Salmonella Dub's decade of sounds

1993: It's January 13 and the Westport Racetrack is the venue for the first instalment of what will become Salmonella Dub when Andrew Penman, Dave Deakins and Mark Tyler play a bass-heavy blend of bad-taste covers (Fred Dagg, Nancy Sinatra) and originals. Later in the year Pete Wood (keyboards) and Conan Wilcox (trumpet, sax) join the Dubbery.

1994: Debut self-titled album on Curious Records. They tentatively start the touring life.

1995: Release of Dub tomfoolery, a seven-track EP produced by Mike Hodgson of Pitch Black.

1996: THC Winter EP produced by David Harrow. Wood leaves the band to move to Auckland; the charismatic Tiki Taane joins and also becomes band's soundman.

1997: Second full-length album, Calming of the Drunken Monkey, features track written by Bim Sherman. Sign to Virgin for distribution. Tour Australia regularly and begin links with like-minded European artists.

1998: The big breakthrough with the album Killervision, which springs the hit For the Love Of It, the band's first top 10 single. Single is released with four mixes by David Harrow, Nomad, Pitch Black and the Mad Professor. Album tracks Drifting and Johnny also released in multiple mixes. They win best live act and best album at the b.Net awards.

2000: Killervision just keeps killing and sells double platinum locally (30,000). It is released in five countries, although the band admit they aren't happy with it. Producer Harrow had too big a hand in it and it was recorded too hastily, they say. They don't enjoy playing the material live. New single Love Your Ways gets the multiple mix treatment. They tour Australia repeatedly and in Europe play to a television audience of two million on Canal Plus.

2001: Release of Colonial Dubs, an EP of new tracks and old ones reworked includes dub version of Love Your Ways and Outdoor Styles, which becomes the name of their earth-shaking, 26-date national tour with Pitch Black and King Kapisi. The rigours of the year see them rattled, wrung-out and ready to call it a day. The tour loses them $50,000. Back in Christchurch they regroup for the album Inside the Dub Plates, which confirms their status as the country's premier band when it debuts at number one and subsequently goes double platinum.

2002: Outside the Dub Plates is a multinational remix of Inside the Dub Plates by the likes of DLT, Mad Professor, Adrian Sherwood, DJ Digital and others. DVD features eight videos and live footage. Band tours England, France, Belgium and Australia. In London the band meet with Brillo of Timeless Records, and a 12-inch vinyl of The Bromley East Roller featuring remixes from Bulletproof and Digital/Spirit is released through Timeless. Second vinyl release through Timeless is a double vinyl EP of Outside the Dubplates with remixes from Dreadzone, Adrian Sherwood, Groove Corporation, Mad Professor. Band win three b.Net awards including best album and best live act. Taane guests on Blindspott album and as his alter-ego MC Rizzla on Rhombus track Clav Dub. Band have seven nominations for Tuis and win best international achievement award, and Wernham, Taane and Paddy Free best engineers for Inside the Dub Plates.

2003: A decade after their Westport debut the band are nominated for three Tui awards (they win best dance album for Outside the Dub Plates) and are nominated for three more b.Net awards. In advance of the release of the album One Drop East, recorded in their new Kaikoura studios, they give interviews in a suite at the Stamford Plaza.