About
“Sandy Mill is a goddess: an amazing vocalist and brilliant percussionist”
- undertheradar
With an enviable world class curriculum vitae of collaborations, recordings and powerhouse vocalist work , the supremely talented Sandy Mill has stepped out into the musical landscape with her own creations with ‘A Piece Of Me’ 2018 EP ‘Lyrical Flight’2021 EP; And most recently 'Socials' The latter released on UK label Chillifunk Records. Mill says “There is a lot more music to come, of all the flavours”
Born in Gisborne, New Zealand of Ngati Porou descent, Sandy Mill has a diverse list of releases, collaborations, live and guest appearances as a vocalist, songwriter & percussionist in Aotearoa / NZ and the UK. She was a finalist in the Waiata Maori Music Award 2018 for her solo debut ‘A Piece of Me’ and came in at number 20 in the Top 20 NZ charts. Sandy recently added her voice to Don McGlashan’s ‘Korokutia (Bathe in the River)’ with Hollie Smith, Pere Wihongi, Laughton Kora and Annie Crummer for Waiata Anthems 2
Sandy is well known for her generosity as a musician and her breadth of talent and accomplishments. She is as proficient performing sixties pop melodies and harmonies for New Zealand super-troupe, The Bellbirds (with Victoria Kelly, Don McGlashan, Sean Donnelly) as she is improvising, using her voice as an instrument to recreate gregorian monk chants (with producer Flood reworking of Gary Numan’s Cars), and across layered irregular time signatures in celebrated 90’s avant-garde, free jazz / dance quartet, Spacesuit. “The Basement Jaxx boys asked me to scream and yell a lot. Not much singing went on in that session, but I learnt another way of approaching the recording process”, she laughs.
The constant here is not just the voice, but also the philosophy. Sandy shares, “I bare my soul, I can’t help that. I have an intense need to mix genres, experiment, always strive for better but I know when it’s time to step back; enjoy and embrace the creative process - the good, the bad and the boring. And I don’t let fear stop me from trying something new.”
As one of New Zealand’s most noted vocalists and percussionists, it surprises most to learn Sandy has not had formal training bar “a few singing lessons”. An Audio Engineering and Music Production course at Tai Poutini (now MAINZ) developed Sandy’s understanding of the recording process “and how all the gear works”. Now teaching herself guitar, production on Logic and using piano to compose, which Sandy confesses she cannot technically play, “ but I mess around until I find the chords I’m after…” One of her favourite moments was the live streamed recording of Neil Finn’s Out of Silence. “That choir, the process, What an incredible honour to sing with such amazing artist's– glorious!”
Sandy Mill has performed, worked or collaborated with… SJD (current), New Telepathics (current), Nicole Matsuda, Spacesuit, The Roughness, Jan Hellriegel, Dianne Swann, Dub Asylum, The Bellbirds (with Don McGlashan, Victoria Kelly & Sean Donnelly) Subware, Pitch Black, Dean Webb, Matt Bizzle,The Hitlist, The Dead Flowers, Harry Lyon, Graham Brazier, Hammond Gamble, Alistair Riddell, Cassette, Jed Town, Ghost Town, Dick Trevor, Epsilon Blue, Dave Dobbyn, Neil Finn & choir, Hollie Smith, Annie Crummer, Laughton Kora, Cherie Mathieson, Anna Coddington, Rei, Louis Baker, Estere, Voom, Shaft…
El Hula, Boy George, Michael J Sheehy, Breed, East West Connection, Notenshun, Dr Bob Jones & Lofty, Heavy Deviance, Will Saul, DJ Rubbish & MC Cox, Dick Trevor, Eric Kupper, Boy George, The Basement Jaxx, Chaz Jankel (The Blockheads), Liquid People, Placebo, Dimitri Tikovoi, Flood and David Harrow.
Sandy is a music mentor for Island Base;
And a top shelf Dj / Selector of impeccable and eclectic taste.
playing anything from Hip Hop, Soul, Jazz and Disco to House and breaks. Playing out on the regular at bars, clubs and festivals. Her musicality transfers to her DJ sets which brings the vibe for any occasion. SPLORE, AUM, Shipwrecked & Brazen to name just a few.
Releases to date:
*Matonii feat Sandy Mill - Independant (Too Many Rules) August 2023
*Sandy Mill - High On Love-Craig Smith Remixes (Chillifunk Records) March 2023
*Sandy Mill - High On Love - Original mix, L&T project remixes (Chillifunk Records) March 2023
*Pitch Black feat Sandy Mill - Exodus (Dubmission) Oct 2022
*Sandy Mill - Socials EP includes remix by L&T Project (Chillifunk Records) Feb 2022
* Matt Bizzle feat Sandy Mill - Gonna get me through - Sept 2021
*Sandy Mill – Lyrical Flight EP (four four soul recordings). Exclusive download on traxsource June 2021
*Misled Convoy – Let it flow remix on Translations II (Dubmission records) - May 2021
*'Charade' The remixes :
Dick (Magik J) Johnson remix / Love Amongst Ruin mix. Nov 2018
*Sandy Mill - A Piece of Me EP (Shes Boss Music) Vinyl & Digital release. May 2018.
* Sandy Mill - Giftbox single (She's Boss Music) with additional mixes, April 2018
*Sandy Mill – Let it Go single (She's Boss Music) with additional mixes from Aston Maxi remixxx /Misled Convoy let it flow remix – February 2018
*New Telepathics – End Of War – January 2018
*Neil Finn – Out of Silence - November 2017
*Magik J ft Sandy Mill- Hold on to the feeling EP (Be Rich records) May 2016.
*SJD- Saint John Divine-LP (Round Trip Mars/Universal) 2015.
*Dub Asylum- She Dubs Me remix EP (Dub Asylum) Oct 2012.
*Notenshun – ‘Lyrical flight’ ft Sandy Mill 12” (Irma records Japan) 2008.
*SJD – Dayglo Spectres LP (Round trip Mars) 2008.
*Dub Asylum – BA BA Boom! EP ‘come figure me out’- Aug 2008.
*Michael J Sheehy – ‘Ghost on a motorway’ LP (Redeye distribution) 2007.
*SJD- Songs from a Dictaphone LP (Round Trip Mars) 2007.
*Epsilon Blue- Are we there yet? LP ‘Departure Lounge’ ‘Dreaming’ ’One Day’ (War Like Speed)’ ft Sandy Mill (Kog Transmissions) 2007.
*Chumbwa - Reunion (Sunswept Music) 2007
*Little Green Men- ‘What you want‘ ft Sandy Mill 12” (Forensic Records) 2007.
*Little Green Men- ‘Movin’ ft Sandy Mill 12” (Forensic records) July 2006.
*Notenshun- Unfinished business LP ft Sandy Mill ‘Love in Symphony’ ‘Soul Music’ ‘Rhythm of the sun’ ‘Fuel in the fire’ ‘Lyrical flight’ (Irma records Japan) 2006.
*Dick ‘Magik’ Johnson/Darren Emerson/Sandy Mill ‘Not what you know’ Various Artists-Underwater Episode.5 (Underwater records) 2006.
*Notenshun – Fuel in the fire ft Sandy Mill – Various Artists Bar Susu Vol.2 (Soul Underground, Soul Unity) 2006.
*DJD – ‘Hangin’ ft Sandy Mill – 12”(opus recordings) 2006.
*Will Saul- LP (Simple) June 05
*Dick Magik Johnson- LP Cardboard Journey (NRK) May 05
*Dick Magik Johnson ‘Follow the groove’ ft Sandy Mill –12” (NRK) June 05.
*Dick Magik Johnson- ‘Feel Alright’ ft Sandy Mill –12”(NRK) Oct 04
*New Telepathics LP – (Landing Party Records) Nov 04.
*Pitch Black- Ape to Angel LP ‘Freefall’ & ‘Elements turn’ ft Sandy Mill UK (Dubmission records) Oct 2004.
*MC Cox/DJ Rubbish produced–Badly worn hat LP, (Sertraline)- Oct 2004.
*Notenshun “Soul Music’ Ft Sandy Mill – 12” (Chillifunk) March 2004
*Placebo, ‘running up that hill’ B Side sessions; Sleeping with Ghosts LP-Released as Ltd edition bonus disc and Covers album - 2003
*East West Connection ‘Movin’ On’ ft Sandy Mill 12”(Chillifunk) June 03
*Gary Numan rework of “Cars” Hybrid Album, Produced by Flood –Feb 03
*El Hula –Violent Love, LP (More Protein) April 03
*Green Oms- ‘Coming through in waves’ LP – ‘Unwashed’ Ft Sandy Mill (Dragonfly records) Feb 03
*Subware ft Sandy Mill – Into – (Shaboom Records) 12” 2003.
*Epsilon Blue – ‘Sweetest Sound (So many Times)’ ft Sandy Mill (self released) 2002 and Loop 4 compilation 2003.
*Dub Asylum –She dubs me, she dubs me not LP. ‘What the funk’, ‘Closedown’, ‘scratch & sniff’ ft Sandy Mill. (Antenna Recordings) 2001.
*SJD – Lost Soul Music LP (Round trip Mars) 2001
*Cassette – Emo EP (Paydirt records) 2001.
*Spacesuit – Self titled Album (self released) 1996.
*Nicole Matsuda – Single- ‘Blue beat’ (Festival) 1991.