Connan Mockasin
A New Zealand guitarist and singer who made his first album at his parents' house in Te Awanga and has been drifting through psychedelic pop, funk and dream-like experiments ever since.
- Origin
- Napier, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand
- Years active
- 2003-present
- Genres
- psychedelic pop, neo-psychedelia, dream pop, avant-pop, experimental rock
- Labels
- Phantasy, Because Music, Mexican Summer
- Also known as
- Connan Tant Hosford
Te Awanga and London
Connan Mockasin was born Connan Tant Hosford in Napier, Hawke's Bay, New Zealand on March 21, 1983, and raised in Te Awanga. His stage name comes from childhood shoe-making with sheepskin and old motorbike tyres. His father, Ade Hosford, sang in the bands Autumn Stone and Philharmonia Orange before becoming an architectural draftsman, by AudioCulture's account. By AudioCulture he wrote and recorded his own songs by the age of five, and taught himself guitar partly with his teeth; he names Michael Jackson, B.B. King and Jimi Hendrix as influences. His main guitar has been a hand-sawed, sky-blue Mexican-made Fender Stratocaster played since about 2005.
His early bands were The Four Skins in 1995, The Hornery Stiffmen in 2003 and Grampa Moff in Wellington, and from 2003 or 2004 Connan and the Mockasins, with Ross Walker on double bass and Seamus Ebbs on drums. He moved to London around 2005 or 2006, played a residency at the Water Rats, and Fatboy Slim, Norman Cook, became a fan and offered to produce; Sneaky Sneaky Dogfriend came out in 2006. In 2009 he guested on the Brighton Port Authority album.
Forever Dolphin Love, Caramel and after
His first full album was self-released in 2010 as Please Turn Me into the Snat and reached number 39 in New Zealand; in 2011 Erol Alkan's Phantasy Sound reissued it with Because Music as Forever Dolphin Love. In 2011 and 2012 he wrote Out of Touch for Charlotte Gainsbourg's Stage Whisper and toured as her live band, and in November 2012 toured Australia and New Zealand with Radiohead. Caramel followed in November 2013, recorded in a Tokyo hotel room. In 2015 he made the Myths 001 EP with Devonte Hynes, recorded in Marfa, Texas, and in 2018 Jassbusters, his first album with a full band, recorded in one week at Studio Ferber in Paris in August 2016 and released on October 12, 2018. He appeared on MGMT's Little Dark Age in 2018, released Jassbusters Two on November 5, 2021, and made an improvised album with his father, It's Just Wind, released on July 14, 2021 and recorded at Marfa Myths in 2018.
James Blake has said that having him around always makes him feel like he could do anything; Blake co-wrote with him, and Mockasin played bass on Noise Above Our Heads. Beck and Radiohead are admirers, and in 2024 he featured on Justice's Explorer. He now lives in West Hollywood, having moved to Los Angeles in 2015, per AudioCulture. Setlist.fm lists about 185 shows.
Records
- Forever Dolphin Love 2010 · Phantasy, Because Music
Originally Please Turn Me into the Snat, recorded at his parents' home and renamed for its long centerpiece when it was reissued.
- Caramel 2013 · Mexican Summer, Because Music, Phantasy
His second album, made in about a month in a hotel in Tokyo, whose five It's Your Body pieces run through its middle.
Songs
- Forever Dolphin Love Forever Dolphin Love · 2010
The ten-minute centerpiece of his first album, the song the 2011 reissue took its name from, and the one he has played most.
- It's Your Body 5 Caramel · 2013
The last of the five It's Your Body pieces on Caramel, with Tokyo's influence audible in it.
Where to go next
Official
- Connan Mockasin on Bandcamp His releases.
Reference
- Connan Mockasin The fullest career overview, with collaborations and equipment.
- Caramel The album's tracklist and review scores.
- AudioCulture: Connan Mockasin A biography from New Zealand's music history site.
Writing and criticism
- The Quietus: Jassbusters A review of the band album.
- God Is In The TV: Forever Dolphin Love A five-star 2011 review.
Interviews
- The Quietus: Thrill Seeker A 2014 interview on his mother, home recording and Tokyo.
- Interview: Connan Mockasin heats up Caramel On the Tokyo hotel recording.
- First Avenue: Connan Mockasin On the It's Your Body pieces.
Live performance archives
- setlist.fm: Connan Mockasin Shows and song statistics.
Sources
- Connan Mockasin, Wikipedia
- Caramel, Wikipedia
- Connan Mockasin, AudioCulture
- Thrill Seeker: Connan Mockasin, The Quietus (2014-01-21)
- Connan Mockasin heats up Caramel, Interview (2013-11-05)
- Connan Mockasin, First Avenue
- Connan Mockasin: Forever Dolphin Love, God Is In The TV (2011-04-14)
- Connan Mockasin song statistics, setlist.fm