Eastern Sound Stories

Alisa Xayalith is a kiwi-born Laotian living in LA; an award-winning artist, singer & songwriter, most notably as the frontwoman, lead vocalist, guitarist & keyboardist for The Naked & Famous, one of Aotearoa's biggest bands of the 2010s. Alisa is now releasing incredible works as a solo artist, Namnita was lucky enough to chat all about her new single "I'll Be There" as well as lockdown loneliness, racist white-dude bands and loyalty as a friend.Podcast produced by Eastern Sound Collective in conjunction with Radio Active.FMExecutive Producer: Nadia FreemanTechnical Production by: Karnan SabaPresenter and Artist Liasion: Namnita KumarMade with Support from NZ On Air MusicTracks used without:Alisa Xayalith - I'll be thereAlisa Xayalith - High Fidelity

Carawei is a Kiwi-born Chinese multi-instrumentalist and music producer, best known for her solo work & as guitarist of The Venom Dolls. She is also the founder of Milky Avenue Studios, a LGBTQ+-focused music studio based in Tāmaki Makaurau. Namnita chats with her about her upcoming song "Retrograde", as well as training in music from a young age, how her family approaches her career, signing an album to Big Pop & running your own studio.Tracks used throughout:Carawei - RetrogradeCarawei - Retrograde (Instrumental)Carawei - BlueCarawei - Sidechain

Scalper AKA Nadeem Shafi has been a stalwart of the international trip hop & breakbeat scenes for over 2 decades, starting as MC Nad in the UK hip hop group Made In Britain (M.I.B.). Namnita chats with him about living in Aotearoa, how to grieve healthily, growing up with racism & his song "Dust".Podcast produced by Eastern Sound Collective in conjunction with Radio Active.FMExecutive Producer: Nadia FreemanTechnical Producer: Karnan SabaPresenter and Artist Liaison: Namnita KumarMade with support from NZ On Air MusicTracks used throughout:Scalper - DustScalper - Emptiness (Instrumental)Scalper - Three Cups (Instrumental)Scalper - Within These Walls (Instrumental)

Namnita chats with Nikita 雅涵 Tu-Bryant this week, a multi-hypenate of epic proportions and one third of KITA.Te Whanganui-a-Tara based KITA bonds the folk, soul, storytelling and guitar of Nikita with thick lush sounds from Ed Zuccollo (Zuke) and the filthy drive and barking psychedelic drums of Rick Cranson. Namnita talks with Nikita about making and their song "Dig Deep" from their debut album KITA.Podcast produced by Eastern Sound Collective in conjunction with Radio Active.FMExecutive Producer: Nadia FreemanTechnical Producer: Karnan SabaPresenter and Artist Liaison: Namnita KumarMade with support from NZ On Air MusicPhoto Credit: Alex Wong @alex.te.tamaitiTracks used throughout:KITA - Dig DeepKITA - Open eyesKITA - Envy

This week, Namnita chats with Umar Zakaria, Jazz composer, double bassist-extraordinaire and Recorded Music NZ’s 2018 Jazz Artist Of The Year. They chat traditional Malay music, what it means to be a New Zealand-Malay person & his song "Asli".Podcast produced by Eastern Sound Collective in conjunction with Radio Active.FMExecutive Producer: Nadia FreemanTechnical Producer: Karnan SabaPresenter and Artist Liaison: Namnita KumarMade with support from NZ On Air MusicTracks used throughout:Umar Zakaria - AsliUmar Zakaria - LandingSaloma - Selamat Hari RayaUmar Zakaria & Radio Active.FM - Active Live LTA recording

Namnita chats to ASHY, self-managed popstar on the rise and one of Going Global’s featured artists of 2022. They chat the creation of "Mirror" feat. Vallé, growing up in Christchurch, the inspirational words of Tami Neilson and having a great support system. Even Padma Lakshmi gets a wee mention!Podcast produced by Eastern Sound Collective in conjunction with Radio Active.FMExecutive Producer: Nadia FreemanTechnical Producer: Karnan SabaPresenter and Artist Liaison: Namnita KumarMade with support from NZ On Air MusicTracks used throughout:ASHY - MirrorASHY - Mirror (Instrumental)ASHY - Temporary CrushASHY - EGO