Dujon Cullingford gives some shine to six little-known Kiwi bangers

Dujon Cullingford sees himself as part of a global group of record collectors taking stock of their country's musical taonga.

This May, for NZ Music Month, he had lots of fun digging into his 2500-piece record collection for high-quality but little-known local tracks and sharing them on social media.

"We love Dave Dobbyn's 'Slice of Heaven' and 'April Sun in Cuba' by Dragon, but there's a whole 'nother world out there. It's so good to be able to pick up some of these recordings and give them some shine in 2026," Cullingford tells Music 101.

Coming up as a dancer in the Waikato hip-hop scene, Cullingford says he listened to funk, soul, and disco from America.

Then, getting into DJing 15 years ago, he at first played "the normal music of the day" on digital decks.

After meeting fellow record collectors "going deep" on New Zealand releases from decades past, Cullingford shifted his focus to local music.

Now, he spends a lot of time digging around record fairs and shops, seeking out "really out-there examples of good music" made right here.

Some of Cullingford's gems are acquired via trades with "hidden kaumātua" collectors who are decades older, he says.

"I get so much value out of those relationships. They can tell you so much more about bands but they're super discreet, they've been in the game for a long time."

Dujon Cullingford's 2026 mixtape:

'Ruo Moko' by New Zealand Trading Company

In the 1960s, brothers Thomas and Martin Kini (Te Aitanga-a-Mahaki) were in the US doing "the show band thing" when they formed New Zealand Trading Company with three Puerto Ricans and a British guy.

In 1970, the band released this "funky te reo Māori song" on their self-titled album.

"This is a really good example of te reo Māori being embraced in a jazz rock context, which is sweet. It's like the Carlos Santana vibe from that time, and you can kind of picture the Māori boys going hard.

"Thomas Kini actually was in Chicago until he died and was recognised for his contributions to jazz in the area."

'Listen' by Pacific Eardrum

Husband-and-wife duo Joy Yates and Dave MacCrae - parents of Australian pop singer Jade MacRae - were the core members of Pacific Eardrum.

Not many people seem to know about their third and final self-titled album released in 1980, Cullingford says, which featured this "funky" song in te reo Māori.

"A typical example of kūmara syndrome - too sweet to brag about it, I reckon.

"You can tell it's a jazz group because they let it go. For anyone into R&B, soul, disco, this ticks all the boxes … I started playing it years back when I was DJing and people just go off on the dance floor."

'Be There In The Morning' by Annie Crummer

Everybody knows "Auntie Annie" Crummer, Cullingford says, but they may not have heard this Renée Geyer cover she recorded as the B-side to her 1981 single 'Once or Twice' when she was just 16.

"It's got a whole string section behind her. She sounds young and soulful. And it's just a really beautiful song.

"[Crummer] comes from musical whakapapa. Her dad [Will Crummer] was jamming in Hawaiian steel guitar bands and all that jazz.

"So cool to bring her soulful New Zealander-Cook Island-Tahitian styles into the mix."

'You Can Dance' by Collision

Originally known as Shriek Machine, the Tokoroa band Collision moved to Wellington in 1973. Two years later, at the invitation of Dalvanius Prime, they relocated to Sydney.

On the single self-titled album they recorded there in 1978 was the "really upbeat" and funky single 'You Can Dance', Cullingford says.

"I've played it in dance competitions here and over other countries and it always goes off. It's a really fun track, original track."

"The lead guy, Hirra Morgan, he's awesome. He's 80, he's still playing … he is all about music and culture still, and he so fondly talks about his band memories."

Listen to former Collision members Hirra Morgan and Mike Booth talking to Nick Bollinger here.

'Never My Love' by The Warren Sisters & The Reflections

Levin show band The Reflections accompanies a "gospel soulful crew" featuring Diane, Kathy, and Pirihira Warren on this 1970 cover of a song by American pop band The Association, Cullingford says.

'Never My Love' was the B-side of the only 45 released by the Horowhenua group on the Levin record label TALA.

After sharing it on Facebook a few years ago, Cullingord says some homies from a Kāpiti dance crew tagged surviving members of The Warren Sisters who came on to share pictures and stories.

"This is an extremely beautiful example of a regional band just laying down a nice sweet soulful cut and it never really getting its flowers into the last few years."

'Hard Times' by The Blitz Street Fuzz

In 1971, Wayne Tairua, Miles Simeon and Ivan Olsen Petone-based rock band won the Wellington section of Battle of the Bands.

That year they also released their only first and last recording - a 45 featuring the "straight up, heavy rock" track 'Hard Times', Cullingford says.

The Blitz Street Fuzz recorded it at Sonic Studios - a favourite of local rock acts in the early 1970s.

"It's a trio, just three of them jamming, but they just go hard singing about racial equality, calling out racism. They're talking about standing on solidarity, and they're just ripping, it's heavy."

Get weekly Life highlights

Coverage

Our editors pick the best of food, arts, culture and lifestyle. Delivered straight to your inbox every Saturday.