Chris Bourke
Blue Smoke: Iwi Waiata
Popular music is not pure; it respects no borders. The only truly indigeneous music from Aotearoa is likely to be bird song. But many birds migrate and bring back jazz, country, rhythm and blues… Audio
Blue Smoke: Bits & Bytes
Predictions that robots would be creating hit pops songs are a virtual reality: artificial intelligence is on a playlist near you. This episode of Blue Smoke looks back to the 70s and 80s and the… Audio
Blue Smoke: Songs for New Zealand Films
For years, the idea of a thriving New Zealand film industry was a dream that seemed against the odds: financial, and the cultural cringe. But eventually regular film production began. This episode of… Audio
Blue Smoke: Out of the Corners
All New Zealand musicians found it hard to get heard with original material in the late 1970s. It was especially tough for female musicians outside the mainstream. The women’s music movement realised… Audio
Blue Smoke: Stones Goin’ Down Under
Since the Rolling Stones first toured here in 1965, New Zealand musicians have always shown the band respect. With the release of the Stones’ new album Hackney Diamonds, this episode of Blue Smoke… Audio
Rip It Up moving to online
Launched in June 1977 Rip It Up, was a free monthly music magazine, distributed through record shops nationwide. Now 13 years more years of Rip It Up, from 1986 to 1998, are able to be read online… Audio
Playing Favourites with Kim Hill
After 21 years, Kim Hill has hosted Saturday Morning for the final time. In the final hour of the show, the beloved broadcaster chats to long-time colleague Bryan Crump about some of her favourite… Video, Audio, Gallery
Chris Bourke: Searching for the classic NZ Album
In a first for their website, AudioCulture have launched the AudioCulture Classic NZ Album Readers Poll for 2023. They're inviting you, the public, to pick which locally recorded and produced album… Audio
NZ Film tracks
Today's music feature looks back at the tracks that have become hits after playing in New Zealand films. Audioculture contents editor Chris Bourke talks to Jesse about the music that made the local… Audio
Chris Bourke: A history of 'chur'
The news that the Oxford English Dictionary has added 'chur' and 36 te reo words to their collection prompted AudioCulture's Chris Bourke to look into the history of the word. Audio
Blue Smoke: Christmas
Has it ever snowed in New Zealand on Christmas Day? Over the years our musicians have rearranged Christmas to suit, and our songwriters have added some sunshine to the playlist. This episode of Blue… Audio
Blue Smoke: The Pacific
This episode of Blue Smoke goes beyond the reef, to explore music of the Pacific. Besides featuring Auckland-based expatriates such as Bill Sevesi and Bill Wolfgramm, Chris Bourke venture back to the… Audio
Blue Smoke: How Was the Air Up There?
In 1980 a compilation of New Zealand bands from the 60s was released. It inspired post-punk bands to keep it short and snappy, and created an interest in our pop history. This episode of Blue Smoke… Audio
Blue Smoke: Funk
In 2017 a ground-breaking compilation of New Zealand funk was released - Heed the Call. It inspired others to dig deep and see what funk they could find. This episode of Blue Smoke gets on the good… Audio
Blue Smoke: The Main Trunk Line
For nearly 100 years the Main Trunk line was the superhighway of Aoteoroa, taking passengers, livestock, and cargo from Johnsonville to Geraldine and beyond. Countless musicians have heard the… Audio
Blue Smoke: Jim Carter
Jim Carter, the lap-steel guitarist on the original recording of 'Blue Smoke', and guitarist on several significant early New Zealand pop records, died in October 2022, aged 103. This episode of Blue… Audio
Blue Smoke: Rob Aickin
New Zealand's most successful record producer of the late 70s was only active for five years. He had hits with Hello Sailor, Th' Dudes, Golden Harvest, and Patsy Riggir. Then he left the industry he… Audio
Blue Smoke: Covers
Perhaps thinking of the cover bands of the 1970s, the human jukeboxes and the booze barns and musicians since the 80s have turned away from what they call cover versions. This episode of Blue Smoke… Audio
Blue Smoke: Piano Pop
Before the guitar bands came along, the piano was the songwriter's main tool in popular music. In this episode of Blue Smoke, Chris Bourke looks at a period in the 70s and 80s when - inspired by Elton… Audio
Blue Smoke: Aotearoa Blues
New Zealand musicians embraced the blues boom of the 1960s, inspired mostly by British R&B groups emulating their heroes from the Southern United States and Chicago. In this episode of Blue Smoke… Audio