Wellington funk, soul, reggae act The Black Seeds manage to cram themselves into a single shot for this episode from a series made for secondary school music students. Bookended by stripped back performances of 'Keep on Pushing' and 'Going Back Home', they explain the development of these songs from their origins as bass grooves. Mike Fabulous has cautionary words for aspiring songwriters about the dangers of overcomplicated song structures while Barnaby Weir reassuringly suggests that virtuosity is not an absolute prerequisite for being in the band.    

Moody, minimalistic and monochromatic, this animated clip matches the relentless forward motion of the song to images of a train moving across a landscape. Birds fly — as so do some of the lyrics — and the surroundings grow more Daliesque. Seed was one of three Dimmer videos directed by animator and sometime Dimmer drummer Gary Sullivan. Band founder Shayne Carter (Straitjacket Fits) complimented Sullivan's "straight on down the line" railway imagery for how ably it suited the song; it appeared on Dimmer's long-in-gestation debut album I Believe You Are a Star.

The Black Seeds are key flagbearers for the downbeat Wellington sound, thanks to the unique fusion of dub, reggae and funk they're been pushing out since 1998. Led by singer Barnaby Weir (Fly My Pretties), the Wellington collective's line-up has included keyboardist Bret McKenzie (Flight of the Conchords) and drummer Rich Christie. Dub-pop tunes like 'Keep on Pushing' and 'Something So True' have helped The Black Seeds become favourites on the local summer tour circuit, and they've taken their southern soul on several international tours. En route, two of their five studio albums have topped the New Zealand charts.

This NZ Music Month collection showcases NZ music television, spun from a playlist of classic documentaries and beloved music shows. From Split Enz to the NZSO, Heavenly Pop Hits to Hip Hop New Zealand, whether you count the beat or roll like this, there’s something here for all ears (and eyes). Plus music writer Chris Bourke gets Ready to Roll with this pop history primer.

Don’t mess with the Black Seeds! The band members run amok in a government office when they are wrongly accused of civil disobedience. Heads get photocopied, computers get beaten up, and chaos rules in this clip made by director James Barr. Look out for Bret McKenzie, of Flight of the Conchords fame, who was a member of the band at the time. 'Hey Son' is taken from the band's 2001 debut album Keep on Pushing. 

The laidback pop-reggae of double platinum album On the Sun was a noughties Kiwi summer soundtrack, and this golden hour-hued affair is a video to match. A Seedy trio (Barnaby Weir, Bret McKenzie, Daniel Weetman) head on holiday to the Coromandel for a smorgasbord of baches, pohutukawa rope swings, mussels on the barbie, and cricket on the beach. There's a nod to the sponsor's product as McKenzie pulls the Holden into the Tararu Store for a Fruju pitstop: one of the future Oscar-winner's earliest paid acting gigs was in an ice-block commercial.

Wellington’s Black Seeds serve up another dose of their brand of funky roots reggae on this, their debut single from third album Into The Dojo. Director Jason Naran’s video is based on a concept by former Black Seeds member Bret McKenzie (who cameos briefly on Kitchen Cam 1). The result re-imagines the concept of social networking, with a cast of online fans grooving to the music. The video was judged Best Roots winner at the 2006 Juice TV Awards.

Made by off-duty Lord of the Rings crew and directed by James Barr, this video won The Knack Award at the 2001 Flying Fish Music Awards, and was a Handle the Jandal award-winner the same year. Shot in black and white, the clip is visually strong, but contains lots of shots of the band falling from buildings, so don’t watch it if you suffer from vertigo. And please don’t try this at home! Onetime band member Bret McKenzie (Flight of the Conchords) turns up in the final stages, with an emergency bucket.

On 09 July 2002 the ruling Labour Party was under pressure on the Genetic Engineering (GE) issue, when John Campbell confronted Prime Minister Helen Clark over the suspected release of GE corn seed in 2000. In a 3 News special a fired-up Campbell, informed by Nicky Hager's yet-to-be-published Seeds of Distrust, alleged there had been a cover up. Upset at what she perceived as an ambush, Clark reacted tersely; she later labelled Campbell a "sanctimonious little creep". With a general election looming, the encounter was dubbed 'Corngate'.

In this one-off documentary Te Radar takes his roving reporter skills to Takaka, and immerses himself in the groovy world of The Gathering. The New Year's dance music festival ran from 1996 to 2002. Radar proves the master of the quote, whether chatting to 'Lords of the Ping', electronic act Pitch Black or avoiding immolation from fire poi enthusiasts ("who doesn't love a fire poi", he says grimly). Watch out for Black Seed Bret McKenzie, laidback DJ star John Digweed and the earnest 'Jesus Food' crew, whose free dosh proves a bit too popular for rival food stalls.