Deepgrooves Entertainment

Deepgrooves was an Auckland, New Zealand-based independent record label formed in 1991 by Bill Latimer, Mark Tierney and Kane Massey. Tierney left the label eighteen months after the initial release and Latimer followed two months later. Massey continued with the label for approximately ten years working as producer or executive producer. Distributed by Festival Records (NZ) Ltd., Deepgrooves was responsible for a series of influential urban releases including early recordings and production work from Zane Lowe, Phil Fuemana, Justyn Pilbrow, Simon Holloway, Anthony Ioasa, Joost Langveld and Andrew (Submariner) Morton. The label registered numerous Top 10 and Top 40 chart placings over the decade, with its biggest commercial success being the 1994 NZ number one hit Hip Hop Holiday by 3 The Hard Way (3) , New Zealand's first Hip Hop single to reach number one spot. Deepgrooves also received critical acclaim for a number of album releases, winning Jazz album of the year at the New Zealand Music Awards in 1994 and again four years later in 1998. Deepgrooves recorded over 20 albums during its 10 year life span, a number from the label's later years still remain unreleased. In 2012, approximately twelve years after the Deepgrooves last album release, the label was reactivated.