Six Noises: An Online Portal For Underground New Zealand Music

Project 2016-03-01 13:16:24 +1300

Six Noises celebrates this country’s best punk, dark rock, experimental, and extreme metal music. Help me make the website bigger, better, and more badass. 

“In my estimation, Six Noises is unquestionably New Zealand’s finest online source for underground music news, reviews and related content.  Running the gamut of punk, noise, metal, goth, drone, post-punk, deathrock, industrial, post-rock, avant-garde, experimental and just plain unusual sounds from Aotearoa and abroad. Craig Hayes’ credentials as a writer, journalist, broadcaster and documentary producer are unsurpassed in this field.”  

Michel Rowland — Disjecta Membra

“Six Noises is an invaluable asset to the underground music community. Not only is Craig a brilliant and imaginative writer … he’s hugely supportive of new musicians and underground bands…”

Tove Partington — 13th Floor

Music is the lifeblood of its creators and most fervent fans. But there’s a sphere of New Zealand music that you won’t see covered by this country’s mainstream media very often: the underground.  

The underground is where adventurous and incendiary musicians turn musical mayhem into an absolute artform. 

It’s where New Zealand’s most challenging musicians stretch the definition of music and intensity to its limits. 

And it’s a credit to the creativity of those musicians, and the dedication of their fans, that New Zealand’s music underground is thriving. 

So what do I want to do?

As amazing as a lot of underground New Zealand music is, it’s also scattered far and wide around the web. So tracking down the best music, or even knowing where to look, can be difficult for fans from home and abroad. 

I want to change that. 

My music blog, Six Noises, has been running for a number of years and has a healthy sized audience from around the world. I want to build on that solid base and transform Six Noises into a first-stop portal for anyone investigating radical sonic arts. 

I want to point fans directly to New Zealand’s most interesting bands, solo artists, music websites, and communities. 

I want Six Noises to serve as a gateway that highlights the entire spectrum of New Zealand underground music, and showcases the best unorthodox and enraged sounds from around the globe. 

I’ve made a start on doing that already, but if I want to continue then significant changes have to be made to Six Noises’ format, design and hosting arrangements. And I need to seriously upgrade the technical resources I have on hand in order to keep writing in 2016. 

What has Six Noises achieved so far?

"Six Noises is without a doubt the most informative on-the-pulse site of all things underground (punk, metal, industrial, noise, hardcore) in NZ. Providing in-depth, unbiased and well-written reviews and reports on our great scene. Long may it continue!"

Steve Francis — Bulletbelt

“Six Noises fulfills a distinct role in the mediascape of music journalism within New Zealand. Craig’s coverage of certain underground scenes within New Zealand music (notably experimental music, noise, punk and heavy metal) is of the highest journalistic quality. Whilst these particular genres of music thrive at a grassroots level within New Zealand, they are often neglected in the New Zealand music press. Accordingly projects such as Craig’s are of utmost importance in gaining greater exposure both nationally and internationally for artists and musicians working within these fields.” 

Richard Keys — The Auricle Sonic Arts Gallery

“Although I’m sure Craig would be quite humble in regards to his impact on getting NZ metal’s diseased works out to the international masses, I do believe he has played an important role in spreading the word and he should be commended for that."

Scourge — Exordium Mors

“Craig’s long been a champion of the underground New Zealand music scene. He’s introduced myself as well as many others around the world to loads of talented New Zealand bands. He’s passionate and dedicated. Not to mention his inspired writing skills...” 

Matt Hinch — Kingdom of Noise

I started Six Noises with the sole intention of supporting underground New Zealand music, and I’d like to think my blog has helped boost the scene’s profile. I’ve been a fan of underground music for over three decades, and my passion for it remains undiminished. I want to do a lot more to help. 

Why should you help?

“In addition to being a terrific writer and all around good egg Craig has always been a steadfast champion of all the great metal/punk/hardcore and experimental music coming from New Zealand. Turning his blog Six Noises into a portal for dark music from the antipodes makes sense on so many levels.”

Max Rotvel — founder, Metalbandcamp

New Zealand underground music deserves to be heard. No musician working in any niche musical sphere is expecting to see a cent in recompense. They’re doing it for the freedom found in uncompromising creative expression. That kind of artistic dedication warrants applause and advocacy. And Six Noises has been an unwavering advocate of tenacious outlier musicians from day one. 

Mainstream New Zealand music already gets plenty of attention. But there’s just as many (if not more) creatively interesting endeavours happening in the underground that either aren’t highlighted enough or are simply misrepresented. 

Transforming Six Noises is all about supporting and promoting music that doesn’t get enough coverage. It’s about constructing the sturdiest and most visible independent media platform that respects the concerns of fringe and unconventional artists.

Big changes cost big money. And although I’ve spent many years as a music journalist raising awareness of New Zealand’s underground music in print, online, and on the airwaves, there’s been little financial reward in doing that. 

Covering underground music is a passion project for me. And integrity is an absolutely crucial component in that. I don’t demand free music from bands. Or insist that I get free passes to shows. I just endeavour to cover the weirdest and wildest music where I can because I want to help spread the word. It’s that simple. 

Accordingly, asking for your help is not an easy thing for me to do. It’s tricky finding a balance between ideals and necessities. But if I hope to turn Six Noises into an even bigger backer of underground music I do need your help. 

So who am I?

“... Craig manages to communicate the essence of the subject with an insight and perspective that is rare in music journalism. It is always entertaining and enlightening to read his work, his passion for the subject always shines through.” 

Ian Moir — Into Orbit

“Craig Hayes is a brilliant writer. In the crowded world of underground music releases you can trust him to find the gold and enlighten and entertain.”

Nato Force — Beastwars

“Craig is one of the most passionate and exciting writers I've had the pleasure to read. Anything under the Six Noises banner is always a thorough and exciting analysis of the topic…”

Spook the Horses

Over the last dozen or so years I’ve contributed to many websites at home and overseas –– including some of the most widely read music sites on the web. I’ve contributed to a number of magazines and zines as well. And Six Noises’ first incarnation arrived in 2009. 

On the airwaves, I’m currently one of the hosts on Radio Active’s long-running noisy music programme, the Anger Management show. I’ve produced and hosted many features and interviews focusing on underground metal, punk and experimental music for Radio New Zealand’s flagship music show, Music 101. And I’ve produced and hosted features on Access Radio too. 

What I’ve also done, less publicly, is spend many years providing free PR advice and assistance to underground New Zealand bands in order to help them get heard at home and overseas. 

I’ve had a great time doing all of the above. It’s been an absolute privilege to write about so much great music and be involved in helping bands reach a bigger audience. I hope I’ve been of service to the underground music community doing all of that, and I’d like to keep on doing it. 

How can you help?

Any pledge you give will be very gratefully received. And everyone who pledges to a successful campaign will be thanked publicly on Six Noises. 

The rewards I can offer are limited, because, as mentioned, there are no spare pennies lying around the underground music sphere in New Zealand. Still, that hasn’t stopped me coming up with a few reward ideas that might tempt you. 

Know this: every cent that you pledge directly supports my goal of doing all I can to promote music made in New Zealand. But if you can’t afford to pledge anything, then simply sharing this campaign around the web would be enormously helpful. 

Your pledge is going to pay for the fees associated with using a web designer to redesign the site, pay for new hosting, and also purchase new computer gear and microphones for future podcast interviews. All the money donated secures Six Noises’ immediate future, and enables me to make plans for the years ahead. 

I’ve got the project management experience to ensure that if my campaign is successful then Six Noises will be transformed into a far more visible platform to promote underground music. 

I’ve got the enthusiasm to keep shouting from the rooftops about the best underground music from New Zealand and around the globe. 

And I’ve put years into supporting and promoting that music already. 

So how about lending a hand? 

My thanks,
Craig 

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