Let's Play

Rare as kiwi's teeth! New Zealand muso, Bill Direen's self released LP, with screen printed cover (back art work was finger-painted by his kids). Autographed by bassist/vocalist, Greig Bainbridge. Nice clean vinyl (light surface marks do not effect play). Cover has minor shelf wear.

Builders (aka Bilders, Bilderine, Bilderbergers, Six Impossible Things) is a New Zealand music group, recently brought out of obscurity by labels Unwucht (Germany) Grapefruit (USA), Siltbreeze (USA) and SmartGuy (USA). A string of self-recorded 7-inch vinyl releases between 1980 and 1982 culminated in Beatin Hearts, the first studio-album from fledgling New Zealand ('Flying Nun Records') underground movement. Bilder's latest release is Beatin Hearts and the 7 inch EP Measly (Grapefruit Recs, USA). Bilders' material is known for 'rough' music making (often live in the studio), and a lo-fi recording style that has produced "many genuine classic compositions".^[1]

Guests and collaborators are varied in musical styles and backgrounds. Latest co-musicians are The Ghosts (U.S., Dave Nance, Chris Deden, Simon Joyner), Steve Cournane (drums, Dunedin, NZ) and Wellington (NZ) guitarist/curator/founder of Marineville Mark Williams with poet/composer/percussionist Jo Contag, in a group known in 2016 as Ferocious. Pianist Andrew McCully will join Builders in Auckland later this year to revive Songs for Michael Joseph Savage. February 2016 saw Steve Cournane (percussion, Cajon and drums) and Greig Bainbridge (bass) working with Stuart Porter (saxophone) and others. In the 1980s co-workers included entrepreneur/composer Alastair Galbraith 1994, Alec Bathgate (recording project, 1984), Chris Knox (recording and production, 1982) of Toy Love and Tall Dwarfs, Alan Brunton (opera project Comrade Savage on the life of Australian-born NZ politician Michael Joseph Savage) [1] (Red Mole), Steve Braunias, Campbell McLay (bass, 1980–82), members of The Terminals, Scorched Earth Policy and Victor Dimisich Band. Malcolm Grant was Bilders drummer (1980-82) before moving to (The Bats. Recent members include Greig Bainbridge (bass, Christchurch NZ, 1984–present), TThomthom G'schrey (Germany, violin, 1997, 2006–present), Stuart Page (of The Axemen drums and artwork, 1983-85, 2010–present), Robbie Yeats (Dunedin, The Dead C, 2014, drums), David Watson (NYC, 2013, bagpipes, 335 semi-acoustic guitar), Miggy Littleton (Brooklyn, 2013, bass), Hamish Kilgour of The Clean (Brooklyn, 1989, 2013-14), David Wukitsevits of Austrian band Der Nino aus Wien (2013, drums), Jess McCann (Melbourne, accordion), Stuart Porter (saxophones, percussion), Louise Johns (Germany/Singapore, bass), Mark Williams (Wellington/Germany, guitar), Jo Contag (Wellington, drums), Barry Stockley (Wellington/Melbourne, bass and instrumentation, 1987, 2013), Tama Stockley (drums, 2013), artist-guitarist Nikola Kapétanovic (2009–11, [France, electric guitar, dumbra, kalimba), dancer and actress France Hervé (France, 2010, chanteuse, actor), Kersten Ginsberg (Germany, drums, 1997), pianist, composer, improvisor, filmmaker Jonathan Crayford (Paris-NZ) - piano (2010–11, a special poetry-piano project), Rick And (2011, vocal), Peter Scott (2012, bass), Andrew McCully (piano, organ 2007-08, 2010, 13, 14) and Andy Maitai (drums, 2008). Further groups have played or collaborated in Europe, USA, Australia and NZ with musicians such as Jon Evans (Berlin, synthesiser, 2008, Berlin) and Parisian DJ Fred Morvan (beatbox, 2008, Berlin). This list is not complete.

Since the early 1980s, music has been released on labels such as South Indies, Unwucht, SmartGuy, Grapefruit Record Club, Onec Records Plymouth UK, South Indies, Siltbreeze, Onset Offset Christchurch NZ, Powertool NZ [CDs only 2006–2010], EMI, and Warner Bros Flying Nun.