Scribe dominates NZ Music Awards

10.00pm - By RUSSELL BAILLIE

Scribe carved his name with pride into Kiwi pop history tonight with a near clean sweep of the 2004 New Zealand Music Awards.

At Auckland's Aotea Centre, the hip-hop star - who last year became the first New Zealand artist to have an album and single at number one in the local charts - won seven of the nine categories in which he was nominated in the wake of his 2003 debut album The Crusader and the hit Stand Up.

His wins included best album, single of the year, best male solo artist, best urban/hip-hop album, best songwriter (shared with P-Money, Con Psy and Savage for Not Many, the Remix), and the publicly-voted People's Choice Award.

The only categories where Scribe was a non-winning finalist were International Achievement and Highest Selling Album (predictably won by classical-pop teen star Hayley Westenra) and highest selling single (won by NZ Idol Ben Lummis).

The two Tuis won by Westenra, who has sold more than 1.5 million copies of her second album Pure worldwide, equalled those of the night's other major winners - Brooke Fraser and Dimmer.

Singer-songwriter Fraser won best female solo artist and breakthrough artist from her six nominations.

While Dimmer, the solo project by alternative rock veteran Shayne Carter, cleaned up both rock categories of best album and best group.

In the other contemporary music category, Salmonella Dub again won the best electronic/dance music prize for their 2003 album One Drop East.

It was one the night's few surprises considering the showing of fellow finalist Concord Dawn's Uprising at the b.Net awards earlier - and the fact the Concord Dawn album had as its guests vocalists Scribe and Salmonella Dub's Tiki Taane.

Salmonella Dub won the same award last year for Outside the Dub Plates.

The Chris Graham-directed live-action clip for Scribe's Stand Up won the best video award ahead of it computer animated competition, Dimmer's Getting What You Give and Misfits of Science's Fools Love.

In other categories John Psathas, the Wellington composer behind the opening music for the Athens Olympics won the best classical album for his Psathas: Fragments ahead of works by the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra and the New Zealand Quartet.

Judges voted the The Rodger Fox Big Band's A Rare Connection as jazz album of the year, a 30th anniversary present for the group led by the trombonist-arranger.

Previous winner and nominee Ruia Aperahama won the Best Maori Album award for his fourth set Hawaiki, his earlier album releases Waiata of Bob Marley Volume 1 and 2 having both received nominations for Tuis with Volume 1 winning Best Mana Reo Album in 2002.

Globe-trotting group Te Vaka won the Best Pacific Music Album category for its fourth album Tutuki.

The 39th New Zealand Music Awards 2004 screens on C4 tomorrow night, presented by Jackie Brown and Mikey Havoc.

NZ Music Award winners:

Album Of The Year

Scribe - The Crusader



Single Of The Year

Scribe - Stand Up



Best Group

Dimmer - You've Got To Hear The Music



Breakthrough Artist Of The Year

Brooke Fraser - What To Do With Daylight



Best Male Solo Artist

Scribe - The Crusader



Best Female Solo Artist

Brooke Fraser - What To Do With Daylight



Songwriter Of The Year

Scribe, P-Money, Con Psy & Savage - Not Many The Remix!



Highest Selling New Zealand Album

Hayley Westenra - Pure



Highest Selling New Zealand Single

Ben Lummis - They Cant Take That Away



Best Rock Album

Dimmer - You've Got To Hear The Music



Best Urban/Hip-Hop Album

Scribe - The Crusader



Best Dance / Electronica Album

Salmonella Dub - One Drop East



Best Music Video

Chris Graham - Stand Up (Scribe)



People's Choice Award

Scribe



Best Jazz Album

The Rodger Fox Big Band - A Rare Connection



Best Maori Album

Ruia - Hawaiki



Best Pacific Music Album

Te Vaka - Tutuki



Best Classical Album

John Psathas - Psathas: Fragments



Best Gospel/Christian Album

Magnify - In Wonder



International Achievement Award

Hayley Westenra



Airplay Record Of The Year

Goldenhorse - Maybe Tomorrow



Lifetime Achievement Award

Shaun Joyce



Awards presented earlier:



Best Country Music Album

Donna Dean - Money



Best Country Music Song

Donna Dean - Work It Out



Best Folk Album

Brendyn Montgomery & Mike Considine - Mountain Air



Best Album Cover

Ben Sciascia - Postage (Supergroove)



Best Engineer

Chris van de Geer - Passenger (Carly Binding)



Best Producer

P-Money - The Crusader (Scribe)