band Crash Out wrote, produced and recorded their song in six hours as part of DCC-supported youth music initiative To the Front. The band included Japanese exchange student Yui Takatsuchi, who has since returned home. Yui’s mother, Ayako, wrote from Japan: ‘I… want to say how amazing Yui and the others’ achievement is. I feel truly proud of them’.”

“Building connections between different areas of the local music ecosystem was an important driver for Ōtepoti Hou. University of Otago and Radio One staff, sound engineers and producers, and music advisors working behind the scenes have been integral to the success of the project,” Lisa says.

“Working with the University of Otago’s Te Korokoro o te Tūī studio has been amazing and the opportunity to launch an album like this in the same year as the University’s School of Music celebrates its centenary is perfect timing.”

Stephen Stedman, Te Korokoro ō te Tūī Studio Manager and Music Advisory Panel member, has been an integral part of Ōtepoti Hou.

“It’s been a pleasure to participate in this celebration of music and music-making in Ōtepoti Dunedin – to contribute to a greater awareness and appreciation of the many ways our communities are connected through music.”

Contributor Keira Wallace sums up their feelings about Ōtepoti Hou, saying:

“The Ōtepoti Hou compilation’s aim to capture this city’s diverse sounds made recording an incredibly rewarding experience. Creation in its most authentic form felt prioritised, allowing experimentation and risk-taking to deeper explore what defines my ‘sound’. In a world of digital media, the privilege of featuring on something tangible and permanent means the world to me and affirms my insistence that Ōtepoti’s music is special.”

Scapegoat MERCY describes what he has taken from the project:

“It provided me with the confidence to engage with the music making process in a way I have never experienced before. Not only did it highlight resources I didn’t know existed, but it also meant I could help others in the future without leaving Ōtepoti.”

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Pictures: Keira Wallace (they/them) | Photo credit: Dunedin City Council