Nathan Haines - Always Shifting Left
by Murray Crane
Nathan Haines is one of our best known entertainers. From his formative years in Auckland's early club scene to international acclaim, his louche style is as distinctive as his music. I sat down with Nathan and chatted with him about the last 30-plus years of knowing each other, his most recent accomplishments, turning 50 and what the future looks like.
You’ve been making a living from your music your entire career - give us a potted history of Nathan Haines from age 16 to now.
At that age I was playing The London Bar with my dad (bassist Kevin Haines), The Globe on Wakefield St and Hotel DeBrett with my friends in a band called the Jazz Committee. I left home at 17 and that's really when I started living the life of a musician - practising, writing and gigging. In 1991 I left for New York, where I stayed for three wonderful and inspiring years, and then in 1994 came back to NZ and made my first album Shift Left. Arriving in NYC as a 19-year old blew my mind and it was real formative stuff for me, living in the East Village and playing with great musicians.
In 1995 I moved to London and became part of the incredible dance music scene. I teamed up with Phil Asher and we made Sound Travels in 2000 and then Squire For Hire. My life really changed and I was playing all over the world, living the dream. Those records and that time are still very special to me - sadly Phil passed away in early 2021. He was a huge figure in my life and we were working on another album together - which I am finishing this year! I met my (now wife) Jaimie in 2002, and we got together in London in 2004. We have done so many great things together and she is a continual inspiration - and she makes my clothes!
In 2014 our son Zoot was born and with fatherhood came sobriety and further change, then in late 2018 I was diagnosed with an advanced throat cancer and after a very difficult couple of years I survived, losing everything in the process including my voice. What I didn't lose was my family and friends - now I am about to turn 50 and I am still here.
Tell us a little bit about your latest projects.
I am working on an album I started when Zoot was born with some amazing people on it (including the late Phil Asher). It's a tale of where I am at and what I've been through and it sounds beautiful. It will be produced and mixed by me in my new studio. Zoot Music Studios was started last year and is a small purpose built space with all my gear and vintage synths. It's a creative space to work in and we will mix and produce other people’s music.
I have a lot of nice original outboard gear, vintage mics and synths like a Roland Jupiter 8 and an original 1970s ARP Odyssey (not the crappy remake). I use both analog and digital to record and I use my ears and experience to get the best result.
We share a penchant for vintage watches, how did that start?
I just like original versions and knowing where stuff comes from. I've been collecting watches most of my life and have always restored and resold them. That market has gone nuts in the last five years and I sold a lot of my collection to fund the studio build and, of course, my treatment. I just love well designed stuff, whether it's vintage hi-fi equipment, original mono album pressings, hi-fi cartridges, classic cars and, of course, watches.
It seems you always have a restoration project on the go. Tell us about your recent and upcoming projects.
How has not being able to perform live affected you?
It fucked with my head and heart big time. I’m still getting over it - not playing for me is like slowly dying but the very first lockdown (2 years ago) prompted me to build the studio. I had already been learning to mix properly and just love that whole process of starting with a basic stem or recording, then building up a track with someone. I love working with artists to achieve their vision - it’s not just about my own music!
When I started playing jazz in pubs in the 80s people would laugh at us in our suits - as a creative person in New Zealand you’ve got a lot of fuckwits to contend with and that’s always been the struggle. But over time things changed, perceptions changed, and the things that were important to me and I championed became almost mainstream. I definitely have days when I think I need a ‘real’ job to make some ‘real’ money and but I am too far in now to start something else - plus my love of music is so deep if I wasn’t doing it I would die.
How have you seen Auckland develop culturally in the last 40 years?
I dig Auckland and the community of artist friends who make a difference. I would like to see more investment in infrastructure (better public transport and an airport link) as well as better community funding for the people who work hard supporting the arts. I’ve been incredibly lucky to have people who support my music and live gigs and the support of live venues.
What's your greatest travel memory and when we can travel again where would you like to go?
When Jamie and I married in 2011, we had six weeks in the Luberon Valley in Provence with some dear friends, one of whom I had known from New Zealand since I was a teenager. I took my saxophone, a lot of manuscript paper and some heavy John Coltrane transcriptions and really wrestled with his harmony and I practised a LOT. It was a breakthrough time for me musically. However we also played a lot of petanque, drank pastis and jammed with locals and lived the wonderful summer Provence life. It really is magical down there.
What is next for Nathan Haines?
Appreciating the fact I'm alive, that I have an incredibly supportive and amazing wife, a beautiful son who amazes me every day, and that I feel comfortable in myself and in my art. I feel like I'm getting closer with my sound to how I want to sound. It's taken me my whole life and it will take the rest of my life. I will play until there is no breath left in me. There's nowhere to get to. This is it - the journey.
Thanks Nathan and happy birthday.
Photography: Cam Hay @camhay_
View more Dispatch posts
Back to DispatchA Catch Up With Christian Kimber
Recently, I had the pleasure of sitting down with Christian Kimber. Kimber’s eponymous brand has won acclaim for reimagining the Australian lifestyle aesthetic. His collections focus on understated elegance and...
The Squarzi Archive
One thing that always strikes me when I visit the Fortela showroom is the breadth of archival pieces on display and how they influence the Fortela design process. The Squarzi...
Unyoked - A New Off Grid Experience.
Unyoked’s expansion into New Zealand offers a refreshing retreat for anyone looking to disconnect from the digital world and reconnect with nature. Their minimalist, eco-friendly cabins near Auckland and other...